Proposed Amendments
Presbyteries & Sessions:
G-11.0504
G-11.0504
The Presbytery's Committee on
Primary Synod
Ministry shall look to their
Sub-Synods and Primary Synod
(Auburn or
General Assembly Westminster) for guidance.
Agencies Each
Primary Synod (Westminster
or
Auburn), shall create the
necessary agency to coordinate
the work of their Presbyteries
and their Committees on Ministry.
G-11.0505 The
Presbyteries that represent
Relations between their
Primary Synod (Auburn or
Presbyteries Westminster),
in each Presbytery Region,
of each Primary shall
consist of all of the congregations
Synod located of
the PCUSA, and shall maintain fellowship
in the same with
each other through their Presbytery
Presbytery Region's
Cross-Over Committees.
Region Each
individual Presbytery shall
consist of at least 27 congregations.
The Presbyteries, which are formed and
aligned
with their respective Primary Synod
(Westminster or Auburn),
shall
be formed based upon each
Presbyterys' original boundaries.
This
will be based upon the 2006
Presbytery Regional Boundary lines.
If there are not 27 congregations
within a Primary Synod's Prebytery's
boundaries, then, Presbyteries within
that Primary Synod shall be merged
until the 27 congregation thresh-hold
is met. The larger
geographic Presbytery of
the two Primary Synods
(Auburn or Westminster)
shall constitute a Presbytery
Region. That Presbytery
and all Presbyteries of the
other
Primary Synod
(Westminster or Auburn),
shall
constitute a Presbytery
Region.
The specific Presbyteries
in that Presbytery Region
shall maintain meaningful
relationships
through Cross-
Over Committees consisting
of a
meaningful and equal
number
of the Presbyteers, (65%),
from
both Primary Synods,
(Auburn and Westmisnter).
This
will ensure that cooperation
and
fellowship is maintained
between the Two Primary
Synods at the Presbytery level.
The Cross-Over Committees
are
found in section G-11.0302,
of these amendments.
The
Cross-Over Committees
shall have no binding
authority on any Presbytery
of
either Primary Synod
(Auburn or Westminster).
G-11.0506
If a congregation, subsequent
Change of Primary to their initial
vote, to chose
Synods
their Primary Synod
(Westminster
or Auburn)
desires
to change their
Primary Synod, they can
do so by a 70% vote of
their congregation, and
a 70% vote of their
session, approving
such action. Their
membership
within
their Prebytery Region
would be transferred to
a Presbytery within
their Presbytery Region
which is aligned with
the Primary Synod
(Auburn or Westminster)
that they wish to align
with.
Proposed Amendments
The Session:
G-10.0100:
G-10.0101
(Unchanged)
Membership
G-10.0102
a. (Unchanged)
Responsibilities
b. (Unchanged)
c. (Unchanged)
d. to provide for the worship of the
people
of God, including the preaching
of
the Word, the sharing of the
Sacraments, and for the music
program, the congregation's
Session, may petition and
apply to their respective
Presbytery for
a duly
trained and authorized elder
to fill one of more of those roles,
in
accordance with the guidelines
of their Primary Synod (Westminster
or Auburn). This applies in those
extenuating circumstances
where an ordained minister
of the Word and Sacrament
is not available to meet the
needs for the administration
of the Lord's Supper;
e. (Unchanged)
f. (Unchanged)
g. (Unchanged)
h. (Unchanged)
i. (Unchanged)
j. (Unchanged)
k. (Unchanged)
l. to instruct, examine, ordain,
install, and welcome into common
ministry elders and deacons on
their election by the congregation
and to inquire into their faithfulness
in
fulfilling their responsibilities
in accordance with the guidelines
of their Primary Synod,
(Auburn or Westminster)
m. (Unchanged)
n. (Unchanged)
o. (Unchanged)
p. to maintain regular and continuing
relationship to the higher governing
bodies in their Primary Synod
(Westminster or Auburn) and the
church as a whole, including:
(1) electing commissioners to
their respective Presbytery
which is aligned with their
Primary Synod (Auburn or
Westminster);
sessions are
encouraged to elect commissioners
to their respective Presbytery
for
a term of at least one year.
