Emergency Meeting Presbyterian Church

8/15/2019 Emergency Meeting Presbyterian Church

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MINUTES

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It was moved, seconded and agreed that the Assembly approve the necessaryadjustments to the roll.

4. Apologies: Apologies for absence were received from the Rev. A.Bartholomew, J. Bartholomew, J. Broadhead, G. Coleman, N. Davis, J. Elliott, the Rev. DrD.L. Ferrington, the Rev. G. Goh, P.G. Harris, D. Hassan, E. Hor, J. Ling, N. Kalada, J.Macintyre, S. Mannyx, B. Merchant, the Rev. Dr P.C. Moore, the Rev. C. Pass, D. Powell, W.Morrow, G. Self, L. Sims, R. Smidt, the Rev. Dr I.K. Smith, the Rev. S. Wong, D.G.M. Yu, DrC. Gault, Messrs. J. Currie, G. Dandie, R. Dunlop, J. Gibbons, P.J. Graham, J. Read, P.Sanders, T. Hewitt, A. Macalpine, M. Norman, M. Quirk, C.C. Short, S. Smith, J. Van Every, A. Ward, R. Watson, J. Wells, Mesdames M. Hill, H. Husking, F. McCurdy, E. Merchant andMiss F. Perry.

5. Circular calling the Meeting: A copy of the circular sent to all members ofthe Assembly requesting the emergency meeting of the Assembly was laid on the table by theClerk.

TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE NSW GENERAL ASSEMBLY

EMERGENCY MEETING OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLYMONDAY, 28th SEPTEMBER 2015, at 2pm

In accordance with The Code 8.12, this is to intimate to all concerned that, having received arequisition from 10 members (representing at least 3 presbyteries) of the General Assemblyof the Presbyterian Church of Australia in the State of New South Wales to call an EmergencyMeeting of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Australia in the State of NewSouth Wales to deal with

1) the appointment of a new General Manager (The Code 8.21),

2) the appointment of assessors to the Presbytery of The Riverina (The Code 5.05), and3) a biblical response to the homosexual agenda by the Gospel, Society and Culture

Committee,I hereby call such a meeting to be held at the Presbyterian Church Offices, 168 Chalmers StSurry Hills NSW, commencing at 2pm on Monday 28 September 2015.Commissioners will be advised how to access the response by the Gospel, Society andCulture Committee when it is available on the PCNSW website.Kevin Murray, Moderator9th September 2015

To The Assembly Clerk, Presbyterian Church (NSW)

Dear John, At GANSW BB 2015 Min. 86, the Assembly approved the following resolution:!"#$ $"& '((&)*+,-.)/01&2 $"& 30))4((405 06 '((&)*+, $0 )#7& # 8&$&2)45#$405 05 $"& 2&90))&58#$405 620)

$"& !2:($&&( 602 $"& #//045$)&5$ 06 # 5&1 ;&5&2#+ ?@A?It is now recognised that such a timeframe does not allow for a proper transition from theincumbent General Manager to his successor. In order that this matter might be rectified,the following signatories, being not less than ten members from three presbyteries (inaccordance with The Code II 8.12) now request the Moderator to convene an emergencymeeting of the Assembly.Given that the Trustees will meet in the morning of 28 September, 2015 to confirm thenomination of a new General Manager, and in order more readily to ensure a quorum for that


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meeting, we propose that the emergency meeting of the Assembly be convened for 2.00 p.m.that afternoon.Secondly, the Presbytery of the Riverina may soon be at a point where it cannot meet, andtherefore needs assessors to be appointed at the earliest opportunity. The Presbytery is likelyto make this request when it meets on 17 September.Thirdly, The Scots College has requested the Gospel, Society and Culture Committee to preparea statement on a biblical response to the homosexual agenda and wishes to be able torespond rightly in the event that a same-sex couple might seek to enroll a boy within theCollegeThe following members of the Assembly, being drawn from at least three presbyteries, thereforerequest the Moderator to call an emergency meeting at the date, time and place proposedabove.Sami Gerges (Hawkesbury)John Rolland (Sydney South)Ian Warrell (Mid-North Coast)Darwin Agahari (Sydney)Jeffrey Read (Sydney North)

Bruce Meller (Sydney South)Maurie Cropper (Central Coast)

Martin Spadaro (Sydney)Richard Keith (The Riverina)Jeffrey Davis (Trustee)Jesse Huckel (The Riverina)Matthew Oates (Sydney North)

David Yu (Sydney North)

6. Action of Moderator approved: The Rev. J.R. Irvin moved:That the Assembly: Approve the action of the requistionists in requesting the meeting and the action of theModerator in convening this emergency meeting of the General Assembly.The motion was seconded and approved.

