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Proposed Amendments:
G-14.0100
(Unchanged)
G-14.0200 (Unchanged)
G-14.0202 (Unchanged)
G-14.0203 (Unchanged)
G-14.0204
(Unchanged)
G-14.0205 (Unchanged)
G-14.0206 (Unchanged)
G-14.0207 (Unchanged)
G-14.0208
(Unchanged)
G-14.0209 (Unchanged)
G-14.0210 (Unchanged)
G-14,0211 (Unchanged)
G-14.0301
(Unchanged)
G-14.0302 (Unchanged)
G-14.0303 The process and
requirements for
Inquiry Phase the inquiry phase shall
be as follows:
a. A person desiring to become an
inquirer
shall indicate to the
session
of the particular church
a
desire to explore the personal
implications
of becoming a
minister
of the the Word and
Sacrament.
b.
The person shall have been an
active
member of that particular
church
for at least six months.
c.
The session shall contact the
Committee
on Preparation
for
Ministry for orientation to
the
process used in that
Presbytery,
in accordance
with
the guidelines of their
Primary
Synod (Westminster
or
Auburn), with which they are
aligned.
d. The
session shall consult with
the
person and, if the individual
requests
to be enrolled as an
inquirer,
shall make a
recommendation
to their respective
presbytery
through the stated clerk
with
respect to the request.
e.
Upon receipt of the recommendation
the
Committee on Preparation for
Ministry
shall recommend to the
Presbytery
whether to enroll the
person
as an inquirer, in
accordance
with the guidelines
of
the Primary Synod (Auburn or
Westminster),
with which
the
congregration and Presbytery
are
aligned. The Committee on
Preparation
for Ministry shall
interview
the person before
making
its recommendation.
The
date of the Presbytery's
action
to enroll shall be the
beginning
of the covenant
relationship.
This period shall
be
at least two years, at least one
year
of which shall be as a
candidate.
A Presbytery may
assign
to its Committee on
Preparation
for Ministry the
power
to enroll inquirers, with
the
provision that the action be
reported
to the next stated meeting
of
their respective Presbytery.
f.
The phase of inquiry shall be of
sufficient
length for the inquirer,
the
session, and the Committee on
Preparation
for Ministry to decide
whether
the inquirer should apply
to
become a candidate. During
this
time, the Committee on
Preparation
for Ministry shall
make
use of resources such as
information
provided by the
inquirer,
personal references,
and
reports from counseling
services,
the session, and the
inquirer's
institution of learning,
if
the inquirer is a student.
g. By
the end of the inquiry phase,
each inquirer shall demonstrate
adequate
promise for ministry
by presenting, in accordance
with the guidelines of their
Primary Synod (Westminster
or Auburn) with which their
respective Presbytery is aligned,
the following:
(1)
a statement of his or her
understanding of Christian
vocation
in the Reformed
tradition and how it relates
to his or her sense of call;
(2) a statement of personal
faith
which incorporates
an understanding of the
Reformed tradition;
(3) an analysis of at least
one concept from the
personal faith statement
regarding what it suggests
about God, humanity, and
their
interrelationships.
(4) a statement of what it means
to be Presbyterian, indicating
how that awareness grows out
of participation in the life of
a particular church;
(5) a statement of self-under-
standing which reflects the
inquirer's personal and cultural
background and includes a
concern for maintaining spiritual,
physical, and mental health;
(6) a statement of his or her
understanding of the task
ministers of the Word and
Sacrament perform, including
an awareness of his or her
specific
gifts for ministry of
the Word and Sacrament and
of areas in which growth is
needed.
G-14.0304
The purpose of the candidacy phase
Candidacy
is to provide for the full preparation
Defined
of persons to serve the church as
ministers of the Word and Sacrament.
This shall be accomplished through
the
guidance and evaluation of
candidates, using learning contacts
within a context of supportive
relationships.
The
process for the candidacy phase
is
as follows:
a. An inquirer shall apply to the
Presbytery aligned with their
Primary Synod (Auburn or
Westminster) through the
stated
clerk to become a
candidate for the office of
minister of the Word and
Sacrament through the session
of his or her church.
b. The session shall confer with the
inquirer, review the evidence of
the inquiry phase, and make
recommendations to the
Presbytery through the stated
clerk with respect to the
application.
c. The Committee on Preparation
for Ministry shall confer with the
inquirer and review the evidence
which indicates whether the
inquirer is ready to proceed to
candidacy.
d. The Committee on Preparation
for Ministry shall make a
definite recommendation to
the
Presbytery of the Primary
Synod (Westminster or Auburn)
with which the inquirer is aligned, with
respect to whether the inquirer
should be received as a candidate.
The respective Presbytery shall
act on every committee
recommendation regarding
application for candidacy.
e.
The respective Presbytery
shall receive the report and
recommendation of its
committee and shall examine
the inquirer in person with
respect to his or her Christian
faith, forms of Christian
service undertaken, and motives
for seeking the ministry.
f. If the examination is approved,
the
respective Presbytery shall
receive the inquirer as a candidate
after
the following manner. The
Moderator shall propose the following
questions to the inquirer:
(1) Do you believe yourself to be
called by God to the ministry
of the Word and Sacrament?
(2) Do you promise in reliance
upon the grace of God to
maintain
a Christian
character
and conduct, and
to be diligent and faithful in
making full preparation for
this
ministry?
(3) Do you accept the proper
supervision of your
respective Presbytery
that is aligned with the
Primary Synod (Auburn
or Westminster) that you
have chosen, in matters
that
concern your
preparation for this
ministry?
(4)
Do you desire now to be
received by your respective
Presbytery as a candidate
for the ministry of the Word
and Sacrament in the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
and of your chosen Primary
Synod (Westminster or
Auburn)?
g. If these questions are answered
in the affirmative, a brief charge
shall be given, the candidate's
name shall be recorded on the
Presbytery's roll of candidates,
and the proceedings shall close
with prayer.
h. A Presbytery may provide, at the
request of the candidate and her
or his session, for the service of
reception to be conducted by a
commission of the Presbyery in
the presence of the candidate's
congregation.
i. The
phase of candidacy lasts
until the candidate receives
an
approved call and is
examined
and ordained,
or until the candidate's name
is removed from the roll of
candidates.
j.
By the end of the candidacy phase,
each candidate to be ordained
shall demonstrate readiness to
begin
ministry of the Word and
Sacrament by:
(1) presenting evidence of
competence in the fields
of
theology, Bible, polity,
and
worship and Sacraments,
in
accordance with the
requirements and guidelines
of their Primary Synod
(Auburn or Westminster),
and evidence of ministerial
skill attested
in the supervised
practice of ministry.
(2) presenting evidence of readiness
to participate in a calling Presbytery's
plan for transition and of plans
for continuing study and growth.
(3) expressing theological views
compatible with the confessional
documents
used and required
by their Primary Synod (Westminster
or Auburn).
(4) expressing understanding of the
meaning of the questions
required for ordination
(5)
revealing commitment to
the
ministry of the Word and
Sacrament within the discipline
of
the Presbyerian Church (U.S.A.)
and of their specific Primary
Synod (Auburn or Westminster)
with personal maturity, spiritual depth,
and
a capacity to respond to the
needs of others, including
colleagues in ministry;
(6) presenting a written sermon together
with a description of the contemporary
need to which it was addressed and an
exegetical interpretation of the biblical
material out of which the sermon arose.
This sermon shall be preached before
the calling Presbytery or a committee
thereof as a part of the appearance
of
the candidate.
Proposed Amendments
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