Entities of the General Assembly

Advisory Committee on Church Property (ACCP): Advises the Stated Clerk on legal matters related to the protection of the property rights of congregations, institutions, entities and governing bodies of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

Advisory Committee on the Constitution (ACC): Prepares recommendations and advice to the General Assembly on proposals for constitutional amendments and interpretation of the constitution; advises the General Assembly on the constitutional implications of actions it is considering.

Advocacy Committee on Racial Ethnic Concerns (ACREC): Advises the General Assembly on all matters related to the church’s ministry with racial ethnic persons and groups and on the church’s witness to the world regarding racial ethnic issues.

Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy (ACSWP): Develops social policy statements and papers for action by the General Assembly and advises the Assembly on the social policy implications of actions it is considering.

Advocacy Committee on Women’s Concerns (ACWC): Advises the General Assembly on all matters related to the church’s ministry with women and women’s groups and on the church’s witness to the world regarding women’s issues.

Board of Pensions (BOP): A Philadelphia-based corporation related to the General Assembly that administers the major medical and pension plans of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for ministers, missionaries and other church workers; also administers retirement housing and other special assistance programs for church workers and retirees.

Church Financial Campaign Service (CFCS): Provides fund-raising services to congregations and other church entities.

Committee on Ecumenical Relations (CER): Advises the General Assembly and its entities on matters related to the Presbyterian Church’s relationships with other churches and faith groups.

Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA): Oversees the ecclesiastical work of the church through the Office of the General Assembly, including the stated clerk.

Committee on Theological Education (COTE): Maintains strong relationships between the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and its 11 theological institutions and addresses ongoing needs for theological education in the church.

Congregational Ministries Division (CMD): One of three ministry divisions of the General Assembly Council, responsible for Christian education and theological education, mission interpretation and promotion, denominational curriculum publishing, the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program, theology and worship, conference center ministries, media services and research services.

Department of History/Presbyterian Historical Society (PHS): Based in Philadelphia with an additional facility in Montreat, N.C., houses the archives of historical artifacts and papers of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), publishes historical journals and papers and provides historical information to the church and historical researchers.

General Assembly Committee on Representation (GACOR): Advises the General Assembly on the implementation of principles of full participation and inclusiveness in all of its entities; advocates and monitors the representation of persons of all racial ethnic groups, women, different age groups, persons with disabilities, diverse geographical areas, and different theological positions within the Reformed tradition.

General Assembly Council (GAC): The 87-member elected body that oversees and administers the mission program of the General Assembly between meetings of the General Assembly; meets three times a year.

General Assembly Nominating Committee (GANC): Recommends to the General Assembly nominees to fill vacancies on all entities elected by the General Assembly except where another nominating procedure is required; 16 members, one from each synod, are appointed to a five-year term by the moderator of the General Assembly on a staggered basis.

Ghost Ranch Conference Center (Ghost Ranch): One of three national conference centers of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Ghost Ranch is located on two campuses: in Abiquiu, N.M., and in Santa Fe.

Jinishian Memorial Program (JMP): An endowed ministry of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) dedicated to providing humanitarian and development assistance to Armenians throughout the world.

Mission Responsibility Through Investment Committee (MRTI): Monitors corporations whose stock is owned by Presbyterian Church (USA) entities to insure that their corporate behavior is in compliance with General Assembly policies; recommends shareholder actions or divestment when non-compliance is determined; recommends corporations for commendation when their activity is particularly exemplary.

Mission Support Services (MSS): Provides administrative, corporate and financial services to the General Assembly Council, including accounting and auditing services, budgeting and forecasting, property management, information services, and distribution of denominational resources.

Montreat Conference Center (Montreat): One of three national conference centers of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), located in Montreat, N.C.

National Ministries Division (NMD): One of three ministry divisions of the General Assembly Council, responsible for social justice and social welfare ministries, evangelism and church development, higher education ministries, churchwide partnerships, churchwide personnel services, racial ethnic ministries, women’s ministries, the Presbyterian Washington Office.

Office of Communication (OC): Plans and implements communications of the General Assembly to the church and public; includes the Presbyterian News Service, Presbyterians Today magazine, PresbyNet (computer communication network), PresbyTel (toll-free telephone information service), Internet, media services (radio, television, video), and public relations.

Office of the General Assembly (OGA): Headed by the Stated Clerk, plans and conducts the General Assembly meeting, oversees the church’s ecumenical relations with other churches, administers the ecclesiastical business of the church — property, litigation, nominations, judicial process, constitutional interpretation, statistics and minutes and the Department of History.

