Study Notes: The Book of Forms 2013 (The Presbyterian Church in Canada)

HISTORICAL AND CONFESSIONAL BASE

• Historical Continuity:

  • The Presbyterian Church in Canada (PCC) originates from the Church of Scotland, reformed in 1560.

  • The 1875 union comprised four churches derived from Scottish branches: Truro Presbytery (1786), Pictou Presbytery (1795), Presbytery of the Canadas (1818), Synod of New Brunswick (1833), and others.

• The Scriptures and subordinate standards:

  • Infallible Rule: The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are received as the Word of God and the "only infallible rule of faith and manners."

  • Principal Subordinate Standard: The Westminster Confession of Faith (1647).

  • Principles and Practice: Based on the Second Book of Discipline (1578), The Form of Presbyterial Church Government, and The Directory for the Public Worship of God.

• Governing Ideology:

  • Christ Jesus is the Head of his Church, appointing its constitution and ordinances.

  • The hierarchy is a "hierarchy of courts," not persons.

  • Authority is ministerial and declarative, meaning courts announce what Christ has revealed.

GENERAL RULES FOR CHURCH COURTS

• Basic Principles:

  • Rule is by "mutual consent of brethren" and "equality of power."

  • Every member of a court has the right and responsibility to participate in all business.

  • Committees may not meet while the court sits without explicit leave.

• Meetings:

  • Ordinary Meetings: Courts (except sessions) must determine the time/place of the next meeting before rising.

  • Emergent Meetings: Called by the Moderator for urgent business between ordinary sessions. Members must receive notice of specific business; no other business can be transacted.

  • Prayer: Every meeting must be opened and closed with prayer; this and attendance must be minuted.

  • Open vs. Closed: Courts are generally open to the public except the session. Any court may go "in camera" (closed doors) for sensitive matters like character reviews.

• Moderators:

  • Elected by common consent of the court (except session).

  • The Moderator is the judge of order only. They facilitate voting and order but do not have a negative voice (veto) over the court.

  • Moderators only hold a casting vote (to break a tie).

• Records and Minutes:

  • Clerk: Custodian of records and the only legal extractor.

  • Integrity of Minutes: Pages must be signed by the clerk/moderator. Numbers must be written in both figures and words ($100$ vs. "one hundred").

  • Erasures: No confirmed record may be altered except by order of a higher court.

  • Review: Presbytery reviews session records at least once every two years; higher courts review lower court records annually.

THE SESSION

• Membership:

  • Consists of the Minister (or Ministers), active members of the Order of Diaconal Ministries serving the charge, and Ruling Elders.

  • Eligibility: Elders must be professing members in good standing.

• Duties and Powers:

  • Pastoral Care: Developing personal relationships with members/adherents through visiting and counseling.

  • Spiritual Management: Admissions to professing membership, administering Sacraments (Baptism and the Lord's Table), and oversight of Christian Education.

  • Temporal Oversight: Supervision of all congregational associations and policy for the use of church buildings.

• Elections and Service:

  • Elders are ordained for life. They may be elected for 6-year terms if the congregation uses term service.

  • Admissions: Session judges the qualifications of those nominated/elected.

• Relationship to Higher Courts:

  • Session appoints a Representative Elder to the Presbytery and Synod annually.

THE CONGREGATION AND ITS MANAGEMENT

• Membership Definitions:

  • Professing Members: Persons admitted to the Lord’s Table who have publicly professed faith.

  • Covenant Members: Baptized children who are under the care of the church but have not yet made a public profession.

• Property and Debt:

  • Property is held by Trustees (who must be professing members).

  • Major Capital Expenditures: Defined as costs equal to or exceeding total normal expenditures from the previous year. Requires a two-thirds majority ($\frac{2}{3}$) vote at a congregational meeting and Presbytery approval.

• Meetings:

  • Annual meetings receive reports from the Board of Managers or Deacons’ Court.

  • Notice must be given on two ($2$) Sundays prior.

• Board of Managers:

  • Responsible for temporal/financial affairs (e.g., building repair, paying stipends).

  • Rotation: One-third ($\frac{1}{3}$) of managers retire each year by rotation.

THE PRESBYTERY

• Composition:

  • Ordained ministers (serving at least half-time), active Diaconal ministers, and Representative Elders.

  • Equalizing Elders: Appointed to ensure the number of elders equals the number of clergy on the roll.

• Jurisdiction:

  • Care and good order of all churches within its bounds.

  • Oversight of the ministry: ordination, induction, translation, and resignation of ministers.

  • Approval of congregational names, amalgamations, and dissolutions.

• The Call Process:

  • Vacancies result in the appointment of an Interim Moderator.

  • Only ministers or certified candidates in good standing are eligible candidate for a call.

  • Sustainability: Presbytery may decline a call if the stipend is below a set minimum.

JUDICIAL PROCESS

• Types of Cases:

  • Non-disciplinary: Relational strains or minor negligence that do not involve actionable offenses but affect ministry viability.

  • Disciplinary: Involves a specific allegation of an "offense" (act or doctrine contrary to Scripture/Standards). Can lead to censure.

  • Corrective: Alleged errors or irregularities committed by a lower court.

  • Appeal: Dissatisfaction with a judicial decision based on procedural error, injustice, or harshness.

• Censures:

  • Includes admonition (private warning), rebuke (public or private acknowledgment of sin), suspension from office/privileges, deposition (removal from the role of minister/elder), and excommunication (the highest censure).

• Evidence and Trials:

  • Balance of Probabilities: The standard for decision-making. The more serious the charge, the more rigorous the scrutiny (P( ext{guilt}) > 0.5).

  • Witnesses: Church members are bound by citation to testify. Oaths must mention the Triune God.

STANDARDS AND SUBSCRIPTION

• Basis of Union (1875): Subordinates the Westminster Confession to the Bible. Catachisms are for instruction.

• Ordination Questions: Candidates must affirm belief in God the Father and the Lordship of Jesus Christ, accept subordinate standards, and promise to seek the peace and unity of the church.

• Subordinate Standards Over Time: Includes Living Faith (1998) and Declaration of Faith Concerning Church and Nation (1955).