G-12.0000
Chapter XII
The Auburn and Westminster Primary
Synods
and their Sub-Synods
G-12.0100 1. General
G-120101
The PCUSA shall consist of a General Assembly
Definition
and Two Primary Synods representing the two primary
theological
schools of thought in the denomination.
The Two Primary Synods shall be:
i. The Westminster Primary Synod, which represents
Presbyterians
who are more Biblically orthodox
in
their theology, and
ii. The Auburn Primary Synod which represents
Presbyterians who are more progressive
in their theology.
The
governing bodies serving and representing
each of these two Primary Synods shall consist
of eight Sub-Synods and their Presbyteries
and
congregations. The eight Sub-Synods
representing
the Presbyterians in the
Westminster Primary Synod and the eight Sub-Synods
representing the Presbyterians in the Auburn Primary
Synod
shall have the same geographical
boundaries. Thus, the Westminster Primary Synod
and the Auburn Primary Synod shall each
have eight Sub-Synods with the same
geographic
boundaries, so as to maximize
cooperation between the governing bodies of the
two Primary Synods. Below each Sub-Synod,
which
is aligned with their respective Primary Synod,
(either the Westminster or the Auburn Primary Synod)
will be their geographically based Presbyteries. The
Presbyteries are made up of the congregations whose
sessions have voted to align themselves with
either
the Auburn Primary Synod or the Westminster
Primary Synod. When a congregation votes to align
themselves with either the Westminster or the Auburn
Primary Synod, they will be enrolled in a Presbytery
aligned with that Primary Synod (either the Auburn
or the Westminster Primary Synod). Thus,
the Presbytery
of membership for each congregation,
shall
be the Presbytery aligned with the same
Primary Synod that the congregation has selected
to be aligned with, (either the Westminster
or the Auburn Primary Synod). The Presbytery,
in turn, shall be under the jurisdiction of their geographical
Sub-Synod aligned with their Primary Synod (either
the Westminster or the Auburn Primary Synod),
which covers that geographic area. In the same
manner, the
Sub-Synod, shall be subject to their
Primary
Synod, (either the Westminster or
the
Auburn Primary Synod), that they are
aligned with.
G-12.0102 Each Primary Synod (the Westminster and the
Membership
Auburn Primary Synods) shall hold an
annual general session, of their member
Sub-Synods and Presbyteries, to conduct
general business and to elect nine of the
eleven Primary Synod's General Council
Members as well as the Primary Synod's
Moderator and the Primary Synod's
Stated Clerk. The Primary Synod's
General Council Members shall conduct the
day to day business of the Primary Synod,
set
the policies for the Primary Synod,
and establish and delegate authority to
the
various committees that will accomplish the
goals of the Primary Synod. On the dates
that
each of the Primary Synods' convene
their own Primary Synod General
Session, the
delegates shall
consist of commissioners that are of equal
numbers of elders and ministers from each
Presbytery that is aligned with that Primary
Synod
which is then convening their General Session
(either the Westminster or the Auburn
Primary Synod). Each Presbytery
shall
elect 7 elders and 7 ministers,
who shall be called as commissioners
to their respective Primary Synod's General
Session. These
Commissioners will be entitled
to vote on matters brought before their
specific Prmary Synod (Westminster
or Auburn), and be entitled to elect
their Primary Synod's (Westminster
or Auburn) General Council. These
Commissioners' shall also be their Primary
Synod's elected Commissioners that are
sent to their Primary Synod's geographic
Sub-Synod, which represents their geographic
region.
G-12.0103 The commissioners to each Primary
Election
of Synod's General Session, shall be chosen
each Primary by their Presbyteries, and Sessions that
Synod's are aligned with that Primary Synod (either
General Westminster or Auburn), The Commissioners
Council shall elect nine of their Primary Synod's
(Auburn and General Council's voting members, one of
Westminster) those nine voting members shall be elected,
by the Commissioners, as the Stated Clerk
of
their Primary Synod's General Council,
and
one of nine voting members shall
be elected,
by the Commissioners, as the
Moderator of their Primary Synod's General
Council.
The current elected Stated Clerk
of the PCUSA General Assembly, and
the current elected Moderator of the PCUSA
General
Assembly shall be permanent voting
members on each of the Primary Synod's General
Councils, (both the Westminster and the Auburn
Primary Synod), giving each Primary
Synod,
(the Westminster and
the Auburn Primary Synods), a
General Council of 11 voting
members.
