Framing the Shots
221st GA (2014) Brian Ellison 221st GA (2014) Brian Ellison

Framing the Shots

Address by CovNet Co-Moderator Randy Bush to our Commissioners' Convocation Dinner at the 221st General Assembly: "What photos are you going to take of this General Assembly? What pictures will capture the spirit of our denomination – that capture the challenges and hopes of the Presbyterian Church and the church of Jesus Christ today?"

Read More

UPDATE: Frequently Asked Questions About General Assembly Marriage Actions

We've heard from many congregations, pastors and mid-council staff that it would be helpful to have some clarity about what the 221st General Assembly did -- and did not do -- about marriage. To assist the church in processing the meaning of the authoritative interpretation and proposed amendment to W-4.9000, the Covenant Network has prepared the following list of questions and answers.

Read More
Covenant Network Board celebrates GA action on marriage

Covenant Network Board celebrates GA action on marriage

A statement by the Board of Directors of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians: "The Covenant Network of Presbyterians rejoices in today’s historic actions by the 221st General Assembly allowing same-sex couples freedom to marry in the Presbyterian Church (USA) without risking discipline for the ministers officiating or the sessions hosting the wedding..."

Read More

“You will know them by their fruits.”

Address to the Covenant Network by Dr. Mark Achtemeier, 221st General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA): "There have been previous General Assemblies where I worked very hard to pass the constitutional ban on gay people serving in the ordained ministries of the PC(USA). I am co-author of the declaration of faith that the Presbyterian Coalition adopted to unite its members in their opposition to gay inclusion. I keynoted the National Celebration of Confessing Churches, which rallied conservative congregations to stand fast in the struggle to keep the constitutional ban in place.And yet here we are today. I remain fully committed to a high view of biblical authority. But I stand before you as a chastened disciple who now recognizes that the witness of scripture comes down overwhelmingly on the side of gay inclusion."

Read More

Authoritative Interpretation on Marriage - Overture Advocates' Presentation

Overture Advocates for three items requesting an Authoritative Interpretation on marriage - 26 overtures and concurrences, the most of any item on any subject before the 221st GA - combined their time to make one presentation to the Committee on Civil Union and Marriage Issues. Read it here.

Read More

Marriage Amendment Overture Advocate Presentation

Overture Advocates from the 17 presbyteries that proposed an amendment to W-4.9000, the marriage section in the Directory for Worship of the PCUSA Book of Order, made a presentation the morning of Monday, June 16, to the Committee on Civil Union and Marriage Issues of the 221st General Assembly. Read it here.

Read More
A Letter from a New Presbyterian

A Letter from a New Presbyterian

A Floridian new to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) wanted to share her story - and her enthusiasm for her new denomination - with commissioners and advisory delegates as the 221st General Assembly considers marriage: 'From all of my readings, I have concluded that if I had to sum up this denomination in one word, it would be “love”!'

Read More

Frequently Asked Questions About Marriage Issues at the 221st GA

The 221st General Assembly (2014) will consider seven overtures addressing the PCUSA's policies on marriage; with multiple concurrences, these overtures reflect almost 50 presbytery actions and demonstrate a great demand in the church for change. The most widely-supported actions are Items 10-02 seeking amendment of the Book of Order, and 10-03 requesting an authoritative interpretation to affirm pastoral discretion.Learn more in this Frequently Asked Questions resource.

Read More

The Significance of an Authoritative Interpretation on Marriage

By Tricia Dykers Koenig: "It has been claimed that an authoritative interpretation of W-4.9000, the marriage section in the Directory for Worship, is an attempt to amend the Book of Order without votes from the presbyteries. On the contrary, an authoritative interpretation does not aim to amend what the Book of Order says about marriage – there are other overtures that would do that. An authoritative interpretation simply states that decisions made about pastoral care and worship that do not conform in every detail to the words of W-4.9000 do not necessarily constitute an offense subjecting a minister to discipline."

Read More
Why an Authoritative Interpretation Matters

Why an Authoritative Interpretation Matters

Clergy confidentiality. The uses of church property. Voting by email or on a conference call by presbyteries or sessions. How candidates for ordination are to be examined. The meaning of marriage.They’re all more or less important pieces of church life and governance. They’re all matters where contemporary practice outpaced what was anticipated when the church’s constitutional documents were written. And they are all areas where General Assemblies have made statements—known as authoritative interpretations—about how the Book of Order is to be understood in light of new situations and changing realities.This summer, we at the Covenant Network are encouraging the 221st General Assembly to make decisions that will deepen and enhance the church’s understanding of marriage—clarifying that its blessings are available to all people, including couples of the same gender. One way we hope the assembly does this is through an authoritative interpretation—a binding ruling by the church’s highest council about what the constitution does and doesn’t say. There’s a fair amount of confusion in the church about what an AI is… but there doesn’t need to be.

Read More