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Resolution 9 Amendment of Structure 2(3) and 2(4)
General Assembly agrees to ratify its decision of July 1998 to amend a function of district council and to add categories to the membership of district council and synod as follows:
amend 2(3)(iv) by deleting the words: "from among its members".
Add 2(3)(j): An elder appointed by the district council as an interim moderator who shall be a full member of the district council for the period of the appointment.
Add 2(4)(k): An elder appointed by the district council as an interim moderator who shall be a full member of the synod for the period of the appointment.
No objections have been raised to this decision, which allows elders who are acting as interim moderators to be members of district council during their period of service.
Resolution 10 Amendment of Structure 3(1)
General Assembly agrees to ratify its decision of July 1998 to amend the Structure in paragraph 3(1)(f) by adding the following words:
In its concern for mutual understanding within the life of the church, before voting upon such a motion the General Assembly shall invite a representative of any synod from which the General Secretary has duly received notification under 3(1)(e) to present the main reasons for its objection.
No objections have been raised to this decision, which allows synods which object to resolutions sent to them the opportunity to state the reasons for their objection to the Assembly.
Resolution 11 Changes to Structure
General Assembly agrees to ratify its decision of July 1998 to make the following changes to the Structure of the United Reformed Church:
a) Amend the existing category at paragraph 2(3)(a) by adding the words: ‘and Assembly appointed ministers who are members of a local church in that district.’
b) Amend the existing category at Paragraph 2(4)(h) to read: ‘All retired ministers not covered by clause 2.4.a or clause 2.4.g residing within the province or nation served by the synod, who shall be associate members of the synod having the right to speak but not to vote at meetings of the synod. c) In the existing category at paragraph 2(5)(c) delete the words: ’departments and’.
d) In the third sentence of the concluding section of Paragraph 2(5) delete the words: ‘set up departments and’.
e) In the fifth sentence of the concluding section of Paragraph 2(5) delete the words: ‘department or’.
f) In the existing category at Paragraph 2(5)(ii) delete the words ‘departments and’.
g) Amend the existing Paragraph 3(1)(f) to read: ‘ If by such date such notice has not been received, a motion to agree the proposed amendment shall come before the General Assembly at its next meeting. Such a motion shall require a simple majority of the members present and voting to pass’.
No objections have been received to this decision, which makes a number of changes to the structure of the Church.
General Assembly agrees to ratify its decision of July 1998 to amend paragraph 3.5 of Part 1 (Substantive Provisions) of the Process for dealing with cases of Ministerial Discipline (Section O Process) as follows:
Delete "twenty-five (25)" and replace with "a maximum of fifty (50)".
No objections have been raised to this decision, which allows the Commission Panel established under the ministerial discipline procedures to have its membership increased from 25 people to a maximum of 50 people.
Resolution 13 Union with the Congregational Union of Scotland
General Assembly agrees to ratify its decision of July 1998 to give approval to the Proposals for Union with the Congregational Union of Scotland (document dated March 1998) including the Amendments to the Basis and Structure of the United Reformed Church in the United Kingdom listed in Appendix C of the document.
The proposals for union were given first approval by the Assembly of 1998 without dissent. They were also given first approval by the Assembly of the Congregational Union of Scotland. The proposals were sent to district councils and synods, and no objections have been raised. Assembly is asked to consider this resolution in the light of these points.
If Assembly passes the resolution, and if final approval is given by the Assembly of the Congregational Union of Scotland, a Unifying Assembly will be held in Glasgow on Saturday, 1 April 2000
Resolution 14 Growing Up
General Assembly accepts the mission programme outlined in the report "Growing Up" and strongly commends it to local churches, district councils and synods.
Resolution 15 Growing Up
General Assembly instructs the Mission Council to oversee the planning of the mission programme.
Resolution 16 Growing Up
General Assembly submits the mission programme of the United Reformed Church to the Council for World Mission
Resolution 17 Growing Up
General Assembly enlarges the remit, adjusts the structure and changes the name of the Discipleship, Stewardship and Witness Committee, as set out in Annex D of the report "Growing Up".
