Proposed Amendments.
The Session and Governing Bodies
G-10.0202
G-10.0202 (Unchanged)
Quorum
G-10.0301
Every session shall keep a full
Minutes and accurate record of its
proceedings
which shall be
submitted
at least once each
year to their respective Presbytery.
The
minutes shall state the composition
of the session with regard to racial
ethnic members, women, men, age
groups and persons with disabilities
and how this corresponds to the
composition of the congregation.
Minutes and other official records
of
the session, which shall include
minutes of congregational meetings
and records of the board of deacons
and the board of trustees of the
particular church shall be provided
by the Session to their Presbytery.
Such records are the property of
the session, and the clerk shall
shall be responsible for their
preservation. The Session's
minutes may be stored with the
denomination's historical agency.
G-10.0302 a. (Unchanged)
Rolls
and
Registers
Baptized a. (1) (Unchanged)
Members
Active
a. (2)(a) Active Members' Roll.
Members The Active Members' roll shall
list
the names of those who have
been
received into the membership
of the church and who are active
in the church's work and worship.
The
number of members on this
roll shall be reported to their
respective Primary Synod
(Auburn or Westminster) and the
General Assembly annually.
Affiliate a.(2)(b) (Unchanged)
Members
Certified
When Active a.(2)(c) (Unchanged)
Members
move
Inactive a.(3)(a) (Unchaged)
Members
Nonresident
a.(3)(b) (Unchanged)
Member
Affiliate a.(3)(c) (Unchanged)
Members
Received
Deletion b. (Unchanged)
from Rolls
Certificate b.(1) (Unchanged)
of Transfer
When a b.(2)
When a church is dissolved,
church is their respective Presbytery shall
take possession
of the
congregation's records, and have
jurisdiction over its members, and
grant
them certificates of transfer
to other churches, within the same
Primary Synod and/or Presbytery
Region.
Request b.(3) (Unchanged)
Termination
Joins b.(4)
(Unchanged)
another
church
Nonresident b.(5) (Unchanged)
member
inactive
Moved and b.(6) (Unchanged)
Unknown
Inactive Roll b.(7) (Unchanged)
for
two years
Member b.(8) (Unchaged)
Dies
Register of c.
(1), (2), (3), (4), (5) (Unchanged)
Marriages,
Baptisms,
Officers.
G-10.0400
4. Church Finances (Unchanged)
G-10.0401 including a., b., c., and d.
(Unchanged)
Finanaces
Governing Bodies
G-9.0000 1. General
G-9.0101 The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) shall be
Definition
governed by representative bodies composed
of
presbyters, both elders and ministers of
the Word and Sacrament. The governing
bodies shall be called
The Session
The Presbytery
The Sub-Synods of each Primary Synod
The Primary Synods (Westminster and Auburn)
The General Assembly
G-9.0102 a. Governing bodies of the church
are distinct
Distinct from from the government of the
state and have
Government of no civil jurisdiction or power to impose
the State
civil penalties. They have only ecclesiastical
jurisdiction for the purpose of serving Jesus
Christ and declaring and obeying his will
in relation to truth and service, order and
discipline.
Ecclesiastical b. The session, Presbytery, Sub-Synods
Jurisdiction
and Primary Synods (Auburn and
Ecclesiastical Westminster) may frame
symbols of faith,
Jurisdiction hear testimony against error
in doctrine
and immorality in life, resolve quesitons
of doctrine and of discipline, give counsel
in matters of conscience, and decide
issues,
within the jurisdiction of that
Primary Synod, properly brought before them
under the provisions of the Book of Order.
The
Governing bodies may authorize the
serving of the Lord's Supper in accordance
with the principles of the Directory for Worship
The
Governing bodies have power to establish
plans and rules for worship, mission, government,
and discipline of the church and to do those
things necessary to the peace, purity, unity,
and progress of the church under the will
of Christ. They have responsibility for the
leadership, guidance, and government of
that portion of the church which is under
their jurisdiction.
G-9.0103 The governing bodies
of the church, which
Unity of consist
of the session, the Presbytery,
Governing the Sub-Synods,
and Primary Synods
Bodies (Westminster
and Auburn), are united
by
the nature of the church and share
with one another responsibilities, rights,
and powers as provided in this Constitution.
These governing bodies are separate and
independent,
but have mutual relations.
The jurisdiction of each governing body
is limited by the express provisions
of the Constitution, with powers not
mentioned being reserved to the
Presbyteries, and with the acts of each
Presbytery being subject to review by
the
Primary Synod (Auburn or
Westminster) with which they are
aligned.
G-9.0104 a. Governing bodies, consisting of
the
Participation Session, Presbytery, Sub-Synods, and
and
the Primary Synods (Westminster and
Representation Auburn), shall be responsible for
implementing the church's commitment
to inclusiveness and participation.
These governing bodies shall work
to
become more open and shall
pursue
affirmative action hiring
procedures
aimed at correcting
patterns
of discrimination.
Implementation b. In implementing this commitment,
consideration should be given to the
gifts and requirements for ministry
in persons elected or appointed
to particular offices or tasks, and
to the right of the people to
elect their officers.
G-9.0105 a. Each Presbytery,
Sub-Synod,
Committee and Primary Synod (Westminster
on
and Auburn) shall elect a
Representation committee on representation,
whose
membership shall consist
of
equal numbers of men and
women. If possible, a majority
of the members shall be selected
from
the racial ethnic groups
(such as Presbyterians of African,
Hispanic, and Asian descent and
Native Americans) within the
governing body, and the total
membership shall include persons
from
each of the following
catagories:
(1) majority male membership
(2) majority female membership
(3) racial ethnic male membership
(4) racial ethnic female membership
(5) youth male and female membership
(6) persons with disabilities
Advise b. Its main
function shall be to advise
Regarding the Presbyteries, Sub-Synods and
Membership
Primary Synods (Auburn and Westminster)
with
respect to their membership and to
that of their committees, boards,
agencies, and other units in
implementing the principles of
participation and inclusiveness to
ensure fair and effective representation
in the decision making of those
specific governing bodies.
