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Proposed Amendments
The General Assembly
G-13.0103 Continued:
G-13.0103
t. to correspond with other churches
Responsibilities
(Continued) u.
to receive under its jurisdiciton
with the consent of a majority
of the presbyteries of each
Primary Synod (Auburn and
Westminster), other
ecclesiastical bodies whose
life is consistent with the
faith and order of this
church;
v.
to authorize the two Primary
Synods
(Auburn and Westminster)
to
receive ecclesiastical bodies
suited to become constituents
of
those governing bodies.
w. to unite with other churches
in accordance with the
procedures set forth in
the Constitution.
x. to review the work of the
Office
of the General
Assembly in consultation
with the Stated Clerk
of
the General Assembly.
G-13.0104 (Unchanged)
Meetings
G-13.0105 A quorum of the General
Quorum Assembly
shall be one
hundred
and fifty commissioners,
seventy
five of whom shall be
elders and seventy five of whom
shall be ministers, representing
Presbyteries of at least one
fourth of the Sub-Synods of
each Primary Synod (Auburn and
Wesminster).
G-13.0106 (Unchanged)
Corresponding
Members
G-13.0107 Each
Primary Synod's (Auburn
Primary Synods and Westminster), General
and their
Synod Council shall send
Sub-Synods as commissioners
to the
Participation General Assembly,
15 elders and 15 minister
commissioners, each. In
addition, each of the
Primary
Synod's
(Westminster
and Auburn)
Sub-Synods shall send
as commioners to General
Assembly,
one elder, and
one
minister commissioner
each.
G-13.0108 The General Assembly
shall
Committee establish a permanent
on
Committee on Representation
Representation which shall advise the General
Assembly Nominating Committee
of the need for nominations in
particular catagories needing
increased representation.
The Committee on
Representation shall report
to each meeting of the
General
Assembly (other than
special or adjourned meetings)
regarding progress toward
fair representation.
G-13.0109 Executive
or administrative
Staff
staff positions of the agencies
of the General Assembly shall be
established and filled in
accordance with the churchwide
plan for equal employment
opportunity. Provision shall
be made for the regular
review of each administrative
staff member.
G-13.0110 The General
Assembly shall keep
Records
a full and accurate record of
its
proceedings.
G-13.0111 a. To ensure
careful nomination
General
of members of such boards,
Assembly agencies,
and committees of
Nominating the General Assembly, the
Committee members of the boards, agencies
and committees of the General
Assembly shall, from time to
time be appointed by the
Nominating
Committee
of each Primary Synod
(Auburn and Westminster).
They
shall propose nominees to
the General Assembly for such
General Assembly boards,
agencies, and committees.
Consideration shall
be given to the nomination
of equal numbers of ministers
(both women and men), laymen,
and laywomen. The General
Assembly boards, agencies, and committees
shall consist
of
equal numbers of members
from
each of the Primary
Synod's
Sub-Synods
(Westminster and Auburn),
with members distributed so
that there are one third ministers
(both women and men), one third
laymen, and one third laywomen.
with an equal number of members
coming from each of the Primary
Synods (Auburn and Westminster).
Members shall serve for a term
of four years, and the terms shall
be
arranged as to provide that one
half
of the members shall complete
their service at the conclusion of
each regular meeting of the General
Assembly. Within thirty days prior
to
the regular meeting of the
General Assembly, the Moderator of
the preceding General Assembly
shall nominate persons for
election
by the General Assembly
to fill the vacancies occuring at the
adjournment
of the ensuing General
Assembly. The Moderator shall
also appoint persons to fill, until
the next General Assembly,
vacancies during the year caused
by death, resignation, or
inability to act. These nominations
shall be made in consultation with
each Primary Synod (Auburn and
Westminster) through their
regular nominating process.
The
final selection of
nominees by the General
Assembly requires
an even selection from
each Primary Synod (Auburn
and Westminster) based
upon each Primary Synods'
(Westminster and Auburn)
total number of Presbyteries
relative
to the total number
or Presbyteries of the
other
Primary Synod (Auburn
and
Westminster). Such
appointments shall not
prevent election of the same
person
to fill the term.
