Voting machines are fixed - we press on.
The recommendation currently on the floor comes from the Committee on Middle Governing Body Issues, and is calling for a COMMISSION, not a committee, to move forward on considering our structure in the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Some of you may not be aware of the distinction between a committee and a commission. A committee would pretty much function as you expect -- to study, to report, to do its work, and then to report back to the General Assembly for its feedback.
A commission, on the other hand, acts on behalf of the General Assembly, as though it was the Assembly itself. If the General Assembly approves this action, it will be giving the commission the power to act on its behalf to take action and make changes without having to wait for the next meeting of the Assembly. The Moderator of the Committee just said that we are living in times which require "nimbleness," that is, not having to wait 2 years to take any action.
An amendment was offered which asked that actions of the Commission be approved by a majority of the governing bodies which would be affected. The amendment passed strongly, by something like a 5-1 margin, possibly because a couple of members of the committee spoke in favor of it. So the discussion returned to the main motion as amended.
Lots of commissioners asked lots of questions. A second amendment to remove the word "or" failed. Advisory delegates all voted strongly in favor. The commissioners voted in favor of the commission, by (at least to me) an astounding 5-1 margin. Amazing. I had every thought that the vote would have been much closer than this.
Life is about to get a lot more interesting for the governing bodies of our denomination!
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