Boston Presbytery

Overture for the 217th GA (2006)

On issuing an authoritative interpretation clarifying standards for ordination, and deleting G-6.0106b:

The Presbytery of Boston respectfully overtures the 217th General Assembly (2006) of the Presbyterian Church (USA) to do the following:

1. Provide the following authoritative interpretation: 
   Interpretative statements concerning ordained service of homosexual church members by the 190th General Assembly (1978) of the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America and the 119th General Assembly (1979) of the Presbyterian Church in the United States, and all subsequent affirmations thereof, have no further force or effect.

1. Direct the Stated Clerk to send the following proposed amendment to the presbyteries for their affirmative or negative votes:

                        Shall G-6.0106b be stricken and shall G-6.0106a be renumbered as G-6.0106?

Rationale:

The Gospel of Matthew tells us that the last words of Jesus to his disciples were a commissioning: to “make disciples”, to “baptize them”, and to “teach them to obey” everything that Jesus commanded. A list of his commandments for us today would include, at a minimum, “love one another”, “feed my lambs … tend my sheep”, and “do to others as you would have them do to you.”

For some years now, the church has been sorely ineffective in reaching disciples and in teaching them to care for those most in need. Sadly, even those already in the church have been negligent in meeting the tasks of feeding, clothing, housing, visiting and welcoming. In significant part, our preoccupation with the matters which are addressed by G-6.0106b and by the various interpretative statements on ordination of homosexuals has caused us to fall far short of Jesus’s great commandment.

The time has come for all in the church to repent of our preoccupations. The repeal of G-6.0106b and the negating of the interpretative statements will allow us to do just that. If we can honestly and respectfully relate to one another, we will realize that the removal of these provisions will lead neither to the wholesale ordination of unqualified or unworthy candidates to the offices of the church, nor to the creation of a “right” to ordination for any class of candidates. Rather, such an action will return ordination decisions to the hands of our governing bodies, where we can expect such decisions to be handled with integrity, discernment and prayer. When that happens, we can assume with confidence that, in the wisdom of the Reformed tradition and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the church’s ordained leadership will continue to be composed of those whom God would entrust with leadership.