7. Trustees: A report from the Trustees was laid on the table and received,advising the Trustees’ recommendation of a new General Manager to succeed Mr. W.D.Richards.

8. Appointment of new General Manager: The Rev. B.M. Meller moved:That the Assembly: Appoint Mr. Jeoffrey Robert Falls, BEc, MBA to the position of General Manager on terms andconditions approved by the Trustees to commence duties as the General Manager designateon November 10, 2015 with the full responsibilities of the General Manager being assumedas from the close of business November 20, 2015.The motion was seconded and approved.

9. Communication (i): A communication was received from the Presbytery ofThe Riverina requesting the appointment of assessors to the presbytery.

10. Appointment of Assessors to the Presbytery of The Riverina:The Rev. J.R. Irvin moved:That the Assembly: Appoint the Rev. B.M. Meller, M. Cropper, R. Vandervelden and Mr M. Whitelaw as assessorsto the Presbytery of The Riverina with full powers of ordinary members until the next ordinarymeeting of the General Assembly.The motion was seconded and approved.

11. Gospel, Society and Culture: A report of the Committee of Gospel, Societyand Culture, including a biblical response to the homosexual agenda, was laid on the tableand received.

The Rev. Dr J. McClean submitted the deliverance.The deliverance as a whole was approved as follows:That the Assembly:


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Make the following declaration of its position on same sex relationships and sexuality,recognizing that church agencies are to regard this declaration as a source document fromwhich policies consistent with this declaration can be developed in a manner appropriate tothe communities they serve:i. The church is bound by the moral law of God in its behaviour, discipline and teaching.

Indeed, the moral law binds all people to obey God, not only because of the content ofits teaching but also because of “the authority of God, the Creator, who gave it” (WCF19:5). So the church must instruct those under its care in the moral law and presentthe demands of the moral law to wider society.

ii. Office-bearers and members of the church are to live according to the moral law; andits institutions are to conform with the moral law in their teaching and practices.

iii. Marriage is the lifelong union of one man with one woman, voluntarily entered into,excluding all others (Gen 2:24; Matt. 19:5; Mark 10:8; Eph. 5:31; WCF 24; GAA 2013min.75(10)1). No decisions by human authorities can establish any other relationshipas marriage.

iv. According to God’s moral law marriage is the only setting in which a sexual relationshipis permissible.

v. Homosexual sex is contrary to God’s law, and so is a sin (Lev . 18:22; 20:13; Romans1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 1 Corinthians 11:13-15; 1 Timothy 1:10; seeWestminster Larger Catechism A. 139; GANSW 1978 min.1562; GANSW 1984 min.1073; GAA 2004 min. 54(2) 4; GAA 2013 min.75(10)(f) 1).

vi. Same-sex sexual relationships are not marriage and are contrary to God’s moral law,even when they involve promises of lifelong commitment and exclusive sexualfaithfulness.

vii. All humans, apart from the Lord Jesus, have broken the moral law and deserve God’scondemnation. Homosexual sex is one of many ways in which people break God’smoral law.

viii. The church presents the demands of the moral law to the wider society, in part for thesake of the common good which is promoted by a recognition of the moral law; yet the

church is not called to provide a moral discipline for society (1 Cor. 5:9 –10), and thepriority in its mission is to proclaim Christ and to call people to salvation to him, not toseek moral reformation of society.

ix. The gospel of the Lord Jesus offers justification through faith in him (WCF 7:3) to allbecause he has provided “a salvation sufficient for all, and adapted to all, and offeredto all in the Gospel” (DS ii). Therefore the church is commissioned by the Lord Jesusto offer salvation in his name to all, including those in same-sex relationships and whoengage in homosexual sex.

x. All who come to Christ are required to repent, that is to grieve for and hate their sinsand to turn from them to God, committing and striving to walk with God (WCF 15:2).While all believers struggle with sin and must constantly repent of particular sins (WCF15:5), Christian repentance must include turning aside from a lifestyle which has

deliberately embraced a contravention of God’s moral law, including homosexual sex. xi. Temptation is not, in itself, sin: same-sex attraction is one of many forms of sexual

temptation and Christians who face this temptation need support and encouragementnot rejection or condemnation.

xii. God promises to mature his people in Christ-like character so that their sinful nature ismore and more weakened and they are more and more alive and strengthened insaving graces (WCF 13:1). Yet, this maturity is never complete in this life and thestruggle with sin continues for all believers (WCF 13:2). So while God promises to leadhis children to maturity, there is no promise of relief from any particular temptation.Some believers find that particular sexual temptations, such as same-sex attraction,are taken away from them; others find that these temptations remain. While it isappropriate to support believers who seek to be free of same-sex attraction, it ismisleading and destructive to promote any therapy as holding a promise of removingsame-sex attraction.


