How the General Assembly conducts its business

In a typical year, the General Assembly will receive about 700 items of business on which it is asked to take action. There are various deadlines for submission of various kinds of business, but no later than 45 days before the convening of the assembly the Stated Clerk determines which items of business are admissible for the assembly to consider.

How does business come before the General Assembly?

Business comes to the General Assembly from four sources:

1. Overtures that have been approved by a presbytery or synod

2. Reports of entities, commissions and committees of the General Assembly

3. Commissioner’s resolutions that have been proposed by any two commissioners and delivered to the Stated Clerk in writing within 24 hours of the convening of the assembly

4. Communications directed to the General Assembly by its entities or by organizations that do not come to the assembly by other means

How is business assigned to the committees?

The Stated Clerk refers all admissible items of business to the Assembly Committee on Bills and Overtures, often referred to as the B&O. The Bills and Overtures Committee then recommends to which Assembly Committee each item of business should be assigned.

What do the committees do?

This year the items of business are divided among 13 Assembly Committees, comprised of commissioners and advisory delegates. Commissioners and advisory delegates are assigned to a committee by a random computer selection. The Moderator of the General Assembly appoints committee moderators and vice-moderators.

Committees meet for three days to discuss and decide upon a recommendation for each item of business that it is assigned.

What happens next?

The General Assembly will then reconvene in plenary session to hear the recommendations of its committees. The assembly will vote on the recommendations of the committees.

Committees and the General Assembly as a whole may amend any item of business prior to final action by the General Assembly.

Each item of business must be “answered” by the General Assembly. The assembly has five options:

• approve
• disapprove
• take no action,
• approve as amended
• answer with a different action than what was originally proposed

All actions stand as the final determination of the General Assembly that took the action, except for proposed changes to the Book of Order and The Book of Confessions.

The Book of Order contains the Form of Government, Directory for Worship, and Rules of Discipline. The Book of Confessions contains historical statements of what the church believes. The two books form the Constitution of the PC(USA).

How are changes made to the Book of Order?

Proposed amendments to the Book of Order must be sent to regional governing bodies called presbyteries for their affirmative or negative vote. In order for the change to be ratified, a majority of the presbyteries must vote in favor of the proposed amendment —by a majority vote in each presbytery—before the next General Assembly convenes.

How are changes made to The Book of Confessions?

Presbyteries must also approve proposed amendments to The Book of Confessions. In order for the change to be ratified, two-thirds of the presbyteries must vote in favor of the change—by a two-thirds vote in each presbytery—before the next General Assembly in order to be ratified.

No General Assembly pronouncement is binding upon Presbyterian individuals, other governing bodies or future General Assemblies. Pronouncements do, however, remain the official position of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assembly until they are superceded by subsequent Assembly pronouncements.