General Assembly 2008

From Pastor Troy:

Friends, our denomination’s General Assembly just finished its week of work this past Friday in San Jose.  (We have General Assembly’s every two years).  General Assembly is a national gathering of elected representatives that vote on various petitions and resolutions that are presented back to the Presbyteries for a vote.  This year’s General Assembly has voted on a number of controversial items that some of you have already read in the press.  The most controversial of this year’s Assembly is a proposal to remove ordination standards that state that pastors and church officers must remain faithful in the covenant of marriage between a man and woman or chaste outside of that covenant. 

There were a number of other items voted on as well, some of which are troubling, some encouraging.  I intend to research and read the decisions and the opinions offered by the General Assembly and our own Presbytery will be discussing the actions of this year’s GA.  I will, after such research and meetings, give you a more detailed and thoughtful response to this GA.  But there are a few things I would like you to be aware of. 

• With regard to the ordination standards, a vote to eliminate them has occurred at two previous General Assemblies, only to have the Presbyteries reject the recommendation of the General Assembly. 
• Our own Presbytery has a policy that we do not allow ministers and officers to disobey or disregard the ordination standards of our church.  A convincingly strong majority of Presbytery of Stockton delegates stated that they believe that ordination standards have meaning and biblical grounding, and that our churches should abide by them.
• Our own church’s Session voted to uphold the decision of our Presbytery.  That is to say, our church will not act in disobedience to the constitution.
• I personally support the current ordination standards and voted in favor of the decision of the Presbytery of Stockton. 

There is much more to be said about this – for apart from the political processes involved in denominational decisions, there are biblical and pastoral dimensions to this issue that are very important, particularly to me.  For in all kinds of decisions, Jesus would have us balance conviction with compassion, truth with love.  Typically, in these debates, sides choose one over the other – truth over love, or love over truth.   We also tend to spin our wheels on this one issue every year, when there are so many other important aspects of the calling of the church that we ought to be focusing on – like Evangelism and Mission and Justice. 

More later when I return from my vacation.  But, no, the sky is not falling – and Jesus is still Savior and Lord.