The 220th GA Review of Biennial Assemblies Committee concluded its business Monday evening by voting 24-2 to recommend disapproval with comment that presbyteries elect to General Assembly, on a rotating basis within their synod, one young adult ruling elder and one young adult teaching elder.
In its comment, the committee stated that, while it understands that the young adult demographic has been under-represented at General Assembly, “… the proper implementation of increasing their representation in vote should be referred back to the Special Committee to Review Biennial Assemblies.”
Commissioner Joyce Armentrout (Presbytery of West Virginia) expressed the committee’s view that, “ … we didn’t want [more young adult commissioners] to come through a constitutional mandate with a quota. We want the committee to find other ways to get young adults here as commissioners.”
The committee also recommends disapproval of the special committee’s proposal that presbyteries have the concurrence of ten percent of other presbyteries when putting forth an overture to the Assembly, opting instead to require a single concurrence by another presbytery.