Where do we go from here

We are currently looking at the last General Assembly through the rear view mirror. We now have local option with regard to ordination standards. Each presbytery can now decide what they think is essential. In essence, a local presbytery can now decide to ordain practicing homosexuals. The writers of the eLink overture anticipated this development. Elink is a way for evangelicals (and liberals) to remain in the denomination and affiliate with a likeminded presbytery and synod. Elink did come to the GA as an overture this year and was defeated. This is no surprise as evangelicals thought that this GA would be business as usual and the status quo would be maintained. Now everything has changed and has been turned upside down and we have 2 more years of an open door for those who would be ordained outside of biblical standards.
PUP is in effect once again by GA mandate. It's time to move beyond court battles and GA battles and form like minded judicatories within the PCUSA. This will take a united effort by like-minded presbyteries, the Coalition, Presbyterians for Renewal and any other renewal organizations throughout the denomination. To accomplish non-geographic presbyteries and synods will take a united effort by evangelicals and a willingness to work with those on the other side of the aisle. It will take some more amendments to the Book of Order. It will take some convincing for those in the middle and some reassuring to those at denominational headquarters. It's time for our denomination to move forward and think outside the box.

The text of Elink at the PCUSA website

The link above will take you to the text of eLink on the website.

ELink for the future of the PCUSA

I've been watching the news in our denomination. It looks as if 2007 is going to be a very hard year in terms of numbers. More people will have left our denomination in 2007 then any other time in the history of the PCUSA. It doesn't look as if if will be stopping any time soon. Alienated congregations need to be able to move out of an oppressive presbytery to one that fits them better theologically, creatively and organizationally. Elink gives congregations permission to move to another presbytery within the PCUSA. The only option now is to leave the PCUSA. Elink gives a better alternative. Let's pass Elink and stop the bleeding.