Resolution 18 Mansfield College inspection report
General Assembly welcomes the report of the Training Committee on the positive response of Mansfield College to the inspection report of 1997, and commends the staff and governing body on the imaginative work that has been done.
Last year the discussion on the review of colleges became confused with the report of the inspectors who visited Mansfield College. This was particularly unfortunate because the college had not had time to make a full response to the report by the date of last year’s Assembly. As is normal practice, the Training Committee considered the response once it had been prepared. Mission Council was glad to hear that the response had been so positive, and Assembly is invited to endorse the Council’s view.
Resolution 19 Use of colleges review
Assembly, having heard the basis on which it was formed, accepts the advice of Mission Council that the United Reformed Church should cease to use one of the present colleges for initial ministerial training.
Since 1994 Mission Council has been made aware on a number of occasions that the number of students training for the stipendiary ministry had fallen to a level which made it impossible to make effective use of the four colleges which were recognised by the Church - Mansfield College, Oxford; Northern College, Manchester; the Queen’s College, Birmingham; and Westminster College, Cambridge. The criteria for this judgement were partly educational - the need to have student groups in each year large enough to benefit from each other’s insights - and partly financial. The colleges, with the exception of Queen’s, depend on fee income and therefore the number of students each receives is critical for financial viability.
An independent review group was set up in the autumn of 1997 in an attempt to resolve a question that was causing continual anxiety in all the colleges and inhibiting their future planning. The group reported to Mission Council in March 1998. Its advice was that the United Reformed Church should focus its training on two colleges, with a small number of students being sent to the Queen’s College. This judgement was based on present numbers and the colleges’ ability to cope with an increase of up to 50%.
Mission Council found itself unable to make a decision on this advice, partly because the discussion got confused with the matter of the Mansfield inspection report (see resolution 18 above) and partly because it was felt that there had been insufficient consultation. However, in order to relieve some of the uncertainty, a resolution was brought to the 1998 Assembly (by chance also resolution 18!) recommending the use of Northern, the Queen’s and Westminster Colleges for the foreseeable future. That resolution was passed.
The Revds Elizabeth Caswell, David Jenkins and John Waller were appointed to carry out a wider consultation. This they did in December 1998. They reported to Mission Council in January 1999 the strong arguments that had been advanced for the continued use of Mansfield College, but they commented that the conclusion reached by the earlier review group was compelling if the numerical and financial information on which it was based was correct.
The Training Committee undertook to carry out the necessary checks, which it did in time for the March 1999 Mission Council. Particular attention was paid to the fact that Assembly had resolved to make 1999 a year of recruitment to ministry, and to the projections of the number of ministers contained in the "Growing Up" paper. It was nonetheless felt that, despite the difficulty it would cause, Assembly should be advised to accept the conclusion of the independent review group.
(Members of Assembly who would like copies of the reports referred to in this summary should apply before Assembly to the Deputy General Secretary’s office).
Resolution 20 Initial ministerial training at Mansfield College
Assembly resolves not to use Mansfield College for initial ministerial training for the foreseeable future and asks the Training Committee to make careful and sensitive arrangements to phase out its current use for this purpose.
The independent review group advised last year that Mansfield should be the college which the Church should cease to use for initial ministerial education. This was not because of any real or perceived inadequacy in the training given by the College but because this was felt to be the least damaging of the options following a decision on the number of colleges. The review group paid tribute to the work of all four colleges, in the past and in the present.
Assembly is asked to resolve to accept the advice.
Resolution 21 The future use of Mansfield College
General Assembly supports the conversations that have begun between Mansfield College, the Congregational Federation and the Training Committee concerning the continued use of the theological and training resource of the College for purposes other than initial ministerial training.
