PC(USA) Concludes 223 General Assembly in St. Louis MO.

223rd General Assembly (2018)

June 16 - June 23

The PC(USA) General Assembly has concluded its meeting.  The GA meets biennially in even-numbered years.  It consists of commissioners elected by each of its 173 presbyteries.  The GA is business comprises of business session, committee meetings, an exhibit hall and worship.  The assembly acts on hundreds of items of business which it receives through the reports and recommendation of various synods and presbyteries.  Here are just a few items that passed this year, given in no particular order or priority.  For a full list of the official record, see the link below for the pcusabiz site. 

The Way Forward Commission (WFC) and a new corporate structure-

The “A Corporation” is the secular corporation that the church uses to handle its business. A new approved structure moves the “A Corp” away from the Presbyterian Mission Agency (PMA) to a shared governance model. The board will now be comprised of eleven members from the five Presbyterian agencies (Presbyterian Foundation, PMA, Presbyterian Publishing Corp, Presbyterian Investment and Loan program and Office of General Assembly, and other at large members). Before the “A Corp” was compromised only of PMA members. The new change was made in order to allow power to be shared more equitably. The new changes were recommended by the Way Forward Commission (WFC). An interim report of the 2020 Vision Team was also approved, that sends the team's draft for further study, in part it contains a statement that uses the acronym for PC(U.S.A) to describe our mission this way, “God calls the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) to be Prayerful, Courageous, United, Serving, Alive.” Also approved was a committee statement that the “Great Ends of the Church” a description of the church's mission in our Book of Order be used in the evaluation of the church's mission. 

New department for small church ministry- the proposal to create a new department for small church assistance was amended, there will now be a report submitted at the next GA on the current status of existing and new programs to help small churches. 

Role of the Stated Clerk-The PC(USA) does not have a visible head, the GA speaks for the church in its actions and decisions. The Stated Clerk is an elder that functions as the chief ecclesiastical officer of the GA. The Assembly also approved to clarify the Clerk's role stating that the clerk “will exercise pastoral authority over concerns of the church in times of crisis” and be the chief ecumenical officer to speak for the church. 

Per capital rate increase- There was tension between funding new programs, raising the per capita rate and the impact that could have on congregations. The per capita rate was raised to $8.95 in 2019, 2020. A plan to conduct a financial sustainability review and analyzing the church's assets and income was also approved. 

#MeToo and #Churchtoo. A number of constitutional amendments regarding sexual misconduct were proposed, including changing the current five year time limitation for filing charges of abuse to no time limit. A second proposal will add the following to the Book of Order, sexual abuse “shall be considered contrary to the Scriptures or the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and therefore an offense...”, this clarifies that the definition of offense includes sexual abuse. 

Family leave policy: Another overture called for a required and expanded family leave policy across the church. It instructed Presbyteries and Synods to develop family leave policies that all congregations can adopt. This will likely be on the docket in 2020. 

Congregational polity issues. The GA declined to permit a member of the session to moderate a session meeting in emergencies. Declined a motion to permit ruling elders to be ordained without assuming a seat on the session, and prohibited public endorsement of individuals running for public office. 

Puerto Rico- Close to 3,000 death in Puerto Rico have been attributed to Hurricane Maria. Puerto Rico is undergoing a social and economic crisis due to the storm and aftermath. When laws limited aid from other parts of the world, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance was able to help and continues to work with the Presbyteries in Puerto Rico, over 1,500,000 have been distributed. 

“Letter From A Birmingham Jail”- An overture from the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area recommended to adopt Martin Luther King Jr's “Letter from Birmingham Jail” as a contemporary statement of faith and an aid for use in Christian study. The Assembly however has put it on a path towards the Book of Confessions. Adopting a statement to the Book of Confessions is a long process and eventually would require a super majority of 2/3 of the Presbyteries. 

Divestment from fossil fuels- One issue followed closely was the recommendation to divesting from holdings in the fossil fuel industry. It was emphasized by the Board of Pension (BOP) that funds that the Board holds are not the church's funds, they are held in trust for members of the BOP Plan (not all are Presbyterians). The actual investment decisions are not subject to GA review. The BOP is not required to follow the GA decision. The recommendation to divest from all fossil fuel assets was ultimately rejected in favor of the minority report which encouraged effecting change from within as shareholders. This issue related to fossil fuel industries held in the BOP plan. 