eLink overture for 2008 General Assembly

Here is the overture which Beaver Butler Presbytery passed in March 2007 for the 2008 General Assembly:
eLINK Overture
Small Changes that make a BIG Difference
The eLINK Overture from Beaver-Butler Presbytery that relax the rules by which congregations and presbyteries connect
e emerging -encourages belief, mission, adaptation and accountability
L Logical -small Book of Order changes that make a big difference
I Innovative -encouragement of flexibility, structure, mission and belief
N Non-Geographic -flexible connections according to belief and mission
K Kairos -good time for an evolutionary change in Presbyterian governance
Presbytery of Beaver-Butler
On Amending the Book of Order to provide flexibility in presbytery and synod membership.
The Presbytery of Beaver-Butler overtures the 218th General Assembly (2008) to:
Make the changes to the Form of Government that will honor the spirit of the Report of the Task Force on Peace, Unity, and Purity of the Church. These changes will accommodate the diverse belief systems, theological positions and mission designs that currently exist within the Presbyterian Church (USA) and will encourage the kind of flexible equilibrium to which the Task Force calls the church (lines 807-808, Final Report of the Task Force on Peace, Unity, and Purity of the Church).
These changes are:
G-11.000 THE PRESBYTERY
G-11.0101 Membership
Strike: Presbytery is a corporate expression of the church consisting of all the churches and ministers of the Word and Sacrament within a certain district.
Insert: Presbytery is a corporate expression of the church consisting of churches and ministers of the Word and Sacrament who have chosen to affiliate based on geographic, theological, missional or other considerations of importance to those congregations.
G-11.0103 Responsibilities
Strike: j. to control the location of new churches and of churches desiring to move;
Insert: new section headings for remaining provisions as applicable
Following G-11.0504
Insert: G-11.0600 Changes in Membership
a. Congregations may choose membership in a particular presbytery based on geographic, theological, missional or other considerations of importance to those congregations.
b. A congregation may seek to change presbytery membership by a two-thirds vote at a properly called congregational meeting.
c. The receiving presbytery will accept the congregation's request for membership by a majority vote at a properly called presbytery meeting.
d. The Minister(s) of Word and Sacrament of the joining congregation become members of the receiving presbytery when it is determined by the Committee on Ministry of the receiving presbytery that their call is in order (G-14.0506-07).
G-12.0000 THE SYNOD
G-12.0101 Membership
Strike: Synod is the unit of the church's life and mission which consists of not fewer than three presbyteries within a specific geographic region.
Insert: Synod is the unit of the church's life which consists of not fewer than three presbyteries who choose to affiliate based on geographic, theological, missional or other considerations of importance to those presbyteries.
G-12.0102 Responsibilities
Strike: k. To organize new presbyteries and to divide, unite, or otherwise combine presbyteries or portions of presbyteries previously existing, to create non-geographic presbyteries in order to meet the mission needs (G-11.0103a; G-12.0102a) of identified racial or ethnic or immigrant congregations; subject to the approval of the General Assembly;
Insert: k. To vote to receive, by majority vote, existing and new presbyteries that have petitioned for synod membership (G-12.307).
Following G-12.0306
Insert: G-12.0400 Changes in Membership
a. A presbytery may seek membership in a particular synod based on geographic, theological, missional or other considerations of importance to that presbytery.
b. A presbytery may seek to change synod membership by a two-thirds vote at a properly called presbytery meeting.
c. The receiving synod will accept the presbytery request for membership by a majority vote at a properly called synod meeting.
d. New presbyteries shall be formed when not fewer than twelve congregations petition a synod for the creation of a presbytery of which they will become member congregations (in compliance with the provisions of G-11.505 of this overture). New presbyteries shall be created by a two-thirds vote of the synod at a properly called meeting.
G-13.0000 THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
G-13.0103 Responsibilities
Strike: m. to organize new synods and to divide, unite, or otherwise combine synods or portions of synods previously existing;
Insert: m. to provide for the creation of new synods. New synods shall be formed when not fewer than three presbyteries petition the General Assembly for the creation of a synod of which they will become member presbyteries. New synods shall be created by a two-thirds vote of the General Assembly at a regularly called meeting.
Strike: n. to approve the organization, division, uniting, or combining of presbyteries or portions of presbyteries by synods;
Strike: v. to authorize synods to exercise power in receiving ecclesiastical bodies suited to become constituents of those governing bodies and lying within their geographic bounds;
Insert: v. to authorize synods to exercise similar power in receiving ecclesiastical bodies suited to become constituents of those governing bodies;
Insert: new section headings for remaining provisions as applicable
Rationale
Add to G-8.0401 the following new sections:
a. Any presbytery that chooses to withdraw from the denomination shall forfeit all real property to synod.
b. Any synod that chooses to withdraw from the denomination shall forfeit all real property to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Rationale
The 213th General Assembly (2001) directed the Moderators of the 213th, 212th, and the 211th General Assemblies to appoint a Theological Task Force reflecting the theological and cultural diversity of the church to â œlead the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in spiritual discernment of our Christian identity, in and for the 21st century. . . . This discernment shall include but not be limited to issues of Christology, biblical authority and interpretation, ordination standards and power. (Minutes, 2001, Part I, p. 29). One significant outcome from the Task Force involves allowing presbyteries and synods a certain amount of latitude (what the report calls flexible equilibrium [lines 918-919] ) in matters of polity.
Our faith is in the God of Israel who raised Jesus Christ bodily from the dead. This is the one faith confessed by the people of God: one Lord, one faith, on god and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:5-6) (Task Force Report, lines 51-53)
It is by following Jesus Christ, as attested for us in Scripture, that the unity of our faith will be made visible today as it has in the past.⠝ (Task Force Report, lines 58-60)
Jesus Christ alone is head of the church. Jesus alone is the source of the church's unity.
G-1.000 c affirms that: Christ gives to his Church its faith and life, its unity and mission, its officers and ordinances. The Task Force Report reminds us that our unity is rooted in Christ and that the churchâ ™s purity does not spring from â œtechnical or legal means, but from Jesus Christ. Attempting to keep the Church unified and pure without providing freedom for Christ's Spirit to move is not helpful.
G-1.0301 (1) (a) affirms that: God alone is Lord of the conscience, and hath left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are in anything contrary to his Word, or beside it, in matters of faith or worship. Flexibility in presbytery and synod membership provides options for theological and missional partnerships not possible under the rigid geographical criteria that worked well in other times.
G-3.0401 d affirms that God is calling us to a new openness to God's continuing reformation of the Church ecumenical, that it might be a more effective instrument of mission in the world. The Task Force points out that there are many signs that, on a changing cultural landscape, old models are breaking down and new forms of denominationalism in the United States are developing at local, regional, and national levels (lines 905-907). These new forms cannot emerge from strict adherence to existing structures; they must be permitted and nurtured by a denomination willing to seek flexibility and equilibrium.
The intended purpose of flexible equilibrium in presbytery and synod membership is to provide safe opportunity for congregations and judicatories to express shared, deeply held convictions. To seek flexibility regarding essential belief, as the Task Force does, without providing a corresponding freedom of association based on those very convictions is contradictory and ultimately self-defeating.
Under a more flexible system of presbytery and synod membership the power of the upper judicatories is diminished (for example, in discipline and enforcement) and that of lower judicatories (congregations and presbyteries) increases.
A flexible plan of presbytery and synod membership provides an affirmation of the Missional Church's understanding of non-hierarchal structures and ministries. It affirms the congregation as the primary agent of mission and ministry and the presbytery as secondary agent for the support, encouragement, and accountability of congregations and pastors. Any other judicatories are tertiary agents for the support, encouragement and accountability of the presbytery.
Allowing congregations flexibility in their presbytery membership, and presbyteries in their synods membership, provides the basis for mission and ministry under a generous and broad orthodox creedal Reformed Christianity. Membership flexibility acknowledges the current era of diverse styles and forms while maintaining the historic unity of the church.
Competing factions within the Presbyterian Church (USA) appeal to â œHistoric Presbyterianism. Flexible equilibrium is, by contrast, future-oriented while at the same time providing an affirmation of Presbyterianism in its connectional-accountable sense. It acknowledges the need for one another while rejecting both institutional coercion and radical ecclesiastical autonomy.
A flexible plan for presbytery and synod membership allows congregations and judicatories to work for reformation and renewal in local congregations and in presbyteries only as they serve the local congregation. This flexibility allows the denomination to focus on positive change rather than defensive battles.
For these reasons, we urge the 217th General Assembly (2006) to approve this overture.

