Welcome to Presbyblog
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thanks for coming by.
- Current: This will contain the most recent reflections on a variety of topics. The most prevalent over the next few months will be issues related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the 218th General Assembly (2008) in San Jose, California. I was elected as a minister commissioner from San Diego Presbytery and will be blogging about my preparation, experience, and perception of the issues.
May 16, 2008: Committee 4, Church Polity
The Church Polity Committee deals with proposed amendments to every chapter of the Form of Government (the G- sections) except G-2 (the church and its confessions), G-6 (officers) and G-15 (relationships). Everything else falls here.
May 15, 2008: Committee Survey: Committee 3, General Assembly Procedures
I thought it might be time to begin looking at the various commissioner committees and breaking down the business that way. My goal here is to highlight the things that will have the most immediate impact, the items most likely to be discussed at watercoolers around the country. It will not be a comprehensive look.
Today, I begin with Committee 3, General Assembly Procedures.
May 14, 2008: Counting the Days, Counting the Ways
DAY ONE ON nFoG WATCH: Thus far, I have had two e-mail with suggestions of names of persons who might be in favor of the nFoG; however, none with a link or anyone advocating the nFoG in terms of the issues I have raised. By the way, this is not simply an academic exercise: I am a commissioner who will be voting on the nFoG at the 218th General Assembly. If I have missed the boat on this thing and someone can explain how it would work well, I would prefer to know that now.
May 13, 2008: Not Just Me
I have been looking around on-line and have not found anyone writing in support of the nFoG (that is, anyone who was not a part of the Task Force itself). Can you? If so, send me a link. I will post, I promise. Is there a presbytery, a stated clerk, an executive presbyter or other blogger who is advocating for the nFoG? To me, the silence is deafening.
May 12, 2008: Buying a House (another way of looking at the nFoG)
I spent some time thinking over the weekend about how difficult it is for commissioners and advisory delegates to appreciate the importance of their decisions. Take the proposed new Form of Government (nFoG) as an example.
The tendency will be for commissioners to skim the document, see a lot of good words, say, "They worked hard on this, we should trust them, so let's give them a passing grade and let the presbyteries sort this out."
Grading a paper is the wrong visual picture. Evaluating the nFoG is much more like buying a house.
May 10, 2008: Whose Ox Is Gored?
This got me to thinking. The ACC is recommending a review process for something strictly limited to presbytery discretion; and seeking to avoid a review process for something that is specifically not limited to presbytery discretion. It seems backwards.
May 9, 2008: Little Things Make A Big Difference
You may be thinking to yourself, "why would anyone care about something that only merited mention in a footnote?" Ah, that would be the reason for the title of today's post: little things make a big difference.
May 7, 2008: A Few Words of Advice
General Assembly is a physical marathon. It is long days and short nights. If you are at all introverted, it can become overwhelming with information and people overload. If you are technically challenged, it will be a test of your patience. If you are politically sensitive, it will be shocking. That said, it also is a lot of fun. There are some tips and tricks -- mundane things -- that help make the week a little better.
May 6, 2008: ACC recommends Authoritative Interpretation regarding transitional presbyteries
Just posted on PC-Biz is a recommendation from the Advisory Committee on the Constitution (ACC) to approve a new Authoritative Interpretation. The Presbytery of Charlotte presented the following questions to the ACC:
1. Can a presbytery dismiss a congregation to a transitional presbytery in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church?
2. Can a presbytery dismiss a minister of the Word and Sacrament to a transitional presbytery of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church?Nothing too heavy there, eh?
Read more...
- Sermons: The texts of sermons delivered as far back as I began scripting them. Originally, I preached from a short outline or sketch notes; I changed when a number of people asked for copies so that they could send the sermon to friends or refer back to it themselves.
- Articles: These are pieces written for publications as varied as church newsletters to national magazines.
- Archives: Over the years I have amassed volumes of material that need to be stored somewhere -- this seemed as good a place as any.
- Biography: Provides a brief background and -- if the mood strikes -- a few pictures.
I hope you find this material helpful and edifying. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me at: presbybob@cox.net