Israel and Palestine issue- voiced support for every effort to be made to bring Palestinians and Israelis together peacefully.  Asked that Israel fully comply with the Universal Declaration of Human rights, and commend the recent violence along the Israel/Gaza border. 

Racism/Poverty/Violence-  Assembly engaged in various acts of public witness including collecting an offering of $54,000 which was dramatically marched by nearly 1000 assembly goers from America's Center to the City Justice Center on Tuesday afternoon and given to ArchDefenders, a faith based group that bails low level offenders who cannot afford to pay bail.  

Immigration- Following on statements issued by the GA, Stated Clerk J.Herbert Nelson II, called on the federal government to end the family separations at the border.  The assembly also addressed war, violence and  human right issues in Central America, Asia,  and Africa. 

Gun violence- The assembly reaffirmed previous GA policies aim to reduce gun violence and called on Presbyterians to pray for a movement of the Spirit to engage national action to prevent gun violence and finds new ways to address this pressing issue. 

The 224^thGeneral Assembly will convene in 2020 in Baltimore.

Official Record of the Actions of the GA2018

223 General Assembly Videos, Updates and Resources

As the General Assembly continues in St. Louis, I submit the following video's and web site resources in order to an idea of the work and mission of Presbyterians living in St. Louis as well as the mission of the GA in the city.  I hope these resources will provide a picture of both the unique culture of St. Louis, its struggles and legacy of race, as well as the work and mission of Presbyterian and the church.  

Introduction: This first video features an introduction to the city of St. Louis, its Presbyterian heritage and some of the mission work of Presbyterians in the city. 

"Sixty Second Protest"is a short video dealing with the cash bail project.  The video below is both a protest as well as the delivering of a collection that was taken up in order to address the 'criminalization of the poor', people incarcerated for low level crimes and unable to make bail. Several hundred Presbyterians took to the streets calling for social, racial and economic justice.  The marchers worked with a local organization called Bail Project and the St. Lous Action Council in order to bring several thousand dollars from the collection taken at the opening worship offering. 

J. Herbert Nelson address the Assembly.  J.Herbert Nelson, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the PC(USA) address the GA223 Assembly.  In this address, Nelson speaks to the issue of public witness, public demonstration, and the rationale and planning for a march that took place during the GA.  

What a plenary session looks like.  The final video is an example of one of the plenary sessions, in this video, a motion is on the floor on an initiative to repair critical infrastructure needs of churches and properties in the historic Native American and Alaskan Native Mission field the PC(USA).   This gives a good sample of how the business of the PC(USA) is conducted, the discussion, debate and voting procedure of the delegates and commissioners.  

Links and Resources:

PC(USA) mission agency link to Justice Walk

Video Library of PC(USA) GA223

PC(USA) Office of General Assembly

Official voting record of 223GA PC(USA)

The Church Speaks on the Separation of Immigrant Families in the USA

A short statement on immigration issues in the U.S.  

Immigration is a complex issue.  It involves numerous categories of people including refugees and asylum seekers fleeing dire and life threatening situations, those with means that simply seek a better life, some who come legally and learn to navigate the bureaucracy and those that get lost in the system.  It includes border patrol officers who put their lives on the line keeping out drug and human traffickers.  There is political rancor and those that would use fear to distort the real situation in border towns for their personal advantage.  So, how can we understand this issue?  One of the best statements I have ever read on this topic comes from the Bishop of El Paso, who lives and works in this context. 

He writes, "every human being bears with him or her the image of God, which confers upon us the dignity higher than any passport or immigration status.  On account of that dignity, the Church has long recognized the first right of persons not to migrate, but to stay in their community of origins.  But when that has become impossible, the church has also recognizes the right to migrate.  While countries have a duty to ensure that immigration is orderly and safe, this responsibility can never serve as a pretext to build walls and shut the door to migrants and refugees."  I would add or to treat people in a way not in keeping with their basic God given human rights.   

While almost every Christian denomination has spoken against the United States Government's current immigration policy of family separation, our own Stated Clerk of the PC(USA) has also weighed in.  Our own General Assembly has also released a statement calling for a fix to this broken immigration system and putting a stop to pulling families apart.  I have included links below. 

