{"id":77,"date":"2014-06-20T15:01:13","date_gmt":"2014-06-20T15:01:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/presbyleroy.org\/blog\/?p=77"},"modified":"2014-06-21T01:42:14","modified_gmt":"2014-06-21T01:42:14","slug":"faq-on-same-gender-marriage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/presbyleroy.org\/blog\/faq-on-same-gender-marriage\/","title":{"rendered":"FAQ on Same-Gender Marriage"},"content":{"rendered":"

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FAQs \u2013 Same-Gender Marriage<\/p>\n

(Detroit\u2014June 19, 2014)\u2014The 221st General Assembly (2014) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) today approved a measure giving pastors the discretion to perform same-gender marriages in states where it is legal. It offers the same discretion for churches with regard to the use of church property. The measure takes effect upon the conclusion of the General Assembly on Saturday, June 21, 2014. A proposed amendment to change the Constitution to include same-gender marriages in the church\u2019s Constitution passed the General Assembly but must be ratified by a majority of the church\u2019s 172 regional presbyteries. Presbyteries have one year to vote on the proposed amendment. If a majority ratifies the amendment, it would take effect June 21, 2015.<\/p>\n

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  1. Are congregations and\/or pastors required to participate in\/host such weddings?\u201cIn no case shall any teaching elder\u2019s conscience be bound to conduct any marriage service for any couple except by his or her understanding of the Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit.\u201d No pastor is compelled to perform a service of marriage nor a session compelled to use church property for a service of marriage.<\/li>\n
  2. Can a pastor in a state where it is not permitted perform a wedding in a state where it is?The teaching elder has freedom of conscience. Beyond that, it would depend on whether the teaching elder is authorized under civil law to perform a wedding in the state where the wedding is to take place<\/li>\n
  3. Will sessions have the authority to permit (or not) same-gender marriage services in the church? Yes. Nothing has changed about the authority of sessions in the way church property is used.<\/li>\n
  4. If a pastor is willing to preside at the marriage of a same-gender couple, can the session prohibit the pastor from doing so?No. The session cannot compel the pastor nor can the pastor compel the session.\n

    The pastor has the freedom of his or her own conscience and the session has the responsibility for providing for worship and making decisions about the use of church property.<\/li>\n

  5. Can the session make a categorical prohibition of same-gender weddings in its building?
    \nYes. Nothing has changed about the authority of the session with regard to the use of the church building.<\/li>\n
  6. What process did the General Assembly use to make this happen?The General Assembly made an authoritative interpretation of the Constitution and proposed an amendment to the Constitution.<\/li>\n
  7. What is an authoritative interpretation (AI)?An AI is an interpretation of the Constitution by the General Assembly or the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission. It is binding on all councils.<\/li>\n
  8. What is permitted according to the AI at the adjournment of the assembly?Pastors may conduct a marriage service for same-gender couples and may do so where the community gathers for worship with the permission of the session. \u201cIn no case shall any teaching elder\u2019s conscience be bound to conduct any marriage service for any couple except by his or her understanding of the Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit.\u201d<\/li>\n
  9. What is an amendment to the Constitution?An amendment to the Constitution is determined by the General Assembly, but must be confirmed by a majority of the presbyteries. All councils are under the authority of the Constitution.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    FAQs \u2013 Same-Gender Marriage<\/p>\n

    10. What if the presbyteries refuse to vote on the amendment?<\/p>\n

    A majority of the presbyteries must vote for the amendment in order for it to become part of the Constitution. A non-vote has the effect of a \u201cno\u201d vote.<\/p>\n

    11. If the presbyteries do not approve changes to the Constitution, what is the effect on the authoritative interpretation (\u201cAI\u201d)?<\/p>\n

    The AI remains in place until it is superseded by another.<\/p>\n

    12. What is the timeline?<\/p>\n

    The same-gender marriage measure (the AI) takes effect upon the conclusion of the General Assembly on Saturday, June 21, 2014. The proposed amendment must be ratified by a majority of the church\u2019s 172 presbyteries, which have one year to vote. If ratified, the amendment would take effect on June 21, 2015.<\/p>\n

