Introduction to the General Assembly
The 221st
General Assembly (2014) is scheduled for this June 14 to 21 in Detroit . We are grateful for our team of
commissioners who are already preparing for this important service to our
Church. Jim Speedy and I will also attend the gathering; please watch for my
updates and reflections which will be regularly posted on my blog.
Already all
the action items that will be coming forward to this General Assembly can be
studied and reviewed electronically. The website, with lots of background
information on the Assembly, is at https://www.pcusa.org/events/24273/221st-general-assembly-2014/
or simply Google on PC(USA) General Assembly. At the Assembly all the action is
considered using a special program named PC-Biz. You may find this program at https://www.pc-biz.org/ or simply Google on
PC-Biz. Within the PC-Biz program you may click on the “Resources” tab to find
a list of all the “Business” and all the “Overtures” coming to this Assembly.
You may click on the “Committees” tab to see all the fifteen committees of
Assembly; clicking on any particular committee will bring up all the action
items which are on that committee’s agenda.
Action
items to the General Assembly come forward in three distinct paths. There are,
of course, many “Communications.”
For example, the World Council of Churches brings their greetings. There are
also “Recommendations” from other
agencies within the Church to the Assembly. For example, there is a list of
Recommendations coming to the Assembly from the General Assembly Mission
Agency. But most important are the “Overtures.”
Overtures are action items to be considered by the Assembly that have been
approved by presbyteries. Overtures typically originate with an individual
session, are approved by that session’s presbytery and sent forward to the
Assembly. Almost all of the controversial issues facing the Assembly come
forward as Overtures. This is very important. Thus the most important items
coming before the Assembly originate with a particular session within a
particular congregation. This reflects the connectional nature of our Church.
Our Church is individual congregations connected together into a system of
governance and mission. Our General Assembly, and the actions it considers, is
driven from the grassroots of the Church. Overtures are initiated by particular
sessions.
Please pay
attention to this year’s General Assembly. Let us engage together the many
important issues facing us.
