General Overseer Announces GA18 Agenda Release
Church of God General Overseer Tim Hill has announced the release of the official agenda for the upcoming 77th International General Assembly will be Tuesday, June 19. The document contains items which will be considered by the International General Council during business sessions held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando July 31 – August 3, 2018.
“In some way since 1996 when I was first elected to the Council of Eighteen as a 36-year-old pastor, I’ve had at least some small role to play in the General Council/Assembly agenda preparation,” Hill stated. “I’ve watched former General Overseers and Executive Committees wrestle with agendas during all that time. I really believe that every former Church of God Executive Committee sincerely wanted to bring the most cutting edge and forward-thinking proposals to the General Assembly as possible. I know that is certainly true of the current Executive Committee, the Council of Eighteen, and those of you who have proposed various motions for consideration.”
Hill noted the importance of studying the agenda when it is released, pondering it and making it a matter of fervent prayer before arriving at the General Assembly.
“Nobody wants to waste time or money coming to a gathering only to go away feeling as if nothing significant was accomplished,” Hill explained. The General Council, consisting of all ordained bishops registered and in attendance, will first debate the issues on the agenda before returning the final document to the General Assembly, which consists of all registered delegates ages 16 and above. The General Assembly has the final vote on the agenda during a session set for Friday, August 3.
“There’s really nothing that can be compared to it,” Hill said of the General Council. “Two thousand or so people representing a global movement of 7.4 million others. With a bicameral structure of the General Council passing recommendations on to the General Assembly, we try to weigh and balance the issues to determine the best interest of the church and what will most effectively enlarge the Kingdom of God.”
Hill stated that this year’s agenda is not unlike many others in that it will contain visionary resolutions and motions, some house-keeping and structural items, and a few “Special Orders of the Day.”
“What is different about the 2018 agenda is that there is only one election process that will take place and that will be for the Council of Eighteen,” Hill continued. “Some three to four hours may be spared from the typical voting process. These ‘extra’ few hours must be used with great care and prayerful intent.”
Commenting about the contents of the agenda, Hill said, “there is an intentional focus on the Great Commission. While there are numerous administrative items, they are surrounded by motions and resolutions that speak specifically to our role as a church in fulfilling and finishing the Great Commission.”
All motions in the agenda will flow under six unique and meaningful resolutions stemming from the book released last November entitled “The Essential Alignment of Priorities, Paradigms and Purpose.” Each motion or resolution will be categorized under one of the following headings:
Visional Actualization
Doctrinal Affirmation
Structural Acclimation
Ministerial Activation
Generational Assimilation
Spiritual Acceleration
According to Hill there will be at least three “Special Orders of the Day” during the General Council sessions. These orders of the day fall under the heading of “FINISH Commitment Contextualization.” They will be, “brief but informative, insightful, and helpful to our mission as a church. Special presenters, including Sammy Rodriguez, Bruce Deel and Mark Rutland, will address how the FINISH Commitment can be applied not only personally, but nationally, globally, as well as in an urban setting.”
Hill pointed out there will be several important items to consider, including debate on the use of the term “ordained bishop.” This item was referred to a committee in 2016 and will be discussed as a part of the 2018 agenda. In addition the motions committee will be operational throughout the meeting until 2:00 pm on Thursday in order to receive and process any motions originating from the floor of the General Council.
“The bottom line is that God is bringing us together in the Spirit and Power of Pentecost,” Hill concluded. “Together, we will focus on the Great Commission FINISH – and I believe when we leave Orlando, we will depart united with the Lord providing us divine direction.”
The 77th International General Assembly Agenda will be released via the General Assembly website (ga18.org) and will be located under the “Event Details” tab.
