Young adults and veterans help shape debate
June 30, 2026
Beth Waltemath
Presbyterian News Service
MILWAUKEE — The 227th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) spent much of Tuesday afternoon wrestling with questions of ministry preparation, artificial intelligence, Christian nationalism and the readiness of a new confession of faith. Young adults and U.S. veterans offered passionate testimonies that helped guide the assembly. Commissioners also confirmed two seminary presidents, Dr. Travis Frampton as president of the University of Dubuque and University of Dubuque Theological Seminary and the Rev. Dr. Maisha Handy as president of McCormick Theological Seminary, and advanced a proposal for continued work on a possible new confession.
After debate that carried over from Tuesday morning’s plenary, ORD-07, which offered new ordination pathways, was approved after lengthy debate on the report of the Task Force on the Theology and Practice of Ordination. A proposed amendment from the Rev. Dr. Sean Chow of the Presbytery of San Diego sought to create a successor task force to continue examining ordination within the PC(USA). Chow argued the church was attempting to address adaptive challenges with technical fixes and needed a broader review of ordination practices. “We need wholehearted change in the structure,” he said.
The proposal drew opposition from the Rev. Luke Maybry of the Presbytery of Charlotte, who warned, “We study things to death sometimes.” Maybry argued the assembly already had substantial work before it and did not need another task force. The amendment failed, 124-343. Commissioners then turned to the main recommendation.
Speaking against ORD‑07, the Rev. Dr. Steve Watts of the Presbytery of the Inland Northwest warned that the amended report “makes the ordination portfolio an option for everyone” and weakens preparation standards at a time when clear theological formation is urgently needed. “We are a church known for educated clergy,” Watts said, adding that this is critical in the face of movements like Christian nationalism that distort Scripture and confuse the gospel with political power. “That is not elitism; it is accountability.”
Supporting the recommendation, the Rev. Dan McCurdy of John Knox Presbytery argued the current system is no longer serving the church effectively. “Our system isn’t working,” he said. “If we just stay where we’re at, we slowly die out. We need something new.” Commissioners approved ORD-07 by a vote of 389-85.
In other action, commissioners approved ORD‑02 and ORD‑03, which clarify Book of Order language on the ministry of Word and Sacrament and launch a study of collaborative approaches to ordained ministry, concurred with their committee’s recommendation to disapprove ORD‑04 on ruling elders serving beyond the session, referred FIN‑06 on executive pay equity for further work, and postponed action on FIN‑12, a proposal to review restricted World Mission funds to be considered alongside RIW-01.
One of the afternoon’s most energetic conversations centered on RUS-08, “The Algorithm and the Almighty: Navigating Artificial Intelligence Through a Reformed Lens.”
The debate was notable for the significant role played by Young Adult Advisory Delegates. Priscilla Samuel, a YAAD from the Presbytery of the Coastlands, helped craft a successful amendment establishing stronger guardrails around generative AI in ministry. Samuel cautioned against overreliance on the technology. “AI is not a tool; it is a product designed to keep people using it,” Samuel said. “The church should not build ministry around a system whose goal it is to keep you hooked.” She added, “Let us not let machines do our faithful work for us.” YAADs across a wide theological spectrum spoke mostly in favor of the amendment before commissioners approved it 246-210. Kaden Gillum, a YAAD from the Presbytery of Transylvania, opposed strong prohibitions that could lead to investigating or disciplining pastors over “small usage of AI,” arguing the church’s focus should be on large tech structures and economic justice, not on scrutinizing every pastoral workflow. Tyler Wittmann, a YAAD from the Presbytery of Shenango, linked AI’s rapid expansion to the loss of creative jobs, insisting that AI can aid but must not replace human creativity and Spirit‑led preaching.
