To Commissioners and Advisory Delegates to the
217th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

June 15-22, 2006, Birmingham, Alabama

We congratulate you on your election as a commissioner or advisory delegate to this year's General Assembly. It will be an exciting time for all of us in the church.

At some point you may begin to feel that you are receiving too much mail about the General Assembly. But we hope that this memo will help you understand some potentially confusing aspects of the Assembly and enable you to participate more effectively. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions.

HOW ARE ASSEMBLY COMMITTEES FORMED?

A computer has assigned you to an Assembly committee by random selection. In preparing for the Assembly you will want to read the reports and materials assigned to your committee. We hope, however, that you don't focus on these to the exclusion of the other materials mailed or e-mailed to you, since you will eventually vote on all the matters that come to the Assembly floor.

HOW IS NEW BUSINESS INTRODUCED?

Totally new business may not be initiated by Assembly committees. The only way you can introduce new business is through a Commissioners' Resolution, from two or more commissioners from different presbyteries. A deadline will be announced. Recently the Office of the General Assembly has required the commissioners to appear personally and sign the document.

WHO COMES TO G.A. — AND WHY?

The cast of characters for the General Assembly drama consists of (1) commissioners and advisory delegates; (2) staff and elected members of the General Assembly Council, the Ministry Divisions and related bodies, and Special Committees; (3) "camp followers"; and (4) affinity groups.

1. Commissioners alone have the power to vote at the Assembly. They may speak on the floor and in the committees, as moved by the Spirit and/or politics. The Assembly committees debate the overtures and reports assigned to them, then recommend action to the entire Assembly. The pace can be fast and furious, and it's easy to feel lost amid the maneuvering. Commissioners are not to be "instructed" by their presbyteries on how to vote. But they are often subjected to arguments as various sides vie for their votes.

Sitting with the commissioners are Youth Advisory Delegates (YADs) elected from the presbyteries, and Theological Seminary Advisory Delegates (TSADs) elected from the seminaries, as well as Ecumenical and Missionary Advisory Delegates from abroad. In committees, advisory delegates have the right to speak, and usually to vote. On the floor of the Assembly, they have the right to speak; their vote, which is taken first, is advisory to the Commissioners.

Corresponding members come from the elected or appointed membership of the General Assembly Council (GAC), the Ministry Divisions and related bodies, the Special Committees, other churches in communion with the PC(USA), and former moderators. They are seated on the floor and may speak to matters related to their areas of expertise, but they may not vote. Former moderators do not speak frequently, but when they do, they can be very important to the course of the debate.

2. Staff and elected members of the GAC, the Ministry Divisions and related bodies, and Special Committees are those who do most of the work for the Assembly. They prepare the reports, and they are able to point out problems, indicate pitfalls, and define alternatives. They have accumulated wisdom and savvy from previous Assemblies and are valuable sources of information and ideas. They work for the whole church (including you), so feel free to use them. This group basically consists of three types: (a) staff of the Assembly and its units, some of whom are assigned to "resource" the Assembly committees; (b) staff of synods, presbyteries, and funded projects, who often reflect the stances of the bodies they serve; and (c) elected, appointed, or co-opted members of the GAC, Ministry Divisions and related bodies, and Special Committees, who may be assigned to Assembly committees as resource persons and usually have particular areas of expertise.

Then there's another important group, although they aren't just visiting. They are the local folk, proud to have an Assembly in their region and now acting as gracious hosts. Those on the Committee on Local Arrangements should be thanked lavishly and often. Without their many hours of loving labor, the Assembly wouldn't happen.

4. "Affinity" or "special purpose" organizations are not new to the scene. The concept dates back to 1902. The Witherspoon Society joined the list in 1973 and has stayed the course, advocating for peace, justice, the integrity of creation, and inclusiveness in church and society. Special organizations help to inform and educate commissioners and advisory delegates. They often testify before Assembly committees. They try to influence the decision-making process. Consequently some people perceive them as a threat rather than a resource. They can be both, depending on your point of view — and the methods they use. It is important to remember that these organizations are made up of Presbyterians; they are insiders, not outsiders. They manifest the church's pluralism and diversity.