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References1GAA 2013 min.75(10)That the Assembly make the following declaration:We, the Commissioners of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Australia here

assembled declare that:

(a) the true definition of Marriage is found in God’s Word when it reports Him as saying:“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will becomeone flesh.” [Genesis 2:24]. It is the lifelong union of one man with one woman, voluntarily entered into,excluding all others.

(b) the purposes of marriage in God’s design are lifelong companionship, social stabilityand the natural procreation and nurturing of children [Genesis 2:18, Ecclesiastes 4:9-11; Deuteronomy6:1-7, Ephesians 6:1-4; Proverbs 14:1, Psalm 127 & 128.

(c) despite any actions by human governments, so called “same-sex marriage” will neverbe truly marriage.

(d) the introduction of so called “same-sex marriage” will not contribute to the good ofsociety but will reduce the respect in which marriage is held and further legitimise the production ofchildren for same sex couples when a child should as far as possible have a mother and father.

(e) the introduction of so called “same-sex marriage” will be very likely to encroach on

freedom of religion in Australia since it will be unacceptable to express criticism of homosexualbehaviour.

(f) God condemns homosexual behaviour along with all forms of sin and providesforgiveness of and redemption from all sin through Christ and commissions his church to proclaim thismessage to all people.

(g) all Christians struggle with various sins throughout their lives and depend on God’shelp, including the support of fellow Christians, to serve Christ faithfully; so Christians who experiencesame sex attraction should receive compassionate support from fellow believers as they seek to livefaithfully either as celibate or in marriage as God has de-signed it.

2 GANSW 1978 min.156That the Assembly oppose any change to the laws of N.S.W. whereby homosexuality in any

respect, is accepted as a valid alternative life style for such lifestyle would be contrary to the revealedwill of God in the Scriptures.

3GANSW 1984 min.107That the Assembly express opposition to any changes to the law which would convey approval

of homosexual activities, or regard homosexuality as a valid alternative to heterosexuality, or whichwould place homosexuality on the same basis in law as heterosexuality, especially in relation to theteaching of school children and the welfare system.

4 GAA 2004 54(2)That the Assembly:Declare:We, the Commissioners of the 2004 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Australia,

affirm our commitment to the Bible's message of the love of God for sinners and the good news of theforgiveness of sin, of a new beginning, and of eternal life. This is God's gift to those who repent of theirsin and trust in the saving work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We affirm our commitment to the Bible's message that those who experience this forgiveness

and new beginning gladly seek to live a life that pleases God. This means choosing a lifestyle thatconforms to God's standards, which includes abstinence from sexual intercourse before marriage andfaithfulness within marriage. Marriage consists of one man and one woman in a lifelong and exclusivecommitment.

We affirm our commitment to the teaching of the Bible that condemns homosexual activity anddesire, and therefore absolutely precludes the ordination of those continuing to practice or endorsehomosexual activity and desire.

We express our deepest regret at the decisions of other denominations that allow for theordination of those continuing to practice or endorse homosexual activity and desire, and we declarethis to be a most grievous departure from the Bible's message concerning the nature of sin and therepentance necessary for salvation.

We believe that Jesus Christ is the answer to the underlying problems of those who strugglewith homosexual activity and desire - such as the problem of loneliness, the longing for loving

relationships, the meaning and control of our sexuality, and the quest for personal identity. As ourCreator-God Jesus Christ is also our Saviour and Friend who is able to restore our humanity at every


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level by healing us in our inner dispositions and social relationships.In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we call upon all those who profess faith in Him to stand

with us in this commitment to God's Word and we offer any assistance that we are able to give to thisend.

12. Minutes Commission: The Rev. J.R. Irvin moved:

That the Assembly: Appoint a Commission consisting of the Clerk (Convener), the Business Convener, the Rev.D. Maher, and Mr M. Mitchell to scrutinize the minutes of this emergency meeting of the Assembly, with power to correct them and approve such minutes.The motion was seconded and approved.

13. Close: The meeting was closed with prayer.

KEVIN D. MURRAY, Moderator.JOHN R. IRVIN, Clerk.

Emergency Meeting Presbyterian Church

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