Study Guide for The Book of Forms: The Presbyterian Church in Canada

BULLET_POINTS format

Historical and Confessional Base

Historical Continuity: The Presbyterian Church in Canada (PCC) maintains continuity with the Church of Scotland, reformed in 1560. The re-union of four churches in 1875 established its modern form, originating from various Scottish Secession Church branches like the Associate Synod (Burgher) and General Associate Synod (Anti-burgher).
The Words of Union (1875): The church receives the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the Word of God and the only infallible rule of faith and manners. Its principal subordinate standard is the Westminster Confession of Faith (1647).
Governing Principles: Worship and government are dictated by "The Form of Presbyterial Church Government" and "The Directory for the Public Worship of God." The Second Book of Discipline (1578) establishes that Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, having appointed its constitution and offices.
Hierarchy of Courts: Authority resides in a hierarchy of courts (Sessions, Presbyteries, Synods, and the General Assembly) rather than a hierarchy of persons. These courts are ministerial and declarative, applying Christ's revealed laws.

General Rules for Church Courts

Basic Principles: Under Presbyterian polity, every member of a court has the right and responsibility to participate in all business. Function distribution must not deprive members of these rights.
Meetings:
    * Courts must publicly intimate the time and place of next meetings (Sessions excluded from requirement).
    * Emergent meetings are called by the moderator for immediate business.
    * Meetings must open and close with prayer; attendance and opening/closing must be minuted.
    * Higher court permission is required to meet outside court bounds or while a higher court is sitting.
Moderators: Judges of order only. They announce matters, gather votes, and ensure order. They possess only a casting vote (tie-breaker) and cannot usurp a negative voice over the court.
Clerks: Elected custodians of records and the only legal extractors of court records. They are responsible for numbering, authenticating, and safely keeping the minutes.
Records and Minutes:
    * Minutes must be signed by the clerk and moderator.
    * Erasures or vacuous spaces are prohibited; errors are noted in margins.
    * Specific rules govern physical binding (every 100 pages) and permanent storage (microfilming every 5 years for archives).
Rules of Debate:
    * No discussion occurs without a motion and a second.
    * Motions can be amended or referred to committees.
    * The moderator decides the order of speakers; every speaker addresses the moderator.
    * Votes are usually by show of hands but can be by ballot if requested by one-third of members.
Petitions, Memorials, and Overtures:
    * Petition: Request concerning the petitioners' private affairs.
    * Memorial: Written representation of facts accompanying a petition.
    * Overture: Proposal to enact a general law or executive action binding on the whole jurisdiction.

The Session

Composition: Consists of the minister(s), diaconal ministers (active), and ruling elders. In multiple-point charges, separate sessions may conduct common business but must keep separate records.
The Eldershio:
    * A spiritual function based on Pauline canons.
    * Ordained for life, but can be elected for six-year terms in congregations utilizing term service.
    * Qualifications involve being a professing member and an example in faith and conduct.
Duties and Oversight: Responsible for the pastoral care of the congregation, church associations, building use policy, and admission of members.
Membership Procedures: The Session seeks out, prepares, and examines candidates for professing membership. They manage the Roll of Professing Members and the Register of Baptisms.
Worship Role: The Session regulates the hours/forms of worship and appoints the organist, though the minister is responsible for the conduct and content of services.
Stewardship: Oversees financial affairs and mission programs, often working with a Board of Managers.

The Congregation and Its Management

Membership Definitions:
* Professing Members: Admitted to the Lord's Table on profession of faith.
* Covenant Members: Baptized children within the covenant.
Voter Rights: Professing members vote on ministers and elders. Adherents may vote on temporal (financial/property) affairs at congregational meetings.
Trustees: Property is held by trustees who must be professing members. The definition of the trust must be clearly recorded in deeds.
Board of Managers: Entrusted with the temporal and financial affairs where no Deacons' Court exists. They handle stipend payments, building repairs, and budget disbursements.
Capital Expenditures: Major expenditures (defined as exceeding the previous year's normal expenditure) require a two-thirds majority vote by the congregation.

The Presbytery

Membership: Includes ordained ministers within bounds (pastors, chaplains, faculty, etc.) and ruling elders (one from each session plus equalizing elders).
Authority: Pertains to the Pure preaching of the Word, right administration of sacraments, and maintenance of discipline within its bounds.
In Relation to Ministry:
    * Exercises the power of election/settlement of ministers via call and induction.
    * Supervises candidates for the ministry through continuous annual examinations.
    * Conducts the ordination and induction of ministers.
The Call: When a pulpit is vacant, an interim moderator is appointed. A call is issued after a congregation determines a name by clear majority vote. The Presbytery must sustain the call and the guarantee of stipend.
Ordination/Induction: Right of ordination belongs to the Presbytery. Minimal requirements include answering prescribed questions and the laying on of hands by ministers of Word and Sacraments.

The Synod and General Assembly

The Synod: Composed of all members on the rolls of constituent Presbyteries. It reviews Presbytery records annually and redresses items "omitted or done amiss" by lower courts.
The General Assembly:
    * The highest court of the church.
    * Representative body composed of one-sixth of the ministers/diaconal ministers and an equal number of elders.
    * Dissolves itself after each meeting.
    * Possesses authority to supply law when necessary for pending cases.
The Barrier Act: Prevents permanent laws regarding doctrine, worship, or government from being enacted until Presbyteries have been consulted and a majority approve.

Judicial Process

Types of Cases:
    * Non-disciplinary: Misunderstandings or minor negligence handled via negotiation or "review of ministry."
    * Disciplinary: Allegations of offenses contrary to Scripture or Church standards that may lead to censure.
    * Corrective: Complaints against a court for irregularities or errors.
    * Appeal: Dissatisfaction with a judicial decision reviewed by a higher court.
Censures: Admonition (private), Rebuke (private or public), Suspension (removal of privileges/office), Deposition (permanent removal from office), and Excommunication (casting out of communion).
Rules of Evidence: Standards are based on the "balance of probabilities." Testimony usually requires corroboration; leading questions are prohibited; no witness can be obliged to incriminate themselves.
SASH Policy: Sexual Abuse and Sexual Harassment complaints are always considered serious and have specific procedural timelines regardless of the three-year statute of limitations for typical offenses.

Standards and Subscription

Infallible Rule: The Bible is the only infallible rule of faith and manners.
Subordinate Standards: The Westminster Confession of Faith, Larger and Shorter Catechisms, and the Declaration of Faith Concerning Church and Nation (1955). Living Faith (Foi Vivante) was approved in 1998.
Ordination Questions: Candidates must affirm belief in the Triune God, acceptance of subordinate standards, and subjection to the lawful oversight of the courts of the church.