The Congregational Federation uses Mansfield College for the training of a very small number of ministers and it intends to continue to do so. The statutes of the College require the chaplain to be a minister of the United Reformed Church or a non-uniting church, and the director of ministerial training to be a U.R.C. minister. These and other links make it clear that every effort needs to be made to continue our Church’s involvement with a very significant theological and training resource. Talks have already been going on for some time. This is not an easy option: Assembly is being invited to support it.
Resolution 22 Thanks and prayers
General Assembly gives thanks to God for the work of Mansfield College, Oxford, in the training of ministers for the Congregational and United Reformed Church ministry since 1886; offers prayers for those who have borne the brunt of the uncertainty of the past two years; and seeks the blessing of God’s grace on staff, students and governing body as they plan for the future.
This resolution allows the Assembly to express in its prayers some of the feelings that will accompany the discussion of the previous four resolutions.
Resolution 23 Special Committee to nominate the General Secretary
General Assembly appoints a special committee to nominate the next General Secretary, consisting of those named on page 48-49 of the 1999 Book of Reports.
The present General Secretary, the Revd Anthony Burnham, will retire on 31 July 2001. Assembly needs to appoint the special committee in order that his successor may be nominated to the Assembly in 2000.
The rules of procedure (4(2)) provide that the special committee shall consist of two representatives of each synod, the Moderator of the General Assembly, the Convener of the Nominations Committee, and nine persons selected by the Mission Council, five of whom shall be conveners of the Assembly standing committee.
Those nominated by the Synods are:
Northern Peter Clark Jane Tomlin
North Western Ruth Wollaston John Bradbury
Mersey Angus Duncan Helen Brown
Yorkshire Arnold Harrison Pat Evans
East Midlands Jill Strong Malcolm Hanson
West Midlands Ken Chippindale Simon Rowntree
Eastern Elizabeth Caswell Tony Coates
South Western Ray Adams Geoff Lunt
Wessex Julian Macro Dorothy Spencer
Thames North Adrian Bulley Fiona Smith
Southern Lesley Charlton John Ellis
Wales Eileen McIlveen David Marshall- Jones
Scotland (see resolution 24)
Those nominated by the Mission Council are:
Conveners: Others:
Derek Lindfield Margaret Carrick Smith
Graham Long Bill Mahood
Alasdair Pratt Neil Platt
Graham Stacy Rosemary Simmons
The name of one more Convener will be offered at Assembly.
Mission Council has agreed that the Deputy General Secretary should act as secretary to the special committee.
Resolution 24 Scottish representatives on the special committee to nominate the General Secretary
General Assembly agrees, in the light of the imminent union, to invite the Congregational Union of Scotland to appoint two representatives to be members of the special committee to nominate the next General Secretary, with a view to the Synod of Scotland, at its first meeting, confirming them as members of the committee under rules of procedure 4(2). (In the event of union not proceeding, this invitation would be withdrawn).
This resolution is intended to enable the present Congregational Union of Scotland to play a part in nominating the next General Secretary, in view of the fact that (if union proceeds) it will be part of the Assembly that makes the appointment in July 2000
Resolution 25 To extend the period of service of the Moderator of the Northern synod
General Assembly, acting in accordance with paragraph 2(5)(A)(xii) of the Structure, resolves to suspend Rule 7(2)(i) only in order to extend the appointment of the Revd Peter Poulter as Moderator of the Northern Synod.
Resolution 26 To extend the period of service of the Moderator of the Northern synod
General Assembly extends the appointment of the Revd Peter Poulter as Moderator of the Northern Synod until 31 December 2006.
The rules of procedure allow the Assembly to appoint a moderator of a synod for a term not exceeding seven years. Acting on behalf of the Assembly, Mission Council has appointed the Revd Peter Poulter for a period of seven years to 31 August 2006. Four months later he will have reached retirement age. The Assembly is being asked to suspend its rules only in order to extend this appointment to the point of retirement.
