Article from Presbyterian News Service
August 22, 2008

Revised Form of Government Task Force begins work

Timeline and assignments set over the next two years

by Sharon Youngs
Office of the General Assembly communications coordinator

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA—The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s newly-expanded Form of Government Task Force (FOGTF) concluded a packed, 24-hour meeting today (Aug. 22), the first gathering of the newly reconfigured task force since this year’s General Assembly.

The focus of the meeting was on building community and laying out a plan that will enable the group to meet its mandate in time for the General Assembly in 2010. 

This task force is continuing the work begun by a group by the same name that was appointed at the 217th GA (2006). That task force presented its proposed revisions to the Form of Government to the 218th General Assembly (2008), which met in June.

This year’s assembly referred to the Office of the General Assembly the report of the former FOGTF “for a period of consultation and study with churches and presbyteries through a system or systems designed and implemented by the Form of Government Task Force and members of the 218th General Assembly Committee on Form of Government Revisions.”

The Reverend Bruce Reyes-Chow, moderator of the 218th General Assembly (2008) who appointed this new task force, facilitated the group’s first gathering.

The majority of the newly reconfigured task force members are from the previous task force. This year’s assembly directed that three additional members be added to the group. Those members were to be chosen from this year’s Assembly Committee on Form of Government Revisions by Reyes-Chow, in consultation with the moderator and vice moderator of that assembly committee.

“What are the issues before you? What are the obstacles? What will be different this time?” were some of the questions Reyes-Chow asked the group to consider.

One of the differences for this task force is an abundance of feedback generated by this year’s assembly. In fact, the assembly’s action included the call for the new task force to “revise the Form of Government Task Force Report, taking into account the concerns and suggestions gleaned from the consultation and study process. The guidance of the Advisory Committee on the Constitution, the overtures, and the testimony received by the 218th General Assembly (2008) Assembly Committee on Form of Government Revisions and the committee’s comments are referred to the task force for serious and studied consideration.”

In commenting on this revision process, Reyes-Chow said, “I am excited that the church has another couple of years to dive into and think about this vital part of the church’s life. It’s an opportunity for people who haven’t engaged in the church before to do so — to get new and different folks involved in something that really matters in the life of the church.”

He continued, “I want folks to take seriously the significance of this work. It isn’t something that naturally draws interest and passion, but it should.

“I am committed to helping foster good dialogue about this across the church over the next two years, so that the General Assembly in 2010 will make informed decisions. And I hope it goes beyond the folks at the assembly in 2010,” he said.

“I hope many more people will bring some understanding of this work and engage in it.”

The FOGTF chose co-moderators for the task force: the Reverend Dan Williams (Shenandoah Presbytery) and Elder Cynthia Bolbach (National Capital Presbytery).

Williams served as the vice moderator of this year’s Assembly Committee on Form of Government Revisions. Bolbach, who served as co-moderator of the previous configuration of the task force, was asked by her peers to continue in that position.

Williams said, “To be asked to serve as a co-moderator is both humbling and exciting. I have been impressed with the seamless way in which the continuing members of the task force have fully welcomed those of us who are new members into this process.”

Bolbach said, “I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the process that takes the feedback we received at the assembly and incorporates it into the revision. It is both fulfilling and challenging work.”

The task force set five face-to-face meetings over the course of the next two years, beginning in April of next year. In between these meetings, the group plans to use electronic technology to connect online and work on revisions together in real time.

The task force plans to release its first draft of revisions to the Form of Government at the Fall Polity Conference in Snowbird, UT, which begins September 24, 2008.

Their plan then calls for a period of time for the church-at-large to read the first draft and offer feedback on it between next month’s release and March 31, 2009. Based on that feedback, the task force will make further revisions and submit its final draft to the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly by Oct. 15, 2009.

A deadline of no later than Jan. 15, 2010, has been set for the revised report to be distributed to the church-at-large. The report will be submitted for consideration by the 219th General Assembly (2010).

A major focus of this task force is communication and marketing. One of the sub-groups formed by the task force already began addressing the issue at this meeting.

“We are very eager to get our work into the hands of every session of every congregation in the PC(USA),” said the Rev. James Kim (Grace Presbytery), one of the members of the task force who is continuing from the previous configuration.

“We want them to hear from us, and we very much want to hear from them,” he said.

In addition to Williams, the other two new members of the task force, both of whom served on the 218th General Assembly’s Committee on Form of Government Task Force Revisions, are Elder Carol Hunley (Pittsburgh Presbytery) and the Rev. Grace Bowen (New York City Presbytery).

In addition to Bolbach and Kim, continuing members of the task force are Elder Diana Barber (Synod of Lakes and Prairies) and the Revs. Gemechisa Guja (Donegal Presbytery), Paul Hooker (St. Augustine Presbytery), Neal Lloyd (Twin Cities Area Presbytery), Paige McRight (Central Florida Presbytery), and Stephen Smith (Pacific Presbytery).