    13. What shall we tell the media?
    \nPlease see the official press release, or refer calls to PC(USA) offices.<\/p>\n

    What is the actual language of the authoritative interpretation? <\/span><\/p>\n

    \u201cWorship is a central element of the pastoral care of the people of God (W-6.3001, W-6.3010) in which a teaching elder\u2019s discernment of the leading of the Holy Spirit is indispensable. The necessity of ensuring the exercise of freedom of conscience in the interpretation of Scripture (G-2.0105) in the planning and leadership of worship has deep roots in our Reformed tradition and theology. Because a service of marriage is one form of such worship, when a couple requests the involvement of the church in solemnizing their marriage as permitted by the laws of the civil jurisdiction in which the marriage is to take place, teaching elders* have the pastoral responsibility to assess the capabilities, intentions, and readiness of the couple to be married (W-4.9002), and the freedom of conscience in the interpretation of Scripture (G-2.0105) to participate in any such marriage they believe the Holy Spirit calls them to perform.<\/p>\n

    \u201cExercising such discretion and freedom of conscience under the prayerful guidance of Scripture, teaching elders may conduct a marriage service for any such couple in the place where the community gathers for worship, so long as it is approved by the session; or in such other place as may be suitable for a service of Christian worship. In no case shall any teaching elder\u2019s conscience be bound to conduct any marriage service for any couple except by his or her understanding of the Word, and the leading of the Holy Spirit. The authoritative interpretation of this section by the 203rd General Assembly (1991) (Minutes<\/span>, 1991, Part I, p. 395, paragraphs 21.124\u2013.128), and the subsequent authoritative interpretations of the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission relying upon it, are withdrawn and replaced with this authoritative interpretation.\u201d<\/p>\n

    *\u201cAs in other places in the Directory for Worship, the use of \u2018teaching elders\u2019 in this paragraph should be understood to include ruling elders commissioned to pastoral service.\u201d<\/p>\n

    What is the actual language of the proposed amendment? <\/span><\/p>\n

    Amend W-4.9000 by striking the current text and replacing it with the following:<\/p>\n

    \u201cMarriage is a gift God has given to all humankind for the well-being of the entire human family. Marriage involves a unique commitment between two people (traditionally a man and a woman) to love and support each other for the rest of their lives. The sacrificial love that unites the couple sustains them as faithful and responsible members of the church and the wider community.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    FAQs \u2013 Same-Gender Marriage<\/p>\n

    \u201cIn civil law, marriage is a contract that recognizes the rights and obligations of the married couple in society. In the Reformed tradition, marriage is also a covenant in which God has an active part, and which the community of faith publicly witnesses and acknowledges.<\/p>\n

    \u201cIf they meet the requirements of the civil jurisdiction in which they intend to marry, a couple may request that a service of Christian marriage be conducted by a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), who is authorized, though not required, to act as an agent of the civil jurisdiction in recording the marriage contract. A couple requesting a service of Christian marriage shall receive instruction from the teaching elder, who may agree to the couple\u2019s request only if, in the judgment of the teaching elder, the couple demonstrate sufficient understanding of the nature of the marriage covenant and commitment to living their lives together according to its values. In making this decision, the teaching elder may seek the counsel of the session, which has authority to permit or deny the use of church property for a marriage service.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThe marriage service shall be conducted in a manner appropriate to this covenant and to the forms of Reformed worship, under the direction of the teaching elder and the supervision of the session (W- 1.4004\u2013.4006). In a service of marriage, the couple marry each other by exchanging mutual promises. The teaching elder witnesses the couple\u2019s promises and pronounces God\u2019s blessing upon their union. The community of faith pledges to support the couple in upholding their promises; prayers may be offered for the couple, for the communities that support them, and for all who seek to live in faithfulness.<\/p>\n

    \u201cA service of worship recognizing a civil marriage and confirming it in the community of faith may be appropriate when requested by the couple. The service will be similar to the marriage service except that the statements made shall reflect the fact that the couple is already married to one another according to the laws of the civil jurisdiction.<\/p>\n

    \u201cNothing herein shall compel a teaching elder to perform nor compel a session to authorize the use of church property for a marriage service that the teaching elder or the session believes is contrary to the teaching elder\u2019s or the session\u2019s discernment of the Holy Spirit and their understanding of the Word of God.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      FAQs \u2013 Same-Gender Marriage (Detroit\u2014June 19, 2014)\u2014The 221st General Assembly (2014) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) today approved a measure giving pastors the discretion to perform same-gender marriages in states where it is legal. It offers the same discretion for churches with regard to the use of church property. The measure takes effect upon […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-77","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general-assembly"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/presbyleroy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/presbyleroy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/presbyleroy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/presbyleroy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/presbyleroy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/presbyleroy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81,"href":"http:\/\/presbyleroy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77\/revisions\/81"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/presbyleroy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/presbyleroy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/presbyleroy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}