Public business began at 10.30am with reports and resolutions by the Council for Global Mission and Council for Mission in Ireland. This took place after a brief private session that dealt with reports and resolutions of the Church’s Judicial Commission.
Council for Global Mission
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland’s first engagement in mission overseas was in Gujarat in North West India, beginning in 1841. Today the Church has partnership links with indigenous churches, Christian institutions or international mission agencies in more than 25 countries around the world.
The Church currently supports 36 adults engaged in mission in varying ways serving in 12 countries in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe. In addition, approximately 140 Church members from 70 congregations are serving with around 30 independent mission agencies in over 55 countries worldwide.
The Council for Global Mission supports the mission and service of the Church that is offered by congregations. Its remit includes sending personnel and developing mission overseas, which includes developing partnerships with churches, Christian institutions, international mission agencies and other agencies.
This morning the General Assembly welcomed the Church’s missionaries who are at home at the moment. This included Maud Kells, a missionary from Cookstown serving in the Democratic Republic of Congo, who was badly injured after being shot by bandits earlier this year.
In proposing the Council’s Report, Council Convener Rev. Liz Hughes acknowledged “the amazing generosity of congregations” to a number of appeals and spoke of the recent earthquake in Nepal.
“It has been a poignant privilege to be able to stand with our Nepali brothers and sisters and with our personnel serving with United Mission Nepal and to pray for them through this tragic and traumatic experience. Even as the event fades from the headlines as a church we continue to pray.”
A number of visiting delegates from Portugal and Malawi addressed the Assembly. Amon Chanika, from Scripture Union Malawi, expressed his gratitude to the Church for “the prayers that you offer for our work in Malawi. I also thank you for issuing personnel to work with us.”
Rev. Manuel Luzia, from the Christian Presbyterian Church of Portugal also spoke about the support the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) had given his Church in planting a congregation in Porto.
The Christian Presbyterian Church of Portugal currently has five small congregations and two new church plants – one in the city of Porto and the other in Benfica. In asking local churches to pray for Portugal and its small Presbyterian Church, he thanked PCI for its support and for the work of James and Heather Cochrane and their family, two PCI missionaries in Portugal, who helped to plant the Church in Porto.
Through James Cochrane, who interpreted for him, Rev. Luzia said, “Portugal really needs the gospel of Christ and needs churches committed to the gospel and the reformed faith. I ask that God might allow us to continue our mutual collaboration for the advancement of the Kingdom of God. I know many of you have been praying for my country and for our small Presbyterian church, our needs are tremendous,” he said.
Rev. Levi Nyondo of the Livingstonia Synod of the Church of Central African Presbyterian talked about the rains and flooding that have devastated parts of Malawi. He asked that the Church in Ireland, “continues to pray for us, in any way, because if we don’t do that millions will continue to suffer.”
In seconding the report, Rev. Uel Marrs, Secretary of the Council for Global Mission, spoke about the two foundational principles that have been at the heart of the Church’s global mission involvement for many years, “being church-based, serving through church to church partnerships, and by being people-focused, continuing to send mission personnel to serve with our partners around the world.
“Last year’s Assembly resolved that we place renewed focus on the re-evangelisation of Post-Christendom Europe of which we are a part, and we give thanks for new church-planting initiatives in this context, while not seeking to devalue long-standing, much valued relationships in other parts of the world, such as our support for the work of United Mission to Nepal, not least in the aftermath of the earthquake; our concern over food shortages in Malawi following flooding: our journeying with the Presbyterian Church of South Sudan in the provision of relief and in prayer for the re-establishing of peace,” he said.
The Assembly also heard from Stephen Coulter, one of the Church’s missionaries working with United Mission Nepal (UMN), who spoke about the earthquake in the Himalayan country and how the Church has supported UMN in its response.
Council for Mission in Ireland
The work of the Council for Mission in Ireland is framed by six key responsibilities: to develop the Church’s strategic priorities in all-age mission in Ireland, to consider new Church development and Church planting, overseeing all aspects of the Home and Irish Mission, including the Irish Mission Fund, the deployment and ongoing support of Deaconesses and support for chaplaincy service in the Forces, Hospitals, Hospices, and Prisons. The Council also supports mission and ministry in Universities and Colleges through the Church’s chaplaincy services. These six areas of work were covered in the report received by the General Assembly.
In proposing the Report, Rev. Stephen Simpson, the Convener of the Council for Mission in Ireland said, “For 20 centuries this Great Commission of the Lord has been the inspiration which has fuelled the service, sacrifice and mission of Jesus’ disciples… When we have been discouraged His Commission has strengthened our resolve once more. And so in 2015, Christ’s Great Commission continues to inspire our commitment to God and His Mission in His world, and specifically, here in Ireland.”
During his speech he reminded Members of the challenges facing the church and the challenge of reaching the 6.6 million people in Ireland with the Good News of Christ. And in Northern Ireland he said, “We cannot simply rest upon the knowledge that we are still the largest Protestant denomination…”
“As a Council we affirm our commitment to assist our Church, with God’s help, to fulfil our foundational task of mission in Ireland…As the Council begins to deliver on the work the General Assembly has given us, we will continue to seek God’s direction, so that together we can continue to answer Christ’s Great Commission in Ireland today.”
Secretary to the Council, Rev. David Bruce, acknowledged the important work that the Church’s Chaplains do in hospitals, prisons and the armed forces and the challenges they faced in today’s world. “Now the very existence of these roles is under scrutiny, conditions are being attached to what they can and cannot do. Financial support towards this work from the public purse is gradually being eroded – nowhere more obviously than in our prisons.
