Guide to the Covenant Network of Presbyterians Records

Descriptive Summary

Title

Covenant Network of Presbyterians Records

Inclusive Dates

1987-2011

Bulk Dates

1997-2008

Call Number

RG 531

Creator(s)

Covenant Network of Presbyterians.

Quantity

5.00 cubic feet (5 boxes)

Language

Materials primarily in English

Restrictions on Access

Open for research. Medical, educational, and psychological records of living people are closed. Access is restricted to some folders in Series II, please consult repository for details.

Digital Content

To browse this collection's digitized content visit Pearl.

Materials marked "Digital" in the Collection Inventory may not have been digitized in their entirety.

Repository

Presbyterian Historical Society, 425 Lombard Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147-1516 USA

Biographical Note / Administrative History

Administrative History

The Covenant Network of Presbyterians was formed in 1997 to work for creating a more inclusive church for LGBTQIA+ members and their families while seeking to build unity among all Presbyterians. The group was formed by John Buchanan, a pastor at Fourth Presbyterian Church (Chicago, IL), and Robert Bohl following Buchanan’s time as moderator of the 208th General Assembly in 1996. During this assembly, the PC(USA) passed Amendment G-6.0106b to the Book of Order. The Amendment, known as the “fidelity-chastity” amendment, meant to bar LGBTQ Presbyterians from ordination by explicitly naming fidelity in marriage or chastity in singleness as ordination requirements.

Buchanan and Bohl organized a group of LGBTQ allies who were committed to removing Amendment B from the Book of Order and replacing it with the more inclusive language of Amendment A. This amendment, known as the “fidelity-integrity” amendment, proposed changing the language used in Amendment B to "Among these standards [for ordination] is the requirement to demonstrate fidelity and integrity in marriage or singleness and in all relationships of life.”

The Covenant Network facilitated dialogue, presented at General Assemblies, and strategized with local Covenant Network chapters to pass Amendment A from 1998 until the amendment was passed in 2011. The Covenant Network then advocated for marriage equality in the church by drafting and working to pass Amendment F. This Amendment was passed in 2014 and revised the section on marriage in the Book of Order to include same-sex relationships.

From its formation in 1997, the Covenant Network focused on creating unity amongst Presbyterians who disagreed. Pam McLucas Byers, a ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and member at Old First Presbyterian Church in San Francisco, served as the first Executive Director of the Covenant Network. She worked for justice in the church while also facilitating difficult conversations across the theological spectrum.

Collection Overview

This collection contains correspondence, minutes from strategy meetings, and legal resources created by the Covenant Network of Presbyterians as the group primarily worked to revise ordination standards in the Book of Order while maintaining unity across the Presbyterian Church (USA). Most of the files were created and maintained by Pam Byers, the first Executive Director of the Covenant Network.

The Meetings and Conferences series, 1997-2011, contains minutes, dockets, and planning correspondence related to strategy meetings, executive committee meetings, and board meetings of the Covenant Network. This series also contains planning notes, programs, photographs, and audiocassettes from the Covenant Network’s annual conferences hosted each November.

Also included in this series are five folders of correspondence (primarily from John Buchanan or Pam Byers to other members of the Covenant Network) arranged chronologically. The correspondence includes notes on the initial formation of the Covenant Network, meeting memos, conference planning, General Assembly strategizing, and thank you letters to donors.

The Legal Resources series, 1998-2008, contains subject files on cases that were brought before the Permanent Judicial Commission. These include correspondence related to the charges, accusation letters, statements of dissent, and briefs. Also included is correspondence and publications from the Covenant Network on how to handle charges brought against churches that were ordaining LGBTQIA+ Presbyterians or officiating same-sex marriages. (Note that some folders in this series are restricted as they contain sensitive information related to ordination disputes throughout the PC(USA). Inquire with the PHS Executive Director for permission to view this material.)

The Subject Files series, 1987-2011, contains files on specific issues or topics that staff worked on such as passing Amendment A, responding to the Call to Sabbatical, or creating the documentary “Turning Points.” The files vary, but include correspondence, publications, news clippings, and reports.

