“A community of global concern” was the theme of the past week’s General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, and set the tone for the business at hand. Under the leadership of this year’s Moderator, the Rt Rev Dr Frank Sellar, and taking inspiration from the book of Jonah, consideration was given to how we all are involved in the Mission of God, both in Ireland and elsewhere.
More specifically, how we are to view the past, and the content of marriage services, were among the issues discussed.
The format of this year’s Assembly differed slightly from recent years. Alongside the necessary business, a substantial amount of time was afforded to strategic thinking. A presentation from the Council for Church in the Public Square , was coupled with a vision statement, read to the entire Assembly. It reads:
“We members of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, saved by grace and called by God to grace-filled relationships, in the power of the Holy Spirit as ambassadors of Christ’s Kingdom in a broken and divided world; believe that the Good News of Jesus Christ challenges and equips us to develop radically new attitudes and relationships with our neighbours throughout the whole of Ireland.
“We confess our failure to live as Biblically faithful Christian peacebuilders and to promote the counter culture of Jesus in a society where cultures clash.
“Accordingly, we affirm Christian peacebuilding to be part of Christian discipleship and reassert the Church’s calling to pursue a peaceful and just society in our day.
“We seek a more reconciled community at peace with each other, where friend and foe, working together for the common good, can experience healing and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The implications of this statement are manifold. The live issue of sectarianism is acutely felt in many communities.
The challenges and opportunities of living in an increasingly multi-cultural, multi- faith society for Jesus’ sake must always be prayerfully considered.
The implications of last year’s Marriage Referendum in the Republic of Ireland led to concerns among some ministers who are registered as solemnisers of weddings in Presbyterian churches.
Great freedom
Historically, while there are various forms of service available to Presbyterian Ministers and some previously approved by the General Assembly, there has been great freedom for a minster to use his or her own language in conducting a marriage.
However, in consultation with Irish law-makers, and with the approval of the An tÁrd-Chláraitheoir, a slight change to the Presbyterian marriage service is recommended.
A change to the Code – the guidelines for how Presbyterians conduct their activities, now includes the following paragraph – “Marriage under the form and discipline of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland shall include the following statement: ‘Since the beginning of creation God, in his gracious purpose, provided marriage as the accepted way in which a man and a woman can come together as husband and wife. This is the only basis on which marriage can take place within the Presbyterian Church in Ireland’.”