Reports and study guides
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On Creating a Committee on Synod Boundaries from the Presbytery of St. Andrew - 05-02
From Office of the General Assembly—Mid Councils Commission
The Presbytery of St. Andrew overtured the 220th General Assembly (2012) to dismiss the Commission on Middle Governing Bodies with thanks for its members’ faithful service and work, and create a Committee on Synod Boundaries composed of one teaching elder and one ruling elder appointed by each existing synod (to be initially convened by the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly and then to elect its own moderator) that is directed to bring to the 221st General Assembly(2014) a recommendation for new synod boundaries replacing the current sixteen synods with six to eight synods.
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Advice from the ACC on 05-12
From Office of the General Assembly—Mid Councils Commission
The report of the General Assembly Mid Council Commission I contained eight numbered recommendations for action by the 220th General Assembly, each containing one or more specific action items. The Advisory Committee on the Constitution addressed each enumerated recommendation separately, noting connections between particular recommendations.
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ACC Role with the Mid Council Commission
From Office of the General Assembly—Mid Councils Commission
This handout was presented by Keith Geckeler during his presentation to the Mid Council Commission II. Keith will be the commissions representative from the Advisory Committee on the Constitution.
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Mid Council Commission II Group Covenant
From Office of the General Assembly—Mid Councils Commission
Mid Council Commission II worked together to create this list of group norms/ covenant.
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Recommendations I-IV from Mid Council Commmission I's Report
From Office of the General Assembly—Mid Councils Commission
This document includes recommendations 1-4 of the Mid Council Commission I (GA219) report that the 220th General Assembly asked Mid Council Commission II (GA220) to respond to the recommendations and report back to the 221st General Assembly.- “Discuss, Refine – Bring Back recommendations concerning composition and organization”
- Relates only to synods; presbyteries as they are impacted by synods
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Overview of MCC II's Mandate & Scope of Responsibilities
From Office of the General Assembly—Mid Councils Commission
These power point slides provide a brief overview of the Mid Council Commission II's mandate and scope of responsibilities as assigned by the 220th General Assembly (2012). Presentation was made by Jill Hudson.
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Churchwide Coordinating Team September 2012 meeting summary
From Presbyterian Mission Agency—Presbyterian Women
Presbyterian Women’s Churchwide Coordinating Team meets twice annually. This summary includes highlights of business from the first CCT meeting of the 2012–2015 triennium.
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Why and How the Church Makes Social Policy Witness
From Office of the General Assembly
A report adopted by the 205th General Assembly (1993) and revised by the 212th General Assembly (2000).
The report on "Why and How the Church Makes a Social Policy Witness" explores and responds to the discomfort experienced by some members and congregations with the social witness policies and programs of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The task force was appointed in 1988 by the Committee on Social Witness Policy (CSWP). The CSWP sent this report to the 204th General Assembly (1992) for purposes of study. A consultation between the General Assembly Council and the sixteen synods
was held November ... -
World of Hurt, Word of Life: “Renewing God’s Communion in the Work of Economic Reconstruction”
From Office of the General Assembly—Department of the Stated Clerk
Responding to the deepening economic crisis of our times, the 219th General Assembly (2010) recognized a preliminary statement of concern, Living Through Economic Crisis: The Church’s Witness in Troubled Times (Minutes, 2010, Part I, pp. 733ff of electronic copy; pp.323–24 of the print copy), and proceeded to authorize further study of the problem with recommendations for faithful action by the church. Specifically, the General Assembly asked for a study that “assesses the long-term implications of our current economic trends and practices, including their impact on the church itself, and provides appropriate recommendations for consideration by members, congregations ...
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Belhar Confession historical context by Jack Rogers
From Presbyterian Mission Agency—Theology and Worship
The Dutch Reformed Churches in South Africa traditionally had Three Standards of Unity: The Belgic Confession (1561), the Heidelberg Catechism (1563) and The Canons of Dort (1618-1619). In their original European context these documents asserted that Protestant Christians were not anarchists, but were good citizens, willing to obey the government of the land.
These confessions from the 16th and 17th centuries were used in the 19th and 20th centuries in South Africa to justify obedience to a government that imposed strict separation of the races and domination by members of the white race. The system was ...