The 16-member Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA) oversees and supports the ministry of the State Clerk and staff and partners with OGA in carrying out work assigned by the General Assembly.

The work of OGA is carried out through departments under the direction of the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, who is elected by the assembly to a four-year term. The Stated Clerk of the General Assembly is the chief executive officer of the Office of the General Assembly (OGA) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

Elected to a four-year term by the General Assembly, the Stated Clerk is an elder or minister of the Word and Sacrament of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), with a strong commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord and to the mission of the church as informed by Scriptures and the church’s confessions and theological positions.

Responsibilities assigned to the Stated Clerk are spelled out in The Structural Design for Mission, the Manual of the General Assembly and the Book of Order. The duties of OGA fall primarily into four areas:

• duties assigned to the Stated Clerk
• responsibilities outlined in the Book of Order
• functions designated in the Standing Rules of the General Assembly
• assignments made by each General Assembly

The Stated Clerk chairs a staff coordinating cabinet (consisting of the director of each department), which plans and coordinates the work of OGA during monthly meetings. Within the OGA structure, there are seven associate stated clerks (appointed by the General Assembly) and 10 assistant stated clerks (appointed by COGA upon the recommendation of the Stated Clerk).