Advocate c. The committee on representation
and shall serve as both an advocate
Resource for the representation of racial
ethnic members, women, different
age groups, and persons with
disabilities, and as a continuing
resource to the particular governing
body in these areas. The committee
on representation shall review the
performance of its own governing
body in these matters and shall
report annually to the Governing
body, and to their Primary Synod
(Auburn or Westminster).
Consult d. Prior to nomination
or
with Racial appointment of racial ethnic
Ethnic
members to committees, boards
Membership agencies, or other units, the
committee on representation shall
consult with the appropriate racial
ethnic
membership through a person
or persons designated by that
racial ethnic membership. In
situations where racial ethnic
membership is low, the committee
on representation of their
respective Presbytery, Sub-Synod
or Primary Synod (Westminster or
Auburn) shall consult with racial
ethnic
members, sessions,
nominating committees,
and
persons designated by
national racial ethnic membership
to discover potential racial
ethnic
members of such body
and
to determine achievable
representation.
Employment e. The committee on representation
of Personnel shall
advise the governing body
on
the employment of personnel,
in accordance with the principles
of participation and representation,
and in conformity with their Primary
Synod's (Westminster or Auburn)
plan for equal employment
opportunity.
G-9.0106 Each Primary Synod (Auburn and
Duties
of Westminster) must seek a strong
Committee
representation of racial and ethnic
on
minorities on their Committee on
Representation Representation. Appointing
racial and ethnic minorities from
Christian churches outside the
PCUSA would be appropriate to
meet this goal, if significant
numbers cannot be found
within the Presbytery,
Sub-Synod, or Primary Synod
(Auburn or Westminster).
G-9.0201 Officers of each of the governing
Officers bodies shall consist of a moderator
and a clerk. Governing bodies
may
provide additional officers
as required.
G-9.0202 a. The Moderators of the
Moderator Presbyteries, Sub-Synods,
and
and Primary Synods (Westminster
Meeting and Auburn) possess the
authority
necessary for preserving
order and for conducting efficiently
the business of their Governing
body.
He or she shall
convene and adjourn the govening
body in accordance with its own
action. The Moderator may,
in an emergency, convene the
governing body by written notice
at a time and place different from
that
previously designated by the
body. The Moderator of the
General Assembly shall exercise
similar
powers except in matters
over which the General Assembly
has limited or no jurisdiction, as set
forth
in section G-13 of these
amendments. These limitations
do
not apply to the
voice or vote of the General
Assembly Moderator or the General
Assembly Stated Clerk in their
position
as full voting members
of each of the Primary
Synods'
(Auburn and
Westminster) General Synod Councils'.
Moderator b. The pastor of a particular
of
church shall be the moderator
Congregations of the session of that church
and Governing
In congregations where there
Bodies are
co-pastors. They shall,
when present, alternately
preside
in the session. The
moderator of a Presbytery
shall be elected for such term
as the presbytery may determine
not
exceeding one year. The
moderators of the Sub-Synods' of
each of
the Primary Synods
(Auburn or Westminster),
shall
be elected for such term
as the Sub-Synod shall
determine, not to exceed two
years. The moderators of
each of the Primary Synods
(Westminster and Auburn),
shall
be elected for a term of
two
years by the commissioners
sent to the their
Primary Synod's General
Session. The commissioners
are elected and sent by their
Sessions, Presbyteries,
and Sub-Synods aligned
with
the same Primary
Synod, (Auburn or Westminster)
as the Primary Synod holding
the Primary
Synod General Session.
At the time of their election,
the
moderator of each
Presbytery,
the moderator of
each Sub-Synod, and
the moderators of each
of
the Primary Synods
(Auburn or Westminster)
must be a member of
that Primary
Synod
(Auburn
or Westminster),
which they represent and
be a continuing member
of, or commissioner
to, the governing body
over
which be is she is
elected to preside.
The moderator of the
General
Assembly shall
be elected at each stated
meeting of the General
Assembly, and shall
hold that position for
two years, and must be
eligible
for membership
in that governing body.
The moderator of the
General Assembly may
be a member of
either the Westminster
or Auburn Primary
Synod prior to their
election.
G-9.0203 a. The clerk shall record
the
Clerk and transactions of the respective
Meeting
governing body that they
serve, keep its rolls of
membership
and attendance,
preserve its records carefully,
and furnish extracts from them
when required by another
governing body of the church.
Such
extracts, verified by the
clerk, shall be evidence of any
governing body of the church.
Clerk and b. The clerk
of the session shall
Stated Clerk be an elder elected by the session
of
for such term as it may determine.
Congregations The clerk of each respective
and
Presbytery, each respective Sub-Synod
Governing and each of the
Primary Synods (Auburn
Bodies and
Westminster), and of the General
Assembly shall be called Stated
Clerk, and shall be elected by the
governing body with which they
are aligned (Auburn or Westminster),
for
a definite term
as it may determine,
and must be eligible for membership
in the governing body. The
Stated Clerk of the General
Assembly may be a member
of either Primary Synod (Westminster
or
Auburn), prior to election as
the General Assembly Stated
Clerk, as long as they are
eligible
for membership in
the governing body.
