Recap of the 227th General Assembly

The following was originally written by Michael Cuppett, a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) serving in the Presbytery of the Highlands of New Jersey, and then edited and expanded by Barbara Chalfant, Transitional General Presbyter and Stated Clerk of Missouri Union Presbytery.  This resource is not published, endorsed, or approved by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Presbyterian Life and Witness, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) A Corporation, or any agencies of the church.  Sections in italics are Barbara Chalfant’s musings.

Every two years, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) meets to conduct business affecting the denomination. The General Assembly is the council of the whole church, “constituting the bond of unity, community, and mission” of the denomination. (G-3.0501)

The General Assembly (GA) is us.  We, each presbytery, send commissioners we elect to represent us at the meeting.  There were just under 500 commissioners who voted on the overtures sent to the GA by presbyteries across the US. About half were teaching elders (ministers) and the other half were ruling elders. There were also about 500 additional people in attendance.  They were advisory delegates from the US and from all over the world, visitors, presbytery staff, synod staff, GA staff and advisory committee members who had studied and written papers related to overtures and in response to the requests of the previous GA.  They were not a part of the voting or the action on the floor unless the moderation requested information from them and directed them to advise the commissioners.

The first three days (June 22-24) of GA work was done on Zoom.  The commissioners were divided into twelve committees to discern what to recommend to the GA concerning each item of business forwarded from the various presbyteries.  Every item was discussed and either amended, combined with other items or addressed without change and prepared to be presented on the floor of GA for a vote.  The committee also recommended either a yes or a no vote for each document sent to the floor of GA. Some committees accomplished their work in under eight hours a day, for others it took ten to eleven hours per day.  We then had two days for travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to gather for worship, prayer, work and fellowship.  We started each day by 8:30 and only ran till 10:30 one night!  

It was astounding that such a diverse group could navigate politely through the difficult issues and find agreement.  After all the old saying is: “Put eight Presbyterians in a room and they will have 13 strong opinions.”  While many of the discussions and amendments may have indicated polarization, none of the final votes were close.  Only the Spirit of God can do that.

Here are some of the larger topics we considered together as we sought to discern God’s call:

Artificial Intelligence

The Assembly approved its first policy on artificial intelligence (AI) by approving RUS-08, “The Algorithm and the Almighty: Navigating Artificial Intelligence through a Reformed Lens | Recommendations and Rationale.” This is a relatively comprehensive social witness policy on AI that establishes an ethical framework for its use. Though the policy is not binding for church officers and leaders, it strongly encourages:

• “Using AI in a transparent and publicly justifiable manner, meaning clear and consistent public disclosure.”

• “Never using generative AI as a substitute for prayerful Biblical exegesis, sermon preparation, pastoral counseling, spiritual direction, theological judgment, or core teaching of scripture.”

• Labeling all content in ministry that makes substantial use of AI.

• Restricting use of AI to “limited, particular purposes.”

The framework places the church in a cautious posture in its relationship with AI due to its implicit and explicit biases, negative impact on the environment, extreme capacity for misrepresentation, and ability to strip away human moral agency. It mandates that agencies of the church question “whether a given use of AI should occur at all,” and “urge clear human responsibility, legal accountability where applicable, and enforceable safeguards.” 

What is remarkable about the full-bodied discussion surrounding AI was that our Youth Advisory Delegates and younger commissioners were much more against the use and existence of AI than were the older commissioners.  The commissioners heard and honored their discernment and experiences and that is reflected in the final document.

Christian Nationalism

The Assembly condemned White Christian nationalism with two items of business: RUS-01, “On Taking Action to Repudiate Christian Nationalism and Affirm Our Faith Commitments,” and RUS-07, “Standing Against White Christian Nationalism Recommendations and Rationale” in votes of 458-15 and 459-25, respectively. The first item amends the Book of Order to include a section in the foundations of Presbyterian polity stating in part:

“The church rejects any ideology that seeks to establish Christianity as a privileged or dominant force through the power of the state, or that conflates religious identity with national, racial, or ethnic supremacy.”

