While it is assumed that the leadership and members of this congregation will play a role in observing the elder and providing feedback to the presbytery (“court”) that will make the decision to remove the censure or not, drafters of the overture believe congregation’s role is not clearly laid out in the current language.
If implemented, the recommendation maintains that a super-majority — in most cases, either two-thirds or three-fourths — of the board members of these agencies be ordained officers in the PCA.
In response to last year’s study committee on Women Serving in the Ministry, Grace Presbytery has submitted an overture to the General Assembly requesting that clarity be given to the language in the Book of Church Order that addresses the diaconate.
Calvary Presbytery has submitted an overture proposing that the Rules of Assembly Operation be revised so that all recommendations from future ad interim committees initially be considered through the Overtures Committee.
Calvary Presbytery has proposed two overtures to encourage the inclusion of ruling elders in matters of polity and theological decision-making.
Eight presbyteries have sent overtures to the 45th General Assembly regarding changes in their boundaries. These overtures have been sent to the MNA Committee for review and recommendation to the Assembly.
Overtures aimed at instituting a similar procedure at the at the presbytery level have been sent to the two previous Assemblies. In both cases, the overture was returned to the originating presbyteries — Chesapeake and Pacific Northwest — for “perfection of deficiencies” identified by the Overtures Committee and approved by the Assembly.
Of the 63 overtures submitted to this year’s General Assembly, 42 deal with the confession and repentance of race-related sins.
The overture demonstrates that the PCA takes seriously its past and current sins, and it is always healthy for the denomination to confess. By confessing specific sins of racism, the PCA creates a more welcoming environment for all minorities.