|
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 information
Agencies
and assistance in the matter
of
ministries and pastoral relations
Each Primary Synod (Westminster
or
Auburn), shall create the
necessary agency to coordinate
the work of their respective
Presbyteries
and their Committees,
to facilitate and support the work
of the Presbyteries in this
matter.
G-11.0505 The
Presbyetries that make up
Relations between the two
Primary Synods
Presbyteries (Auburn
and Westminster) which
of each Primary consist
of all of the congregations
Synod located of
the PCUSA, shall maintain fellowship
in the same with
each other and have consistent
Presbytery and
continuing relations with each
Region other
through their Presbytery Region.
Each
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),
(which have 27 or more
congregations),
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.
The
Cross-Over Committees
shall have no binding
authority on any Presbytery
or
on either Primary Synod
(Auburn or Westminster).
G-11.0506
If a congregation, after
Change of Primary 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
approving
such action, 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 have voted 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, which is aligned with
the
same Primary Synod (Auburn
or Westminster) as the Presbytery
may petition and apply to their
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 aligned
with their Primary Synod (Auburn
or Westminster) and receiving
their reports; 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) in electing commissioners
and appointing board members
implementation
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 and through it to
their
Prmary Synod's Sub-Synod
and to their Primary Synod
(Westminster
or Auburn)
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. Once the last Presbytery
requried
to approve these
Amendments has done so,
each congregation and Session
shall, within 140 days,
vote to chose the Primary Synod
(either
the Auburn or Westminster
Primary
Synod), that they wish to
be
aligned with. This shall be
accomplished by a 60%
affirmative vote
of both the
congregation and the session.
The congregation and session
will use that vote to chose
which
Primary Synod that
their congregaton will be
alinged with (either the Westminster
or 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. When it may appear
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. Their respective Presbytery
may appoint a lay pastor as moderator
of
the session to 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 respective 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,
which is 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.
|