Resolution 27 The Section O process - ministerial discipline
Assembly agrees to make the following changes to the Section O process (See the procedue for constitutional amendment set out in paragraph 3(1) of the Structure.):
Paragraphs 3.2 and 3.9
Delete Provincial
Paragraph 3.13
Insert a new Paragraph as follows:-
References to district councils shall be understood to include area councils in Scotland, such area councils being in every respect identical with district councils and wherever the words "district council" or "district" appear they shall, as regards Scotland, be read as meaning "area council" or "area".
Paragraph 4.2
Delete the final sentence.
Paragraph 5.1
Delete Provincial
Paragraph 7.1.1
Insert a new paragraph as follows:
No person shall be a member of the Commission Panel or of any Appeals Commission and at the same time also be a member of any Synod Panel or Mandated Group as defined in the Rules of Procedure.
Paragraph 7.1.2
The existing Paragraph 7.1 will become 7.1.2.
Also delete Provincial.
Paragraph 10.2
Delete the existing Paragraph 10.2 and add the following Paragraphs 10.2 and 10.3.
10.2 If the Assembly Commission or the Appeals Commission considers that there has been some conduct, statement, act or omission on the part of the Minister which, although not sufficiently serious to justify deletion is nevertheless of sufficient concern to justify lesser disciplinary action against the Minister it may, whilst allowing the name of the Minister to remain on the Roll, take either or both of the following steps, the first being part of its decision and the second being by way of recommendation:-
10.2.1 It may issue a written warning to the Minister that any continuance or repetition of any of the
disciplinary matters complained of might be considered a cause for deletion by a future
Assembly Commission or Appeals Commission.
10.2.2 It may append recommendations to its decision in accordance with Paragraph 16.1.3.
10.3 If the decision of the Appeals Commission is to delete the name of the Minister from the Roll, it will in recording its decision also consider Paragraph 16.1.4.
Paragraphs 11.1, 14.2, 14.3 and 14.6
Delete Paragraph 10.2 and substitute Paragraph 10.2.1.
Paragraph 16.1
Delete and substitute the following:
16.1 In recording its decision the Assembly Commission or the Appeals Commission as the case may be shall comply with the following:
16.1.1 It shall state whether its decision is unanimous or by a majority.
16.1.2 It shall append a written statement of its reasons for reaching its decision, but shall not be obliged (unless it wishes to do so) to comment in detail on all or any of the matters of evidence laid before it.
16.1.3 In the event that the decision is not to delete the name of the Minister from the Roll it may in its written statement append such recommendations as it considers will be helpful to moderators of synod, district councils, local churches and others within the Church in relation to the future ministry of the Minister.
16.1.4 If the decision is to delete the name of the Minister from the Roll of Ministers it is particularly requested to include appropriate guidance to assist moderators of synod, district councils, local churches and others within the Church concerning any restrictions which might be placed upon any church-related activities involving the Minister after his/her deletion.
16.1.5 In addition to its power to make recommendations or to offer guidance under Paragraph 16.1.3 or Paragraph 16.1.4 respectively, the Appeals Commission may if it sees fit endorse, overrule, vary or modify in any way any recommendation made or guidance offered by the Assembly Commission in the case in question.
Paragraph 21
In the first and second sentences, delete Provincial Moderator and substitute moderator of the synod.
In the last sentence delete Province and province and substitute synod each time.
It was agreed that a review should be carried out in time for the March 1999 Mission Council. These proposed changes are the result of that review. They reflect the anticipated union with the Congregational Union of Scotland and the limited experience of the process so far. In particular they increase the options open to the Commission in less serious cases, and also set out good practice in more detail.
A further review will be necessary in due course.
