Overture
Drafts & ‘How to’ Instructions
Click here for an
index of overtures which you may download and adapt for your use.
Introduction
Overtures are an effective
way for the lower governing bodies to communicate with the whole church in
matters that concern us all. The process may seem cumbersome, but the outcome
can be significant positive change. Presbyterians Pro-Life and other renewal
partners want to help you find resources to support the overtures and be
successful in navigating the process.
The overture drafts on this
web page have come from the Board of Directors of
Ordinarily, initiatives such
as theseCovertures
and commissioner resolutionsCcomprise
less than 10% of the business at any General Assembly. The bulk of business is
brought through reports from church committees and entities.
You are invited to leaf
through these drafts to see if your own concerns are expressed here. If you
find a topic or topics of interest, read through the overture draft. Add,
subtract, or reword the sections in the “Resolve” and “Rationale” sections, so
that the overture becomes tailored to the thinking of your session on the
matter. Do not retain any language with which you do not agree or that you do
not understand. However, if you agree with a draft but need supporting data or
background information, Presbyterians Pro-Life can help you with that.
A Word About Concurrences
If you send up an overture
that is close in intent and wording to an overture from another presbytery, the
Office of the G.A. will ask if you wish to concur or withdraw. We encourage you
to concur. If you know an overture already exists on the subject, you may write
a separate rationale statement of your own. In that way your overture will be
business before the G.A., your written rationale will be additional argument in
support of the action you are seeking, and you will be permitted to have an
overture advocate speak to your overture before the committee at G.A. It can be
advantageous to show that more than a single presbytery has the same concern.
Please keep in mind that every presbytery is made up of multiple sessions and
an overture from a presbytery always represents the majority of the sessions of
a presbytery.
The drafts in this packet
also can be used as a format for writing an overture on a subject of concern
that you do not find in this collection. The Office of the General Assembly
uses a format that begins with a statement of resolve (what you are asking the
G.A. to do) followed by a statement of rationale. The examples in this collection
use that format. Overtures to G.A. from previous years can be found in the
journal of previous G.A.s, which pastors receive.
Most overtures begin as the work of an
individual or small group
An overture is simply a
statement that asks the G.A. to take some action. Most overtures begin as the
work of an individual or a group of people.
These individuals draft the overture and ask their sessions to approve
the overture and send it on to their presbytery for its approval. If the presbytery approves the overture
through a vote of its commissioners, it is sent on to the G.A. It is prudent to
follow up by checking with the Office of the G.A. to be sure your overture has
been received before the deadline. It’s a good idea to check out the wording of
your overture with G.A. process veterans. This step can help avoid unintended
consequences. Many renewal partners offer this help.
There are rules that apply to writing and
submitting overtures
The rules of the G.A.
require that overtures without financial implications sent from the
presbyteries and synods must be forwarded to the Stated Clerk and must be
postmarked no later than forty-five days before the convening of the
G.A. Overtures with financial
implications must be submitted no later than sixty days before the
convening of the G.A. Overtures proposing an amendment to the Constitution,
asking for interpretation of the Constitution, or dealing with authoritative
interpretation must be postmarked no later than one hundred twenty days before
the convening of the General Assembly. Overtures also may be faxed or emailed.
Be sure to verify that it has been received.
Overtures not received by
their respective deadlines are not considered by the G.A. They are returned to
the presbytery, and you will have to start again. Biennial G.A.s will mean a
much longer delay if your overture doesn’t make the deadline. You also may be
facing the necessity of another vote by your presbytery if the deadline isn’t
met. Presbyteries often have their own deadlines. You will want to find out
what those are from the Stated Clerk of your Presbytery.
Knowledge of the pertinent
rules regarding overtures in the Manual of the General Assembly, the
process your own presbytery follows on overtures, and the rules of
parliamentary procedure, are all helpful in increasing the prospects of success
for an overture. Preparation for presenting and defending your overture, both
in presbytery and at the General Assembly, is essential to the success of the
overture.
The Standing Rules of the
G.A. now also require consultation. The rule says, APresbyteries or synods
submitting overtures with a recommendation(s) that affects the work or budget
of a General Assembly entity(ies) shall submit evidence that the affected
entity(ies) has (have) been consulted. If such evidence is not submitted, the
Stated Clerk shall recommend that the overture be received and referred to a
future session of the General Assembly so that consultation may take place.” We
recommend that when your overture is sent to the Stated Clerk, you attach a
request that it be distributed to any entity whose budget or work might be
affected by it, inviting them to consult with the presbytery regarding any
comments or concerns that they have.
Timing, and organizing support for
the overture are important
As a practical timetable,
try to get your overture to your session as early as possible in the fall since
the session may choose to spend some time studying or revising your
proposal. Be aware of the meeting
schedule for your presbytery and its committees so your overture can be
brought before the presbytery in a timely manner. Sometimes both sessions and
presbyteries will want first and second readings.
At each level (session,
presbytery, and G.A.) it is possible for that governing body to adopt, not
adopt, take no action, or amend the overture.
When your session considers the overture, be sure that you or informed
session members can explain and support everything included in your draft.
Often, a presbytery committee will review the overtures and make recommendations
to the presbytery. Since questioning by
that committee will probably be thorough, be sure representatives supporting
the overture are at that meeting and are well-prepared. Before the presbytery meets to act on the
overture, it is important to know the wording of the motion that will be used
to bring the overture before the presbytery (e.g. will it be a motion to Aadopt@ the overture? a motion to Anot adopt@?) so that you can help
supporters of the overture to speak effectively to the motion on the floor
during the debate and you are clear about the meaning of a Ayes@ or Ano@ vote.
One of the tactical points
which often is neglected is the importance of mobilizing support for the
overture at the presbytery meeting where the overture will be debated and the
vote taken. It=s important to Aget out the vote@ in terms of voting
presbytery delegates, and it=s
important to put some effort into preparing delegates to defend the overture
effectively in floor debate at the meeting. Think about planning a meeting for
sympathetic presbytery delegates at which you can discuss points to be made in
debate and how the debate itself will be handled. Please take the time to
acquaint other supportive churches in your presbytery with the overture. Their support
at the presbytery meeting can be crucial.
When the overture is adopted, don=t
consider your work done until a good overture advocate is named
The presbytery will name
someone to advocate for your overture at General Assembly. You will want to be
prepared for that in advance. The overture will gain a better defense at G.A.
if the advocate is not a commissioner. Those who serve as both commissioner and
as overture advocate can expect to divide their time between committee
responsibilities and advocacy responsibilities that may take the commissioner
out of committee and even to another location in order to defend the overture.
Work to have an overture advocate named who can devote full time to being a
resource to the G.A. committee considering your overture. Rules pertaining to
overture advocates are in the Manual of the General Assembly.
Postmark deadlines for overtures to
the 219th GA (2010), Minneapolis , MN
120 day deadline:
60 day deadline:
45 day deadline:
Overtures not
received by the applicable deadline will be returned to the originating
governing body.
For assistance in any part of the overture process please don’t
hesitate to Contact Presbyterians Pro-Life at 412-487-1990 or by email.
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