I understand the complexity of this situation, as I have personally known undocumented people and their very unique and differing circumstances.  However, migration should never be criminalized, and asylum seekers and refugees should never be detained as criminals.  Their children should certainly never be taken away from them.  The stories being reported are deeply disturbing and constitute violations of human rights.  It is immoral.  The links provided to statements from different denominations is intended to help shed light on the situation from a Christian faith perspective, and from the traditional teachings of the church that has guided God's people for millennia, going back into the oldest parts of the Old Testament.  My prayer is that readers will engage this prayerfully and with an open mind as we seek to influence social policy.   

Catholic Reporter "Pastor Letter"

Statement from Presbyterian Church (U.S.A)

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assembly Stated Clerk the Rev. J. Herbert Nelson, II, issued a statement  from the denomination’s 223^rdGeneral Assembly condemning the Trump administration’s new policy of separating young children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The full text of Nelson’s statement, dated June 16, 2018:

As Presbyterians gather for the meeting of our 223rd General Assembly, we are mindful of the many issues of justice, peace and compassion we face, both as citizens of the United States and members of the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ.

While we face issues of peace on the Korean peninsula, tragic injustice in the Middle East, and the spectre of climate change in our nation and our world, there is nothing of more urgency than the tragedy that is unfolding at our borders, where children are ripped from their parents and placed in holding cells, while their frantic parents scream in agony at the separation.
What has this nation become? How have we wandered so far from Jesus’ kind admonition, “Let the little children come to me … for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs”? How can this be happening in a nation in which so many claim the traditions of Christianity, Judaism and Islam and the critical importance of families to the fabric of our lives together?
Perhaps the most egregious aspect of this policy is the willingness of the highest legal official of our nation to suggest that if a mother has fled violence in her own country to save herself and her children but has not had a chance to make a proper petition for safety in the U.S., she should be taught a lesson by having her children taken from her. It is almost incomprehensible that these acts should be used as a warning to others who would come.

What makes matters worse is the audacity of quoting the Apostle Paul’s admonition to believers in Romans 13:1 to obey the law (presumably whatever the law says), while ignoring the higher scriptural demand that “love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:10).
The crisis of tens of thousands of desperate people coming to the United States for relief seems almost overwhelming. But as the officials of our government attempt to address the crisis, we cannot afford to tarnish the highest values of our nation. We must not punish desperate parents by tearing their children away from them, leaving the parents without access to the children or assurance of their welfare.
In the name of God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Stop!

In the faith we share,


Reverend Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II
Stated Clerk of the General Assembly
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)


Catholic teaching on immigration

Catholic Bishops Statement on Separation of Immigration families

ELCA (Lutheran) statement on separated immigrant families

PC(USA) stated clerk statement on separated families

United Methodist Fight Separation of Immigrant Families

Episcopal Church Statement on Separation of Families

Catholic Reporter "Pastoral Letter" Bishop of El Paso

On A Human Immigration Policy (from this blog) 2016 Post
(My thought on what should comprise a humane immigration policy)

Kohlmann and Olivieri elected co-moderators of 223 GA

Cindy Kohlmann and Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri elected co-moderators of the 223rdGeneral Assembly

June 16, 2018 by Leslie Scanlon 

ST. LOUIS — On the fourth ballot, the 2018 General Assembly elected as co-moderators Cindy Kohlmann and Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri – a minister and a ruling elder; a mid council executive and an educator; the daughter of a military family, born in Greece, and a Puerto Rican native for whom Spanish is her first language; one from the north (Boston) and one from the south (Florida).

They also elected a team – both in their early 40s — that exuded a sense of warmth, hope, welcome and commitment to justice. After the election, Cintrón-Olivieri and Kohlmann walked to the platform hand-in-hand with their husbands (both of whom are Presbyterian pastors), a line of four, dancing all the way.

t took the assembly four ballots to choose Kohlmann and Cintrón-Olivieri over the second-place finishers – Eliana Maxim and Bertram Johnson, two ministers also standing as a co-moderator team. The final vote was 266 for Cintrón-Olivieri and Kohlman; 253 for Johnson and Maxim; and 5 for Chantal Atnip, standing for moderator, and Ken Hockenberry for vice moderator.

The lead changed hands as the night went on – shifting between the second and third ballots from Johnson and Maxim to Kohlmann and Cintrón-Olivieri (a rare switch for an assembly) – and with the commissioners eventually not following the lead of the young adult advisory delegates, who voted on the first ballot strongly for Maxim and Johnson.