(2) nomination of Presbytery
elders
who may be considered
for
election as commissioners
to their Primary Synod's
Sub-Synod in their region, and
to their Primary Synod's
(Westminster or Auburn)
General Sessions, and to the
General
Assembly, or to be
considered for the Boards and
Commissions of each of
those governing bodies
(3) electing commissioners
and appointing board members
based
on of the principles of
participation and inclusiveness
to ensure fair representation to the
decision making of the church
should
be observed;
(4)
observing and carrying out the
instructions of their higher governing
bodies, e.g. their Primary Synod (Auburn
or Westminster), and Sub-Synods,
aligned with their Primary Synod,
consistent
with the Constitution of
the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
(5) welcoming representatives of
their respective Presbytery on the
occassions of their visits.
(6) proposing to their respective
Presbytery such measures as may
be of common concerns to the
mission of the whole church;
(7) sending annually to the stated
clerk of their respective Presbytery
statistical and other information
according to the requirements of
their respective Presbytery and
Primary
Synod (Auburn or
Wesminster)
q.
(Unchanged)
r. (Unchanged)
s. (Unchanged)
t. After the Presbyteries have
voted on these amendments
and the results of the vote have
been certified by the General Assembly
Stated Clerk, each
congregation
and Session
shall, within 140 days,
vote to chose the Primary Synod
(either
the Auburn Primary Synod
or the Westminster Primary Synod),
with which they
wish to be aligned.
This
shall be accomplished
by
a 60% affirmative vote of
both
the congregation and the
session, to chose their Primary
Synod, (Westminster or Auburn).
Failure to
reach the 60% affirmative
vote threshhold will cause the
congregation to default to the Auburn
Primary Synod.
G-10.0103 a. The
pastor of the church shall be the
moderator of the session and the session
shall not meet without the pastor except as
hereunder
provided. In congregations
where there are co-pastors, they shall,
when present, alternatively preside in
the
session. If it appears
advisable for prudential reasons that
some minister other than the pastor
should preside , the pastor may, with
the concurrence of the session, invite
a minister of their respective Presbytery
(aligned with their Primary Synod),
to do so. A Presbytery
may appoint a lay pastor as moderator
of
the session if it is the church to which
he or she is commissioned. The person
assigned to the commissioned lay pastor
as mentor and supervisor shall also
supervise his or her work as moderator.
In addition, the moderator of the session
of a church with a vacant pulpit may request
an elder, who is a member of their
respective Presbytery's committee on
ministry, the stated clerk, executive
Presbyter, or associate executive Presbyter,
to preside; such elder may not moderate
the session of the church of which the elder
is a member. In the case of the sickness or
absence of the pastor, the same expedient
may be adopted; or the session, after having
obtained the approval of the pastor, may
convene and elect another of its own
members to preside
When Without b.
When a church is without a pastor, the
a Pastor moderator
of their session may be the
Moderator minister
appointed for that purpose by
their respective Presbytery, or a
minister of their respective Presbytery
aligned
with their Primary Synod (Auburn or
Westminster), who is invited by the session
to preside. When it is not possible for
such a minister to attend, the session
may
elect one of its own members
to preside.
Judicial Cases c. In
all judicial cases, the moderator
of the session, shall be a minister of
their Presbytery, which is aligned
with the
same Primary Synod
(Auburn or Westminster), as the
congregation.
G-10.0201
The session shall hold stated meetings
Meetings at
least quarterly. The moderator of the
session may call a special meeting of
the session when he or she judges
it necessary and shall do so when
requested in writing by any two
members of the session. The Session
shall also meet when directed to do
so by their respective Presbytery,
aligned
with the same Primary
Synod
(Westminster or Auburn)
as
the congregation.
Reasonable notice of all
special
meetings must be given
when other than routine business
is to be transacted. The session may
invite members of the congregation
to attend and observe its meetings
if it so-desires, without restricting its
right to meet in closed session
whenever circumstances indicate the
wisdom of doing so.
