Enabling Amendments
A. Within 140 days after the last Presbytery
required to ratify these Proposed
Amendments has approved them,
each
congregation shall,
upon a 60% affirmative vote of
their
Congregation and their Session
vote to align themselves with either the
Auburn
Primary Synod or the
Westminster Primary Synod. The
Stated Clerk of each congregation's
Session shall certify the vote and send
a copy of their certification to their
Presbytery, the General Assembly,
and to the address of the
Primary Synod that the congregation
and
Session have voted to align
themselves with, either the
Westminster Primary Synod or the
Auburn Primary Synod. If the above
stated voting thresh-holds are not
satisfied, then the congregation
shall be aligned with the Primary
Synod that 60% or more of the
Session has voted to align with
and over 50% of the congregation
has voted to align with, either the
Auburn Primary Synod or the
Westminster Primary Synod.
The Stated Clerk of the Session
shall
certify the vote and send
a copy of the certification to
their Presbytery, the General
Assembly, and to the address
of the Primary Synod that they
have voted to align themselves with.
If these thresh-holds cannot
be met their Presbytery shall
assign the congregation by
a majority vote of the Presbyters
to a Primary Synod, either the
Westminster Primary Synod or
the Auburn Primary Synod.
If the Presbyters of the
Persbytery cannot agree,
the congregation shall default
to the Auburn Primary Synod.
B. Presbyteries shall be formed
along 2006
Presbytery boundary lines
and consist of the congregations aligned
with
each Primary Synod, e.g.
one Presbytery being created using the original
Presbytery
boundaries for the Westminster
Primary Synod aligned congregations and
one Presbytery being created using the original
Presbytery boundaries for the Auburn
Primary
Synod aligned congregations, within the same
original Presbytery boundary lines. These new
Presbyteries within the original Presbytery
boundary lines, one Presbytery for
the Westminster Pimary Synod aligned
congregations,
and one Presbytery for the
Auburn Primary Synod aligned congregations,
within each of the original Presbytery's old boundaries
would replace all
of the original
original Prebyteries.
C. Within 180 days after the last
Presbytery
required to approve these Proposed
Amendments
has voted to approve
them, the congregations that have
voted to align themselves with the
Westminster Primary Synod shall
send their Ministers of the Word
and Sacrament and elders in
accordance with section G-11.0101
of the Book of Order (2007)
to
form a new Presbytery within
their old Presbytery boundaries.
This would include the election of
a Stated Clerk and Moderator of
the Presbytery aligned with the
Westminster Primary Synod. Such
results shall be certified by the
Stated Clerk of the Presbytery
aligned with the Westminster
Primary Synod, and a copy
of the certified results would
be sent to the General Assembly
and to the address for their
Primary Synod.
D. Within 180 days after
the last Presbytery
required to approve these Proposed
Amendments has voted to approve
them, the congregations that have
voted to align themselves with the
Auburn Primary Synod shall send
Ministers of the Word and Sacrament
and elders in accordance with
Section G-11.0101 of the
Book of Order (2007) to form a
new Presbytery within their old
Presbytery boundaries. This would
include the election of a Stated
Clerk and Moderator of the
Presbytery aligned with the
Auburn Primary Synod. Such
results shall be certified by
the Stated Clerk of the Presbytery
aligned with the Auburn Primary
Synod, and a copy of the certified
results would be sent
to the General Assembly and to
the address of their Primary
Synod.
E. Within
180 days after the last
Presbytery required to approve
these
Proposed Amendments has
approved them, the governing authority of
the original Presbytery and its
Permanent Judicial Commission shall
cease. However, the Presbytery
may remain active after that date
for the sole purpose of
helping determine which Primary Synod
a congregation should be aligned
with as decribed below.
(i) The only exception to the 180
day rule would apply
in the
case where a congregation
and their session have not
selected the same Primary Synod
by a 60% vote, or the session by
a 60% vote and the
congregation
by more than a 50% vote have
not selected the same Primary
Synod (Auburn or Westminster).
In that case the Presbytery must
use their own best judgment to
place the congregation in the
appropriate Primary Synod
(Westminster or Auburn),
and notify the selected Primary Synod
and the General Assembly of
the Presbytery's choice and
the circumstances
surrounding that choice.
If
the Presbytery feels that
they cannot resolve the issue, the
congregation shall default to
the Auburn Primary
Synod.
F. The property of the local Presbytery
governing
body, buildings, offices
etc., shall be used equally by
both Primary
Synod's Presbyteries,
e.g. the Presbytery aligned
with the Westminster
Primary
Synod and the Presbytery
aligned with the Auburn Primary
Synod shall share the property
of the Presbytery within
their
geographic area, equally.
The two Presbyteries,
the Presbytery aligned
with
the Auburn Primary Synod and
the Presbytery aligned with
the
Westminster Primary Synod may
share expenses for shared
staff
at the Presbytery office. All expenses
accruing
to maintain the office or
buildings shall be shared by the
two new Presbyteries
in the region
based upon the number of members
of each new
Presbytery, e.g. the Presbytery
aligned with the Auburn Primary
Synod and the Presbytery aligned
with the Westminster Primary
Synod in the same geographic
area. Both Presbyteries may
also sell the Presbytery property
and share the proceeds equally.
