Chapter 4. The Session

Ordinarily, a teaching elder is the moderator of the session. Extraordinary circumstances may arise where it is advisable for the session to elect as moderator an elder other than the teaching elder, or for the moderator to be appointed by presbytery. No elder shall moderate session in the absence of the regular moderator without the authority of the presbytery.

A teaching elder may be appointed by the presbytery to serve as a stated supply in the congregation. He shall be appointed to serve for a given period of time and may be asked to moderate the session. A licentiate may serve as stated supply, but shall not perform the functions of an ordained officer.

The moderator shall see that the session is properly constituted and adjourned in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the King and Head of the Church. He shall direct the business in accord with the law and order of the church and may vote. The session shall elect one of its members as clerk. He shall see that announcement is made of the meetings, keep accurate record of the proceedings, handle correspondence and fulfill other responsibilities as ordered by the court. He shall issue citations when required and shall furnish extracts from the minutes when ordered by the court. He shall have charge of all the papers and records belonging to the session.

The session shall hold meetings at stated intervals. Ordinarily, meetings and minutes of the session are open to members of the congregation except when “executive session”* is called. Special meetings may be called by the moderator at his discretion, or upon request. The constitution and adjournment of the court shall be duly recorded in the minutes, with the names of the members in attendance. The meetings of the session shall center around prayer for wisdom in dealing with those persons under its care. No action is official unless taken at a regularly called and constituted meeting. Actions agreed upon by the members meeting informally must be ratified at a regular meeting and recorded. The minutes of all meetings must be read for correction and approval, transcribed in the record book and signed by the moderator and clerk. The record book of the session shall be presented for review by the presbytery once a year, or at such times as the presbytery may designate.

The session alone admits to and dismisses from the membership of the congregation. The clerk shall keep a complete and accurate record of all persons admitted to membership or suspended from or dismissed from membership, of baptisms including dates of birth of infants baptized, and of deaths. The record shall include the date of each event. He shall also keep up-to-date rolls of all those in communicant membership, of baptized members, and non-members approved to commune with the congregation.

A particular responsibility of the session is to care for the spiritual interest of the congregation and of each member. Therefore, it shall maintain the ordinances of public worship in accordance with the principles of the church. It shall be responsible for the leadership of the singing, for the observances of the sacraments, and for the visitation of the people of the congregation. It should exercise general supervision of Christian education, missionary societies, young people’s societies, and all other organizations and activities in the congregation. It shall guard against any inappropriate or disorderly use of the church building. It shall particularly seek to provide wholesome recreation for its young people.

The session is subordinate to the higher courts and shall be governed by their decisions. Each session is to insure that it will be adequately represented at respective meetings of the higher courts. It shall appoint and certify delegates to the meetings of presbytery and Synod and shall furnish certificates signed by the moderator and clerk. (Suggested Form 4) The elders who are delegates to any regular meeting of the superior courts shall be members of any special meeting, unless it be a meeting for the purpose of changing the time or place, in which case the delegates to the ensuing regular meeting shall serve.

All judicial action affecting the standing of the members of the congregation shall be initiated in the session, and the trial shall be conducted in accordance with the rules set forth in the Book of Discipline. All communications, appeals, complaints, and papers by members of the congregation or of the session, which are addressed to presbytery or to Synod must be brought before the session for transmission to the higher court. It shall be transmitted unless the communication deals with improper subjects or is expressed in disrespectful language. The transmission of the paper by the session does not imply its endorsement of the views expressed.

A session may present a paper to presbytery on any subject to which, in its judgment, the attention of the presbytery should be called. It may refer to the presbytery any doctrinal or disciplinary difficulty with which it does not feel competent to deal. Such reference shall be accompanied by a full statement of the problem.