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Thursday, Day 6: The Assembly Continues

June 14, 2001

Things got a little more "interesting" this morning with reports, minority reports and substitute motions for both the report and minority report. We really need a wiring diagram before the Assembly to make sure we don't get lost in the many twists and turns of this process. We begin with the report of the Committee on Theological Issues and Educational Issues. The first contentious issue has to deal with whether we declare Jesus to be the singular saving Lord. The Committee declined to make this recommendation, but to look at the "full richness of the Lordship of Jesus Christ in The Book of Confessions and the Book of Order. A minority report asks the Assembly to make that particular declaration. Some feel that to make such a statement is to remove the power and mystery of God's grace and mercy working in and through other faith expressions. The complexity of the issue, the passion felt on all sides, and particular agendas of "affinity (political action) groups" led to an equal complexity in the process. After working to "perfect" both the majority and minority reports with several proposed amendments to each the Assembly accepted the majority report as being the report before the Assembly. The Commissioners the had the opportunity to substitute other motions for the report. Former Moderator Syngman Rhee suggested that in some way both the majority and minority reports need to be combined. After considerable debate and lacking the full printed text of an amendment, the Assembly voted to arrest the Committee report until after lunch. Upon returning from lunch, great confusion about where in the process the Assembly was dominated the first 30 minutes. The Assembly adopted a new "minority" report as the main motion. A new substitute was offered combining the language of both the original majority report and the minority report. The Assembly adopted an amended combination of the majority and minority reports by a 69% vote. This vote both affirms the Assembly's confession of Jesus as Lord, and calls upon the provision of resources for congregational study of the full richness of what our Confessions and the Book of Order say about Jesus as Lord.

Part of approved language is:

We confess the unique authority of Jesus Christ as Lord. Every other authority is finally subject to Christ.

Jesus Christ is also uniquely Savior. It is his life, death, resurrection, ascension and final return that restores creation, providing salvation for all those whom God has chosen to redeem. Although we do not know the limits of God's grace and pray for the salvation of those who may come to know Christ, for us

the assurance of salvation is found only in confessing Christ and trusting Him alone. We are humbled in our witness to Christ by our realization that our understanding of him and his way is limited and distorted by our sin. Still the transforming power of Christ in our lives compels us to make Christ know to others.

(Moderator Rogers was able to maintain a calm and calming demeanor while guiding the Assembly through this maze of reports, substitutes, amendments and procedural steps.)

(It has been interesting to observe Moderator Rogers give an historical background to the sections of our Confessions in which he has led the Assembly from time to time.)

With the adoption of the above language in Confessing Jesus as Lord. It would appear that our Moderator may truly be accepted as the confessional leader of our denomination. This is very important in a time when others would seek that position of leadership. It is important for our congregations to know that our portion of the Church has acted strongly to affirm its/our faith without engaging in the process of writing a new confessional statement which would take several years to work through the confessional approval process. Let no one say the Presbyterian Church denies the Lordship of Jesus the Christ.

The Assembly voted to approve actions dealing with the recruitment, training and support of pastors. Part of these actions was to encourage presbyteries singularly or in clusters to make available to all ministers in their first call a program which includes the following:

1. self-understanding related to their role as pastor;

2. help for understanding the congregation served in terms of history, ethos, programs, status in the community, and the relation to the denomination;

3. assistance in establishing an appropriate pastoral relationship style for their situation;
support in dealing with conflicts that may emerge in the congregation.

It is important to note that "developing a program to support first call pastors and the congregations they serve" is one of our Presbytery Mission Directions. The Executive and Associate have drafted a proposal for such a program. The Committee on Ministry has reviewed the original draft and a revision. The COM has acted to forward the revised proposal to the ministers and sessions of our Presbytery. The proposal will be before a future presbytery meeting for first reading and a following meeting for action. Once again, our Presbytery is working in advance of the General Assembly.

The Assembly approved by 97% a proposed rewrite of chapter 14 of the Book of Order. This will now come to the Presbyteries for affirmative or negative votes.

The Assembly was given the night off, a "treat" not often afforded to Commissioners, who deeply appreciated it. The sessions are likely to be long on Friday.