Christian Formation committee leadership and support (from left to right) resource coordinator Carlton Johnson, committee moderator Sonia J. Suárez-Cualia, parliamentarian Therese Howell, committee vice-moderator Lucas Keppel, transcriptionist Omar Chan, and committee assistant Steve Shussett. Photo by Randy Hobson
On Thursday morning, the Christian Formation Committee reconvened to consider two resolutions that had been referred to them on Wednesday by the Committee on Bills and Overtures. The commissioners’ resolutions called for the church “to turn to Scripture and prayer” (CF-17) and seminaries to make their divestment practices more transparent (CF-18).
The first item of business, CF-17, originally CR-06 and titled “Turn to Scripture and Prayer for Discernment,” was written and sponsored by two commissioners, the Rev. John Pflug Jr., a teaching elder commissioner with the Presbytery of Coastal Carolina, and Joyce Perez, a ruling elder commissioner with the Presbytery of the Peaks. Pflug introduced the resolution and explained the spirit in which it was submitted since no rationale was given with the submission.
“Joyce and I drafted this resolution because part of our ordination vows was that we promised to promote the peace, the unity and the purity of the church, and we recognize that there are a number of issues on the horizon that could potentially threaten the peace, unity and purity of the church,” said Pflug. He explained that General Assembly decisions will be sent back to and received by presbyteries during what is already a “highly charged political season coming in November.” Pflug acknowledged that the ideas within the resolution are not new, as they quoted what they believed to be already in the constitution. “Emphasis is every bit as important as novelty,” said Pflug.
Pflug observed that, in his opinion, most of the business before the General Assembly related to social advocacy, internal polity and money. “Nothing I’ve seen so far is like this motion,” said Pflug. “It calls us back to what we all have in common: a commitment to our God and to his Word, something with the potential to truly bring us closer together in the peace, the unity and the purity of the church.”
The committee spent 90 minutes debating the need for a resolution that is essentially a reminder of what is already within the PC(USA) constitution and procedures. They also wrestled with its theological emphasis and accuracy in quoting the Book of Confessions. Those who spoke strongly against it did so in concern for its redundancy and the value of time that the General Assembly will need as a body to consider other overtures and resolutions with new content and calls to action up for debate. After a lengthy discussion wrestling with what the statement should or should not encompass, the Rev. Nicole Ball, a teaching elder commissioner from the Presbytery of the James, emphasized her respect for the already full agenda in next week’s plenary. “The work of the committee is what we will see on the Assembly floor,” Ball said and asked, “Are we debating something or are we simply reminding the church what we ought to be doing in moments of stress?” Ball reminded the committee that there were other options than just straightforwardly approving or disapproving a motion. Ball cited that voting down with comment is another avenue available to the committee and suggested communicating some of its spirit through other channels during the time the Assembly convenes.
Those who spoke in favor expressed a belief that the spiritual and theological witness of the PC(USA) is helpful to a divided nation and that some things bear repeating. “In Scripture, when people are on the brink of something,” said the Rev. Patricia Stetson-Warning, a teaching elder commissioner of the Presbytery of Plains and Peaks, “God always said, ‘Remember, remember where you came from.’”
The committee proposed several amendments to strike the reference to the infallibility of Scripture and to correct inaccurate quotations of the Book of Confessions, ultimately adding the language, “The Holy Spirit bears unique and authoritative witness through the Holy Scriptures.” The committee also changed the call to prayer to not be limited to just a “season.” Despite the significant changes made to the resolution, the original writer affirmed that it maintained the spirit in which it was submitted. “I think it’s important, especially for us as a church, where we might all stand in different places, theological and politically, to have a common place, to stand together in Christ,” said Pflug, who appreciated that the “gist of the motion” was coming through to the committee. “It is just a way for us to publicly declare to the world and to ourselves that we still have unity. Even amidst the divisiveness of theology and politics, that we can come together in Christ, standing in prayer to our God.”
After a 15-minute break, CF-17 was approved by a 28–10 vote.
The second commissioner resolution considered by the Christian Formation Committee was “Transparency of Seminaries Around Investments” (CR-07, CF-18). The Rev. Rebecca Putnam, a teaching elder commissioner from the Presbytery of St. Augustine, presented the resolution and explained the context in which she brought the resolution forward at the request of the current seminary students who authored it. The recommendation was that the 226th General Assembly encourage PC(USA)-related seminaries to provide transparency around their investments by making public their proscription list and their divestment policies. It further urged those without such lists or policies to follow the proscription list and divestment strategy published by the General Assembly through the Committee on Mission Responsibility Through Investment (MRTI) and directed the Committee on Theological Education (COTE) to report the responses of seminaries to the 227th General Assembly (2026).
The Christian Formation Committee spent another 90 minutes discussing the resolution, engaging resource people from COTE, the Presbyterian Foundation, the Presbyterian Mission Agency, MRTI and newly affirmed COTE member the Rev. Dr. José Irizarry, president of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, on the spirit of transparency and trust and the scope of authority that the General Assembly has in its relationship to seminaries. Members of COTE raised concerns about the effect that a General Assembly resolution might have on the independent accreditations held by seminaries that require that institutions of higher learning not be unduly influenced by outside institutions, including the church. In addition to their accreditation with the Association of Theological Schools, many of the seminaries are also accredited by regional associations of colleges and schools. Many attempts to amend the resolution were made to affirm the spirit of transparency in investment while not overstepping the General Assembly’s or COTE’s role in the governance of these independent institutions. However, ultimately, the resolution was defeated, with 13 in favor and 30 against. A motion asking the General Assembly to disapprove CF-18 was thereby made and passed in a vote of 35–10. CF-18 was the final resolution of the Christian Formation Committee and the only one on their agenda not to be approved.