GA Daily Dispatch

July 8, 2010

The General Assembly made several significant decisions and recommendations today. The morning began with GA making way for creation of a special commission empowered to act upon requests for establishing, dissolving or realigning the bounds of synods and presbyteries. The commission may act only when requested to do so by a majority of those who would be affected by such action. The intent of this action is to create more flexibility for the church in determining its organizational patterns.

In the first GA action relating to the PCUSA’s relationship to the Jewish community, the Assembly referred the study paper “Christians and Jews: People of God” back to the committee that prepared it, with instruction that the committee include Palestinian Christians in its deliberations, and send the next GA an amended version of this study.

Once again, this time by a 373-323 margin, the GA voted to send to presbyteries a recommendation to change ordination standards, by replacing the current G-6.0106b with the following:

"Standards for ordained service reflect the church’s desire to submit joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life (G-1.0000). The governing body responsible for ordination and/or installation (G.14.0240;
G-14.0450) shall examine each candidate’s calling, gifts, preparation, and suitability for the responsibilities of office. The examination shall include, but not be limited to, a determination of the candidate’s ability and commitment to fulfill all requirements as expressed in the constitutional questions for ordination and installation (W-4.4003). Governing bodies shall be guided by Scripture and the confessions in applying standards to individual candidates.”

A majority of presbyteries must approve this change for it to become part of the Book of Order.

A task force on Marriage and Civil Union, established by the 2008 General Assembly, brought to the Assembly two reports – one from the majority and one from the minority, one affirming traditional views of marriage and the other proposing expanded views. The Assembly took the rare action of commending both reports to the church for study.  Finally, the Assembly voted to answer all other items relating to marriage with this action. The most significant effect of this was to reject the proposal to change the Book of Order description of marriage from “a man and a woman” to “two persons.”

The Assembly has yet to address several other items over which there are differences of opinion. But at least in today’s voting, it demonstrated that our differences are not so great as to drive us apart. Indeed, it is in our differences that we are most able to teach one another the way of our Lord.

Keeping the faith,


The Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge, Pastor to Presbytery

P.S. Please note that ongoing updates of GA News from the General Assembly’s Office of Communications are posted at http://ga219.pcusa.org/.

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