Proposed Amendments
Presbyteries
G-11.0403:
G-11.0403 Each
Presbytery, aligned with
Criteria for their respective Primary Synod
Ministry of
(Auburn or Westminster) shall
Continuing determine the ministers of the
Members Word
and Sacrament who are its
and continuing
members, and the
Validation validation of their various ministries.
of In making this determination
Ministries the Presbytery shall be guided
by the written
criteria developed
by their Primary Synod
(Westminster or Auburn) for
validation
of ministries within
its
bounds. These criteria shall
be
based upon the description of
the nature of their ordained office,
including
the following:
a. The ministry of continuing
members shall be in
demonstrable conformity
with
the mission of God's
people in the world set
forth in Holy Scripture,
the Book of Order, and
the Statements of Faith
adopted by their Primary
Synod (Auburn or Westminster)
from the Book of Confessions.
b. The ministry shall be one that
serves
others, aids others,
and
enables the ministries
of others.
c. The ministry shall give
evidence of theologically
informed fidelity to God's
Word.
This will normally
require the Master of
Divinty degree or its
equivalent and the
completion of the
requirements for ordination
set forth in the guidelines
of their Primary Synod
(Westminster
or Auburn).
d.
The ministry shall be carried
on with full accountability for
its character and conduct,
to
the governing bodies of
their respective Primary
Synod (Auburn or
Westminster).
e.
The ministry shall include
participation
in the
deliberations
and work
of their Primary Synod
(Westminster or Auburn).
G-11.0404 Ministers of other denominations may
Ministers of be
received by a Presbytery if it is
Other
in compliance with their Primary
Denominations Synod's (Auburn or Westminster)
guidelines, as follows:
a. Ministers of other denominations
when applying for membership
in
a Presbytery, shall furnish
credentials and evidence of
good standing acceptable to
the Presbytery's Primary Synod
(Westminster or Auburn),
including satisfactory evidence
of possessing the qualifications
of
character and scholarship
required of candidates of this
church. They shall:
(1) present a baccalaureate
degree from an accredited
college or university and a
theological degree from an
institution
acceptable to
the Primary Synod with which
the Presbytery is aligned,
(Westminster or Auburn).
(2) answer satisfactorily the
questions
of candidates for
ordination, developed by
their Primary Synod
(Auburn or Westminster)
(3) articulate their Christian faith
and demonstrate an
acceptable knowledge of
theology
and of the
government of this church.
b.
The Presbytery shall not waive
any of the foregoing requirements
except in extraordinary cases.
In
those cases, the Presbytery must
follow the guidelines set forth
by their Primary Synod
(Westminster or Auburn),
for extraordinary
circumstances.
c. Upon a report from the appropriate
committee, such minister
shall
then be examined
by their respective Presbytery in their
Christian
Faith, their theology, and
in the system of government of this
church, in accordance with the
guidelines of their Primary
Synod
(Auburn or Westminster).
The
minister shall answer in the
affirmative the questions
asked
of them, in their ordination
and installation service. The
examination and questions shall
be based upon their Primary Synod's
guidelines and policies
(Westminster or Auburn).
d. A minister is required to
have been called to an
appropriate work in their
Primary Synod (Auburn or
Westminster)
e. (Unchanged)
f. (Unchanged)
G-11.0405 a. A minister
of the Word and
In
Sacrament of another
Correspondence denomination which is in
With
correspondence with one or
both
of the two Primary Synods
(Westminster or Auburn),
whose
denomination
is
in full fellowship with
the PCUSA, and
whose
ecclesiastical
relations have been
certified by that denomination,
who is serving in a Presbyterian
congregation in a temporary
noninstalled pastoral relationship
(other than as an organizing pastor),
or may become a minister of a
congregation or larger parish
composed of denominational
units, at least one of which is
associated with the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.) and one of the
two Primary Synods (Auburn
or Westminster), (or is one who has
become
a minister serving a
cooperative specialized ministry
in which this church and one of
the two Primary Synods (Westminster
or Auburn) shares the sponsorship),
or who has been jointly called to an
administrative office by more than
one denomination, at least one of
which
is the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.),
and
one of the two Primary
Synods (Auburn or Westminster), or
a minister of a church outside the United
States that is in correspondence with
the General Assembly and one of
the two Primary Synods, (Westminster
or Auburn) who is serving in a
ministerial capacity in this church,
may be enrolled for the period of
service as a member of the Presbytery
that is aligned with the Primary Synod
(Auburn or Westminster) that they
are
in correspondence with, and have
the temporary rights and privileges
of membership.
b.