eLink for 2008 General Assembly

Below is an editorial which was posted at the Presbyterian Outlook. Elink is back on the table for the 2008 General Assembly. The amendment is essentially the same amendment which we sent last year. The only difference is one phrase that was removed which would have taken away the responsibility from GA "to warn or bear witness against error in doctrine or immorality in practice in or outside the church." Our presbytery decide to delete this part of the amendment which would have removed this duty from the BOO. Other then this, the amendment is essentially unchanged.
Posted: 04/10/2007
There is another way other than staying or leaving. Once again Beaver Butler Presbytery is sending the "eLink" amendment for the Book of Order to the 2008 General Assembly. Our presbytery sent it in 2006 where it garnered a sizeable minority of delegate votes. We are coming back in 2008 with approximately the same amendment for the same reasons we went in 2006 and also for some new reasons.(BB Presbytery approved the amendment in the March meeting) We offered the amendment in 2006 because of the theological impasse which is present in the PCUSA and we bring it back again for the very same reasons. We bring it in 2008 for the new reasons that PUP is now a reality of our denomination and because numerous people are now supporting it for the first time and have suggested that we bring it to the table again. The amendment calls for flexible membership in presbyteries and synods. With this amendment, a church that is alienated theologically in a present presbytery or synod may transfer WITHIN THE PCUSA, to another presbytery and/or synod where it finds fellowship with like-minded churches. We prefer this to simply leaving the denomination. Our amendment recognizes that geography can no longer be the primary consideration for fellowship between churches especially in 21st century America. We recognize that technology and globalization have profoundly changed the landscape of our culture. We can no longer do business as usual as if we were still operating in the 19th century. This amendment recognized the theological impasse and that we are beyond "working out our differences". Yes we may still work together in some areas(such as disaster relief), but on some issues(Ordination), there simply can be no compromise. Our hope is that by staying together in separate circles of fellowship(while staying together nationally), truth and eventually revival will take place by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. This amendment can be seen at http:/elinkoverturepcusa.blogspot.com/
Greg Wiest, Glade Run UP Church Valencia, Pa

How eLink fared

eLink went to the General Assembly as item 5-23. It was in the polity committee which also heard the Korean non-geographical synod proposal and also the rewrite of the Book of Order known as the FOG (form of government) Task Force. In committee the Advisory Committee on the Constitution called our overture a "siesmic shift" in our understanding of who we are as a church. The ACC had as much time as they wanted to speak against our overture compared to my 3 minutes before the committee. The korean proposal came immediately before eLink and the proponents of multi-culturalism spoke against it on the grounds that we need variety in every governing body. The committee did not recommend a task force to explore the Korean synod. They were in fact prepped to vote down elink which they did by a vote of 46-0. The story was different, however, on the floor of the Assembly. A few spoke vigorously in favor of our amendment. eLink lost but we garnered 21 percent of the vote or over 100 delegates of the 500+ delegates. This was a success for a concept that is completely new for a very historically anchored church. Moreover, I was able to speak about eLink to over 75 different individuals(46 committee people and many people in the hallways) After the PUP recommendation passed, a number of folks commented that it was too bad that eLink did not pass as well. Well over 500 folks from every presbytery in our denomination now know about the eLink concept. Look for a new eLink in the very near future.
Greg