Election of b. The committee
shall elect
Officers its
own officers at the last
meeting
prior to the regular
meeting of the General
Assembly.
G-13.0112 a.
The General Assembly shall
Advisory establish
an Advisory Committee
Committee on the Constitution
composed
on the
of nine persons, ministers and
Constitution elders in
numbers as nearly as
equal as possible. The Stated
Clerk of the General Assembly
shall be a member ex officio
without
vote. The nine voting
members shall be former members
of the prior Permanent Judicial
Commission and the current Arbitration
Board
of the General Assembly,
the stated clerks of the
two Primary Synods (Westminster
and Auburn), the stated clerks
of each the Primary Synod's
Sub-Synods, and the
stated clerks of all Presbyteries of
both Primary Synods, or other
qualified persons with knowledge
of and experience with the
Constitution
and polity of the
church. Voting members shall
be nominated by each Primary
Synod's (Auburn and Westminster)
Nominating Committee and shall be
selected by the General Assembly
to
serve terms of four years
in
two classes.
Meet at Least b. The Advisory Committee
on
Annually the Constitution
shall meet prior
to
each session of the General
Assembly and shall submit its
report and recommendations
no later than sixty days prior to
the
convening of the next session
of the General Assembly.
Questions
c. Qustions requiring an interpretation
120 days by
the General Assembly Book of
prior to Order
arising from the two Primary
General
Synods (Auburn and Westminster)
Assembly
on issues other than
ordination,
marriage, educational
materials
used, Statements of
Faith,
and church planting, shall
be communicated in writing to
the Stated Clerk of the General
Assembly no later than 120 days
prior to the covening of the next
session of the General Assembly.
Pending d.
The Stated Clerk shall refer
before the questions
of interpretation to
Arbitration the Advisory
Committee on the
Board
Constiution, except those
pertaining to matters pending
before a judical commission or
the General Assembly
Arbitration Board. The Advisory
Committee shall report its
findings
to the General Assembly
along with its recommendations.
Such recommendations may
include
possible proposals
for constitutional changes.
The
General Assembly shall
vote on the recommendations,
and may amend or decline to
approve them.
At General c. At least three members
of
Assembly the Advisory Committee
on the
Constitution, appointed by the
moderator of the committee, shall
be present at the session of the
General Assembly. All items
introduced as new business that
touch upon constitutional
matters, including requesting
rulings
by the Moderator on
questions of order involving
constitutional matters that
do
not include the following
issues:
ordination standards,
Statements of Faith,
Marriage, Educational
Materials used, and
church planting, these
issues are
delegated
permanenetly, to the
two
Primary Synods
(Auburn and Westminster).
and their repsective
General
Synod Councils
to
determine these issues
in
a manner that
satisfies the General Synod
Council of each Primary
Synods (Auburn and
Westminster).
G-13.0201 The General Assembly
shall
Responsibilities create an Assembly Council
which shall have the following
resonsibilities:
a.
to cultivate and promote the
spiritual welfare of the whole
church.
b. to institute and coordinate
a churchwide plan for equal
employment opportunity and
affirmative action for members
of racial ethnic groups, for women,
for various age groups, and for
persons with disabilities;
c. to engage in churchwide
planning to propose, for
General Assembly determination,
the mission directions, goals,
objectives, and priorities of
the church.
d. to coordinate the work of
General Assembly agencies and
the two Primary Synods (Auburn
and Westminster), in light of
these mission directions, goals,
objectives,
and priorities;
e. to review the work of the General
Assembly agencies and bodies
in light of General Assembly's
mission
directions, goals,
objectives,
and priorities;
f. to prepare and submit
a comprehensive budget
to
the General Assembly.
g. to correspond or consult
with
the two Primary Synods
(Westminster and Auburn)
in matters relating to
churchwide planning, budget
development and the
coordination
of the work of
the church;
h. to act in matters of
administrative staff of the
General
Assembly agencies;
i. (deleted)
j.
