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Wednesday, Day 5: The Assembly Convenes

June 13, 2001

Things are moving along quite swiftly with the reports GA Procedures, Mission Coordination and Budgets, Evangelism and Church development, Catholicity and Ecumenical Relations, Procedures part 2 all moving through to the point that the Assembly is a bit ahead of Docket. Of course this will change. This is guaranteed in that the two major committees will not report until sometime tomorrow with a possible carry-over to Friday.

The reports from the Theological Issues Committee which deal with the overture to have us declare Jesus as the only way of salvation; the Committee on Ordination Standards which is recommending that Sessions and Presbyteries are the most appropriate bodies to determine who shall be ordained and/or installed to office; and the report of the Peace, Unity and Purity Committee are sure to generate energetic and intense debate. As the Commissioners experience the intensity of the debate and as the hours extend we are sure to get behind the docket.

It is interesting that the Assembly has not yet begun to display the feistiness of the flexing of voting muscle to test the power of various groups to influence the outcomes of the Assembly. While this has not yet happened, I DO expect to see it by tomorrow morning. Even as I write I am hearing the first volleys of tension. The Assembly is considering an overture to extend the voice and vote privileges of advisory delegates. It was pointed out that the advisory delegates have full voice and vote in the committees and that during Assembly hand votes some advisory delegates have been voting. This points to the concern that as full voting members of committees the advisory delegates have one-third of the Committee votes. The hidden implication is that some of the more controversial recommendations coming to the Assembly might not/would not have passed if the advisory delegates had not had vote in the committees.

Our Moderator assumed the chair for the afternoon. At a point when he felt the Commissioners need a stretch he said he would like to become known as the "Confessing Moderator." Using various resources the Moderator will lead the Assembly in confessing our faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior.

The Assembly approved an amended Commissioner’s Resolution, a means of getting business before the Assembly, which asks that "affinity groups" submit a one page statement of the organization’s goals, budget and number of staff an amendment was added to request a list of all persons contributing more than $1,000 in a calendar year and that a list of all affinity groups which refuse to comply be provided to the Commissioners. This seems to be an effort to rein in the influence of "affinity groups." Affinity groups are groups such as the Lay Committee, Presbyterian Coalition, Covenant Network, and Witherspoon Society. The motion was approved by an 83% vote.

Seven of us from Kiskiminetas Presbytery had a wonderful time of fellowship and food as we watched the panorama of Louisville pass beneath us. Isabel, Bob, Garyn, John Hegelson, Rick Hurley, Erin and I shared 90 minutes of reflective conversation and lightness of spirit. This time gives us an opportunity to talk about how the Assembly is going and about what might be expected as the Assembly moves forward.

The evening docket was amended to take up the report of the Peace, Unity and Purity Committee. The Committee is recommending the appointment of a 17 member task group to develop a process for conferring with presbyteries and congregations seeking the peace, unity, and purity of the church. Immediately three potential amendments were on the floor. While the Assembly thinks it has done a wonderful thing, it seems to me they have created an absolutely unworkable machine and which moves away from our governing body polity to one which is congregational. Amendments to the original motion will have significant financial implications for the cost of the effort, but these costs were not calculated prior to the action. I fear nothing will be accomplished.

In other business before the Assembly from this Committee the Assembly voted to disapprove the Beaver-Butler "take a hike" overture.

The Assembly to move speedily through the business and has recessed at 9:00 instead of the scheduled 10:00.