Review of Overtures, Overture 1

The first PCA General Assembly 1973

Perhaps more as an exercise in thinking through my own votes than presuming to influence anyone else, here are my (rough) thoughts on this year’s overtures:

Overture 1) Appointing a Judicial Commission Whose Decision Would be Final – This overture from Pacific Northwest Presbytery would give presbyteries a third option with judicial cases. The first two options are a) try the case on the floor of presbytery, or b) appoint a judicial commission to bring a recommendation which must be approved with an up or down vote. The new option would be to appoint a judicial commission whose decision is final.

In our presbytery I am continually frustrated by committees and commissions bringing recommendations to the floor with such a sparse accounting of the “facts of the case” that it is difficult to know what we are voting on. This overture would be one way to fix that problem. The presbytery could give the matter to a judicial commission which would simply act without the rest of the presbytery’s involvement. I’m not particularly fond of that option of resolving the issue because I believe the presbytery’s oversight is extremely important. I myself would NOT wish for a judicial commission to act in a matter concerning me without a full accounting of the facts of the case to the presbytery. I will vote no on this overture.