Life and Mission Agency Asked to Place Priority on Congregations
Rev. Dr. Clyde Ervine from the Presbytery of Hamilton was applauded by commissioners when he asked for “a radial reorientation of focus for our denomination.”
“For a very long time, within a Christian paradigm, the presence of congregations has been assumed as a given, perhaps even taken for granted,” he said in a prepared statement he read to the court. “As a matter of history it has been congregations for the last 2,000 years that have been the primary bearers of the gospel from one generation to another. Congregations constitute the basic, fundamental fabric of our denomination. But we too often assume they will always be there.
“We know, or perhaps need to be reminded, that 50 years ago the Presbyterian Church in Canada had 200,000 members in its congregations. Today the number is 100,000. Fifty years ago, the PCC had 100,000 in its congregations’ Sunday schools; today it is 17,000. This reality casts a shadow over the work of the denomination and of this assembly. But it seems to me this has not yet moved us nationally to give a sustained focus on congregations.”
In his recommendation he asked the assembly to “go on record as giving priority to the reimaging and renewal of congregations and that it ask the Life and Mission Agency to consider how new energy and resources may be focused on congregational vitality, and that the Life and Mission Agency share the mind of assembly on this matter with the Assembly Council as it further develops a national mission and vision statement.”
The recommendation passed with almost unanimous support, and commissioners asked that Ervine’s full statement be inserted into the records of the assembly. It can be found in the minutes of the assembly’s eighth sederunt.
In an additional motion made Thursday morning, Rev. Nancy Cocks of the Presbytery of Calgary-Macleod asked that “notwithstanding the 138th General Assembly’s approval of Dr. Ervine’s motion … this assembly express to the members and staff of the Life and Mission Agency its appreciation for their commitment, energy and faithfulness carrying out the mandates set for them by the General Assembly.”
Policy Allowing Lay Missionaries to Administer Communion Becomes Church Law
In the final step required to pass a church law, the General Assembly approved a policy that will make it possible for ruling elders and diaconal ministers to administer the sacrament of communion if they are trained and commissioned by their presbyteries.
The policy will be added as a new section (201.4) in the Book of Forms, the PCC’s book of church polity.
Other Laws
The assembly struck down another policy that was on the verge of becoming church law. If passed, the remit would have changed who signs the main document required to confirm a minister’s call to a church.
Currently, once a congregation has held a meeting and at least 75 per cent of its members have agreed to call a minister, “call forms” are circulated and signed by members who were unable to attend.
The change in polity was intended to streamline that process by allowing the meeting’s presiding minister and secretary to be the sole signatories on the call form.
Rev. James Hurd from the Presbytery of Ottawa spoke “in the strongest possible terms” against the remit on the floor of assembly. “A fundamental principle of our polity is that congregations should call ministers and signify a clear majority consent,” he said.
Five additional remits passed into church law without debate. These included:
The term “elder emeritus” can now be “bestowed by a session upon an elder who, after a period of faithful service, retires or resigns from the session.” It should only be applied to an elder who will not be re-elected.
Sessions in multiple-point charges can now meet together and conduct business, so long as each session keeps its own record of the proceedings.
Moved to Prayer
The assembly agreed to send a letter and many prayers to the church in Nigeria.
The African nation has encountered growing sectarian violence—including attacks on churches—carried out by Boko Haram, a radical Muslim group. The Associated Press has counted 560 people killed by the group this year alone.
The Moderator will write to the principal clerk of the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria to “assure them of our prayers and support as they work to bring peace and reconciliation between Christians and Muslims.”
Rev. Peter Bush of the Presbytery of Winnipeg asked members of the assembly to “return home asking their congregations to pray for the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria.”
He also requested prayers for peace in Syria.
Ministers Discuss Care and Support Groups
Rev. Peter Bush asked the General Assembly to “encourage ministers and diaconal ministers and lay missionaries serving in congregations to become part of colleague covenant groups.”
There was some debate from ministers about whether the recommendation was necessary and whether ministers should take responsibility for their own care.
Some commissioners, including elders, suggested taking care of the minister was not always something in the forefront of congregants minds.
In the end the recommendation passed by a slim majority.
Additional Recommendations
As the General Assembly wound down on Thursday morning, a few additional motions were presented by commissioners and passed by the assembly.
Rev. Dr. Pam McCarroll of the Presbytery of East Toronto asked that “the Assembly Office and presbyteries organizing the General Assembly be intentional about enabling a great representation and participation of the vast diversity of the Presbyterian Church in Canada in particular those who raise the voice of immigrant churches on the edge.”
A memorial minute for the late Rev. Dr. Thomas Gemmell, former principal clerk of the General Assembly, was put forward by the Rev. James Hurd.
And Rev. Cheol Soon Park asked that “the Moderator, or a group appointed by the Moderator, continue a dialogue with the Han-Ca presbyteries about the theological and economic implications of separate presbyteries.”
The assembly adjourned with prayer.
