16.
* Resolution of thanks to
the host church
17.
* Miscellaneous business
18.
Announce the place of the next meeting
19.
Adjournment and prayer
* At the call of the moderator
Section
4 Provision
may be made by the Moderator and the host church for a time of fellowship and
edification on the Thursday evening and Friday morning prior to the convening
of stated meetings of Presbytery.
CHAPTER
V - OFFICERS
Section
1 Titles: The officers of Presbytery
shall be Moderator, Stated Clerk, Assistant Clerk, and Treasurer.
Section
2 Elections:
These officers shall be
elected by ballot at the September meeting of Presbytery, a majority vote
being required for election.
Section
3 Terms:
The Moderator and Treasurer shall be elected for one year.
The Stated Clerk and Assistant Clerk shall be elected in alternate
years to serve two-year terms.
Section
4 Duties
A.
The Moderator is the presiding
officer at the meetings of Presbytery. He
shall also call special meetings in accordance with Bylaws III, 3 and 4 and participate in licensing candidates in
accordance with the Form of Government,
XXI, 7. 8. He shall make
nominations to standing committees at the April meeting.
He shall appoint an auditor at the April meeting to examine the
Treasurer's records. He shall
appoint an historian each year at the September meeting, whose
responsibilities shall be to collect and maintain historical records,
including pictures, of the Presbytery and its congregations, chapels, and
elders. In the absence of the
Moderator, the last Moderator present shall preside.
If there is none, an election shall be held.
B. Stated Clerk
1.
He shall keep in order a roll of the ministers, licentiates, candidates
for the ministry, churches, clerks of session, together with addresses of
each.
2. He shall on
approval of the minutes transcribe them in the records of Presbytery.
3. He shall file and
preserve (in hard copy or electronic form) for a period of at least seven
years all written reports presented to Presbytery.
4. He shall maintain a
permanent record of the Bylaws of
Presbytery together with all the amendments and changes.
5.
He shall communicate officially any acts of presbytery to the parties
whom they concern.
6. He shall certify,
upon request, to the standing of all ministers on the roll of Presbytery, and,
upon request provide ministers with identification cards.
7.
He shall send, in hard copy or electronic form, to each minister and
session at least one month prior to the date of each stated meeting a notice
of such meeting and a copy of the proposed docket.
8. He shall give
notice in writing to all sessions to present their sessional records at the
appropriate meeting of Presbytery for approval.
9. He shall notify the
chairman of every standing committee of his appointment and/or the appointment
of members to the committee.
10
He shall notify the chairman of every special committee of his
appointment, the particular business assigned, the names of other
committee members, and the date required for reporting.
11. He shall be responsible
for maintaining a website for the presbytery.
A portion of the website shall be for the use of distribute annually to
ministers and clerks of sessions, and shall include copies of minutes, a list
of the officers of Presbytery, the chairman and members of each standing
committee, and other relevant information.
A portion of the website shall provide information for the public.
12. He shall advise all
ministers not serving Orthodox Presbyterian pastorates or mission appointments
to report on their work in the gospel at least once each year, normally at the
April meeting. Ministers whom the
Presbytery lists as retired shall be exempt from this requirement.
13. Following each stated
meeting he shall mail or post to a presbytery web site copies of current draft
minutes and a copy of any minutes approved at that meeting.
14. He shall give
information of actions of Presbytery which may be of public interest to
representatives of secular and religious press.
15. He shall produce at the
stated meetings of the Presbytery, in hard copy or electronic form,
the records of the Presbytery, Bylaws
of Presbytery, the
Book of Church Order, the last published Minutes
of the General Assembly, and Roberts Rules
of Order.
16. He shall prepare and
transmit all records and reports required by the General Assembly and shall
maintain whatever records are required by the Presbytery or the General
Assembly. He shall maintain a roll
of members at large of the
Regional
Church
of the Northwest, and shall include that roll as an appendix to the minutes of
each stated meeting of Presbytery.
17. He shall certify as
necessary all actions of the presbytery, whether recorded in approved or draft
minutes.
