An Overview of the new Form of Government

In 2006, the 217th General Assembly created the Form Government Task Force and charged this Task Force to draft a Revised Form of Government. In 2008, this Task Force presented its report to the 218th General Assembly. This Report included: the Foundations of Presbyterian Polity, a revised Form of Government, and the Advisory Handbook for Councils. The 218th General Assembly referred the Task Force’s Report to the Office of General Assembly for a period of church-wide study and response. After taking into account these responses and adding members of the assembly committee that studied the Report to the task force, the expanded Task Force produced a new draft to be considered by the 219th General Assembly. In 2010, the 219th General Assembly voted to approve an amendment to the previous form of government and directed the Stated Clerk to send this amendment to the presbyteries for a vote.In late spring 2011, the majority of Presbyteries approved this amendment. Accordingly, the new Form of Government took effect on July 10, 2011, one year after the 219th General Assembly. As a whole, the new Form of government is the result of the work not only of three General Assemblies and two task forces, but also expresses the input of more than twenty years of expressed need to review and revise PCUSA’s Form of Government.