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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
in accordance with the guidelines
and standards of their Primary
Synod (Auburn or Westminster)
that are applicable to the
validation of various ministries,
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)
and in the worship and
service of a congregation.
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 which the Presbytery shall
follow the guidelines set forth
by their Primary Synod
(Westminster or Auburn)
for extraordinary
circumstances.
c. Upon a report from the appropriate
committee of, the ministries compliance
with the above provisions, such
ministers
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)
and shall answer in the
affirmative the questions
contained in the ordination
and installation service based
upon
their Primary Synod's
guidelines and policies
(Westminster or Auburn).
d. A minister shall be 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 in
With
correspondence with
one
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 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 a 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, one of which is
this church 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 temporarily the rights and privileges
of membership.
b.
A minister of another denomination
with whom the 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,
one or another of the churches' 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 are
Continuing continuing members of a Presbytery aligned
with
Member 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 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 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 which is
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 intentional abandonment
of the 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),
A
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
fulfulling 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
their Presbytery upon that minister's
application
and 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). Their 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.
Proposed Amendment
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