That was a sign that the assembly felt it had good choices: there was no one definitive answer and, as one commissioner put it afterwards, “no bad vote.”

In their opening remarks to the commissioners, Cintrón-Olivieri described themselves as “audacious, spirited, bold, unapologetic women” who stood together as a team modeling the parity between the offices of minster and ruling elder, combining passion and ministry experience.

Kohlmann said their team expresses “the beautiful diversity and variety of the people of God” – differences seen across the PC(USA) in a variety of languages, ages, identities and sexual orientations. She said they wanted to stand as equals, coming from different cultures, and “claim to the church: this. This is part of what God desires for us.”

As they spoke, they switched back and forth at times between Spanish and English.

The team of Kohlmann and Cintrón-Olivieri gained ground through the four ballots it took to pick a winner – surpassing the team of Johnson and Maxim on the third ballot, but falling one vote short then (252 to 261) of the required 51 percent majority.

On the first ballot – the first test of where the assembly stood – the votes fell this way: 45 for Atnip and Hockenberry; 229 for Kohlmann and Cintrón-Olivieri; and 250 for Johnson and Maxim.

Kohlmann serves as resource presbyter for two presbyteries: the Presbytery of Boston and the Presbytery of Northern New England. She earned a master of divinity degree from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and previously served as pastor of New Jersey Presbyterian Church in Carlisle, Ohio, and later at Clinton Presbyterian Church in Clinton, Massachusetts.  She is married to Eric Markman, also a PC(USA) minister, who is pastor of Hartford Street Presbyterian Church in Natick, Massachusetts.

Cintrón-Olivieri, a native of Puerto Rico and an English as a Second Language teacher, is a ruling elder who has served on the Committee on Theological Education and as a translator from English to Spanish at numerous General Assemblies.

Cintrón-Olivieri earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Puerto Rico and a master’s in education from Turabo University. She lives in Miami with her husband, José Manuel Capella-Pratts, pastor of First Spanish Presbyterian Church. Last year, she served as moderator of Tropical Florida Presbytery

Kohlmann promised their team would work to confront systemic injustice. “It’s because we love Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior that we choose welcome” to the stranger, the immigrant, the migrant, she said.

Kohlmann and Cintrón-Olivieri offered the assembly a message of hope in a time of change: speaking of new possibilities, faithfulness, a sense the Spirit is moving. Look around, Kohlmann told the commissioners (chiding them with a big smile when they did not move). “Think of the stories you bring. … God is not done with us yet.”

In a very close second place finished a team of two ministers – one from the East Coast (New York City) and one from the West (Seattle).  One is a gay black man, the other an immigrant from Colombia.  They met years ago before either was ordained, both exploring a sense of call, and their friendship deepened through the years. Neither started out Presbyterian — Johnson became connected to the Presbyterian church in college and Maxim immigrated to the U.S. as a young Catholic girl. They promised the assembly they would work for social justice and would model inclusion.

This election marks the second time in a row that the assembly has elected a team of two women, and brings its second set of co-moderators – the first being Denise Anderson and Jan Edmiston, elected in 2016. Two of the three teams standing for the office used the co-moderator model, and one the older moderator and vice moderator approach.

In a narrow, yet obviously significant way, this was an election – at the end, one team won.

In another way, it was a night of trying to articulate what kind of church Presbyterians want their denomination to be. Commissioners asked questions that reflected their hopes, their frustrations, their uncertainties, their faith. And the candidates answered – hoping to sway votes, but also to lead the PC(USA) to a better place.

One example: a question from young adult advisory delegate Walter Manuel about how the PC(USA) can connect with young adults who are “spiritual but not religious,” part of the increasing numbers of Americans who don’t claim a connection with organized religion.

Maxim responded that she sees many people in Seattle – teenagers, young adults, older people too – who don’t want to sit in the pews “and hear somebody pontificate” but want to see faith lived out. The focus is “not about getting them back in the building. We have stymied ourselves by remaining inside the building,” she said. “We need to get outside where the young people are and engage them.”

Cintrón-Olivieri responded, “Maybe we need to do church differently. Maybe we need to get out there. Maybe we need to be present. … We don’t see the other,” and too often feel disconnected.

Atnip told the assembly she stood for moderator because she felt called by God to do so – a call she felt during a synod worship service more than two years ago. That is hard to describe, but “it filled me body and soul,” Atnip said.