Office of the Executive Director (EDO): Headed by the Executive Director of the General Assembly Council, provides executive leadership to the Council and directs the programmatic work of the General Assembly; responsible for churchwide planning, GAC operations, legal services, human resources management, internal audit and Office of Communication.

Permanent Judicial Commission (PJC): Acting under the Rules of Discipline in the constitution, conducts hearings on disciplinary and remedial cases brought before it by appeal and conducts trials of cases in which it has original jurisdiction (the “Supreme Court” of the Presbyterian Church).

Presbyterian Church (USA) Foundation (the Foundation): A Jeffersonville, IN-based corporation related to the General Assembly that holds in trust for the purposes designated such funds, bequests, endowments and gifts as are placed in its care and solicits additional permanent funds for the benefit of the church and its entities.

Presbyteries’ Cooperative Committee on the Examination of Candidates (PCC): Prepares and administers examinations required for ordination to the Presbyterian ministry.

Presbyterian Council for Chaplains and Military Personnel (PCCMP): A Washington-based entity that recruits, screens and endorses ministers as military and Veterans Administration chaplains, advises the U.S. government on matters related to military personnel and develops ministry programs for military personnel.

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA): Funded by the One Great Hour of Sharing offering and special appeals, coordinates the church’s response to disasters in this country and throughout the world and coordinates the refugee resettlement ministry of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

Presbyterian Health, Education and Welfare Association (PHEWA): A coalition of 11 social welfare ministry groups of Presbyterians that seek to implement social welfare policies of the General Assembly in such areas as AIDS ministries, mental illness, alcohol and other drug abuse, disabilities, children, health ministries, reproductive health care, community and neighborhood ministry, urban ministry and specialized pastoral ministries.

Presbyterian Hunger Program (PHP): Funded by the One Great Hour of Sharing, advocates personal behaviors and public policies that address the problem of hunger around the world; funds projects in this country and around the world that assist groups of persons in addressing hunger issues in their communities; provides resources that help church and community groups address hunger issues in their communities.

Presbyterian Investment and Loan Program, Inc. (PILP): A corporation created by the 1995 General Assembly that raises money for new church development and other capital needs of church-related institutions by offering investment certificates at competitive rates to church members and then lending the money at below-market rates to borrowers.

Presbyterian Men (PM): An organization open to all men, coordinates the men's ministries work of the church in congregations, presbyteries and synods; conducts national men=s meetings and provides resources to other groups of men throughout the church.

Presbyterian Peacemaking Program (PPP): Funded by the annual Peacemaking Offering, provides resources to congregations, presbyteries and synods for ministries of peacemaking in families, churches, communities and the world; conducts annual peacemaking conferences.

Presbyterian Publishing Corporation (PPC): Based in Louisville, publishes books — under the Westminster/John Knox Press and Geneva Press imprints — and other theological, educational and worship resources for Presbyterians, as well as non-Presbyterian Christian education curriculum as an alternative to denomination-specific curricula published by the church.

Presbyterian United Nations Office (the U.N. Office): Based in New York, offers the church’s witness to issues faced by the United Nations and provides resources, tours and seminars about the United Nations to the church and church groups.

Presbyterian Washington Office (the Washington Office): Based in Washington, provides information about Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) policy and positions on issues to governmental leaders; provides information about pending legislation and church policy related to it to Presbyterians; conducts seminars and tours of Capitol Hill to Presbyterian groups.

Presbyterian Women (PW): An organization open to all women in the church, conducts a broad program of ministry, education and fund-raising for mission among Presbyterian women; publishes monthly magazine, HORIZONS; resources women’s ministries in presbyteries and synods through a network of field staff based in the synods.

Presbyterian Youth Connection (PYC): Created by the 1995 General Assembly, coordinates and unites the youth ministries of Presbyterian churches nationwide, through resources, leadership training and national and regional youth ministry conferences.

Self-Development of People (SDOP): Funded by the One Great Hour of Sharing offering, enables poor, oppressed and disadvantaged people throughout the world take control of their own lives by funding self-development projects created by communities of need.

Stony Point Conference Center (Stony Point): One of three national conference centers of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), located in Stony Point, N.Y.

Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity of the Church (TTF): Appointed by the 2001 General Assembly, the task force has been charged to study the theological issues that divide the church and propose solutions. The task force will make progress reports to each General Assembly with its final report due in 2006.

Worldwide Ministries Division (WMD): One of three ministry divisions of the General Assembly Council, responsible for ecumenical partnerships with churches in other countries, missionaries and volunteers to other countries and from other countries to the U.S.A., international evangelism, international health ministries, the Presbyterian Hunger Program, Presbyterian World Service, the Self-Development of People program and the Jinishian Memorial Program.