Report from the General Assembly of the PCUSA

Now that the 2022 General Assembly has ended – the first-ever hybrid assembly – the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will try to live into the commitments made and the work ahead. Ruth Santana-Grace and Shavon Starling-Louis, the new co-moderators, stood for election using the theme “Unbounded We Thrive,” and the assembly spoke its mind on issues affecting the church and the world.

Israel/Palestine. The assembly voted 266-116 to approve one of the most controversial items before it — INT-02, declaring that the PC(USA) recognize
the laws, policies and practices of the Israeli government regarding the Palestinian people “fulfill the international legal definition of apartheid.” Some have criticized the PC(USA) stance towards Israel as antisemitic, saying it hurts interfaith relations. Others say the assembly spoke courageously in supporting human rights for the Palestinian people.

Climate change. Voting 340-41, the assembly directed PC(USA) entities to divest from five oil and gas companies it concluded are not moving quickly enough to try to slow global warming — Chevron, ExxonMobil, Marathon Petroleum, Phillips 66, and Valero Energy. The vote reflected continued support for the Committee

on Mission Responsibility Through Investment (MRTI)’s strategy of corporate engagement and selective divestment. Action on another item, ENV-09, also affirmed “that working in the fossil fuel industry is a necessity for many” and assured Presbyterians that “divestment is not a condemnation or judgment of their choice of employment.”

Litany of repentance. One of the assembly’s most powerful emotional moments came when White Presbyterians recited a litany of repentance from RGJ-08, offering an apology to African Americans for the sin of slavery and its legacy. One assembly committee focused exclusively on issues of race and gender justice — including violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, disparities experienced

by Black women and girls, and racial disparities in health care. Other concerns: confronting White supremacy in the PC(USA) and working for reparative justice.

Gun violence. With recent mass shootings still echoing, the assembly approved VIOL-07, declaring 2022-2032 a “Decade to End Gun Violence” — asking the Presbyterian Mission Agency (PMA) to develop tools for faith-based advocacy against gun violence and for studying “the intersection of white supremacy culture, Christian nationalism, and gender with gun violence.” It also approved VIOL-11,

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directing MRTI to begin a process of corporate engagement with Walmart, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Kroger, three publicly-traded companies included in the investment portfolios of either the Board of Pensions or Presbyterian Foundation, and which sell guns not classified as semi-automatic and assault-based weapons. (Those weapons previously mentioned are already on the divestment list.)

Family leave. The assembly approved a proposed amendment to the PC(USA) constitution to say a minister’s terms of call shall include at least 12 weeks of paid family medical leave (covering the birth, fostering or adoption of a child; care for ill or disabled family members; and healing following a loss or tragic event). To take effect, the proposed change needs approval from a majority of the presbyteries.

Immigration. The assembly voted 340-25 to declare the PC(USA) a “sanctuary and accompaniment church” — saying the denomination stands with immigrants and asylum-seekers and is committed to working for justice in U.S. immigration policy. That work often involves Presbyterians accompanying immigrants by offering housing and legal assistance, going with them to immigration hearings and other appointments and trying to get people released from detention.

Restructuring. Supporting recommendations from a special committee, the assembly voted to create a commission with the power to act and the responsibility for unifying the PMA and the Office of the General Assembly — basically, to restructure the top level of the PC(USA). Citing financial stress on congregations and presbyteries, the assembly also created a team to develop experimental models as alternatives to the current per capita funding system.

Reproductive justice. In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, the assembly approved a resolution on reproductive justice — saying the PC(USA) rejects “attempts at all levels of government to reduce, limit, or eliminate access to contraceptive and abortion care.”

LGBTQIA+ equity. The assembly created a new LGBTQIA+ Equity Advocacy Committee as a permanent committee of the General Assembly — equivalent in access and accountability to the Advocacy Committee for Women and Gender Justice and the Racial Equity Advocacy Committee.

Per capita. The assembly set the new General Assembly per capita assessment at $9.85 per member for 2023 and $9.80 per member for 2024. That compares to the current per capita rate of $8.98 per member.

2024 General Assembly. Presented with four options, the assembly opted for a hybrid approach again for the 2024 assembly — choosing Plan Omega with online committee meetings and in-person plenary sessions in Salt Lake City, Utah.