Welcome!

Welcome to the third biennial installment of the Insider's Guide to the General Assembly.  The purpose of this blog is not just to report what the Assembly does in Pittsburgh, but to reflect on how it happened and what it means for the church.  If you want to get a sense of how this works, I invite you to take a look at my two previous Insider's Guide blogs, ga218insider.blogspot.com and ga219insider.blogspot.com.

Let me introduce myself.  I am the Executive Presbyter of the Presbytery of Plains and Peaks, located in Colorado and Nebraska.  The presbytery is something of a microcosm of the church, with well-developed evangelical and progressive wings, and a small, beleaguered middle.  Since most of my followers have some connection to the presbytery, the posts may be geared to the issues with which we are dealing, although they will be of general interest as well.

I am also what people call a "polity wonk."  I am completing my six year term on the Advisory Committee on the Constitution at this assembly.  Previously, I served on the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission, and am one of a select group to have served on both bodies.  For the past two years I have also served as the ACC liaison to the Mid Councils Commission, and will be resourcing the Mid Council Review standing committee at the Assembly.  You can find a more complete curriculum vitae at my personal website, dansaperstein.blogspot.com.  

Look for pre-assembly blog posts in the coming weeks dealing with how to make the most of a visit to the Assembly, and my annual list of top issues.  Then, during the Assembly, I will post daily updates of Assembly highlights, lowlights, and sidelights.

Hold on tight, this Assembly promises to be one wild ride!!