Thursday, June 23, 2016

From Committees to Plenary

Wednesday afternoon we moved to the plenary meetings of the General Assembly, where it is now the job of the commissioners to vote on all the overtures coming from the committees.  We've heard so much over the past few years about how our churches are shrinking, and how we are having trouble attracting young members, so I was struck by one of the ways votes are taken by the whole body of the GA.  GA has commissioners from all the presbyteries, but it also has "Young Adult Advisory Delegates" (YAADs) from the presbyteries.  The YAADs were very involved in the committees where they had voice and vote, and they have voice on the floor of the plenary sessions.  But in the plenary sessions, their role is "advisory."  So every time the body comes to vote on a motion, first the YAADs vote, their results are announced, and the commissioners are told "you have been advised."  That means that when our elected commissioners are voting on all the motions, they hear first what our young members, high school and college students, have to say, then they vote.  I am so glad to see all these young people here, and I'm so happy that we take their views on where Christ is leading us seriously.  The commissioners still vote their conscience, based on what they believe God is calling them to do, but they get to know what our younger members think.  At the first plenary I went to yesterday, I heard several YAADs come to the microphones to speak their views for and against the motion on the floor.  If we truly want to attract young people into our congregations, then this kind of respect for them and their views is important.  It gives me hope for the future of the church.

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