The PCUSA General Assembly voted to approve a denomination-wide task force called for in an overture submitted by the Presbytery of San Fernando. This task force will explore ways to open a path for meaningful participation by leaders of our New Worshiping Communities in the life of the Presbytery and the wider church.
The overture, as amended by the Mid-Council Committee and approved by GA now reads: “Establish a task force to explore the theology and practice of ordination, including commissioned ruling elders, as well as membership, church structure, accountability, and chartering, and recommend any needed changes to the 226th General Assembly (2024). This task force will reflect the breadth of the PC(USA) and shall include, but not be limited to, representatives from: those who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color), immigrant congregations, immigrant fellowships, New Worshiping Communities, the Committee on Theological Education, and middle governing body leadership. The task force will work with denominational staff, including the 1001 New Worshiping Communities leadership.”
Stated Clerk Dave Wilkinson and Rev. Nick Warnes were the primary writers of the overture. GA Commissioner Rev. Rich Poole served as overture advocate and helped shepherd it through the GA committee.
Dave Wilkinson is the Stated Clerk of our Presbytery
Rich Poole is the pastor of Faith (Valley Village) and Kirk O’ The Valley (Reseda) Presbyterian Churches. He is also the Moderator of the Evangelism and Church Development Committee
Rev. Ruth Santana-Grace and Rev. Shavon Starling-Louis— Co-Moderators of the 225th General Assembly
The presenting issue for us and leaders from other Presbyteries who participated in the overture process was a “catch” that prevents the leaders of New Worshipping Communities and Immigrant Fellowships from being ordained as elders in the PCUSA and, possibly, becoming Commissioned Ruling Elders (CREs) with voice and vote in the Presbytery.
The large number of NWCs in our Presbytery alerted us to the fact that the PCUSA is failing to give younger, catalytic, more racially diverse leaders who are capable of giving the PCUSA a meaningful future, a seat at the table. Currently a leader serving a NWC may not be designated as a elder (CRE) by the Committee on Ministry unless the or she is first ordained as an elder in the PCUSA and serves on the Session of a local church. This cannot happen in many cases because the NWC is not chartered and does not have a Session to which the leader can be ordained. (No Session, no eldership. No eldership no CRE status. No CRE status, no voice and vote in the Presbytery.) The same is true for many Immigrant Fellowships.
That “catch” was the issue for us. However, the mandate of the Task Force is deliberately broad because there are issues we haven’t thought of. Some of these have already been identified and led to the overture being changed from what was voted on by our Presbytery.
Vote of the 225th General Assembly of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A on the overtures amended by the Mid Council Committee)
Forming a task force in 2022 to make recommendations in 2024 seems a slow way to fix an immediate and pressing problem. However, three attempts in recent years to simply change the Book of Order have all failed. This year’s attempt to amend the Book of Order to allow elders to be elected to service in the Presbytery rather than the session of a local church was rejected. An overture to provide CREs with a path to ordination was effectively referred to the Task Force formed through our San Fernando overture.
The Task Force has a big job on its hands. We hope that a thorough study of all the issues, including our presenting issue, will result in the specific recommendations for change called for in the overture. Perhaps the recommendations of a GA Task Force will be effective in helping move the PCUSA into a future that is more hopeful and dynamic than the current reality of a declining, aging denomination.
Please be in prayer for the GA Moderators as they name the Task Force and for the Task Force as it begins its work.