If you go to their booths with your commissioner badge, you will get a royal welcome and receive get lots of information and talking points on their issues. Special purpose organizations are interested in working with you to give "background" or help draft motions. We hope you will have many positive contacts with these organizations during this year's GA. Most, including the Witherspoon Society, have rented booths in the Exhibition Hall, where they welcome inquiries from you. We think you will find these exhibits some of the most informative and lively at the GA.

HOW IN THE WORLD DOES ALL THIS WORK?

The drama of the Assembly has several acts. The avalanche of the printed (or now electronic) word hits even before you leave home. The Manual of the General Assembly serves as the bible for those who want to know procedures. The Manual for this Assembly was approved last year; you will be asked to approve theManual for the 2008 Assembly. The Reports to the 217th General Assembly (2006) will be sent to you in multiple parts. When you arrive you will be given a Worship Book, which contains the services for the Assembly, and an updated program book for the Assembly, which contains seating charts, locations of meeting rooms, detailed dockets, the list of commissioners and advisory delegates, and other helpful information. The final deluge of paper or electronic information comes in the form of reports distributed to your seat (or laptop) in the Convention Hall, starting even before you sit down. It is a dearly beloved GA tradition to complain about the blizzard of paper (or of digitized data) you are expected to weather. Complaining about it — or reading it — may help to pass the time during the play's boring moments.

The curtain will rise on Thursday afternoon. After various housekeeping actions there will be reports, some of which may cause wailing and gnashing of teeth over budgets and membership numbers.

Act I takes place on Thursday evening with the excitement of a political convention. Candidates for Moderator are nominated with speeches; commissioners get a chance to question the nominees, then the voting takes place. When there are three candidates, there is usually a second or even a third ballot (all candidates remain on the ballot). The newly elected Moderator leads the Assembly in prayer and takes office immediately following the election, then appoints the Vice-Moderator.

Act II consists of several days of Assembly committee meetings. Each committee has a moderator and a vice-moderator, as well as an assistant from the office of the Stated Clerk to help the process flow smoothly.

Assembly committees have more options than simply to approve or disapprove, even though that might be your first instinct when you arrive as a green commissioner. They may amend any document before them, or approve with comment, or combine wording, or substitute completely new wording of their own. Please don't start off with a motion to disapprove; that will only create confusion and block fair discussion.

The committee can set its own operating rules and change the agenda drafted by its moderator; it can appoint drafting committees to develop more satisfactory wording; it can break up into sub-committees to examine documents more thoroughly; it can go into the "committee of the whole" mode and discuss issues without the straitjacket of Robert's Rules of Order, giving "air time" to all members of the committee; it can ask to hear from representatives of diverse viewpoints before undertaking its own discussion of complex issues.

Recently an observer kept count in one committee and found a three-to-one male-female ratio of participation. Males, many of them ministers, may think they have plenty of knowledge and experience; but they should make special efforts to listen for other voices, too. Make sure that the committee moderator has a fair procedure for recognizing commissioners in order and letting everyone speak.

Other persons have access only through (1) signing up for hearings before the deadline (sign-up sheets will be posted in the lobby of the Convention Center), or (2) being invited, by vote of the committee, to represent viewpoints that might not otherwise be heard. Either way, it is important to hear all sides of a complex issue. The procedures are intended to help the committee's deliberative process; they should not be allowed to become a filibustering session for one point of view.

The committee will want to arrive at agreement on most issues, and this is often possible. But you and other committee members have the right to prepare a minority report (or even more than one) on any issue. If you take this route, be sure that (1) you declare your intention before the committee adjourns, (2) all the points in your minority report have been raised in committee discussion, and (3) get the committee moderator to sign that this is so. Minority reports will be printed and distributed to the commissioners, and they will be discussed along with the majority report in the plenary session of the Assembly. A minority report is sometimes victorious on the Assembly floor; even more often it makes a difference to the discussion and the eventual outcome. So don't be afraid to prepare one and argue for it if you think the majority's perspective is mistaken or too narrow.

Our Presbyterian tradition values the free flow of information, so Assembly committees are open to observers except on very rare occasions. As a commissioner you may want to speak to an issue before a committee other than your own, and you can do that if you sign up before the deadline and get permission from your committee to be absent from its deliberations. And please note that any commissioner or advisory delegate may speak to any issue when the committee moderator makes his or her report on the floor of the Assembly.