18. In the absence or
inability of the Treasurer to function, he shall be authorized to act in the
place of Treasurer, and for this purpose his signature shall be listed at the
bank.
19. He shall deliver to his
successor all records of the Presbytery.
C. Assistant Clerk
1. He shall take
minutes of all meetings of Presbytery, preparing a draft copy for the Stated
Clerk to distribute to ministers and session.
2. In the absence or
inability of the Stated Clerk, he shall assume the duties of that office.
D. Treasurer
1.
He shall receive all money due or collected by the Presbytery, shall
make distribution thereof on its order, and shall make a record of all
transactions.
2.
He shall present his annual report at the September meeting of
Presbytery, the fiscal year ending August 31, and shall have his records
available for audit, as well as give a report for each period between meetings
at each stated meeting of Presbytery.
3.
Believing that the workman is worthy of his hire, it is the policy of
the Presbytery to pay all expenses incident to carrying on its work.
4.
This policy shall be implemented by the adoption of a budget at the
September meeting. (See also VI,
2, F. Finance.)
a.
All expenses which can reasonably be estimated for the ensuing year
shall be itemized in the budget. Standing
committees shall include in their budgeted estimates travel, telephone,
clerical, and all other expenses.
b.
Expenses of Presbytery. This
item in the budget is to cover the business meeting expenses of ministers and
commissioners to Presbytery. These
include food, lodging, and travel for the stated and special meetings of
Presbytery.
(1)
Presbytery shall control the total amount to be spent for this purpose
by fixing the amount of the item entitled “Expenses of Presbytery” in the
budget.
(2)
Payment shall be made to ministers and commissioners to Presbytery by
the Treasurer upon presentation of a signed voucher which states the date and
reason for the expenses. Licentiates,
men under care, and others whose presence at a meeting of Presbytery is
required by Presbytery or one of its committees may also submit a travel
voucher.
(3)
Payment shall be made for the full amount of the voucher, except that
if the total amount of vouchers exceeds the budget, the available funds shall
be pro-rated.
(4)
Apart from the above, no other individual or committee shall have their
expenses reimbursed except by motion of Presbytery recorded in the minutes.
(5)
Unless otherwise authorized by presbytery, the treasurer shall
reimburse for presbytery-related travel only within the geographic bounds of
the Presbytery of the Northwest.
CHAPTER
VI - COMMITTEES
Section
1 Nominations and elections:
At the April meeting the Moderator shall and other presbyters may
nominate members to each standing committee; additional nominations from the
floor are in order at the September meeting, at which meeting Presbytery shall
elect from those nominated. Normally
nominations and/or elections shall follow immediately the completed report of
each standing committee. Terms of
committee members shall be three (3) years, one class to be elected each year;
vacancies may be filled by appointment of the Moderator and the term of
appointment shall continue until the next stated meeting.
Section
2 Standing Committees
A.
Candidates and Credentials
1.
The committee shall consist of five members, at least two of whom are
ministers and two are ruling elders.
2.
The committee shall supervise the taking under care of candidates for
the gospel ministry, shall assign parts of trial for licensure and for
ordination, and conduct examinations for same in accord with the Form
of Government, XXI, XXII, and XXIII.
3.
The committee shall examine and report on the credentials and
testimonials of ministers applying for admission to Presbytery.
4.
When a session has determined to present a candidate to its
congregation, it shall immediately notify the Candidates and Credentials
Committee.
a. The session will
provide the committee with the following written
information:
(1) Candidate's name,
current address and telephone number
(2) Candidate's current position or occupation and relevant information
on his family
(3) Copies of candidate's resume, letters of reference, and a summary
of oral testimonials
(4) Reasons this particular
man is being proposed to the congregation as a candidate
(5)
Terms of the proposed call, including salary, housing and utilities
allowance, medical insurance, social security and/or retirement allowance,
vacation, etc.
b.
