OVERTURE FROM THE PRESBYTERY OF PHILADELPHIAL CONCERNING RECOMMENDATION 5 OF THE THEOLOGICAL TASK FORCE ON THE PEACE, UNITY AND PURITY TASK FORCE

The Presbytery of Philadelphia at a special meeting on February 9, 2006, voted to overture the 217th General Assembly (2006) to receive the report of the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity with thanks and to make the following amendments to Recommendation 5, (insertions are underlined):

5. The Task Force on Peace, Unity, and Purity of the Church recommends that the 217th General Assembly (2006) approve the following authoritative interpretation of section G-6.0108 of the Book of Order:

a. [no amendments]
b. [no amendments]
c. Ordaining and installing bodies, acting as corporate expressions of the church, have the responsibility to determine their membership by applying these standards to those elected to office. These determinations include:

i. [no amendments]
ii. Whether any departure violates a direct provision of the Book of Order, thus barring the candidate from ordination and/or installation.
iii. Whether, if no direct provision applies, the departure constitutes a failure to adhere to the essentials of Reformed faith and polity under G-6.0108 of the Book of Order, thus barring the candidate from ordination and/or installation.

d. Whether the ordaining/installing body has conducted its examination reasonably, responsibly, prayerfully, and deliberately in deciding to ordain a candidate for church office is subject to review by higher governing bodies. It shall not be deemed reasonable or responsible for an ordaining/installing body to fail to maintain any standard stipulated in the Book of Order.
e. [no amendments]

Rationale

The preface to the Book of Order defines certain words used in the Book of Order in the following way:
“In this Book of Order

(1) "Shall" and "is to be/are to be" signify practice that is mandated,
(2) "Should" signifies practice that is strongly recommended,
(3) "Is appropriate" signifies practice that is commended as suitable,
(4) "May" signifies practice that is permissible but not required.”

The Authoritative Interpretation in Recommendation 5 would allow sessions and presbyteries to decide whether mandated sections of the Book of Order (those that include the words “shall” or “is to be/are to be”) are essential or not. This would produce the absurd result of allowing sessions and presbyteries to decide that there are nonessential requirements in the Book of Order when examining a candidate for office.

The Rationale for the Authoritative Interpretation claims that the Authoritative Interpretation interprets section G-6.0108 but would directly affect other sections of the constitution. G-14.0207 and G-14.0405b list the Constitutional Questions for the ordination and installation of officers. While the questions concerning the Book of Confession (G-14.0207c and G-14.0405b.(3)) ask the candidate to receive and adopt the essential tenets of the Reformed faith, the questions concerning polity and governance of the church (G-14.0207e and G-14.0405b.(5)) make no mention of essential portions of the Book of Order but rather require an affirmative answer to the question, “Will you be governed by our church's polity, and will you abide by its discipline?”

In the remedial case of Maxwell v. Presbytery of Pittsburgh (1975) the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission decided that a candidate for the office of Minister of Word and Sacrament could not be ordained because he would not ordain women as elders. Part of the reason the Permanent Judicial Commission made this decision is expressed in the following sentence. “A candidate who chooses not to subscribe to the polity of this church may be a more useful servant of our Lord in some other fellowship whose polity is in harmony with the candidate's conscience.”

This Authoritative Interpretation has the potential of opening a Pandora’s Box of differing opinions on what is essential and nonessential in the Book of Order. While we have placed much of our focus on section G-6.0106b of the Form of Government any part of the Book of Order could be considered nonessential. The result could be an unbearable load of remedial cases brought before permanent judicial commissions. A further result could be the balkanization of the Presbyterian Church, (U.S.A.) as a candidate approved by one presbytery could be rejected as a member of another presbytery.

This Authoritative Interpretation would break the connectional nature of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the unity of the Church.

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