G.12-0104 The General Council of each
of the two
Responsibilities Primary Synods (Westminster and Auburn)
have the responsibility and the power
within their Primary Synod:
a. to set priorities for the work of the church
in keeping with the church's mission under Christ.
b. to develop their overall objectives for mission
and a comprehensive strategy to guide their
churches at every level of its life
c. to provide the essential programs and functions
that are appropriate for overall balance and fairness
within the mission of the church
d. pursuant to these goals, each Primary
Synod
(Westminster and Auburn) shall establish
their own ordination standards, consistant with
the Biblically required duties, and responsibilities
of
those ordained positions. This must be
consistant
with caring for the Body of Christ
and
the propogation of the Good News, and
consistent
with Christ's call for caring
and seeking justice for the poor, the
outcast, and the dispossessed.
e. pursuant to these goals, each Primary
Synod (Westminster and Auburn) shall
determine the educational materials to
be used by their member congregations,
to further the mission of the Church and
to propagate the Gospel.
f. pursuant to these goals, each Primary
Synod (Auburn and Westminster), shall
endorse and establish Statements of Faith,
to
be followed by their member congregations,
The Statements
of Faith used by each
Primary Synod (Westminster and Auburn)
shall be
based upon the confessions
as found in the 2008 edition of the Book
of Confessions.
g. pursuant to these goals, each Primary
Synod shall provide administrative
services
to their member
Sub-Synods,
Presbyteries, and Sessions,
to help fulfill their objectives and programs
h. pursuant to these goals, each Primary
Synod shall establish and maintain their
own office for general administrative matters,
(Westminster and Auburn)
i. pursuant to these goals each Primary
Synod shall establish and superintend the
agencies
necessary for the work of their
respective Primary Synod.
j. Each Primary Synod's General
Council
(Auburn and Westminster) shall
provide on
a regular basis a review of the
functional relationship between the
respective Primary Synod, its member Sub-Synods,
its member Presbyteries, and its member
congregations.
k. Each Primary Synod's General Council
shall
establish a comprehensive budget,
a copy of which is to be submitted to the General
Assembly
of the PCUSA.
l. pursuant to these goals each Primary
Synod (Westminster and Auburn) shall
provide for communication within their
own
Primary Synod,
m. pursuant to these goals each Primary
Synod shall oversee the work of their
respective Sub-Synods, aligned with
that Primary Synod (Auburn or
Westminster) and facilitate
their participation in the mission
of the church
n. to review the work of their Sub-Synods and
to take care that they observe the Constitution
of the Church and the standards and guidelines
of their Primary Synod, with which they are aligned.
o. to approve the organization, division,
uniting
or combining of Presbyteries
within each Primary Synod (Auburn
or Westminster), in accordance with
with
the decisions by the Joint
Committee on Presbytery
Boundaries and Regional Presbyery
Boundaries.
p.
pursuant to these goals each Primary
Synod shall be a voting member along
with the General Assembly, on the
Joint Committee on Presbytery
Boundaries and Regional
Presbytery Boundaries. Each
entity having one vote, (one vote
for the General Assembly, one vote
for
the Auburn Primary Synod and
one vote for the Westminster
Primary
Synod). The General
Assembly
shall appoint seven
Committee
Members, and
each
Primary Synod (Westminster
and
Auburn). shall each, appoint
seven Committee Members, to
represent their Primary
Synod on the Joint Committee
on Presbytery and Regional
Presbytery Boundaries. The
Committee members from
each entity:
i. the General Assembly
ii. the Auburn Primary Synod, and
iii. the Westminster Primary Synod,
shall
cast one single vote per
entity, one vote for the
General Assembly,
one vote for the Westminster
Primary Synod, and one vote
for the Auburn Primary Synod.
Each
entity's vote shall be based
upon a majority vote
of each entity's seven committee
members. Decisions on boundaries
must be decided by an affirmative
vote of all three entities, based upon
a majority vote by each of the
entities seven voting committee
members.
q. to
serve in judicial matters in accordance with
the rules of Discipline, each Primary Synod
shall select their own Permanent
Judicial
Commission, as the highest court
governing and adjudicating cases for
their
respective Primary Synod
(Westminster or Auburn).
i. to warn or bear witness against error in doctrine
or immorality in practice within their
Primary Synod
ii. to decide controversies brought before it and
to give advice and instruction in cases submitted
to it, in conformity with the constitution.
r. each Primary Synod shall provide
authoritative interpretation of
the Book of Order which shall only be binding
on their respective Primary Synod (Auburn
or Westminster), or through a
decision by that Primary Synod's
Permanent Judicial Commission in a
remedial or disciplinary case. The
Primary
Synod's (Auburn or Westminster)
most recent interpretation of a provision
of
the Book or Order shall be binding
with respect to that Primary Synod, their
Sub-Synods, Presbyteries, and congregations,
aligned with that Primary Synod.
s. to establish and maintain those ecumenical
relationships that will enlarge the life and mission
of each Primary Synod
t. to correspond with other churches
u. to engage and participate in churchwide
planning,
v. to propose for their respective Primary
Synod's
determination, the mission direction,
goals, objectives, and priorities of their respective
Primary Synod
(Westminster or Auburn);
w.
