Presbyweb - News - - October 8, 2002

Attempt underway to call special GA meeting
Constitutional provision never used before

In the same year that the General Assembly decided to have biennial instead of yearly General Assemblies, Alex Metherell, an Elder Commissioner to the 214th General Assembly, is attempting to gather the required signatures for calling a Special Meeting of the General Assembly, to discuss what he calls "a full-blown constitutional crisis" facing the Presbyterian Church (USA).

"Storm clouds that were developing in the months before we gathered in Columbus have now developed to such a degree that the constitutional integrity of our denomination is being threatened," Metherell writes. "If the defiance that we are witnessing continues to go unchecked, we will no longer be a constitutional church."

Alex Metherell, a medical doctor from Laguna Beach, California, was chosen as Elder Commissioner to the 214th General Assembly by Los Ranchos Presbytery. About 10 days ago he sent a confidential email to a small group of elder commissioners to share his concerns, to "feel the pulse", and invite them to sign on. This morning he told Presbyweb that thus far he has received signatures from 12 ministers and 11 elders, representing 19 presbyteries and 8 synods. He also said that the word is going around and that he has heard from others discussing the idea.

If he succeeds in collecting the remainder of the 50 required signatures, the special meeting will have to be called.

"The Moderator shall call a special meeting at the request or with the concurrence of twenty-five elders and twenty-five ministers, representing at least fifteen presbyteries, under the jurisdiction of at least five synods, all of whom must have been commissioners to the last preceding stated meeting of the General Assembly..."
(G-13.0104)

"Commissioners to the special meeting shall be the commissioners elected to the last preceding stated meeting of the General Assembly or their alternates. A presbytery may, however, elect a commissioner or alternate instead of one who has died or changed presbytery membership. Notice of a special meeting shall be sent not less than sixty days in advance to each commissioner elected to the last preceding stated meeting of the General Assembly and to the stated clerk of each presbytery. The notice shall set out the purpose of the meeting and no other business than that listed in the notice shall be transacted.” (G-13.0104)

“A quorum of the General Assembly shall be one hundred commissioners, fifty of whom shall be elders and fifty of whom shall be ministers, representing presbyteries of at least one fourth of its synods.” (G-13.0105)

Related link:
Metherell's email message (in pdf format) discussing reasons for this initiative, including cases of defiance of the Constitution, as well as the Constitutional issues involved. Posted with permission.