Meeting in Assembly Buildings, Belfast, the General Assembly is the denomination’s governing and decision-making body and the highest court of the Church. It opened on Monday evening with the formal nomination, election and installation of the Moderator, Right Reverend Dr William Henry of Maze Presbyterian Church in County Antrim, one of the youngest ministers in living memory to be elected to the office.
Like all Moderator’s, having ‘moderated’, or chaired this year’s General Assembly, Dr Henry will serve for one year as the denomination’s principal public representative. His theme for the year, which he unveiled on Monday's Opening Night, is ‘Enjoying God’.
Dr Henry’s last day in the Moderator's Chair for the 2019 General Assembly, will begin with the Judicial Commission, which is one of very few sessions to be held in private. Much of today’s business concerns the administration and governance of various aspect of the Church, with reports contained in the fourth and final report of the General Council.
These sessions will take place in public, with resolutions concerning a number of resignations/appointments of conveners of councils, task groups, committees and panels, with the General Assembly being asked to express its thanks to those who have stepped down this year. The changes to the format of the General Assembly (suggested as a trial in 2017 for a two year period from 2018) will also be discussed.
Council for Global Mission Structures
Approval will be sought for changes to the current structures of the Council for Global Mission, which will enable it to fulfil its remit more effectively and efficiently. The Council is tasked with supporting the mission of PCI offered by congregations working together through the General Assembly in global mission. This involves developing overseas mission and sending personnel, partnerships with overseas churches, to promoting world development issues and leading PCI’s thinking in relation to issues of global concern.
Qualification for voting membership
The 2017 General Assembly received a Memorial regarding the link between financial giving and membership. It did not, however, grant the request for the removal of the requirement to subscribe financially from the qualification to be a voting member of a congregation, but set up a task group to look into the matter. Following the work of the Task Group, the General Assembly will asked not to break the link at this time.
Union Theological College
In light of the recent decision by Queen’s University to end its link with Union Theological College (UTC), the General Council, at its meeting in April 2019, agreed to recommend to the General Assembly that a Finance and Staffing Commission (2019) be appointed.
The Staffing Commission would enable necessary decisions to be taken during the forthcoming transitional period in the life of the college and also enable firm and definite proposals, regarding its future, to be brought to the General Assembly for decision. The General Assembly will be asked to establish the Commission with specific powers to fulfil its remit and appoint its membership.
2020 General Assembly
The final decision before the Assembly will be to agree to meet again in June next year. There will be an act of worship before the Moderator formally closes the General Assembly for 2019. In keeping with tradition, and not in a dissimilar way to what happens at the end of a Sunday service in many Presbyterian churches across Ireland, Dr Henry will move to the door of the Assembly Hall – joined by the Clerk and Deputy Clerk – where he will shake hands with members of Assembly, as they leave for home.
Other business will also be before the General Assembly. For further details, click here.
The public business sessions will be open to the public and streamed live via this website.
You can also follow a live Twitter feed @pciassembly using the hashtag #PCIGA19 for all the General Assembly's public sessions. You can find details of each days business here. All news stories, Reports and daily draft minutes, can be found in the General Assembly Overview here.
Today's business commences at 10am. Proceedings will close today 1.30pm.