How to Watch a General Assembly, Part 2

Serious "GA junkies" follow the business of the Assembly closer than a bookie follows the ponies. They have identified those items they want to follow, scoped out the best seats in the gallery, and customized their "home page" on pc-biz. Pray you don't become one of them.

Seriously, the constitutionally essential function of the General Assembly is its consideration of the various reports, overtures, requests, and referrals that come before it. The Stated Clerk will undoubtedly announce the number at some point, but typically it can reach 400 distinct items of business. That's a lot to process in five and a half days.

The sheer volume of business places a great responsibility on the standing committees that make recommendations to the plenary assembly on each item of business. There are 20 such committees this Assembly, with an average size of 45 commissioners and advisory delegates in each. The assignment of commissioners to committees is determined by computer, and although it is not entirely random it is not biased.

The schedule of each committee is posted on pc-biz and is typically the same: introductory matters on Sunday evening, open forums Monday morning, and then the tasks of deliberating and making recommendations on each item before them, wrapping up before dinner Tuesday. (It is not uncommon for some committees to work into Tuesday night.) Committee leadership will typically organize the agenda to begin with relatively non-controversial matters to assist the group in building confidence and community. Assembly goers should plan to sit in on two or at most three committees. Otherwise, you lose the ability to follow the dynamics of each committee.

This year, commissioners will be seated by committee, not presbytery, in the plenary assembly. There is no clear rationale for why this is so. In my opinion, it only makes the work of presbytery staff trying to support their commissioners much more difficult, and makes it more difficult for each presbytery's commissioners to develop as a community.  [UPDATE: The Assembly organizers have heard the concerns about this arrangement and have returned to seating commissioners by presbytery.]

Plenary convenes after lunch on Wednesday and will process every business item except for final budgets by Friday night. A good moderator makes a tremendous difference in how smoothly and civilly the plenary sessions are. At the last Assembly, the moderator was so efficient that items of business were processed faster than the Assembly could keep up, resulting in a record number of votes for reconsideration.

The sheer size of the assembly hall can make it difficult as a visitor to track the proceedings. There are television monitors around the convention hall where it is often easier to see and hear the proceedings. The chairs are often more comfortable too.

After attending 12 assemblies, I have noticed there are some "stock characters" that show up at each meeting: the chastising EAD, the angry elder, the rainbow liberal, the ambitious TSAD, the crying YAAD. They will all be there this year too -- all part of the gloriously diverse community that makes a General Assembly. I am one of those people too - the "polity wonk." During the committee time, I will be serving as the Advisory Committee on the Constitution resource to assembly committee 5 (Mid Councils Review). During the plenary I can be found directly behind the commissioners near the corresponding members microphone, where the ACC is seated. Feel free to stop by during breaks and say hi. I will keep my daily journal of reflections on the Assembly and its business as the drama unfolds. I hope you will keep reading.