CHAPTER 16

 Church Orders -- The Doctrine of Vocation.

 

16-1.    Ordinary vocation to office in the Church is the calling of God by the Spirit, through the inward testimony of a good conscience, the manifest approbation of God’s people, and the concurring judgment of a lawful court of the Church.

 

16-2.    The government of the Church is by officers gifted to represent Christ, and the right of God’s people to recognize by election to office those so gifted is inalienable.  Therefore no man can be placed over a church in any office without the election, or at least the consent of that church.

 

16-3.    Upon those whom God calls to bear office in His Church He bestows suitable gifts for the discharge of their various duties.  And it is indispensable that, besides possessing the necessary gifts and abilities, natural and acquired, every one admitted to an office should be sound in the faith, and his life be according to godliness.  Wherefore every candidate for office is to be approved by the court by which he is to be ordained.

 

 CHAPTER 17

 

      Doctrine of Ordination.

 

17-1.    Those who have been called to office in the Church are to be inducted by the ordination of a court.

 

17-2.    Ordination is the authoritative admission of one duly called to an office in the Church of God, accompanied with prayer and the laying on of hands, to which it is proper to add the giving of the right hand of fellowship.

 

17-3.    As every ecclesiastical office, according to the Scriptures, is a special charge, no man shall be ordained unless it be to the performance of a definite work.

 

  

CHAPTER 18

 

      Candidates for the Gospel Ministry.

 

18-1.    A candidate for the ministry is a member of the Church in full communion who, believing himself to be called to preach the Gospel, submits himself to the care and guidance of the Presbytery in his course of study and of practical training to prepare himself for this office.

 

18-2.    Every applicant for the ministry must put himself under the care of Presbytery, which should ordinarily be the Presbytery that has jurisdiction of the church of which he is a member.  The endorsement of his Session must be given to the Presbytery, consisting of testimonials regarding his Christian character and promise of usefulness in the ministry.  The endorsement should also describe the activities of ministry the applicant has participated in with brief evaluation.

            Every applicant for care shall be a member of the congregation whose session provides an endorsement for at least six months before filing his application, except in those cases deemed extraordinary by the Presbytery.

            Every applicant must file his application with the clerk of the Presbytery at least one month before the meeting of the Presbytery.  An applicant for care may not be received under care and examined for ordination at the same meeting of the Presbytery, since he must serve a period of at least one year of internship prior to ordination (see BCO 19-7 and 21-4).  An applicant for internship is obliged to be under care and may be licensed to preach the Gospel; further, one who is not already under care may be taken under care, be licensed to preach the Gospel, and become an intern at the same meeting of Presbytery.

 

18-3.    The applicant shall appear before the Presbytery in person, and shall be examined by the Presbytery on experiential religion and on his motives for seeking the ministry.

            If the testimonials and the examination prove satisfactory, the Presbytery shall receive him under its care after the following manner:

 

           

The moderator shall propose to the applicant these questions:

1.   Do you promise in reliance upon the grace of God to maintain a becoming Christian character, and to be diligent and faithful in making full preparation for the sacred ministry?

2.   Do you promise to submit yourself to the proper supervision of the Presbytery in matters that concern your preparation for the ministry?

 

            If these questions be answered in the affirmative, the moderator, or someone appointed by him, shall give the candidate a brief charge; and the proceeding shall close with prayer. 

            The name of the applicant is then to be recorded on the Presbytery’s roll of candidates for the ministry.

 

18-4.    The candidate continues to be a private member of the church and subject to the jurisdiction of the Session, but as respects his preparatory training for the ministry he is under the oversight of the Presbytery.  It shall be the duty of the Presbytery to show a kindly and sympathetic interest in him, and to give him counsel and guidance in regard to his studies, his practical training, and the institutions of learning he should attend.  In no case may a candidate omit from his course of study any of the subjects prescribed in the Form of Government as tests for ordination without obtaining the consent of Presbytery (see BCO 21-4); and where such consent is given the Presbytery shall record the fact and the reasons therefore.

 

18-5.    For the development of his Christian character, for the service he can render, and for his more effective training, the candidate, when entering on his theological studies, should be authorized and encouraged by the Presbytery to conduct public worship, to expound the Scriptures to the people, and to engage in other forms of Christian work.  These forms of service should be rendered under the direction of Presbytery, and also with the sanction and under the guidance of the candidate’s instructors during the time of his being under their instruction.  A candidate should not undertake to serve a church which is without a pastor as regular supply unless he has been licensed and approved for that supply by the Presbytery having jurisdiction of the church (see BCO 19-1).

 

18-6.    The Presbytery shall require every candidate for the ministry under its care to make a report to it at least once a year; and it shall secure from his instructors an annual report upon his deportment, diligence, and progress in study.

