Voting commissioners at the Presbyterian Church (USA)'s General Assembly which started on Saturday will be voting on various issues linked to human sexuality including same-sex marriage and the ordination standards.

The GA, taking place from June 30 to July 7 in Pittsburgh, involves voting on more than 800 individual items of business. The 688 voting commissioners, which include ordained clergy and ordained laypersons.

Other issues on the agenda include Middle East peace, and a re-organization the church's governing structure.

Same Sex- Marriage: Four presbyteries are calling for a constitutional change to the PC (USA)'s definition of marriage from "a woman and a man" to "two people." The measure must be ratified by a majority of presbyteries. Other overtures call for a reaffirmation of the current definition of marriage.

Ordination Standards: In the wake of last year's GA decision to remove the requirement that ordained church officers practice "fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness" an overture this year calls for additional requirements.

If adopted, Book of Order provision G-2.0104b would state: "Standards for ordained service reflect the church's desire to submit joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life" and would tie ordination decisions by presbyteries and sessions to the constitutional questions asked of all church officers when they are ordained and/or installed.

Other presbyteries have asked for the restoration of the 1996 ordination standard.

Middle East peace: The PC(USA)'s Committee on Mission Responsibility Through Investment is recommending that the denomination divest itself of stock in three companies – Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard and Motorola Solution – it says are "profiting from non-peaceful pursuits in Israel-Palestine."

A separate measure calls for "a plan of active investment in projects that will support collaboration among Christians, Jews, and Muslims and help in the development of a viable infrastructure for a future Palestinian state."