Organization and Arrangement

The collection is arranged as follows:

SERIES I: MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES, 1997-2011

SERIES II: LEGAL RESOURCES, 1998-2008

SERIES III: SUBJECT FILES, 1987-2011

Alternative Formats

To browse this collection's digitized content visit Pearl.

Materials marked "Digital" in the Collection Inventory may not have been digitized in their entirety.

Related Material

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

Transferred from the Covenant Network of Presbyterians office in 2012 and 2019.

Processing Information

Collection processed and guide prepared in 2021 by Elizabeth Wittrig, Processing Archivist, as part of the Pam Byers Memorial Collection.

Preferred Citation

Covenant Network of Presbyterians Records, RG 531, Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Catalog Headings

The following headings have been used to index the description of this collection in the society’s electronic catalog.

Personal Name Subject

Buchanan, John M., 1938-

Byers, Pam, 1947-2014.

Corporate Subject

Covenant Network of Presbyterians.

Topical Subject

Homosexuality--Religious aspects--Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)--History--20th century.

Ordination of gay people--Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)--History--20th century.

Ordination of lesbians--Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)--History--20th century.

Gay clergy--United States--History--20th century.

Genre-form

Correspondence. aat

Legal documents. aat

Minutes (administrative records) aat

Photographs. aat

Sound recordings. aat

Subject files. local

Collection Inventory

Box	Folder	Description	Alternative Formats

		SERIES I: MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES, 1997-2011

1	1	Correspondence, 1997 June-September
1	1	Correspondence - Letter from John M. Buchanan, 1997 August 1	Digital
1	1	Correspondence - Covenant Network press release, 1997	Digital
1	2	Correspondence, 1997 September-1998 January
1	2	Correspondence - Covenant Connection newsletter, vol. 1, no. 1, 1997 November	Digital
1	2	Correspondence - Covenant Connection newsletter, vol. 1, no. 2, 1997 December	Digital
1	2	Correspondence - Presbyterian Coalition letter and "Amendment A" advertisements, 1997	Digital
1	3	Correspondence, 1998 January-April
1	4	Correspondence, 1998 May-December
1	5	Correspondence, 1999
1	6	Meetings, Covening Gathering, 1997 September
1	6	Meetings, Covening Gathering - Convening Gathering of Covenant Network of Presbyterians invitation, 1997 August 7	Digital
1	6	Meetings, Covening Gathering - Ideas for a position description for a coordinator, 1997 July 23	Digital
1	6	Meetings, Covening Gathering - Letter from John Wilkinson to Robert Bohl and John Buchanan, 1997 July 23	Digital
1	6	Meetings, Covening Gathering - Letter from Pam Byers to John Wilkinson, 1997 July 23	Digital
1	6	Meetings, Covening Gathering - Letter from Robert Bohl to Pamela Byers, 1997 July 29	Digital
1	6	Meetings, Covening Gathering - Letter from Pam Byers, 1997 September 22	Digital
1	7	Meetings, 1998 January-March
1	8	Meetings, 1998 May-November
1	9	Meetings, General Assembly Luncheon, 1998 June
1	10	Meetings, 1999 March-April
1	11	Meetings, General Assembly Luncheon [includes audiocassette], 1999 June
1	12	Meetings, 1999 September-November
1	13	Meetings, 2000 January-February
1	14	Meetings, 2000 May-August
1	15	Meetings, 2001
1	16	Meetings, 2002

2	1	Meetings, 2003
2	2	Meetings, 2004
2	3	Meetings, 2005
2	4	Meetings, 2006 February-June
2	5	Meetings, 2006 July-November
2	6	Meetings, 2007
2	7	Meetings, 2008
2	8	Meetings, 2009
2	9	Meetings, 2010
2	10	Annual conference, "Living Faithfully in the Church When We Disagree," 1998
2	10	"Becoming the Body," speech delivered by John M. Buchannan, 1998	Digital
2	11	Annual conference, "Living Faithfully in the Church When We Disagree" [includes audiocassette of John M. Buchanan and Peter Gomes remarks], 1998
2	12-13	Annual conference, "Living Faithfully in the Church When We Disagree" videocassettes one-five, 1998
2	14	Annual conference, "Jesus Christ and the Church," 1999
2	15	Annual conference, "Biblical Authority and the Church," 2000
2	16	Annual conference, "Biblical Authority and the Church" audiocassettes, 2000