 

18-7.    The Presbytery may, upon application of the candidate, give a certificate of dismission to another Presbytery.  The candidate may be allowed to retain membership in his home church upon the request of his Session and the approval of both Presbyteries involved.  A candidate shall, at his request, be allowed to withdraw from the care of the Presbytery.  The Presbytery may also, for sufficient reasons, remove the name of the candidate from its roll of candidates; but in such a case it shall report its actions and the reasons therefor to the candidate and to the Session of his church.

 

18-8.    An applicant coming as a candidate from another denomination must present testimonials of his standing in that body and must become a member of a congregation in the Presbyterian Church in America.  He shall then fulfill the requirements of applicants listed under BCO 18-2, as well as requirements placed upon those desiring to be licensed or to become an intern as set forth in BCO 19.

  

CHAPTER 19

 

      Licensure and Internship

 

A.  Licensure

 

19-1.    To preserve the purity of the preaching of the Gospel, no man is permitted to preach in the pulpits of the Presbyterian Church in America on a regular basis without proper licensure from the Presbytery having jurisdiction where he will preach.  An ordained teaching elder who is a member in good standing of another Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in America may be licensed after being examined as to his views, according to the provision of BCO 13-6.  This license shall immediately become void if the minister’s own Presbytery administers against him a censure of suspension from office or the sacraments, or deposition from office, or of excommunication (in the event of such censures, the Presbytery with jurisdiction shall always notify the licensing Presbytery).  A ruling elder, a candidate for the ministry, a minister from some other denomination, or some other man may be licensed for the purpose of regularly providing the preaching of the Word upon his giving satisfaction to the Presbytery of his gifts and passing the licensure examination.  (See also BCO 22-5 and 22-6.)

 

19-2.    Examination for Licensure.

            The examination for licensure shall be as follows:

a.   Give a statement of his Christian experience and inward call to preach the Gospel in written form and/or orally before the Presbytery (at the discretion of the Presbytery):

b.   Be tested with a written and/or oral examination by the Presbytery (at the discretion of the Presbytery) for his:

1.   basic knowledge of Biblical doctrine as outlined in the Confession of Faith and Larger and Shorter Catechisms of the Presbyterian Church in America.

2.   practical knowledge of the Bible content.

3.   basic knowledge of the government of the Presbyterian Church in America as defined in The Book of Church Order.

c.    Be examined orally before Presbytery for his views in the areas outlined in part b above.

d.   Provide his written sermon on an assigned passage of Scripture embodying both explanation and application, and present orally his sermon or exhortation before Presbytery or before a committee of Presbytery. 

No Presbytery shall omit any of these parts of examination except in extraordinary cases; and whenever a Presbytery shall omit any of these parts, it shall always make a record of the reasons therefor, and of the trial parts omitted.

 

19-3.    Questions for Licensure.

            If the Presbytery be satisfied with the trials of the applicant, it shall then proceed to license him in the following manner:

            The moderator shall propose to him the following questions, namely:

1.   Do you believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, as originally given, to be the inerrant Word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and practice?

2.   Do you sincerely receive and adopt the Confession of Faith and the Catechisms of this Church as containing the system of doctrine taught in the Holy Scripture?

3.   Do you promise to strive for the purity, peace, unity and edification of the Church?

4.   Do you promise to submit yourself, in the Lord, to the government of this Presbytery, or of any other into the bounds of which you may be called?

 

19-4.    The applicant having answered these questions in the affirmative, the moderator shall offer a prayer suitable for the occasion, and shall address the applicant as follows: 

       

        In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by that authority which He has given to the Church for its edification, we do license you to preach the Gospel in this Presbytery wherever God in His providence may call you; and for this purpose may the blessing of God rest upon you, and the Spirit of Christ fill your heart.  Amen.

            Record shall be made of the licensure in the following or like form:

        At_____________, the __________day of_______________, the ____________________Presbytery, having received testimonials commending _________________________, proceeded to submit him to the prescribed examination for licensure, which was met to the approval of the Presbytery.  Having satisfactorily answered the questions for licensure, _____________________ was licensed by the Presbytery to preach the Gospel within the bounds of this Presbytery.

 

19-5.    When any licentiate shall have occasion to remove from the bounds of his Presbytery into those of another, the latter Presbytery may, at its discretion, on his producing proper testimonials from the former, repeat any portion of the previous Presbytery’s examination it desires.  The Presbytery into whose bounds the licentiate is moving, however, must at least examine the man concerning:

a.     his Christian experience,

b.     his call to preach the Gospel,

c.      his views in theology,

d.     Bible content,

e.     church government. 

This Presbytery then may license him to preach within its bounds.

 

19-6.    The license to preach the Gospel shall expire at the end of four years.  The Presbytery may, if it thinks proper, renew it without further examination.  The licentiate must apply for renewal prior to expiration.  If the license expires, the stated clerk shall report the expiration to the Presbytery and to the individual’s Session, and such action shall be recorded in the minutes.  The procedures of BCO 19-2 must be followed for re-licensure and such fact shall be recorded in the minutes.  The license may be terminated at any time by a simple majority vote of the issuing Presbytery.  The Presbytery shall always record its reasons for this action in its minutes.