Resolution 28 Changes to the Structure
General Assembly agrees to make the following changes to the Structure of the United Reformed Church (see the procedure for constitutional amendment set out in paragraph 3(1) of the Structure):
a) Amend the existing paragraph 1(2)(a) by inserting the following sentence after the existing second sentence: "The expression "Provincial Synod" when used in the United Reformed Church Acts of 1972 and 1981 shall in relation to property in Wales be read as referring to the national Synod of Wales."
b) Amend the existing category at paragraph 2(3)(a) by deleting the words "deaconesses" and "registered local pastors". This paragraph would then read: "All ministers, registered pastors (in Scotland) and church-related community workers engaged directly in the service of the United Reformed Church within that district, and Assembly appointed ministers who are members of a local church in that district".
c) Amend the existing category at paragraph 2(3)(b) by deleting the words "deaconesses" and "registered local pastors". This paragraph would then read: "Such other ministers, registered pastors (in Scotland) and church related community workers as shall from time to time be appointed by the synod as hereinafter provided".
d) Amend the existing category at paragraph 2(4)(a) by deleting the words "deaconesses" and "registered local pastors". This paragraph would then read: "All ministers, registered pastors (in Scotland) and church-related community workers who are for the time being members of district councils within the province or nation.
e) Delete the present category 2(4)(xiv).
f) Renumber the existing categories 2(4)(xv) - 2(4)(xvii) as 2(4)(xiv) - 2(4)(xvi)
1. Members of Assembly should note that paragraph 2(3)(a) was amended by Resolution 11 of 1998 and that paragraphs 1(2)(a), 2(3)(a), 2(3)(b), 2(4)(a) and 2(4) (xiv) were amended by acceptance of the proposals for union with the Congregational Union of Scotland. The Assembly will be invited to ratify all these changes before this resolution is taken.
2. The first change is necessary because the United Reformed Church Acts of 1972 and 1981 refer to "Provincial Synods" which would exclude the Synod of Wales.
3. There are now no serving deaconesses or registered local pastors (though there are registered pastors in Scotland). The proposals at b), c) and d) would remove the redundant references to them in the categories of membership of district councils and synods.
4. The synod function 2(4)(xiv) has now been replaced by synod function 2(4)(xvi), which allows the district council to make recommendations to the synod for appointment to service on district council of persons in four categories (see the district council function 2(3)(xix)).
Resolution 29 Changes to the Rules of Procedure
General Assembly agrees to make the following changes to the Rules of Procedure for Conduct of the United Reformed Church:
a) In the last line of paragraph 1(3) delete "provincial".
b) In the second line of paragraph 1(5) after "province" insert "or nation".
c) In the fourth line of paragraph 2(4) delete "provincial".
d) In the second line of paragraph 4(2) delete "provincial".
e) Delete the existing paragraph 6(1) and replace with: "In Wales and Scotland there shall in each case be a single synod. The area of the church in England shall be divided into such number of synods as the Assembly on the recommendation of the Mission Council may from time to time determine".
f) Delete the first sentence of paragraph 6(2), and in the second sentence delete "provincial".
g) In the first line of paragraph 6(3) replace "province" with "synod" and insert after "districts": "(or areas in Scotland)". In the second line delete "provincial".
h) Change the heading to section 7 to "MODERATORS OF THE SYNOD".
i) In the first line of paragraph 7(1) delete "provincial".
j) In the first line of paragraph 7(4) replace "provincial moderator" with: "moderator of synod", and in the third line delete "provincial".
k) In the first line of paragraph 7(5) delete "provincial".
l) In the second line of the note to section 7 replace "provincial moderators" with: "moderators of synod".
m) In the second line of paragraph 8(9) delete "provincial".
1. These proposed changes to the Rules of Procedure all relate to the union with the Congregational Union of Scotland, and will be presented after the ratifying vote is taken on the constitutional changes. They will make exactly the same changes to terminology which were made to the Basis of Union and the Structure at last year’s Assembly.
Resolution 30 Budget for the year 2000
Assembly accepts the budget for the year 2000 set out in Appendix 2 to the Book of Reports.
A deficit budget The most significant feature of the year 2000 budget is the fact that it shows a deficit of £660,000. This is not a mistake or unavoidable crisis. It represents a major change of policy aimed at rectifying a problem which has been growing over recent years.