eLink Overture Text

eLINK Overture
Small Changes that make a BIG Difference

The eLINK Overture from Beaver-Butler Presbytery that relax the rules by which congregations and presbyteries connect

e emerging -encourages belief, mission, adaptation and accountability
L Logical -small Book of Order changes that make a big difference
I Innovative -encouragement of flexibility, structure, mission and belief
N Non-Geographic -flexible connections according to belief and mission
K Kairos -good time for an evolutionary change in Presbyterian governance

Presbytery of Beaver-Butler

On Amending the Book of Order to provide flexibility in presbytery and synod membership.

The Presbytery of Beaver-Butler overtures the 217th General Assembly (2006) to:
Make the changes to the Form of Government that will honor the spirit of the Report of the Task Force on Peace, Unity, and Purity of the Church. These changes will accommodate the diverse belief systems, theological positions and mission designs that currently exist within the Presbyterian Church (USA) and will encourage the kind of “flexible equilibrium” to which the Task Force calls the church (lines 807-808, Final Report of the Task Force on Peace, Unity, and Purity of the Church).

These changes are:

G-11.000 THE PRESBYTERY

G-11.0101 Membership

Strike: Presbytery is a corporate expression of the church consisting of all the churches and ministers of the Word and Sacrament within a certain district.

Insert: Presbytery is a corporate expression of the church consisting of churches and ministers of the Word and Sacrament who have chosen to affiliate based on geographic, theological, missional or other considerations of importance to those congregations.

G-11.0103 Responsibilities

Strike: j. to control the location of new churches and of churches desiring to move;

Insert: new section headings for remaining provisions as applicable

Following G-11.0504

Insert: G-11.0600 Changes in Membership
a. Congregations may choose membership in a particular presbytery based on geographic, theological, missional or other considerations of importance to those congregations.
b. A congregation may seek to change presbytery membership by a two-thirds vote at a properly called congregational meeting.
c. The receiving presbytery will accept the congregation’s request for membership by a majority vote at a properly called presbytery meeting.
d. The Minister(s) of Word and Sacrament of the joining congregation become members of the receiving presbytery when it is determined by the Committee on Ministry of the receiving presbytery that their call is in order (G-14.0506-07).

G-12.0000 THE SYNOD

G-12.0101 Membership

Strike: Synod is the unit of the church’s life and mission which consists of not fewer than three presbyteries within a specific geographic region.

Insert: Synod is the unit of the church’s life which consists of not fewer than three presbyteries who choose to affiliate based on geographic, theological, missional or other considerations of importance to those presbyteries.

G-12.0102 Responsibilities

Strike: k. To organize new presbyteries and to divide, unite, or otherwise combine presbyteries or portions of presbyteries previously existing, to create non-geographic presbyteries in order to meet the mission needs (G-11.0103a; G-12.0102a) of identified racial or ethnic or immigrant congregations; subject to the approval of the General Assembly;

Insert: k. To vote to receive, by majority vote, existing and new presbyteries that have petitioned for synod membership (G-12.307).

Following G-12.0306

Insert: G-12.0400 Changes in Membership
a. A presbytery may seek membership in a particular synod based on geographic, theological, missional or other considerations of importance to that presbytery.
b. A presbytery may seek to change synod membership by a two-thirds vote at a properly called presbytery meeting.
c. The receiving synod will accept the presbytery request for membership by a majority vote at a properly called synod meeting.
d. New presbyteries shall be formed when not fewer than twelve congregations petition a synod for the creation of a presbytery of which they will become member congregations (in compliance with the provisions of G-11.505 of this overture). New presbyteries shall be created by a two-thirds vote of the synod at a properly called meeting.

G-13.0000 THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

G-13.0103 Responsibilities

Strike: m. to organize new synods and to divide, unite, or otherwise combine synods or portions of synods previously existing;

Insert: m. to provide for the creation of new synods. New synods shall be formed when not fewer than three presbyteries petition the General Assembly for the creation of a synod of which they will become member presbyteries. New synods shall be created by a two-thirds vote of the General Assembly at a regularly called meeting.