Don't be alarmed if there is open conflict in your committee; it's a sign of deeply held convictions. Usually the most constructive debate is in the committee's deliberations. At times, however, a constructive role can be played in the "backstage" areas where drafts are written and revised or minority reports are prepared.

Some committees with light work loads will conclude their business early; others, like the Laborers in the Vineyard, bear the full heat of the day (including the klieg lights of the news media) and continue late into the night. Bills and Overtures never finishes; it can be called off the Assembly floor and into session at any time.

Let's hope your committee's schedule gives you time to explore the Exhibition Hall, where you will find a veritable cornucopia of Presbyterianism. Virtually every organization in the church is represented — not to mention an international shop with clothing, jewelry, arts and crafts, and miscellaneous goodies offered by SERRV. This is your best opportunity to experience the breadth, depth, and height of the Presbyterian Church. Many organizations have not only booths but special breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and other events; commissioners and visitors will find themselves informed, inspired, and renewed.

ACT III begins as the Assembly returns to plenary session on Monday morning. Just when you have begun to feel like an expert on your own committee's business, you will now have to catch up with recommendations from all the other committees and learn the arguments pro and con. Usually the issues will be presented clearly by the committee moderator and in minority reports. But you and others may well have new angles. Be prepared to speak, either by raising a question of information or by arguing for or against a motion. Depending on the progress of business, Wednesday night could be a long session.

The curtain comes down at noon on Thursday. This is one show that never runs late; all the work must be completed or referred by that time. This sometimes makes for less-than-careful consideration and less-than-optimal results. But such is the nature of our play.

You may want to compare your experience at this year's Assembly with the following observations based on past experience:

1. Most committee recommendations will be approved, perhaps with heated debate on some one aspect, or with amendments that are readily agreed to.

2. Many of the anticipated debates don't ever materialize, possibly because (a) the committee did its work well and ironed out the kinks; (b) an agreement was hammered out in the halls; or (c) time and patience ran out. On the other hand, unanticipated debates do occur, sometimes with explosive intensity, derailing the docket and stopping the whole show. Debate is usually accompanied by parliamentary maneuvering. The skill and charm of the Moderator and the "parliamentary calls" by the Stated Clerk are key factors in determining whether things can be kept on track with minimal tension.

3. Although the Spirit often leads commissioners to vote more boldly than they had anticipated, the Assembly can also lose its nerve. Overcome by exhaustion or fatigued by a divisive vote, it may decree, "No faith-risk this year," or, "No more funds," or, "We just don't want to hear any more about it." As a result the Assembly may miss a liberating moment.

WHAT ARE THE ESSENTIALS FOR ACTION ON THE G.A. STAGE?

Information is available in such massive quantities that shared labor, specialization, and trust are essential. The Assembly simply hasn't the time to act as a committee of the whole (on occasion it does try); the major work is done in the committees, with the Assembly acting as arbiter. Up-to-date, accurate information is one key to being an effective commissioner or advisory delegate (this may also be difficult to obtain, especially while the committees are in session). Feel free to ask for help from your own committee's resource people. They are there to serve you and facilitate the work of the Assembly. Listen, read carefully, ask questions, and take time to reflect and pray. The ability to concentrate and maintain patience for long hours with little sleep is essential for being an effective commissioner or advisory delegate. So, too, are camaraderie, a sense of humor, and help from friends and allies. We hope you will number the Witherspoon Society among your Assembly friends.

The General Assembly is a unique experience, one you will always remember. We hope it will serve to deepen your faith in God and your commitment to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). May God bless you as you begin your important work as a commissioner or advisory delegate to the 217th General Assembly.

The Witherspoon Society will be active at this Assembly as it has been at each Assembly for 33 years. Please visit our booth in the Exhibition Hall. We are there to discuss with you the Society and its concerns. We also want to learn of your concerns and interests, and explore with you the ways they might dovetail with the work of the Society. Members of Witherspoon will also be available to provide information and resources at hearings of Assembly committees.

We hope this Assembly will be an exciting one, not only for you personally, but also for our church. We hope that this Assembly will dare to be the church preaching "good news to the poor, release to the captives, sight to the blind, and liberty for the oppressed" — the church preaching "the acceptable year of God."

In Christ's love, justice, and peace,

Kenneth R. Smith, President

Kenneth R. Smith
28770 Somerset Place
Lathrop Village, MI 48076