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)
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)
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