Strike: n. to approve the organization, division, uniting, or combining of presbyteries or portions of presbyteries by synods;

Strike: p. to warn or bear witness against error in doctrine or immorality in practice in or outside the church;

Strike: v. to authorize synods to exercise power in receiving ecclesiastical bodies suited to become constituents of those governing bodies and lying within their geographic bounds;

Insert: v. to authorize synods to exercise similar power in receiving ecclesiastical bodies suited to become constituents of those governing bodies;

Insert: new section headings for remaining provisions as applicable
Rationale

Add to G-8.0401 the following new sections:

a. Any presbytery that chooses to withdraw from the denomination shall forfeit all real property to synod.

b. Any synod that chooses to withdraw from the denomination shall forfeit all real property to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

Rationale

The 213th General Assembly (2001) directed the Moderators of the 213th, 212th, and the 211th General Assemblies to appoint a Theological Task Force reflecting the theological and cultural diversity of the church to “lead the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in spiritual discernment of our Christian identity, in and for the 21st century. . . . This discernment shall include but not be limited to issues of Christology, biblical authority and interpretation, ordination standards and power” (Minutes, 2001, Part I, p. 29). One significant outcome from the Task Force involves allowing presbyteries and synods a certain amount of latitude (what the report calls flexible equilibrium [lines 918-919] ) in matters of polity.
“Our faith is in the God of Israel who raised Jesus Christ bodily from the dead. This is the one faith confessed by the people of God: ‘one Lord, one faith, on god and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.’ (Ephesians 4:5-6)” (Task Force Report, lines 51-53)

“It is by following Jesus Christ, as attested for us in Scripture, that the unity of our faith will be made visible today as it has in the past.” (Task Force Report, lines 58-60)

Jesus Christ alone is head of the church. Jesus alone is the source of the church’s unity.

G-1.000 c affirms that: “Christ gives to his Church its faith and life, its unity and mission, its officers and ordinances.” The Task Force Report reminds us that our unity is rooted in Christ and that the church’s purity does not spring from “technical or legal means,” but from Jesus Christ. Attempting to keep the Church unified and pure without providing freedom for Christ’s Spirit to move is not helpful.

G-1.0301 (1) (a) affirms that: “‘God alone is Lord of the conscience, and hath left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are in anything contrary to his Word, or beside it, in matters of faith or worship.’” Flexibility in presbytery and synod membership provides options for theological and missional partnerships not possible under the rigid geographical criteria that worked well in other times.

G-3.0401 d affirms that God is calling us “…to a new openness to God’s continuing reformation of the Church ecumenical, that it might be a more effective instrument of mission in the world.” The Task Force points out that “there are many signs that, on a changing cultural landscape, old models are breaking down and new forms of denominationalism in the United States are developing at local, regional, and national levels” (lines 905-907). These new forms cannot emerge from strict adherence to existing structures; they must be permitted and nurtured by a denomination willing to seek flexibility and equilibrium.

The intended purpose of flexible equilibrium in presbytery and synod membership is to provide safe opportunity for congregations and judicatories to express shared, deeply held convictions. To seek flexibility regarding essential belief, as the Task Force does, without providing a corresponding freedom of association based on those very convictions is contradictory and ultimately self-defeating.

Under a more flexible system of presbytery and synod membership the power of the upper judicatories is diminished (for example, in discipline and enforcement) and that of lower judicatories (congregations and presbyteries) increases.

A flexible plan of presbytery and synod membership provides an affirmation of the Missional Church's understanding of non-hierarchal structures and ministries. It affirms the congregation as the primary agent of mission and ministry and the presbytery as secondary agent for the support, encouragement, and accountability of congregations and pastors. Any other judicatories are tertiary agents for the support, encouragement and accountability of the presbytery.

Allowing congregations flexibility in their presbytery membership, and presbyteries in their synods membership, provides the basis for mission and ministry under a generous and broad orthodox creedal Reformed Christianity. Membership flexibility acknowledges the current era of diverse styles and forms while maintaining the historic unity of the church.

Competing factions within the Presbyterian Church (USA) appeal to “Historic Presbyterianism.” Flexible equilibrium is, by contrast, future-oriented while at the same time providing an affirmation of “Presbyterianism” in its connectional-accountable sense. It acknowledges the need for one another while rejecting both institutional coercion and radical ecclesiastical autonomy.

A flexible plan for presbytery and synod membership allows congregations and judicatories to work for reformation and renewal in local congregations and in presbyteries only as they serve the local congregation. This flexibility allows the denomination to focus on positive change rather than defensive battles.

For these reasons, we urge the 217th General Assembly (2006) to approve this overture.