RUS-07 repudiates the assertion “that the United States was founded as a Christian nation and should continue to be governed according to what its proponents see as Christian values or biblical principles”. Flowing from this, the Assembly calls for scrutiny of national symbols on church property, including the U.S. flag, the use of patriotic hymns, and Presentation of Colors during worship.

Reviewing the Closure of World Mission

Several items of business addressed the closure of PC(USA) World Mission that occurred during denominational restructuring. A substitute motion was adopted for RIW-01, “Call to Review the Restructuring of the PC(USA) World Mission,” to form a commission to:

• “Determine the extent to which the decision-making processes and actions employed by [denominational agencies]… conformed to or violated policy mandates of the General Assembly.”

• Make recommendations on “the discipline and/or termination of staff found to have engaged in harassment or coercive behaviors toward former mission co-workers or other current or former World Mission or Global Ecumenical Partnerships’ employees”.

• “Direct [the national office] to renew the call to our local congregations to financially support, pray for, educate, and train new missionaries to serve the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. moving forward.”

Israel & Palestine

The Assembly resoundingly voted to condemn the government of Israel and its campaign to commit genocide through RIW-04, “On Recognizing that Israel has Violated the International Law Prohibiting Genocide”. After considerable testimony of Palestinians, Israelis, mission partners, international workers, and other resource persons, the Assembly voted with 96% approval to:

• “Condemn the government of Israel’s violation of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the war against Gaza that began in 2023.”

• “Encourage members of the Presbyterian Church to refrain from buying products made or distributed by Israeli companies whose work and/or products contribute to violations of international laws concerning genocide.”

• “Affirm that criticism of the government of Israel is not inherently antisemitic.”

• “Condemn unequivocally the Israeli military’s targeting of Palestinian children in Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank.”

This is a continuation of the PC(USA)’s stance on Israel and Palestine, and in adopting this motion, enables the Office of Public Witness to join lobbying efforts against the ongoing conflict.

The PC USA got a variety of national news coverage on this one.  However, in committee and on the floor most everyone was clear about the following:

• The government of the nation of Israel is not a religious institution, does not represent the will of all Jewish people and cannot be treated as the representation of the will of the Jewish people of faith.  Their actions in this most recent set of events are heinous.

• Antisemitism is wrong in all its forms.

• The systematic eradication of the Palestinian people (Muslim, Christian and Samaritan) has been going on for decades and should rightly be called genocide.

• Hamas, much like the government of Israel, does not represent most of the Palestinian people. Their actions in this most recent set of events are heinous.

Gender and Sexuality

Through GEN-09: “Beyond Changing Families: Flourishing Relationships for Belonging” the Assembly approved the development of two “comprehensive theological framework[s]”, the first of which addresses human sexuality and gender, and the second addressing the corollary relational dimensions such as marriage, power, accountability, consent, and family structures. In addition to these two theological documents, a policy will be developed to formally articulate denominational stances on “the Christian vocation of family”, in order to more fully represent familial relationships. The two theological documents and policy will be accompanied by study guides for congregational ministry. GEN-02, “On Access to Healthcare” codifies the PC(USA)’s position to support all individuals’ access to all “medically necessary, evidence-based gender-affirming healthcare”.

Ordination

The report of ORD-07, “Ordination Task Force Report” generated considerable debate. The approved recommendations include changes to the ordination process for Ministers of Word and Sacrament and policies impacting commissioned ruling elders.

Other Items

RUS-10, “The Report of the Special Committee for a New Confession” authorizes the beginning of a formal study and revision process for a new confession.

RUS-14, “On Condemning Cruel Immigration Enforcement and Defending the Human Rights

of Migrants” condemns enforcement practices including mass deportations without due process, inhumane detention conditions, family separation, and detentions at houses of worship.

GAO-01, “Recommended Location for the 228th General Assembly (2028)” approved

Puerto Rico as the location for the next General Assembly! While in the General Assembly Operations Committee, commissioners’ debate of the motion generated controversy due to racist stereotypes and tropes. Several advisory committees issued joint statements due to commissioners’ comments.