to coordinate and review the work of
each of the Primary Synod's agencies and
bodies
in light of their Primary Synod's
mission
directions, goals objectives,
and
priorities;
x.
to prepare and submit a comprehensive budget
for
their Primary Synod, to be submitted
for
approval by their respective Primary
Synod's
General Session. (Required of
both the Westminster and Auburn Primary
Synods).
y. to correspond with presbyteries, and Sub-Synods
within each respective Primary Synod
(Auburn or Westminster), and their councils
and committees in matters related to their
respective Primary Synod's, Synod-wide planning,
budget
development and the coordination of the
work of the Primary Synod;
z. to act, in matters of administrative staff, with
Sub-Synod councils and agencies aligned with
their
respective Primary Synod (Westminster
or Auburn)
aa. to consult with Sub-Synods with regard
to
equitable compensation, personnel
policies,
and fair employment practices;
G-12.0105 A
quorum of each Primary Synod's General Session
Quorum
shall be one hundred commissioners, fifty of whom
of a Primary
shall be elders and fifty of whom shall be ministers,
Synod's
representing Presbyteries of at least one half of
General
their respective Primary Synod's, Sub-Synods
Session
G-12.0106 Each
Primary Synod shall keep a full and
Records
accurate record of its proceedings
G-12.0107 All
questions requiring an interpretation by the
Constitutional Primary Synod's
General Council of the Book of
Questions Order
arising from governing bodies of that
submitted to respective
Primary Synod, or from individuals
the Primary
shall be communicated in writing to the Stated
Synod Clerk
of that respective Primary Synod
no
later than 120 days prior to the
convening
of the next respective
Primary
Synod's General Session, (Auburn or
Westminster). The Stated Clerk of each respective
Primary Synod (Westminster or Auburn) shall refer
all such questions of interpretation to the Advisory
Committee on the constitution, of that respective
Primary Synod (Auburn or Westminster),
except those questions pertaining to
matters
pending before that Primary Synod's
Permanent Judicial Commission. The Advisory
Committee shall report its findings to their
Primary
Synod (Westminster or Auburn) along
with recommendations. Constitutional proposals,
OTHER
THAN: Ordination Standards, Statements
of Faith, Marriage Requirements,
Educational Materials used,
evangelism
methods used, the Primary
Synod
governance structure and alignment
of congregations, Presbyteries, and
Sub-Synods within their Primary Synod
(Westminster or Auburn), may be
submitted
by the Primary Synod
(Auburn or Westminster), to
the
PCUSA General Assembly for
consideration.
At the Synod's At least nine members of the Advisory
Committee
General Session on the Constitution, appointed by the moderator
of each
of the Primary Synod's, shall be
present
at the general session of their
Primary Synod.
All items introduced and
new business that touch upon constitutional matters,
including requesting rulings by the moderator on
questions of order involving constitutional matters,
shall be referred in writing to these persons. They
shall act as the full committee and shall consider
each matter referred to them and make
recommendations directly to the Primary Synod's
General Session through the Primary
Synod's moderator.
G-12.0108 PCUSA Seminaries and Colleges
wishing
PCUSA to
affiliate and partner with one of the
Seminary two
Primary Synods (Westminster or Auburn),
and
may do so, providing that they affiliate
Colleges with
a PCUSA seminary or college that
affiliated has
affiliated and partnered with the
with one other Primary
Synod (Westminster
of the or
Auburn). Affiliation with a PCUSA
Primary seminary
or college of the other Primary
Synods Synod
consists of exchanging faculty for
(Auburn or one
week of each year, such that the
Westminster) students
are given an overview of the
theological positions of the other
Primary Synod (Westminster or
Auburn).
G-12.0109
The General Council of each of the two
Church Primary
Synods (Auburn and
Planting and Westminster)
shall develop a
comprehensive plan of new church
planting for their Primary Synod.
This shall be done in conjunction
with
their Sub-Synods and
Presbyteries, aligned with that
Primary Synod, (Auburn or
Westminster).
G-12.0110 If a church
congregation, whose denomination is in
Church
full communion with the PCUSA, wishes to transfer
Transfers
their affiliation to the PCUSA and to a specific
Primary Synod within the PCUSA, (Auburn or
Westminster), they can only do so with approval
of the denomination from which they are departing,
and approval of the receiving Primary Synod
(Westminster or Auburn), and a payment of at least
20% of the fair market value of their property, that
they are taking from their former denomination,
payable
to the denomination from which they are departing.
G-12.0111 Each Primary
Synod's General Council shall
Manual of develop
in consultation with their Sub-Synods,
Operations a
manual of operations that shall
include design for administrative staff
and
provisions for size, and for specific
representation of Sub-Synod council
membership that provides for
inclusiveness and fairness.