The Rev. Bob Jarman of St. Andrew Presbytery called the underlying overture “one of the finest documents I’ve read that floats through General Assembly in a long time,” praising its theological and biblical grounding. The Rev. Dr. Dan Turis of the Presbytery of Cincinnati questioned whether any AI policy could keep pace with rapidly changing technology, asking whether the church risked producing guidance that “will entirely look foolish in a short period of time.” The Rev. Dr. Melissa Allison of the Advisory Committee on the Constitution reminded commissioners that social witness policy differs from constitutional requirements. “We love our social witness policy,” Allison said. “It helps us understand how we feel, what we are thinking in prayer and discernment on specific topics, and it helps guide public witness such as statements from the Stated Clerk.” However, “it is not binding on this body in the same way as if we were to put it in the Book of Order.” The amended overture passed 368-88.
RUS-07 and RUS-01 addressed Christian nationalism. Commissioners approved RUS-07, “Standing Against White Christian Nationalism,” by a vote of 459-25. Before the vote, the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy’s the Rev. Erica Nelson defined white Christian nationalism as a political ideology that merges Christian identity with national identity and racial hierarchy. The Assembly then approved a substitute amendment for RUS-01, a constitutional amendment addressing Christian nationalism, by a vote of 458-15. Alongside constitutional concerns, two men on the floor voiced how patriotism and discipleship intersect in this debate. Speaking during RUS‑07, ruling elder Gary Helton of Holston Presbytery said, “I am a disabled American veteran. I am very proud of my service to my country, and I do not think that the American flag should be considered a symbol of hate.” Later, in the RUS‑01 debate, the Rev. Jerry Egbert of the Presbytery of South Louisiana also identified himself as “a permanently disabled veteran” who had “signed up and gave this country a life check, up to [and] including my life,” but reminded the Assembly that “God so loved the world, and so should we, the entire world.”
Commissioners voted 361–108 to disapprove RUS‑02, an overture to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, after debate over how Presbyterians should speak about U.S. history in light of Christian nationalism and historic harms. Dr. Ray Roberts of the Presbytery of the James opposed disapproval, warning that if the church says nothing in 2026, “our silence will speak volumes,” and arguing that Presbyterians should lift up parts of their tradition that defend freedom of conscience and religious liberty. Speaking for disapproval, Oak Arias, a corresponding member of the Advocacy Committee for Women and Gender Justice, said the church should not attach its name to a celebration of the nation’s founding given its roots in conquest and displacement: “This is not our country. We stole it from women, from Two‑Spirit people and from others,” Arias said, adding that to do so “goes against the tenets of our denomination.”
The afternoon concluded with debate on RUS-10, the report of the Special Committee to Write a New Confession. The Rev. Dr. Edwin Aponte, co-moderator of the special committee, urged action, saying the church stands in a status confessionis moment when the gospel is being threatened and compromised by “the heretical worship of power and money.” Citing the rise of extremist movements and the need for a faithful church response, Commissioner the Rev. Carrie Benton of Glacier Presbytery argued for moving forward. “The time is now. We cannot wait.”
Presenting a minority report, the Rev. Dr. Jerry Andrews of the Presbytery of San Diego argued that the proposed confession had not yet been widely studied across the denomination and should continue through a broader process of churchwide reflection. “The church is at its best when we work as a whole in sustained, committed conversation,” Andrews said. Commissioners adopted the minority report as a substitute motion and then approved the amended recommendation 382-39. Assistant Stated Clerk valerie izumi later clarified that the required committee of 15 “needs to be a different committee,” though current members who are teaching elders or ruling elders could be considered for appointment.
As the plenary adjourned, Dexter Mitchell, a YAAD from the Presbytery of de Cristo, offered a prayer that captured the spirit of the afternoon’s work: “Help us not to grow deeper in our own opinions, but instead that we may hear each other and grow deeper in our love for you and one another.”
You may freely reuse and distribute this article in its entirety for non-commercial purposes in any medium. Please include author attribution, photography credits, and a link to the original article. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDeratives 4.0 International License.
Use this form to sign up for any one or multiple blogs and/or newsletters at once. If you would like to learn more about each, please follow the link.
© 2026 Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). All rights reserved.
Leave a Reply