For a provision of the PCA’s Book of Church Order (BCO) to be amended, a proposed change must first receive a majority vote of a General Assembly (GA), then be approved by two-thirds of the PCA’s 88 presbyteries (59), and finally be ratified by a majority vote at the subsequent GA. The 49th GA approved 12 proposed changes to the BCO which have been working their way through the presbyteries. After the presbyteries have voted on the proposals, the results are reported to the GA Stated Clerk’s office.
Here’s an update on the official tally of presbytery votes on the 12 proposals as of February 6:
Item 1, which would amend BCO 7 to disqualify from church office a person who describes himself as homosexual: 22 presbyteries in favor, 13 opposed.
Item 2, which would amend BCO 8 by adding chaplain endorsement requirements and recommendations: 33 presbyteries in favor, 2 opposed.
Item 3, which would amend BCO-15-1 and 15-3 to bring the way presbytery judicial commissions function into conformity with the way other commissions function: 28 in favor, 8 opposed.
Item 4, which would amend BCO 16 specifying affirmations a man must make concerning sanctification to be qualified for church office: 34 presbyteries in favor, 1 opposed.
Item 5, which would amend BCO 21-4 and 24-1 requiring that specific attention be given to potential notorious concerns when examining a candidate for church office: 30 presbyteries in favor, 4 opposed.
Item 6, which would amend BCO 33-1 and 33-4 which would require a two-thirds majority to administratively suspend a man from his office or a member from the Lord’s Table while under judicial process: 35 presbyteries in favor, 1 opposed
Item 7, which would amend BCO 33-1 and 34-1 to establish a higher threshold for the number of courts required to request a higher court assume original jurisdiction from the normal court of original jurisdiction: 18 presbyteries in favor, 17 opposed.
Item 8, which would amend BCO 35 to allow provisions to protect victims who are witnesses in a judicial process: 34 presbyteries in favor, 2 opposed.
Item 9, which would amend BCO 38-1 to allow a person making his offense known to presbytery to be allowed assistance by counsel at any point in the proceedings: 36 presbyteries in favor, none opposed.
Item 10, which would amend BCO 38-1 and 42-2 to allow a person to appeal a censure imposed in a case without process: 36 presbyteries in favor, none opposed.
Item 11, which would amend BCO 42-6 to require a two-thirds majority to impose suspension from office or from the Lord’s Table administratively during the course of an appeal: 34 presbyteries in favor, 2 opposed.
Item 12, which would amend BCO 43-2 and 43-3 regarding the timing for considering a complaint: 33 presbyteries in favor, 2 opposed.
Several other presbyteries have also voted on the proposed BCO changes, but, for a variety of reasons, have yet to report some or all of their votes to the Stated Clerk’s office.
Rev. Scott Edburg, who was recently installed as Pastor of Providence Presbyterian Church in Troy, Illinois, has kept a careful unofficial tally of the presbytery votes as they have been taken, which he has shared via Twitter. Comparing the spreadsheet he has compiled with the official results received in the Stated Clerk’s office, it appears that Item 2, Items 4-6, and Items 8-12 have received sufficient presbytery support to be brought to the 50th General Assembly for ratification. Item 7 has received sufficient negative votes to prevent it from moving forward. The fate of Items 1 and 3 are still in doubt. Item 3 requires additional support from only a handful of presbyteries to move forward for ratification, while Item 1 would require the support of all the presbyteries remaining to vote to reach the required two-thirds majority.