To the Venerable the General Assembly:

WHEREAS the concepts of mutual accountability, empathetic collegiality, and partnership in ministry are at the heart of Presbyterianism, and these concepts demand integrity – integrity that is lacking unless the elders participating in a presbytery undertake ministry with a common understanding of the gospel for ordination, teaching, gospel witness, and discipline; and

WHEREAS we are a denomination that is deeply divided theologically, as evidenced by:

1. the report from the 2019 General Assembly’s “Special Committee Regarding Implications of Option B (Inclusion)”, which states, “In truth we differ theologically on many things: the role of scripture, the virgin birth, the resurrection, the place of children, of women and the priorities of the church,” and by:
2. “Remit B, 2019”, which states, “The Presbyterian Church in Canada holds two parallel definitions of marriage” and “That congregations, sessions, ruling and teaching elders be granted liberty of conscience and action on marriage,” and “Remit C, 2019”, which states, “That congregations and presbyteries may call and ordain as ministers and elect and ordain as ruling elders LGBTQI persons (married or single) with the provision that liberty of conscience and action regarding participation in ordinations, inductions and installations be granted to ministers and ruling elders;” and

WHEREAS being bound in an organizational structure that requires agreement to only one statement of theology has, for many years:

1. detracted from our ability to focus on our ministries,
2. reduced the opportunity for congregations within presbyteries to minister together,
3. greatly diminished our sense of brotherhood and sisterhood, and
4. led to ongoing conflict; and

WHEREAS organizational partitioning into two theologically based synods provides an organizational context for the dual understanding of marriage noted in the remits; partitioning removes ongoing friction that arises when we force our theological views on one another; and partitioning opens the door to ministries released from conflicting beliefs and consequent ministry-harming debates; and

WHEREAS, if General Assembly approves “Remit B, 2019” and Remit C, 2019” without a corresponding, theologically based partitioning, this scenario has been deemed, by legal opinion provided to all presbytery clerks, though not shared with all presbyters, not to provide ministers and congregations with liberty of action on marriage in Canada’s secular courts.  Accordingly, the absence of theologically based partitioning will negate the liberty of conscience and action that “Remit B, 2019” and “Remit C, 2019” seek to provide; and

WHEREAS the lack of theologically based partitioning sends a clear message that today’s “liberty of conscience and action” is a temporary step on a continuing path of our denomination’s eroding beliefs; and

WHEREAS our denomination is at risk of collapse if Biblically orthodox congregations, feeling forced to change their beliefs, opt instead to leave; and

WHEREAS there is precedent for “elective-affinity presbyteries” (among Presbyterians in the United States in the 1830s) enabling those with differing theological convictions and practices to collaborate – maintaining those convictions and practices within respective presbyteries while still functioning within one national General Assembly structure; and

WHEREAS our denomination already permits presbyteries with wide geographic bounds, and with secondary bounds of ethnicity, and language or culture; and

WHEREAS a reorganization of presbyteries is needed because some of our 45 geographic presbyteries are too unpopulated to be able to function effectively and optimally, and such a reorganization is possible because the past year has shown us that much of the business of the courts of the Church can be conducted successfully by videoconference; and

WHEREAS there are some national functions that are independent of theological considerations (e.g., pensions and benefits, Leading with Care, archives, PWS&D relief efforts);

THEREFORE, the Session of Grace, West Hill, Toronto, Ontario, humbly overtures the Venerable, the 2021 General Assembly to:

• authorize the formation of presbyteries along theological lines with accommodating geographic boundaries; and
• immediately authorize and encourage congregational leaders to connect with other congregational leaders of like mind and heart to implement, as an interim measure, presbyteries of care and missional vision, compassion and accountability, for consideration at the next General Assembly; and
• initiate steps to form two national synods, each with total autonomy in their matters of doctrine, ordination, teaching and discipline; and
• confine General Assembly responsibilities, when the two synods gather together, to matters common to both synods; and
• defer enacting “Remit B, 2019” and Remit C, 2019”, if they are adopted, until such time as steps necessary to adopt and fully operationalize theologically based partitions (two national synods) can be implemented;

or to do otherwise as the General Assembly, in its wisdom, deems best.