A minister of another denomination
with whom either Primary Synod
(Westminster or Auburn) is in full
communion, may be called, examined,
approved, and installed as pastor
or may
serve in another ministerial
capacity and may be enrolled for
the period of this service as a
member of a Presbytery with the
rights
and privileges of membership.
The minister shall participate in the
benefits
plan of one of the
denominations. If the minister
is
already participating in one plan,
membership in that plan shall be retained.
If
the minister is not a member of any plan
either
of the denominations' plans shall be
chosen by the minister. The congregation
or
other employing body shall pay the
fees, dues, or premium required by the
plan to which the minister belongs.
G-11.0406 Ministers of
the Word and Sacrament who
Continuing are continuing members of a Presbytery,
Member that is aligned with their Primary Synod,
(Auburn or Westminster) will include
active members, members-at-large,
and inactive members.
a.
An active member is a minister of
the Word and Sacrament who has
been enrolled and admitted to
a
Presbytery of their Primary
Synod (Westminster or Auburn),
in accordance with the standards
and guidelines of their Primary
Synod (Auburn or Westminster),
and is currently engaged in a
validated ministry within
congregations of their Primary
Synod
(Westminster or Auburn),
or in a validated ministry
in
other service to their Primary
Synod, or in a validated ministry
in service beyond the jurisdiction
of this church or
honorably
retired from this
church.
An active member is
entitled to take part
in
the meetings of their
Presbytery, which is aligned
with their Primary Synod,
(Auburn or Westminster),
and to speak, to vote, and
to hold office.
Members-at b. A member-at-large is a
minister of the
-Large Word
and Sacrament who has previously
been admitted to their Presbytery,
aligned
with their Primary Synod,
(Westminster or Auburn) or another
Presbytery aligned with their Primary
Synod, as an active member, and who
is now, without the intentional
abandonment of their exercise of
ministry, no longer engaged
in
a ministry that complies
with all of the criteria set forth by their
Primary Synod (Auburn or Westminster),
that
minister may be designated as a
Member-at-Large because he or she
is limited in his or her ability to
engage in a ministry fulfilling
all
of the criteria for a validated
ministry because of family responsibilities
or other individual circumstances which
the Presbytery recognizes as important.
A Member-at-Large shall comply with all
of the criteria required by their Primary
Synod (Westminster or Auburn) and shall
be encouraged to become a parish
associate in a congregation. A Member
-at-Large is entitled to take part in the
meetings of their Presbytery, and to
speak, vote, and hold office. The status
of Member-at-Large may be granted
by a
Presbytery upon that minister's
application which
shall be reviewed
annually.
Inactive c. An
inactive member is a minister of the
Member
Word and Sacrament who has previously
been admitted to a Presbytery of their
Primary Synod (Auburn or Westminster)
as an active member, but is now
voluntarily engaged in an occupation that
does
not comply with all of the criteria
required by their Primary Synod
(Westminster or Auburn).
The Presbytery may, at the
minister's request or on its own initiative,
after notifying the minister in person or
by certified mail at the last known address,
determine
that the minister's category of
membership is that of inactive member.
An inactive member is not entitled to take
part in meetings of their Presbytery or to
speak, vote, hold office, or serve on
committees,
except that the inactive
member
may speak when the matter
under consideration concerns that
minister. The continued status of
each inactive member shall
be
reviewed annually up to three
years. If at the end of three years
the minister has not been restored
to active membership or
Membership-at-Large, their Presbytery
shall delete that person's name form
the appropriate roll of Presbytery
and may give that person a
certificate of membership to a particular
church.
