PCANews -

Editor’s note: Presbyteries have been voting on overtures to be considered by the 32^nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America. The General Assembly will meet in the Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Penn., June 14-18, 2004. Overtures 7 – 8 are printed below along with the Committee(s) to which they have been assigned for consideration and recommendation to the General Assembly.

 

Overture: #7

From: James River Presbytery

To: Committee on Constitutional Business, Bills and Overtures

 

Title: “Amend BCO 57-5 Regarding Adding a Congregation’s Vow at a Profession of Faith”

 

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

 

Whereas, BCO 56-5 includes an optional question that may be asked of the congregation of a local church upon the administration of infant baptism, whereby the congregation commits to assist the parents in the Christian nurture of the child; and

 

Whereas, one being admitted to the communicant membership of the local church vows to support God’s church in its worship and work and to promote its purity and peace; and

 

Whereas, one means of supporting the Church and promoting its purity and peace is to support its new members; and

 

Whereas, the intention of this Presbytery is to encourage the expression of such support through a congregational vow with respect to each new member of the local church;

 

Therefore, be it resolved that the James River Presbytery respectfully overtures the 32^nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America to approve amending BCO 57-5 by inserting the following language immediately after question number 5 addressed to those making a profession:

 

The minister may say to the congregation as follows:

 

“Do you, the members of this congregation, agree to support [new member name(s)], encouraging and comforting [him/her/them] and urging [him/her/them] to ‘walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him’?”

 

Adopted by James River Presbytery at the stated meeting January 17, 2004

Attested by: /s/ Eugene Friedline, Stated Clerk of Presbytery

 

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Overture: #8

From: North Texas Presbytery

To: Committee on Constitutional Business, Bills and Overtures

 

Title: “Amend BCO 24-9 to Delete Age Requirement of Ruling Elders or Deacons Emeriti”

 

Whereas, the PCA in its Book of Church Order (BCO) has made it clear that the offices of teaching and ruling elder are not two offices, but one (BCO 8-9); and

 

Whereas, the BCO is careful in various sections to specify that rules for holding office pertaining to teaching elders should in like manner also apply to ruling elders and deacons (see e.g. BCO 34-10 and 38-2); and

 

Whereas, there appears to be a distinct inconsistency or disparity between BCO 23-2 which allows a teaching elder to retire simply by reason of age or infirmity, and BCO 24-9 which requires that a ruling elder or deacon be infirm or the age of seventy (70) before requesting emeritus status;

 

Therefore, be it resolved that the North Texas Presbytery does hereby overture the 32^nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America that BCO 24-9 be amended to delete the specific requirement of 70 years of age for emeritus status for deacons and ruling elders, and that it be reworded to state that the deacon or ruling elder may request emeritus status simply by reason of age.

 

We propose specifically the following change in the first sentence of BCO 24-9:

 

FROM: When a deacon or ruling elder becomes infirm or reaches the age of seventy (70), he may at his request and with the approval of the Session be designated deacon or elder emeritus.

 

TO: When a deacon or ruling elder by reason of age or infirmity desires to be released from the active duties of the office, he may at his request and with the approval of the Session be designated deacon or elder emeritus.

 

Explanation:

Normally, officers of the church are expected to perform the duties of the office in some manner. When they do not, the courts of the church are charged with taking action as to the reasons why. For example, a teaching elder may not be on the rolls of Presbytery for more than 3 years without a call (BCO 13-2). Although not explicitly stated, one would assume that in an analogous manner, ruling elders and deacons should normally not go for more than three years without performing the duties of the office. The BCO provides that a teaching elder may retire from active service when he reaches an age agreeable to Presbytery. In this case, the teaching elder who retires maintains the privileges of the office without being required to have a call. He is a member of Presbytery and may serve if he desires.

 

This being the case for teaching elders, one would assume that an analogous situation should apply to ruling elders and deacons. A ruling elder or deacon who has served faithfully may want to retire from active service at age 60 or 62 for example. He might still serve in many ways in the church, but he may not desire to serve actively on his local Session. However, in the current BCO, a Session would not be able to endorse this. It would have to require the man to actively serve as long as he is physically able or until he reaches 70. This puts the Session in an awkward position of enforcing upon men standards of service that may be unreasonable. Under the current BCO, the only way to get around this is to allow the man to resign from active service per BCO 24-6, ignore any time restrictions on service, and then move the man to emeritus status at age 70. In such a case, the man before the age of 70 is essentially in a de facto emeritus status. The change to BCO 24-9 that is being suggested by the Town North Session would simply allow a Session to place the man in a de jure emeritus status and avoid misunderstandings and confusion. By not specifying an exact age, it leaves the judgment to the Session in the same way that 23-2 leaves the designation of teaching elders at the discretion of the Presbytery.

 

BCO References:

 

Section on the Retirement of Teaching Elders.

23-2. The Presbytery may designate a minister as honorably retired when the minister by reason of age wishes to be retired, or as medically disabled when by reason of infirmity is no longer able to serve the church in the active ministry of the Gospel. A minister medically disabled or honorably retired shall continue to hold membership in his Presbytery. He may serve on committees or commissions if so elected or appointed.

 

23-3. A minister, being medically disabled or honorably retired, may be elected pastor emeritus by a congregation which seeks to honor his past earnest labors among them.

 

Section on the Emeritus Status of Ruling Elders.

24-9. When a deacon or ruling elder becomes infirm or reaches the age of seventy (70), he may at his request and with the approval of the Session be designated deacon or elder emeritus. When so designated, he is no longer required to perform the regular duties of his office, but may continue to perform certain of these duties on a voluntary basis, if requested by the Session or a higher court. He may attend Diaconate or Session meetings, if he so desires, and may participate fully in the discussion of any issues, but may not vote.

 

Adopted by North Texas Presbytery, at the stated meeting on February 7, 2004.

Attested by: /s/ T. John Mulkey, Stated Clerk of Presbytery