“By statute the Department of Justice is required to fund a Chaplaincy service in the prisons of Northern Ireland, although this year public funding to the Presbyterian Church for this provision has been cut by 29%,” he explained. He also said that a Task Group had been addressing this challenge.
Forces Chaplains for the Army, Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, Sea Cadets, Army Cadet Corps and Air Training Corps were presented to the Moderator, who led the Assembly in prayer for them.
The Council’s report also included the report of the Belfast Task Group. The work of this Task Group provides the Church with an understanding of the context for mission in the city of Belfast. The Task Group provides crucial background at a time when the Church, society and the city itself are experiencing constant and rapid change. The Task Group will bring forward its final report to the 2016 General Assembly.
Rev. Robert Bell of Ballyclare Presbyterian Church, Convener of the Task Group, explained the work the Group had undertaken. Firstly, the Group had engaged with the three Belfast Presbyteries. He said that the Task Group had listened carefully and was grateful for their input.
He also said that a research project had begun to establish what the actual situation was on the ground. The University of Ulster is conducting the research so the Group could understand what the situation is; “not what we might think it might be,” he said. The final report of the Belfast Task Group will be presented to the 2016 General Assembly.
General Council
The afternoon session began with business resulting from reports of the Support Services, Nominations and United Appeal Committees.
Moderator’s Advisory Committee
Following the recent marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland, at the request of a number of southern Ministers, the Moderator’s Advisory Committee met at the end of May to discuss the concerns that they had around issues that had presented themselves following the result of the referendum.
The Moderator’s Advisory Committee, which advises the Moderator and the Clerk on matters of sensitivity for the Church, invited Ministers from the Republic of Ireland to take part in the meeting.
The Committee heard from representatives of the southern Presbyteries regarding their deep sense of unease and concern. As a result, the Committee identified two immediate and presenting issues; namely the need to make unambiguously clear the position of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland with regard to what Ministers cannot do in this area and the need to set up a focused task group to look at the issue of the Church’s ongoing involvement in the solemnisation or registration of marriage.
In submitting the resolutions and proposing their adoption, the Convener of the Moderator’s Advisory Committee, Rev. Trevor Gribben (who is also Clerk of the General Assembly) said that it was very rare for the General Assembly to be asked to ‘direct’.
“This General Assembly needs to make 100% clear that whatever the civil law might be when eventually enacted in the Republic of Ireland, or even if there are changes to the civil law here in Northern Ireland, Presbyterian Ministers cannot take part in marriages, services of blessing, or assist in leading such services for same sex couples.
“That means the Church has taken a principled stand that for religious and confessional reasons, and based on our biblical understanding of what the Scriptures teach us in this area, we cannot in conscience have anything to do with these matters.”
During the debate, Ministers from congregations in Dublin, Dun Laoghaire, Westmeath and Kilkenny spoke alongside Ministers from Northern Ireland, who also contributed.
During the debate, Trevor Gribben stated that, “Our Church has to be a place that welcomes people who struggle with same sex attraction, who are living in all kinds of relationships that the Bible says are sinful, heterosexual and homosexual…we have to be the Church Christ wants us to be.”
The Assembly passed two resolutions from the Moderator’s Advisory Committee that stated ‘recognising that the Presbyterian Church in Ireland affirms the biblical position of marriage as being exclusively between one man and one woman, the General Assembly direct:
- that Ministers and Licentiates of the Presbyterian Church of Ireland shall not conduct, nor assist in leading, services of marriage for same sex couples and that Presbyterian Church in Ireland premises shall not be used by others for such services;
- that Ministers and Licentiates of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland shall not conduct, nor assist in leading, services of blessing, or any similar services, for same sex couples involved in either a civil partnership or civil marriage and that Presbyterian Church in Ireland premises shall not be used by any others for such services.’
A second resolution, which was also passed, directed that a Task Group be appointed to consider all of the issues surrounding the Presbyterian Church in Ireland’s ongoing involvement in the solemnising of marriage in the Republic of Ireland, along with how this may relate to Northern Ireland. The Task Group will bring a full report, through the General Council of the Church, to the 2016 General Assembly.
A third resolution was passed that recognised the need for the Church to teach clearly the biblical understanding of marriage and family. It directed the Council for Congregational Life and Witness to give priority to resourcing congregations for this task.
General Council
The final items of business before the General Assembly concerned resolutions of the Assembly’s Business Committee, in particular, arrangements for next year’s and subsequent General Assemblies.
Among other resolutions passed, Members agreed to alter the times of meeting for the 2016 General Assembly in that it will still begin with the traditional Opening Night and installation of the new Moderator on a Monday evening, with business commencing on the Tuesday, but concluding on Friday lunchtime or later afternoon – an additional one and a half business days.
Members were also asked to approve resolutions to appoint corresponding Members to the Church of Scotland, Presbyterian Church of Wales, General Synod of the Church of Ireland and Methodist Conference in 2016.
Following some debate, given the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland’s recent decision to allow for the ordination of ministers in civil partnerships, Members voted not to appoint representatives to attend the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 2016.
At 6.05pm the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Ian McNie, declared the Assembly to be dissolved to convene again in Belfast on Monday 6th June 2016. The Assembly closed following the hymn ‘Church of God, elect and glorious.’
Reports and Supplementary Reports mentioned can be found here.
Minutes of the General Assembly can be found here.