(deleted)
k. to act in those specific
matters assigned to the
General Assembly Council
by the General Assembly
under
this constitution,
except in the areas of
ordination standards, marriage,
Statements
of Faith,
Eduactional Materials
used, and church planting
which are permanently
delegated
to the two
Primary
Synods (Auburn
and Westminster). The
General Assembly Council
shall report fully to each
subsequent General
Assembly, of its
actions.
l. to
perform such additional
responsiblities and duties
as may be assigned by the
General Assembly, other
than in the areas of
Ordination Standards, Marriage,
Statements of Faith,
Educational
Materials
used, and church
planting, which are
permanently
delegated
to the two Primary
Synods (Westminster
and Auburn).
G-13.0202 The membership,
terms
Membership of office of the General
Assembly Council shall
be governed by the following
provisions that shall take
effect automatically, in
stages or phases consistent
with the provisions of
this Article:
a. The General Assembly
Council shall consist of the
following voting members,
each of whom shall be an
active member of a
congregation, or a
continuing
member of
a Presbytery of the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.):
(1) The Moderator of the General
Assembly and the Moderator's
two most recent living
predecessors.
(2) (14) members, Seven (7)
members will
be submitted
for membership on the
General Assembly Council,
by each of the Primary
Synod's General Synod Councils,
(Auburn
and Westminster), for
a total of Fourteen (14)
members. Of these
Fourteen Members (14)
each will be deemed
elected by the General
Assembly for a four-year
term and eligible for one
additional term. No
member may serve more
than two terms, full or partial,
(3) Twenty
(20) members
will be submitted,
Ten
(10) from each Primary Synod,
(Auburn and Westminster),
for membership, drawn from one quarter
of the Presbyteries of each of
the two Primary Synods (Auburn
and Westminster), in consultation
with each of the two Primary
Synods (Westminster and
Auburn), which will determine
the Presbyteries on a rotating
basis. They shall be deemed
elected by the General Assembly
for a four year term and eligible
for one additional term. No
member may serve more than
two terms, full or partial.
(4) (8) members (4) from each
Primary
Synod, e.g. the number of
members-at-large constituting the
members-at
large nominated
by each Primary Synod (Auburn
and Westminster), (4) from each
Primary Synod, shall be
submitted
to the General
Assembly Nominating
Committee by each Primary Synod,
(Westminster and Auburn),
they
shall be deemed elected by the
General Assembly for a four
year term and eligible for
one additional term. No
member may serve more than
two terms, full or partial.
(5) Two (2) youth/young
adult
members, younger
than twenty-six years of
age when elected,
nominated by the General
Assembly Nominating
Committee for a four-
year
term and eligible for
an additional term. No
member
may serve more
than two terms, full or
partial.
(6) the moderator of
Presbyterian Women.
Advisory
b. (Unchanged)
Members
Corresponding c. (Unchanged)
Members
Nominating
d. In the nominating
Committee process, the General
of General Assembly Nominating
Assembly
Committee shall
consult with the General
Assembly Council to
identify needs, skills,
and shall provide
for diversity. It will
maintain a goal of at
least twenty percent
racial ethnic membership
for the General Assembly
Council. It will ensure
that, exclusive of the
Moderator and predecessor
Moderators, one third of the
members are ministers of
the Word and Sacrament
(both women and men), one
third laymen, and one third
laywomen. The committee
will also provide that members
be nominated in such a manner
as to provide two classes
of approximately equal size.
Any vacancy occuring during
a
term shall be filled
pursuant to General Assembly
policies.
Chair, Vice-Chair e. (Unchanged)
Recording
Secretary
G-13.0203 The council shall develop,
Manual
of in consultation with the Two
Operations Primary Synods (Auburn and
Westminster), a manual of
operations that shall include a
design for administrative
staff and provisions for size,
and for specific representations
of
council membership, providing
for diversity. The manual shall
be approved by the General
Assembly, and shall only
apply to the General Assembly.
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