PCANews -

Editor’s note: Presbyteries have been voting on overtures to be considered by the 32nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America. The General Assembly will meet in the Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Penn., June 14-18, 2004. Overture 6 is printed below along with the Committee(s) to which it has been assigned for consideration and recommendation to the General Assembly.

 

Overture: #6

From: Session of Ellisville (MS) Presbyterian Church

To: Committee on Constitutional Business, Bills and Overtures 1

 

Title: “Amend BCO 13-1, 14-2, 23-2, 24-9 et altera to Restrict Teaching Elders Voting in Presbyteries and General Assembly to Pastors and Associate Pastors Only” Note: This overture was presented to Grace Presbytery January 13, 2004 and rejected (RAO10-10).

 

To the 32nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America:

 

An overture to amend the Book of Church Order Chapters thirteen (13), fourteen (14), twenty-three (23), twenty-four (24), and all other necessary parts to avoid any constitutional conflicts for the purpose of identifying the voting members of the Presbytery and General Assembly Courts as representative of the whole body of believers.

 

Whereas, “Though the character, qualifications and authority of church officers are laid down in the holy Scriptures, as well as the proper method of officer investiture, the power to elect persons to the exercise of authority in any particular society resides in the society” (BCO Preface, II-6), and

 

Whereas, “The scriptural form of church government, which is representative or Presbyterian, is comprehended under five heads: a. the church; b. its members; c. its officers; d. its courts; e. its orders” (BCO 1-1), and

 

Whereas, “The members of this visible church catholic, i.e., whole body, are all those persons in every nation, together with their children, who make profession of their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and promise submission to His laws” (BCO 1-3), and

 

Whereas, “Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction is not a several, but a joint power, to be exercised by presbyters in courts. These courts may have jurisdiction over one or many churches, but they sustain such mutual relations as to realize the idea of the unity of the Church” (BCO 1-5), and

 

Whereas, “This Scriptural doctrine of Presbytery is necessary to the perfection of the order of the visible Church, but is not essential to its existence;” (BCO 1-7), and

 

Whereas, “The church, with its ordinances, officers and courts, is the agency which Christ has ordained for the edification and government of His people, for the propagation of the faith, and the evangelization of the world.” (BCO 3-5), and

 

Whereas, “The exercise of ecclesiastical power, whether joint or several, has the divine sanction when in conformity with the statutes enacted by Christ, the lawgiver, and when put forth by courts or by officers appointed thereunto in His Word” (BCO 3-6), and

 

Whereas, “A particular church consists of a number of professing Christians, with their children, associated together for divine worship and godly living, agreeable to the Scriptures, and submitting to the lawful government of Christ’s kingdom” (BCO 4-1), and

 

Whereas, the particular church officers are “teaching and ruling elders and its deacons” (BCO 4-2); “Its jurisdiction being a joint power, is lodged in the church Session, which consist of its pastor, pastors, its associate pastor(s), and its ruling elders” (BCO 4-3), and

 

Whereas, “The government of the Church is by officers gifted to represent Christ, and the right of God’s people to recognize by election (emphasis added) to office so gifted is inalienable. Therefore, no man can be placed over a church in any office without the election, or at least the consent of the church” (BCO 16-2), and

 

Whereas, “It belongs to the office of elder, both severally and jointly, to watch diligently over the flock committed to his charge…. They must exercise government and discipline, and take oversight not only of the spiritual interests of the particular church, but also the church generally…” (BCO 8-3), and

 

Whereas, “The church is governed by various courts, in regular gradations, which are all, nevertheless, Presbyteries, as being composed exclusively of presbyters” (BCO 10-1), and

 

Whereas, “These courts are church Sessions, Presbyteries, and the General Assembly” (BCO 10-2), and “All church courts are one in nature, constituted of the same 31 elements, possessed inherently of the same kinds of rights and powers…” (BCO 11-3, emphasis added), and

 

Whereas, BCO 12-1 states clearly the composition of the church session is the pastor, associate pastor (if one exists) and the ruling elders of the particular church. All are elected to exercise government, discipline, and to take spiritual oversight of the congregation. Assistant pastor or pastors, although not elected members of the session, may be invited to attend and participate in discussion without vote, and

 

Whereas, membership in Presbytery, without a call and election by a particular church, must not give an elder voting privileges to exercise authority over church members, and

 

Whereas, the Presbytery, being one in nature with the Session (BCO 11-3), should consist of the elected pastor, pastor(s), associate pastors and ruling elders from each particular church, and

 

Whereas, the General Assembly, being one in nature with the Session and with the Presbytery (BCO 11-3), should consist of the pastor, pastors, associate pastors, and ruling elders from each particular church, and

 

Whereas, it is clear that the government of the church proceeds from the members of a particular church up through the elected officers (teaching and ruling elders) of that particular church and continues upward to the Presbytery through its elected representatives and further upward to the General Assembly by its elected representatives, and

 

Whereas, Elders appointed (not elected) by a court to do a particular work, (i.e. college and seminary teaching, chaplains, assistant pastors, missionaries, evangelist, church planters, etc.) are not part of the representative church government, and

 

Whereas, representative church government is violated when teaching elders who are not members of a particular church session vote in a court thereby representing only themselves and not being elected to represent those governed, and

 

Whereas, all teaching elders not being members of a particular church Session should be precluded from voting in the Presbytery and General Assembly courts but do retain their membership in the Presbytery for purposes of instruction and discipline.

 

Therefore be it resolved that BCO Chapter 13-1 be revised by deleting the second sentence and inserting a new second sentence, to read “When General Assembly meets as a court its voting members shall comprise only teaching elders who are members of a particular church Session and are in good standing with their presbyteries, and ruling elders as elected by their Sessions,” and

 

Therefore be it further resolved that BCO 23-2 be revised by deleting the last sentence, and

 

Therefore be it further resolved that BCO 24-9 be revised by deleting the last sentence, and

 

Therefore be it further resolved that any other parts of the BCO be revised as necessary to make it consistent with these BCO changes.

 

Adopted by Ellisville Presbyterian Church at the stated meeting January, 2004

Attested by: /s/ Charlie H. Probst, Clerk of Session