The committee will begin preliminary consideration of the candidate and
the call, and it will promptly communicate with the session should any
questions or problems arise.
c. After the
congregation has voted to extend a call and the candidate has indicated to the
session his willingness to accept it, the session will immediately notify the
Committee on Candidates and Credentials, including any modifications in the
proposed terms of call. The
committee will promptly arrange to examine the candidate as required by the Form
of Government.
5.
The committee shall examine and make recommendations concerning calls
and resignations.
6.
The committee shall provide pastoral counsel to ministers upon their
request. The committee shall
consult with and then report to the presbytery concerning any minister who
incurs unexcused absences from presbytery meetings for a year or more.
B.
Regional
Church
Missions
1.
The committee shall consist of six members.
2.
The committee shall seek out and confer with churches regarding their
admission to the
Regional
Church
of the Northwest and shall be responsible for promoting evangelism and church
extension in the regional church.
3.
The committee shall examine reports from all missionaries laboring
within the bounds of Presbytery.
4.
The primary task of the committee is to promote within the regional
church awareness of, concern and zeal for, and active participation in
outreach to nonbelievers with the
gospel of Christ. Any group,
therefore, that wishes recognition by the committee as a part of the
Presbytery's outreach or extension efforts must give evidence not only of a
concern for outreach, but also practical efforts at outreach by at least some
members in preparing for or engaging in evangelism.
Pastors to be called to such groups must also be involved in actively
preparing for and engaging in practical evangelism.
5.
Under normal circumstances pastoral oversight of members of a mission
church shall be provided by a nearby session.
However, in cases where that is not practical, the committee shall
provide pastoral oversight for members of mission works when the membership is
held on the rolls of the regional church at large.
It is authorized to carry out the functions of a session for such
members, and may appoint a subcommittee, which may include other presbyters,
to fulfill this task. The
committee shall inform the stated clerk of all changes to the rolls of such
members. The committee shall
maintain adequate records of such supervision (see Instrument C.2, mutatis
mutandis.)
C. Foreign Missions
1.
The committee shall consist of three members.
2.
The purpose of the committee shall be to promote within the Regional
Church of the Northwest an awareness of, concern and zeal for, and, where
possible, active participation in foreign missions.
3.
The committee, in cooperation with the Committee on Foreign Missions of
the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, shall arrange for itineration of foreign
missionaries among the congregations of the Northwest.
4.
The committee shall encourage the churches of the Northwest in
increased prayer for and financial support of the Worldwide Outreach of the
OPC in general and the work of foreign missions in particular.
5.
The committee shall encourage and assist in establishing special
relationships (in accordance with the Standing
Rules of the General Assembly) between either churches, clusters of
churches, or the regional church, and new fields and new missionaries.
6.
The committee shall encourage more direct regional church involvement
in foreign mission work.
.
D. Visitation
1.
The committee shall consist of four members, at least one of whom is a
minister and one an elder.
2.
Each church shall be visited at least once every three years, or more
frequently upon request by the session involved or the instruction of
Presbytery.
3.
The committee shall arrange ahead of time for a mutually acceptable
date for visiting a session; shall urge sessions to seek any desired help or
counsel; and shall remember that the nature of their visit is consultative
only. A guide for procedure and questions to be discussed is found in
Instrument C.1.
4.
After each visit the committee shall prepare a brief written report for
Presbytery with a copy going to the session.
The report shall be presented at the first stated meeting of the
Presbytery following a visit, provided that a copy has been sent to the
session no later than two weeks before the meeting of Presbytery.
5.
The committee shall be given the responsibility of making an annual
examination of the sessional records of the churches of
Idaho
,
Montana
, and
Oregon
at the stated September meeting of presbytery and the records of the churches
of
Alaska
and
Washington
at the stated April meeting of presbytery.
The examination shall take place in accordance with the Rules for
Examining Sessional Records (Instrument C.3).
E. Diaconal Ministries
1.
The committee shall be composed of local boards of deacons.
All members of the committee shall be elected officers of the church.
2.
The responsibility to serve as a committee for the Northwest Presbytery
diaconal work shall rotate among the local boards of deacons in the Presbytery
each two years, as elected by the Presbytery.
