When asked by a council member why the words “General Assembly” wasn’t (sic) included in the new name, Kruse said that the term “General Assembly” tends to attached itself to a legislative body, while “we are a board that overseas (sic) the PCUSA mission.”

The General Assembly Mission Council will have a new name following the approval of the 2012 General Assembly. Once the assembly gives its approval, the staff organization component of the GAMC will become the Presbyterian Mission Agency. The elected members of the governing board will be called the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board.

Mike Kruse, chairman of the GAMC, said that when the new Form of Government went into effect in July, the middle governing bodies (presbyteries and synods) were renamed mid-councils, “so we can’t be the General Assembly Mission Council.” Kruse said that the since the GAMC is not a governing body, it should no longer be called a council.

During the council’s discussion of the name change, GAMC member Steve Aeschbacher proposed an amendment to instead call the council “Presbyterian Mission.” He said in earlier discussions Presbyterian Mission was the most popular suggestion and it was only out of respect for a few comments from mid-council representatives that the “Agency” was added.

“I really think that Presbyterian Mission is a better name,” Aeschbacher said. “I think ‘agency’ is wrong in every kind of way … it sounds wrong, cold, bureaucratic. It is the wrong message to send.”

Kruse said that the mid-councils “felt that the term Presbyterian Mission implied that GAMC does all the mission of the church … They were looking for something that was more qualifying.”

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