Covenant Network
of Presbyterians

What an
authoritative interpretation
does — and doesn't — do


Perhaps you've heard this:
"An AI is an end run — an attempt to amend the Book of Order without the vote of the presbyteries." 
Any debate about the possibility of an authoritative interpretation (AI) on the subject of marriage usually includes this objection.  But the purpose of the overtures calling for authoritative interpretation is not to amend what the Book of Order currently says about marriage, but to clarify that a choice made by a pastor to preside at a service of worship solemnizing the marriages of a couple of the same gender does not constitute an offense subjecting the pastor to discipline.
Since the 220th General Assembly failed to vote directly on any of the items requesting authoritative interpretation in June 2012, the number of states in which same gender couples may marry has almost tripled. 
There are three versions of requests for an AI on marriage — 26 presbytery actions total, more than any other piece of business coming to the General Assembly —  a demonstration of the urgency being experienced in the church as more and more pastors and sessions are faced with a choice between obeying what their consciences insist Jesus would have them do in serving LGBTQ families, and adhering to recent decisions of the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission.
Read more about the significance of an authoritative interpretation ~ click here. 
Information about the Covenant Network at the 221st GA
Click the logo for information about CovNet at the 221st GA

Calling on the NETWORK!


Please encourage commissioners and advisory delegates
who share the vision of
"a church as generous and just as God's grace"
to connect with us
before and during GA.

Working together→greater effectiveness!

Tricia Dykers Koenig, triciadk@covnetpres.org or 216-658-1770,
is eager to hear from you and
happy to explain our GA activities.
There are plenty of ways to make a difference if you will be in Detroit,
or even if you won't.   Ask us!

To make a donation,
visit  www.covnetpres.org/donate 
or send your contribution to

3210 Michigan Avenue, Suite 300,
Kansas City, MO 64109. 

Or to discuss the possibility of becoming a major donor,
contact Brian Ellison, executive director, 
816-605-1031 or brian@covnetpres.org.

Help make your General Assembly hopes a reality!

 

Those of you who have been part of the Covenant Network a long time – longer than me! – know that one of its signature contributions to the church’s life is its presence at General Assembly. Under the leadership of our national organizer Tricia Dykers Koenig, our work to resource and connect commissioners as they discern the best direction for the church has helped bring about real change. Our meals and educational opportunities are essential to the kind of thoughtful, faith-filled, theologically-grounded dialogue that are so critical at this moment
in the life of the church.

But this massive operation is incredibly expensive. This year, subsidizing our meal events alone (the cost is even higher than the ticket price) will be a major, over-and-above expense. The exhibit hall adds cost. Housing for those who will facilitate many of these efforts...
it all adds up!
May I ask you to prayerfully consider a significant additional gift to the Covenant Network to fund our General Assembly operations?
A gift of $1000 would just about cover the extra costs of our Monday luncheon featuring
Mark Achtemeier making a biblical case for marriage for all. A gift of $3000 (or 30 gifts of $100) would subsidize our commissioner convocation dinner, a critical event for reaching those who will be making the week’s important decisions. A gift of $5000 would provide truly foundational support for our connecting and resourcing operation, including a substantial presence in assembly committee work and special outreach efforts to commissioners and advisory delegates.

You can make a difference — maybe the difference that opens the blessing of marriage in the church
to all God’s people.
Will you help?

 Toward a Church as Generous and Just as God's Grace
3210 Michigan Ave., Suite 300 | Kansas City, MO 64109 US
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