First Presbyterian Church, Boulder

"…endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (Ephesians 4:3, NKJV)

The Denominational Connections Committee is one of 12 committees of Session and is made up of active elders, reserve elders, and lay persons.

The scope of this committee includes overview, education and communications for activities of the PC(USA)’s General Assembly, Synod of the Rocky Mountains, and Presbytery of Plains and Peaks that relate to the governance and actions by these bodies that may have issues pertinent to First Pres Boulder.

Additionally, the committee may be asked by Session to review and make
recommendations of special interests to the Session and/or congregation. An example would be the distribution of special budgeted funds or gifts to assist small Presbyterian churches within our Presbytery.

Sometimes, issues of controversy may arise in the denomination. In such cases, the committee, in conjunction with Session, may coordinate the response of our church and any communication about these matters to the congregation.

In late 2005, a Task Force of the General Assembly issued a report on the “Peace, Unity, and Purity of the Church” that contained some controversial recommendations in the area of ordination standards.

The 219th General Assembly met in Minneapolis, July 2010. A number of governance issues were discussed and major issues were identified that required further actions by the 173 Presbyteries and approximately 11,000 churches.

For details concerning these issues go to our Presbyterian Church USA General Assembly Action page.

Special Meeting for Discussions of the Current Issues Within PC(USA)

Our church leadership continues to be concerned about the many issues facing our denomination at both the Presbytery and General Assembly levels.  The decline of membership and financial position as well as a continuing division among the leadership dilute the focus for God’s mission for His church.  FPC is recognized as a leader in the PC(USA).  Many other churches are well aware of the denomination’s issues and have the same concerns.

For over a year, a group of pastors throughout the denomination have discussed our situation and feel we cannot continue in our current direction.  They accept some responsibility for the lack of a unified leadership across the larger churches and do not want to support our continued decline.  A letter was presented to the churches, February 2, 2011, including a recommended proposal after this group of pastors met with different groups within the denomination and the leadership at the General Assembly office.  It appears that everyone agrees we are not dealing with all the issues and there is justification for serious discussion about a possible new direction.  A meeting has been scheduled for August 25-26, 2011, in Edina, Minnesota to discuss a proposal that has a clear focus and values to change from our current disagreements based governing.  This meeting is opened to all pastors and elders in the PC(USA) that have a like-minded position. The proposal has a recommended direction for transition, if it is determined that a common understanding of being “Reformed Presbyterians” cannot be achieved.
Your FPC Session has approved, April 12th, the attendance of representatives to the August meeting.

For more information about the invitation to be in attendance at the August meeting in MN, please see:  www.fellowship-pcusa.org/documents/  CLICK:  A Letter to the PC(USA) (February 2, 2011).

Contact:

Members with questions or comments about the work of the Denominational Connections Committee or about issues in the Presbyterian Church (USA) are welcome to send them to .