Birthdays and Anniversaries - First Presbyterian Church

4 F I R S T W O R D
S E S S I O N S T A T E M E N T
O N O R D I N A T I O N S T A N D A R D S
C H R I S T I A N E D U C A T I O N
Approved August 23, 2011
“Standards for ordained service reflect the church’s desire to submit joyfully
to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life.”
Constitutional
change for
ordination
The constitution of the
Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.) has changed
in regard to standards
for ordination.
The section removed
stated: “Those who are
called to office in the
church are to lead a life
in obedience to Scripture
and in conformity
to the historic confessional
standards of the
church. Among these
standards is the requirement
to live either
in fidelity within the
covenant of marriage
between a man and a
woman, or chastity in
singleness. Persons
refusing to repent of
any self-acknowledged
practice which the
confessions call sin
shall not be ordained
and/or installed as
deacons, elders, or
ministers of the Word
and Sacrament.”
(continued in right-hand
column next page)
Dear Congregation:
The First Presbyterian Church of Georgetown
has always taken seriously the selection
of ordained leaders in our church. We
have always carefully considered a person’s
experiences, gifts, beliefs, and ethics
in his or her selection, understanding that
we all are dependent upon God’s grace for
salvation and service. We have always provided
thoughtful training of officer candidates
focused upon the vows of ordination.
Our Session makes the commitment to continue
these practices coupled with a more
thorough examination process by the Session
before ordination and installation of
new leaders.
On July 10, 2011, an amendment to the
constitution of the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.) to change the ordination standards
language from “fidelity and chastity” to
submitting “joyfully to the Lordship of
Jesus Christ in all aspects of life” was approved.
(See sidebar.)
This change came about when the
majority of the church’s 173 presbyteries
approved it. The commissioners to Presbytery
and General Assembly are one-half
elders and one-half pastors. Our congregation
is represented at Presbytery by our
pastor and the election of four ruling elders.
Our church government is Presbyterian,
literally a government by elders, both
ruling and teaching elders. Congregations
and presbyteries elect representatives to
“seek together to find and represent the
will of Christ.”
It is important to emphasize that the
ministries, missions, and staff of Presbytery
and General Assembly are not responsible
for this change. This comes as a result
of the nation’s elders and pastors voting
in the governing bodies of the church. To
further clarify, the changes discussed here
are specific to the selection and examination
of potential candidates for service as
elected officers in the local church and
should not be confused as requirements
for general membership.
This change has caused significant
controversy in our Presbytery, in our denomination,
and to some degree in our
congregation. This is not a new discussion.
Our denomination, like several
other denominations, has debated who
acceptable candidates for ordination are
for over 30 years. In 1997, our denomination
approved the “requirement to live
either in fidelity within the covenant of
marriage between a man and a woman,
or chastity in singleness.” Since that time,
there have been four different attempts
to change or delete this language.
Many in the denomination believe
that this year’s amendment now allows
the ordination of sexually active gays
and lesbians. We do not think that is necessarily
the case. A congregation may
continue to consider sexual activity outside
marriage between a man and a
woman as impermissible for its officers.
This change in the constitution does not
mandate or require the ordination of
practicing gay and lesbian deacons, elders,
and ministers. There will now be
no stated sexual behavior standard in the
constitution for persons in church leadership;
this was the situation in our
church before 1997. The ethical emphasis
now is broader than before. There is
a renewed emphasis on “living responsibly
in the personal, family, vocational.
. .and social relationships of life”
(G.1.0304).
Those of us who hold a traditional
perspective on these matters believe we
can continue to hold to our beliefs, that
we are not required to compromise our
convictions, and we can still be guided
by our interpretation of the Scriptures
and the confessions in our selection and
examination of ordained leaders.