While there has not yet been a formal proposal for change, there are two key areas of change which have been discussed by the General Board and the Governance committee:
General Assembly
If the suggested changes are ultimately adopted, the General Assembly will meet more often during a three-year cycle. Every three years, there would be a hybrid meeting, with opportunities for participation in person and online; in the other two years of the cycle, the Assembly would meet in online-only gatherings. This change will allow more people to attend General Assembly while reducing costs as well as other barriers to attend.
Under the new General Assembly model, congregations would appoint three delegates to serve three-year terms, to increase engagement across the life of the church. Delegates to the General Assembly would shift the focus of their work from primarily voting on resolutions to engaging in dialogue, discernment, and prayer with increased frequency. With more regular meeting and dialogue, delegates would provide feedback from their congregational and Regional circles about the priorities of the church to the General Board. The new delegate model, along with different meeting formats, will increase the number of voices from across the church who will be engaged in this work, particularly including those who have not always had access to decision-making structures. While resolutions will still be a part of the General Assembly experience, dialogue, education, and discernment will be the primary foci of meetings.
Congregation delegates would serve three-year terms, with one representative being new each year. This model provides continuity of participation in the General Assembly meetings, time for each delegate to live into their role as a delegate and avoids having all three delegates being new at the same time.
General Board
Currently, the General Board consists of representatives chosen from each of the general and regional ministries, the executive leaders of each of those ministries, at-large members selected by the General Nominating Committee, ecumenical representatives and representatives from colleges and universities, along with the elected officers of the General Assembly.
In the new model, the General Board would become a working board that meets more often than once a year. Members would serve on one of three committees: Mission, Finance and Executive. Committees would meet and work together on an ongoing, regular basis. The General Board would be reduced in size and rather than the board having representatives from regions and groups, board members would be mostly at-large and selected by the nominating committee for essential skills and experience, while also reflecting the diversity of the church.
The General Board would receive missional priorities from the congregational delegates who are gathering for dialogue and discernment through more frequent General Assemblies. The General Board would also act on behalf of the church in making statements of social witness following the church’s engagement at General Assemblies, establishing mission priorities, and acting on policies and procedures as needed, maintain 501(c)3 status, recommend changes to The Design and approve regional boundary changes.