Pastoral Letter from the Co-Moderators
of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians
on the recent decisions of the
Permanent Judicial Commission
February 15 , 2008
In response to the February 11 decisions of the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission in cases arising from the presbyteries of Pittsburgh, Olympia, and Washington, Covenant Network Co-Moderators Jon Walton and Deborah Block issued a statement calling the Pittsburgh decision "profoundly diappointing....In inexplicably lifting up one sentence [of G.6-0106b] as outside the bounds of discernment, the PJC appears to have disregarded the wisdom of the General Assembly and its clear intention as made explicit in the report of the Theological Task Force." (The 218th General Assembly reaffirmed the 217th GA's authoritative interpretation, effectively setting aside this PJC decision.) Read Walton and Block's full statement.
A Day to Celebrate:
A
Statement by the Executive Committee
of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians
January 16, 2008
The 217thGeneral Assembly that met in Birmingham, Alabama offered the church a significant gift when it approved the report of the Peace, Unity and Purity Task Force. During the debate, former Moderator Marj Carpenter said that after years of fighting and decades of division, the question before the church was, “Is there room for grace?” That General Assembly urged the church to find ways to live together more peacefully despite deep disagreements. Aware that church conflict most often gets located in questions of ordination, the General Assembly reminded the church of a long-standing tradition. Ordination standards are set by the whole church. They can neither be ignored nor supplemented, but are to be applied to individual candidates in light of the whole person.
We are grateful that the Presbytery of San Francisco heard this reminder and has worked to apply it faithfully. When faced with a specific candidate, Lisa Larges, they sought to apply constitutional standards fully and appropriately. Though not all may agree with the decision that was rendered, we hope that all will agree that this historic, ordered approach will best serve the church as it continues to struggle with controversies.
We also celebrate this week with Lisa Larges. She has been an inquirer or candidate for ministry for twenty-two long years, waiting patiently for her gifts and call to be affirmed while the church fought its battles. She has preached at national conferences including our own, and her extraordinary gifts for ministry are recognized around the country. On Tuesday, January 15th, she was examined by San Francisco Presbytery and found ready to receive a call. The presbytery responded to her stated departure from G-6.0106b and her call to ministry with a civil debate and a positive vote.
We have a long way to go as a church to be as just and generous or as bold and missional as the church God needs and desires. The church has not solved its division over sexuality and ordination. But yesterday it took a modest but significant step forward.
Toward a Church as Generous and Just as God’s Grace:
A New Statement of Direction
by the Board of the
Covenant Network of Presbyterians
November 1, 2007
The Covenant Network vigorously pursues its founding goal: to build up the church by removing barriers to ordained service by gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender membersand by so doing, to further the unity of the church.
The 217th General Assembly (2006), led by the Holy Spirit, made progress toward this double goal. Calling all Presbyterians to strengthen their covenanted partnership with each other, the Assembly offered a renewed vision for church unity. In its Authoritative Interpretation of Book of Order § G-6.0108, the General Assembly reminded the church of one means by which that unity will be achieved: through faithful application of church standards, with respect for individuals’ freedom of conscience within the bounds of the church’s polity.
We are heartened by the serious and sustained efforts being made by sessions and presbyteries to understand and work with the new Authoritative Interpretation and the Assembly’s other decisions. All over the Presbyterian Church (USA), we see a new embrace of the longstanding traditions that have grounded our life together as Presbyterians for over two hundred years. There is much work yet to do, but we are hopeful that we Presbyterians can and will do it well.
Given recent denominational actions, some congregations and ministers have left the denomination (fewer than 50 of the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s more than 10,000 congregations). We grieve these losses. At the same time, we are gratified that the great majority of Presbyterians has heard and heeded the General Assembly’s call to work together in ways that upbuild the mission and presence of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
The Covenant Network of Presbyterians offers resources and assistance to individuals, congregations and governing bodies, as the church implements the Authoritative Interpretation and other recommendations of the 217th General Assembly. We pledge our legal, advisory, and educational resources for those in the ordination process. As we look toward the next General Assembly, we will continue to monitor both local ordination/installation practices and judicial decisions to determine which additional measures we should pursue at this time to achieve our longstanding goal: a church as generous and just as God’s grace.
A Statement of the
Board of the Covenant Network on the
Authoritative Interpretation of G-6.0108
by the 217th General Assembly
August 2006
The 217th General Assembly has given the church a hopeful vision of life together in a time of disagreement. Drawing on our traditional polity, the Assembly has provided an Authoritative Interpretation and other resources to help the Presbyterian Church (USA) deal constructively with fractious issues. While reaffirming church-wide Constitutional standards for ordination, the Assembly lifted up a basic principle of Presbyterian church order: standards are interpreted and applied by sessions and presbyteries – those who know candidates best.
[please click here to view a summary and to read the entire Task Force Report.]
Despite our disappointment that the Assembly chose not to remove G.-6.0106b from the Book of Order, the Covenant Network embraces the General Assembly’s mandate to live faithfully with all seven of the actions recommended by the report of the Theological Task Force. We are committed to staying in the church and supporting its wider mission. We are thankful that many who find the Assembly’s actions difficult to accept have also declared their intention to remain part of this denomination. The Covenant Network will continue to look for ways that Presbyterians with different, even opposing, perspectives can learn from each other and strengthen each others’ faith. It will take many years to live into the vision of peace, unity, and purity in the church articulated by the General Assembly. More dialogue, understanding, and trust must be established if the church is to fulfill this high calling.
In recent years, the Covenant Network has provided resources to the church to further the discussion of the theology, polity, and Biblical basis of ordination. We will continue to provide resources at this critical time to help sessions and presbyteries faithfully examine and ordain candidates called by God and the voice of the people.
The Presbyterian Church is ministering today amid enormous challenges in its own fellowship and in the world. The Covenant Network is confident that the Holy Spirit will guide the church in a common life of peace and unity as we honor Christ in our shared worship, witness, and mission.
Statement on the General Assembly’s Adoption
of the Report and Recommendations of
The Theological Task Force on
Peace, Unity and Purity of the Church
By the Executive Committee of the Covenant Network
June 20, 2006
The Covenant Network has prayed that the Holy Spirit would lead commissioners to a faithful response to the Theological Task Force report. In approving the report as amended, the General Assembly has called the church to a higher standard of life together. While the Church still faces deep disagreements, the Assembly has given us an opportunity to recover our oneness in Christ.
The Assembly has reaffirmed the responsibility of sessions and presbyteries to apply ordination standards set by the whole church. In doing so, the Assembly has clarified the historic responsibility and authority of local governing bodies to discern gifts for ministry in those whom they know best. We look forward to working with Presbyterians across the church to live into this new time with serious theological and biblical reflection and faithful discernment.
We remain committed to working toward a church as generous and just as God’s grace.
The 217th General Assembly approved the Task Force Report on Tuesday afternoon with 298 commissioners voting for and 221 commissioners voting against adopting the report.
Covenant Network of Presbyterians
Board of Directors
A Time for Hope in the Church
May 9, 2006
We invite our fellow Presbyterians, especially those in issue-oriented groups like ours, to join in a spirit of expectation, prayer, and receptiveness to what God will do through this 217th General Assembly. We trust that God will do more, through Christ Jesus, than we have yet asked or even imagine possible. This is a time for hope in the church! To read the whole statement, please click here