A balanced budget, which has been our policy in the past, requires budgeted expenditure to be covered by anticipated income. When the budget is prepared it is not possible to anticipate all sources of income, in particular legacies and gains in the value of investments. This means that in most years actual income exceeds the anticipated income and, therefore, the budgeted expenditure. In addition, since the natural tendency is to budget prudently, actual results tend to be better than budget producing further surpluses. In the four years 1995 to 1998 we have added some £5.7 million to our general reserves as result of this process. We have transferred £3.5 million from reserves to strengthen the Pension Fund and Retired Ministers Fund but this still leaves us with £2.2 million of additional funds unspent. If we continue the policy of adopting balanced budgets this surplus will continue to grow.
By adopting a budget with a deficit we are less likely to end up each year with an increase in unspent funds and may, in some years, draw on past surpluses. Determining what is a reasonable level of deficit is not a precise calculation. In concluding that £660,000 is acceptable for the year 2000 budget, Mission Council has taken account of a number of items of income which may turn out better than budget and of expenditures which may be reduced, together with a prudent view of the amount that could be drawn from past surpluses. The appropriate level of deficit in subsequent years will continue to require careful judgement in the light of the circumstances at the time.
Cost of Ministry The largest item of expenditure in our budget is the cost of stipendiary ministry. This cost is determined by the number of stipendiary ministers and the level of stipend.
The number of stipendiary ministers that the URC should aim for has been the subject of serious debate in Mission Council during the past year. It was aware of the cry from all parts of the Church for more stipendiary ministry but had to balance this against the need to exercise proper stewardship of our financial resources. In a paper to Mission Council three options were offered:
1. Holding minister numbers constant for a defined period of, say, five years.
2. Aiming for minister numbers to track membership numbers at half the rate of change.
3. Aiming to keep minister numbers in a fixed ratio to members so that any change in members would be reflected in a similar proportionate change in the number of ministers.
Mission Council decided that we should adopt the second option which is, broadly, what has been happening over recent years.
As regards the level of stipend, the Maintenance of the Ministry Sub-Committee appointed a group to review all aspects of ministerial remuneration which reported back in July 1998. The recommendations arising from this review are reported elsewhere but the main recommendations affecting the budget are that in future stipends should be increased in line with the changes in the National Average Earnings index up to 30 September in the preceding year and that we should reintroduce children’s allowances. For year 2000 budget purposes the increase in stipends has been taken at 4%. The cost of children’s allowances is difficult to calculate but has been estimated at approximately 1% of the total cost of stipends.
Ministry and Mission contributions The total of Ministry and Mission (M&M) contributions has been unchanged for three years. This has been made possible mainly by absorbing the surplus of income over expenditure which existed at the beginning of that period. For the future we have to expect that increases in the cost of ministry will have to be matched by increases in M&M contributions. For the year 2000, stipends are budgeted to increase by 4% but this increase will be offset by an estimated reduction of 11/2% in minister numbers which gives a net cost of 21/2%. However, there is in addition the cost of introducing children’s allowances. It is proposed that the impact of this increase should be spread over two years so that for the year 2000 there is an additional 1/2% to be taken up. This results in an increase in the target for M&M contributions of 3%.
Mission Council is aware that, if the number of members continues to decline, the average cost of M&M contributions per member increases by more than the increase in the above target amount. Also, if some churches have to reduce their contribution, this puts a greater burden on others. However, if we are to meet the cost of stipendiary ministry, increases at this level are inevitable.
The outlook over the next five years It is felt that a detailed projection of estimated income and expenditure for the next five years would not add to our understanding of the U.R.C.’s finances. Future trends can be expressed in very simple terms. With such a large part of our expenditure going to pay stipends and related costs, whatever happens to this part of our expenditure has to be matched by similar increases in M&M contributions. Thus, if the National Average Earnings index increases by 4% and minister numbers decline by about 11/2% we have to look to an annual increase of 21/2% in the total of M&M contributions. If the index or minister numbers change by a different percentage, then the M&M target will have to vary accordingly. This simple logic does not require computers or need to be proved by detailed five-year plans.
