Session asks Donegal Presbytery to say ordination standard essential

Session asks Donegal Presbytery to say ordination standard essential

The Layman Online, September 20, 2006

The session of Forks of the Brandywine Presbyterian Church in Glenmoore, Pa., has joined the growing number of sessions “seeking redress of the grave errors” in the General Assembly’s decision to allow ordaining bodies to decide that constitutional ordination requirements are not essential.

Presbytery ActionCentral Florida Approved at Sept. 11-12 meeting DonegalUnder review Holston (no text immediately available) Referred to Bills and Overture Committee MississippiAffirmed constitutional standards Pittsburgh Approved overture saying ordination requirements are essential Sacramento 4 resolutions approved Sept. 9San Francisco Considering competing resolutions Sierra Blanca Under review UtahReview at Oct. 13-14 meeting Western N.C. Votes yes, no and maybe Whitewater Valley Second reading Dec. 6 Eleven presbyteries have received motions from local church sessions calling them to require candidates for ordination to comply with the constitution. One presbytery – San Francisco – is considering competing resolutions: one to say ordination requirements are “essential” and the other calling for freedom of choice.

The Forks has asked the Presbytery of Donegal to approve a series of declarations affirming the current “fidelity/chastity” ordination standard and clearly stating that ordinations in violation of the constitutional standard will not be recognized by the presbytery.

The session’s statement, adopted on Sept. 18, responds to the 2006 General Assembly’s approval of an authoritative interpretation that allows sessions and presbyteries to consider whether a candidate’s same-gender sexual behavior disqualifies the candidate from being installed as a deacon, elder or minister. The interpretation permits a candidate to declare a “scruple” against G-6.0106b – the fidelity/chastity requirement in the Book of Order – and also allows the ordaining body to declare that the requirement is not an essential.

The motion was presented to Donegal Presbytery on Sept. 19 and referred to the presbytery’s Overtures, Amendments and Review Committee for study and comment.

The text of the motion is:

WHEREAS the 217th General Assembly accepted the report of the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity (PUP) of the Church and enacted it as an Authoritative Interpretation which is purportedly binding on all lower governing bodies; and

WHEREAS Recommendation Number 5 of the report of the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity of the Church affirms Article G-6.0106b (ordination standards) of the Book of Order and at the same time makes the Biblical standards for ordination found in both the Book of Order and The Book of Confessions subject to the will of the ordaining body in violation of G-1.0306; and

WHEREAS this denial of biblical standards for ordination violates essential tenets of God’s Holy Word and creates a constitutional crisis within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.); and

WHEREAS this denial of biblical standards for ordination also creates a crisis of conscience among this Session and its Pastor, thus violating the first “Historic Principle of Church Order” as set forth in Book of Order section G-1.0301;

NOW THEREFORE: The Session of Forks of the Brandywine Presbyterian Church strongly urges and petitions the Presbytery of Donegal to adopt the following resolutions:

Resolution No. 1. To promote the peace, unity, and purity of our presbytery, the Presbytery of Donegal resolves and declares that it acknowledges and affirms that Book of Order section G-6.0106b is an essential, binding standard for all Inquirers, Candidates, and ordained Ministers of the Word and Sacrament, both those serving within, and those desiring to be received into the Presbytery of Donegal.

Resolution No. 2. To promote the peace, unity, and purity of our presbytery, the Presbytery of Donegal resolves and declares that it shall not at any time consider Book of Order section G-6.0106b to be a non-essential ordination standard, or a matter of personal scruple, in relation to any particular Inquirer, Candidate, or Minister of the Word and Sacrament.

Resolution No. 3. To promote the peace, unity, and purity of our presbytery, the Presbytery of Donegal resolves and declares that all candidates for ordination, installation, and/or membership in this Presbytery shall comply with all standards for ordination set forth in the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (“PCUSA”) (as the Constitution is defined in Book of Order, Section G-1.0500) and that failing to do so, any such candidates shall be ineligible for ordination, installation, and/or membership in this Presbytery.

Resolution No. 4. To promote the peace, unity, and purity of our presbytery, the Presbytery of Donegal resolves and declares that it shall not receive into membership, nor recognize as a member thereof, any person who has been ordained or installed under a scruple (that is, taking exception) to any of the ordination standards as set forth in the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (“PCUSA”) (as the Constitution is defined in Book of Order, Section G-1.0500).

Rationale:

The 217th General Assembly’s adoption of the Theological Task Force’s Report on the Peace, Unity, and Purity of the Church effected a constitutional change that is more basic than when its text is amended by the consent of a majority of the Presbyteries. By a mere a vote of the General Assembly, without reference to the presbyteries of the denomination, an interpretation of the constitution (Book of Order) has been effected which transforms the terms “shall,” and “shall not,” in our ordination standards to mean the same as “may.”

In effect, our ordination standards are now mere suggestions, to be applied or ignored with respect to officer candidates according to the scruples of local ordaining bodies. Thus, the acceptance of the PUP Report and its constituent recommendations by the 217th General Assembly amounts to a fundamental change in our Book of Order.

Because this fundamental change has been made without the consent of the Presbyteries, and has unmade the Book of Order’s integrity and of our connectional polity, the change requires the attention of each governing body within the denomination on their respective responsibility to apply the constitution as they see fit in their respective settings.

Thus, the foregoing resolutions 1 through 4 are presented to restore constitutional fidelity and to ensure clarity and certainty with respect to ordination standards within the presbytery of Donegal.