Business Before the Financial Resources Committee

The Covenant Network of Presbyterians is a national organization of nearly 400 congregations and thousands of Presbyterians. For 25 years, we have been seeking to strengthen the church by educating, engaging and equipping it to be more welcoming and affirming of LGBTQIA+ people. Year round, we work directly with individuals, congregations and councils across the church. Every two years, we advocate at the General Assembly for outcomes that are faithful and just.

To receive regular updates by email before and during the 225th General Assembly, or for questions about specific issues of items of business, email Executive Director Brian Ellison at brian@covnetpres.org. You can also follow us on Twitter (@CovNetPres) for up to the minute information on issues before the Assembly.

To learn more about the Covenant Network of Presbyterians and its work helping the church live into its promises of equity and justice for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, visit covnetpres.org, or follow us on Twitter (@CovNetPres) or Facebook.

The Covenant Network of Presbyterians draws commissioners’ attention to one particular item before this committee:FIN-11: Approval of the 2023-2024 Mission Work Plan for the Presbyterian Mission Agency. 

This proposal expands the priorities of the Matthew 25 Initiative to include three new “intersectional priorities,” including “gender discrimination/heteropatriarchy.” Other new intersectional priorities will include climate change and militarism, while the program also maintains its ongoing focus on dismantling structural racism, eradicating systemic poverty and building congregational vitality.

CNP urges support for this addition to the Matthew 25 Initiative.

The church’s national focus on Jesus’ call to serving and lifting up the oppressed might always have been understood to include LGBTQIA+ people inside and outside the church. But explicitly naming it as a priority helps ward off complacency, or the false belief that equity has already been achieved for people of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities in the church. We believe this additional priority should unlock additional attention and resources for this important work across the denomination. CNP would also be open to alternative language for this priority that might be more accessible across the church, such as “Discrimination Based on Gender or Sexual Identity.”