Her message to other Presbyterians: “If I can be called, so can you” – sometimes to something unexpected.

Other commissioners asked how the PC(USA) can support congregations that want to address issues of racism and privilege, but don’t have the language or experience to do it.

Kohlmann answered with specifics of what’s happened in the presbyteries she serves, where Presbyterians have read Debby Irving’s book “Waking Up White,” as Edmiston and Anderson encouraged the church to do, and where “we have discovered there actually are a lot of resources.” They’ve watched Ted Talks on racism, injustice and privilege.  They’ve studied the Belhar Confession and the Confession of 1967.

And they’ve tried to recognize when “we, we are the ones being racist,” Kohlmann said.

Asked to describe their strengths and weaknesses, Kohlmann said she and Cintrón-Olivieri have a combined 42 years of ministry experience. “We’re very loving,” Cintrón-Olivieri said. “If you haven’t realized this, I’m a hugger. I hug everyone. And I cry a lot”  (when she feels moved by something).

How can they cultivate relationships with those in the church who see things differently?

Cintrón-Olivieri said she sometimes feels that way herself – aware in her interactions that she comes from another culture, that some look at her or listen to her speak, and see difference. “But I keep showing up,” concentrating on what they both cherish and share: love of the church and hope for a better future. “We need to be able to listen to each other. And that means listening without judgment.”

Kohlmann chimed in: “In the midst of that, repenting” for ways in which they may have contributed to division, seeking the reconciliation and forgiveness that God promises.

After their election and installation, Kohlmann and Cintrón-Olivieri were asked to offer a word to the commissioners. Kohlmann spoke of a common love for Jesus. “I’m thinking in Spanish right now,” said Cintrón-Olivieri – then addressed the assembly in her native tongue.

The two women, the PC(USA)’s new leadership, stood together, standing for equality, holding hands.

Presbyterian Outlook article by Leslie Scanlon

Follow all GA news at 223 General Assembly page on this link

The 223 General Assembly to Convene Tomorrow

The 223rd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) will convene tomorrow in St. Louis  with worship at 11:00 am.  The week will adjourn by noon on Saturday June 23rd.  This years assembly will focus on "Renewing the Vision: Kingdom Building for the 21st Century".  The GA consists of commissioners elected by presbyteries, half will be ruling elders, half teaching elders (clergy, or ministers of Word and Sacrament).  The GA assembles in order to resolve controversies in the church, to debate and vote on common concerns of the whole church and to discern God's will for the mission of the church.  Some of the work that will be the focus of the GA this year includes:

• Permit congregations elect individual ruling elders without requiring them to assume a seat on the session. 
• Prohibit public endorsements of individuals running for elected office
• Permit a member of session to moderate a session meeting in an emergency
• Adopting "Letter from a Birmingham City Jail" as a contemporary statement of faith. 
• Proposal to create a department for Small Church Ministry
• A number of advisory committee report on a range of issues
• The 2020 Vision Team created by the 222GA has released an interim report.  
• The "A Corporation" is the corporate existence of the General Assembly.  Currently, the "A Corp" serves the Presbyterian Mission Agency and the Office of General Assembly.  The GA office is essentially the ecclesiastical functions of the church, and the PMA implements different mission initiatives.  This item will take up proposed changes to this structure, should A Corp be divided into two different corporations? Should a new structure be put in place?  Should the corporation stay as it currently works? 
•  Budget changes and per capita increases.

This is an important opportunity for the people of God to come together for worship, service, prayer, and discernment of the task and mission of the church.  Decisions may impact the life of the church for years to come.  Please keep the GA in your prayers and I will summarize final decisions at the end of the week.

The above video explains how the governance of the Presbyterian Church works.  Every two years, Presbyterian commissioners, comprised of its lay and clergy leadership, meet in order to worship and conduct the church's business.  The Office of General Assembly along with the Stated Clerk are the ecclesiastical arm of the church.  One source of General Assembly business comes from synods and presbyteries.  These governing bodies use Overtures to bring recommendations and matters of concern before the whole church. These are then given to appropriate committees for review and debate.  Business is then brought before the whole church for decisions.  This years GA is convening in the city of St. Louis.  Listen to the above video in order to hear an explanation of how the church does it work and visit the GA site for more information.

Office of the General Assembly (PCUSA)