There is, of course, the matter of our remaining income and expenditure. Mission Council considers that we should be able to manage this area of our finances, making appropriate use of deficit budgeting, without resorting to significant changes in M&M contributions.
Resolution 31 Human Sexuality - Affirmations
General Assembly commends to the church the affirmations set out in section 7 of the Human Sexuality Report 1999.
Resolution 32 Human Sexuality - Challenges
General Assembly sets before the church the challenges set out in section 8.1 of the Human Sexuality Report 1999.
Resolution 33 Human Sexuality - Diversity of Views
General Assembly, taking into consideration the variety of views held within the United Reformed Church on the matter of human sexuality, urges all members, congregations and councils to continue in love together, respecting this diversity of views, supporting each other through the pain and tension of our divisions, seeking the mind of Christ and working together to fulfil the purposes of God in the world.
Resolution 34 Human Sexuality - Statement
In order to test the mind of the church regarding homosexuality, General Assembly asks the councils of the church to consider the Human Sexuality Report 1999 and to come to a view on the following statement:
In the context of the affirmations commended to the church in Resolution 31, the United Reformed Church affirms and welcomes people of homosexual orientation within the life of the church and society, but does not believe that there is a sufficiently clear mind within the church at this time to affirm the acceptability of homosexual practice.
Resolution 35 Human Sexuality - Refers to Council
General Assembly: (i) invites local churches, district councils and synods to discuss the statement contained in Resolution 34;
(ii) agrees that if any local church, district council or synod passes a resolution that the statement be not accepted by a majority of members present and voting at a duly convened meeting of such a body, notice of such a resolution must reach the General Secretary by 14th March 2000;
(iii) agrees that if by 14th March 2000 such notice has been received from more than one third of local churches or more than one third of district councils or more than one third of synods, then the Assembly in its concern for the unity of the church shall not proceed to accept the statement;
(iv) agrees that if by 14th March 2000 such notice has not been received, a motion to accept the statement shall be put to the Annual Meeting of the Assembly in 2000, such motion requiring a simple majority of the members present and voting to pass.
Resolution 36 Human Sexuality - Section O Process
General Assembly declares that the adoption of the statement contained in Resolution 34 would not of itself justify bringing a case under the Section O Process against a minister in a homosexual relationship (Basis, Schedule E, para. 2).
Resolution 37 Human Sexuality - Further Work
General Assembly asks Mission Council to do further work on the consequences (as indicated in section 8.7 of the Human Sexuality Report 1999) of accepting the statement in Resolution 34 and to report to the next Annual Meeting of the Assembly.
Resolution 38 Human Sexuality - 1997 Resolution 19
General Assembly deems that, with the reception of the reports requested under the terms of Resolution 18 of 1997, the process of further reflection and discussion set out in that resolution is complete, and therefore agrees that Resolution 19 of 1997 no longer applies.
Resolution 39 Human Sexuality - Working Groups
General Assembly:
(i) commends to the church the report of the Working Group on the Nature of Biblical Authority for the life of the Church, and encourages local churches to deepen their studies of the Scriptures in an atmosphere of open listening in order for the study of Scripture to come more alive throughout the church;
(ii) requests the Mission Council to consider the recommendations of the Working Group on the Authority of the General Assembly and Other Councils and to report to a future Assembly;
(iii) commends to the church the report of the Working Group on Ordination and Human Sexuality as an aid to study in the continuing discussions;
(iv) offers to the church the report of the Working Group on Wider Issues of Human Sexuality to assist in further reflection.
Resolution 40 Human Sexuality - Thanks and Commendation
General Assembly thanks the Core Group and Working Groups for their work, and commends to the United Reformed Church the Human Sexuality Report 1999.
The supporting text for these resolutions is to be found in the separate book circulated to all Assembly members under the title "Human Sexuality Report 1999".
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