G. The
Premanent Judicial Commission
of each Regional Synod shall cease
to have any authority 40 days after
the last Presbytery required to pass
these Proposed Amendments has
voted to adopt these Proposed
Amendments. The basic governing
body of each Regional Synod shall
cease to have authority 110 days
after the last Presbytery required
to pass these Proposed Amendments
has voted to adopt these
Proposed Amendments. Synods shall
be folded into the new Sub-Synods
described
in section G-12-0113 of
the Proposed Amendments. All
property within the boundaries of
each Sub-Synod shall be shared
equally
by the Presbteries aligned
with the Westminster Primary Synod
and the Presbyteries aligned with
the Auburn Primary Synod within
the
regional boundaries of that
Sub-Synod
H. The Permanent Judicial
Commission
of the General Assembly shall cease
to have
authority 40 days after the
last Presbytery required to adopt
these Proposed Amendments has
adopted them. The Permanent
Judicial Commission at the General
Assembly level shall be replaced
by the General Assembly Arbitration
Board as defined in G-13-0103 (o)
of these Proposed Amendments.
I. Each Presbytery aligned with
their respective Primary Synod
shall elect Commissioners to
their Primary Synod's General
Session in accordance with
G-12.0102, of the Proposed
Amendments.
J.
The General Synod Session
for the Westminster Primary
Synod shall be held November 1
of each year.
K. The General
Synod Session
for the Auburn Primary
Synod
shall be November 15th
of each year.
L.
For the first Primary Synod
General Session, a temporary
moderator and stated clerk
shall be elected by voice vote,
based upon names submitted
for each office by each Presbytery,
which shall submit one name each.
The temporary Stated Clerk and
Moderator shall
oversee the following:
1. The election of 9 General
Synod Council members by
their respective
Primary
Synod's commissioners,
(Westminster or Auburn).
They shall be
elected by a majority
of the Commissioners
present.
2. Of the nine elected General
Synod
Council Members, a
Stated Clerk and Moderator
shall be elected for a 2 year
term.
3. The General Assembly
Moderator and General
Assembly Stated Clerk
shall constitute the
other 2 voting members
of the 11 members
of each Primary Synod's
General Synod Council.
M. Adoption of Ordination Standards,
Statements of faith, appointment
of Committee Members, the
appointment of each Primary
Synod's respective Permanent
Judicial Council. etc.
shall take place at each of the
Primary Synod's General
Synod Session, (Westminster
and Auburn).
N. On December 1, the Sub-Synods
shall meet. The commissioners
from the Presbyteries aligned
with the same Primary Synod
(Auburn
or Westminster) shall,
send their commissioners to
elect their Sub-Synod council
that is aligned with their Primary
Synod
(Westminster or Auburn)
in their region.
O. On
May 1, the Joint Committee
on Presbytery Boundaries and
Regional
Presbytery Boundaries
shall meet and vote to approve
final boundaries
of each Primary
Synod's Presbyterys' and Presbytery
Regions' boundary lines. Each Primary
Synod (Westminster and Auburn)
shall have one vote each, and the
General Assembly Committee
members shall have a single vote.
Each entity shall appoint 7 committee
members each, with each entity
entitled to only one vote. An
affirmative vote of all 3 entities is
required based upon a majority
of the seven committee members
representing each entity required
to approve the final Presbytery
boundaries for each Primary Synod
(Westminster and Auburn), and the
final Presbytery Region Boundary
lines containing one or
more of those Presbyteries from
each
Primary Synod.
P. The Second Primary Synod General
Session, of the
Westminster
Primary Synod shall convene
November 1.
During that
session they must vote
to approve the final
boundaries of
their Presbyteries and the
the final boundaries
of the
Presbytery Regions
Q. The Second Primary Synod General
Session, of the Auburn Primary
Synod shall meet November 15th.
During that session they must
vote to approve the final
boundaries of their
Presbyteries and the final
boundaries
of the Presbytery
Regions.
R. Sub-Synod's of each Primary
Synod will meet December 1
every year to elect their board
and
conduct business of the
Sub-Synod and their
Primary
Synod, with
which they are aligned.
S. The Westminster
Primary Synod General Session
will convene every
November 1
to conduct the Westminster
Primary
Synod's business
T. The Auburn
Primary Synod General
Session
will convene every November 15th
to
conduct the Auburn Primary
Synod's business.
u. Each Primary
Synod General
Council (Auburn and
Westminster) will
each lease,
at market rates, one (1)
floor
at the PCUSA
headquarters building in
Louisville,
Kentucky,
for a total of 2 leased
floors, one floor
leased
by each Primary Synod.
This
leased space shall
be used for executive
offices,
meeting and
conference rooms, and for
support staff.
If more
space is needed, the
Primary Synod needing
the additional space
shall lease additional
space in the PCUSA
headquarters building,
at
market rates.
Each Primary Synod
(Westminster and
Auburn)
may also maintain a second
main office,
located
in a city of their choice.
v. Congregations that have
voted, with their sessions,
to leave the PCUSA,
within
the 48 months prior to
the last
Presbytery required
to approve these amendments,
approving
them, may retake
a vote of their congregation
and session to rejoin the
PCUSA, and align with the Primary
Synod of their choice
(Westminster or Auburn).
Any
court proceedings
and/or administrative
commissions authorized
by their Presbytery shall
be
dissmissed with no
punitive action permitted
against
the congregation
or its pastoral staff.
