GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2010
a “no” vote of 62.52 percent. A later vote to reconsider the measure during the General Council also failed with a similar percentage of rejection.
Under the same heading of “Women in Ministry,” the General Council also addressed the issue of women serving on church and pastor’s councils in the local church. It was notable that the deletion of only one word, male, would dramati- cally change a longstanding tradition of only “loyal male members” having the privilege to serve in this role. Due to the discussion on the previous motion, debate and discussion on this issue was not as extensive, although fully balanced. The response from the General Council was perhaps one of the smallest margins of decision ever noted in the council’s history. The recommendation passed by a 50.12 percent to 49.88 percent margin, a five-vote differential (1,080 to 1,085). During Friday’s General Assembly session, another razor-thin margin ultimately placed the action into church policy.
Restructuring Okayed
The Wednesday-afternoon session of the General Council started with contin- ued discussion regarding the elimination of the elected positions for the offices of director and assistant director of Evan- gelism and Home Missions. A recurring theme was the clarification of the elimi- nation of these positions only, and not
Franklin Graham speaks in the opening night service
limitations allow for four years in any one office (general overseer, assistant general overseer, or secretary general); but after engaging discussion, a number of amend- ments proposed and debated, the recom- mendations were eventually adopted as originally written. These measures call for reelection every four years with a term limit of eight years.
the elimination of the denomination’s evangelism efforts. The agenda item even- tually passed by a wide margin, and will be effective in 2012.
Item 7, for the restructuring of the International Offices, and Item 8, regard- ing the purpose of the General Assembly, were adopted by two-thirds majority house vote.
Tenure Issues and Assembly Timing Decided
Item 9 dealt with extending the ten- ure that members of the Executive Com- mittee could spend in one office. Current
In an ongoing discussion from previ- ous Assemblies, the General Council took up the proposal of holding the General Assembly every four years instead of every two years. Remarks in favor of the motion centered primarily on continuity of lead- ership, financial savings, and the prospect of holding biennial national assemblies. Remarks from delegates opposed to the motion focused on the familial nature of the Church of God and the time-sensitive issues faced as a denomination. The most common thread of the discussion against a quadrennial schedule centered around words like “connectivity,” “fellowship,” and “relationships.” Ultimately the vote was cast in opposition of the primary measure by a count of 1,394 to 768, so the General Assembly will continue to be held every two years.
Items Approved and Motion Sent Back
Another item on the agenda addressed the eligibility of ministers who are late on their ministerial reports and church
The Executive Council (l-r): Mitchell Maloney, Nick Park, Daniel Vassell, J. David Stephens, David Munguia, Mike Chapman, Jerry Chitwood, Gary Sears, Tony Scott, Mark Walker, Thomas Propes, Donald Walker, Loran Livingston, Ishmael Prince Charles, R. Lamar Vest, J. Martin Taylor, John Childers, Gerald McGinnis
20 EVANGEL • SEP 2010
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32