3	1	Annual conference, "Christ Transforming Culture" [includes eight audiocassettes], 2001
3	2	Annual conference, "Confessing Christ Today," 2002
3	3	Annual conference, "Confessing Christ Today" photographs, 2002
3	4	Annual conference, "The Church We Are Called To Be and To Become," 2003
3	5	Annual conference, "The Church We Are Called To Be and To Become" photographs and videocassette of Covenant Network Dinner, 2003
3	6	Annual conference, "Thinking Theologically About Sex," 2004
3	7	Annual conference, "Disciples in Community," 2005
3	8	Annual conference, "Discerning the Call," 2006
3	9	Annual conference, "God's Faithful Still" audiocassettes, 2008
3	10	Annual conference, "Reconciling: Voices, Visions, Vocations," 2011

		SERIES II: LEGAL RESOURCES, 1998-2008

3	11	Legal cases - Presbytery of Northern New England correspondence, 1998-2000
3	12	Legal cases - Presbytery of Northern New England briefs, 1999-2000
3	13	Legal cases - Sacramento Presbytery, 2003
3	14	Legal cases - Stamford correspondence, 1999-2000 [Restricted - permission required from PHS]
3	15	Legal cases - Presbyteries, 1999-2008 [Restricted - permission required from PHS]
3	16	Legal cases - Sessions, 1998-2007 [Restricted - permission required from PHS]
3	17	Legal cases - summaries, 1998-2002
3	18	Legal cases - press releases, 1998-2003
3	19-20	Legal issues - Amendment B, 1998
3	21	Legal/Polity conferences, 2002
3	22	Legal/Polity conference, 2006

4	1	Legal/Polity conference, 2007
4	2	Legal resources - ordination, 1999-2006
4	3	Legal resources - marriage, 2006

		SERIES III: SUBJECT FILES, 1987-2011

4	4	Advisory Committee on the Constitution protest letters, 2000-2001
4	5	Amendment A and Covenant of Dissent, 1995-1998
4	6	Amendment B - arguments against, 1996-2009
4	7	Amendment O, 2000-2001
4	8	Call to Covenant Community, 1998-1999
4	9	Call to Sabbatical organizing correspondence, 1998-2005
4	10-11	Columbia Theological Seminary Colloquium audiocassettes, 2003 April
4	12	"Frequently Asked Questions About Sexuality, the Bible, and the Church" correspondence, 2005-2010
4	13	Funding (Dear Friends letters and budgets), 1997-2012
4	14	General Assembly resources, 2001
4	14	General Assembly resources - "We Need Middle Ground" pamphlet, 2001	Digital
4	15	General Assembly Committee on Ordination Standards presentation, 2001
4	16	General Assembly presentation slides, 2001

5	1	General Assembly presentation slides, 2001
5	2	General Assembly resources, 2002
5	3	General Assembly resources [includes photographs], 2003
5	4	General Assembly resources, 2004-2008
5	5	General Assembly resources, 2010
5	6	"Hard Wired" presentation by Doug Nave, 2004
5	7	Holy Unions, 1987-2011
5	8	Institute for Democracy Studies report, 1996-2000
5	9	Local Covenant Network groups - organizing materials, 1999-2005
5	10	Local Covenant Network groups - Chapter meetings, 1999-2011
5	11	New stories and media, 1997-2011
5	12	Presbytery organizing, 1997-1998
5	13	Presbytery voting statistics, 1997-1998
5	14	Rogers, Jack - videos and books, 2003-2010
5	15	Seminary contacts, 1999-2000
5	16	Shepherd, Barry poem, 1998
5	17	"Turning Points" (documentary by the Covenant Network) DVD and releases, 2004-2006
5	18	Turning Points correspondence, 2003-2007
5	19	Videocassettes - "Questioning Faith by Macky Alston" undated
5	19	Videocassettes - "Witness Our Welcome" worship, 2000	Digital
5	19	Videocassettes - "So Great a Cloud of Witnesses: the Story of the Shower of Stoles," 2002	Digital

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Guide to the Covenant Network of Presbyterians Records

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