 

B.  Internship

 

19-7.    The Holy Scriptures require that some trial be previously made of those who are to be ordained to the ministry of the Word, both concerning their gifts and concerning their ability to rule as teaching elders, in order that this sacred office may not be degraded by being committed to weak or unworthy men, and that the Church may have an opportunity to form a better judgment respecting the gifts of those to whom this sacred office is to be committed. 

            To provide for such a period of trial, a candidate for ordination must serve an internship.  This period of internship shall be at least one year in length, and may be longer at the discretion of the Presbytery so as to give sufficient time for the Presbytery to judge the candidate’s qualifications and service.  This period of internship may occur during or after the candidate’s formal theological education.  When it occurs during his formal theological education, it may include an intern year in addition to his time of academic training or it may run concurrent with his academic training. 

           The nature of the internship shall be determined by the Presbytery, but it should involve the candidate in full scope of the duties of any regular ministerial calling approved by the Presbytery.  It is to be both a time of practical instruction and testing by the Presbytery, and may be in any work which the Presbytery deems to be a suitable ministry to test the intern’s gifts.  The intern should be closely supervised by the Presbytery throughout this trial period.

 

19-8.    An applicant for internship must be a candidate and may be a licentiate in the Presbytery in which he is seeking to become an intern.  He may, however, become a candidate, and an intern at the same meeting of Presbytery.  If an applicant for internship is already a candidate in another Presbytery, that Presbytery should dismiss him as a candidate to the Presbytery in which he is seeking to become an intern.

 

19-9.    Examination for Internship.

            Before the applicant begins his period of internship, he shall give to the Presbytery a written and/or an oral statement (at the discretion of the Presbytery) of his inward call to the ministry of the Word.

 

19-10.  When an applicant is approved for internship, the moderator of the Presbytery shall offer a prayer suitable for the occasion, and shall address the applicant, if present, as follows:

 

        In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by that authority which He has given to the Church for its edification, we do declare you to be an intern of this Presbytery as a means of testing your gifts for the holy ministry wherever God in His providence may call you; and for this purpose may the blessing of God rest upon you, and the Spirit of Christ fill your heart.  Amen.

 

            Record shall be made of the internship in the following or like form, namely: 

 

        At _________________, the ________ day of ________________________, the _____________________ Presbytery, having received testimonials commending ___________, having received him as a candidate for the ministry, has placed him under internship at his request in order to test his gifts for the holy ministry.

 

19-11.  When any intern shall have occasion, while his internship is in progress, to remove from the bounds of his own Presbytery into those of another, the latter Presbytery may, at its discretion, on his producing proper testimonials from the former, take up his internship at the point at which it was left, and conduct it to a conclusion in the same manner as if it had been commenced by itself.  Presbytery shall repeat any portion of the previous Presbytery’s examination it desires, but it must at least examine the intern on:

a.     his Christian experience,

b.     his call to the ministry,

c.      his views in theology, and

d.     church government. 

            When God gives the intern the providential opportunity to serve the Church and to receive part of his training within the bounds of a Presbytery other than the one in which he has been declared an intern, the Presbyteries involved may develop a cooperative agreement to assure the proper training of the intern.  In such cases the home Presbytery retains the final responsibility for and authority over the internship, but may rely to any extent considered necessary and proper in the circumstances, on the assistance of the sister Presbytery.  When regular preaching of the Word is involved, care must be taken to comply with BCO 19-1. 

 

19-12.  Presbyteries should require interns to devote themselves diligently to the trial of their gifts; and no one should be ordained to the work of the ministry of the Word until he has demonstrated the ability both to edify and to rule in the Church.  Reports on every intern in the Presbytery should be presented at each stated meeting of the Presbytery by the committee of Presbytery charged with the oversight of interns, and these reports shall become a part of the minutes of Presbytery.  The Presbytery shall also require every intern himself to make a report to it at least once a year describing his ministerial experiences.  If the intern is still in school, the Presbytery shall secure from his instructors an annual report upon his deportment, diligence, and progress in study.

  

19-13.  At the end of the period of time set by the Presbytery for his internship, an intern shall have his internship either approved or disapproved.  Even if it is approved, he cannot be ordained without a call to some specific work.  If the internship is disapproved, the Presbytery may either extend it for another definite period of time or it may completely rescind his intern status and may revoke his internship.  If the intern shall devote himself unnecessarily to such pursuits as interfere with a full trial of his gifts, it shall be the duty of the Presbytery to rescind his intern status, and to record its reasons therefor in the Minutes of Presbytery.

 

19-14.  An intern, who, during his internship, is to serve a congregation in the capacity of the minister of the Word must be called by the congregation in the same way that a regular minister is called.  A congregation may later call such a man as its pastor.  This call must be approved by Presbytery prior to the time of ordination.  In the event a congregation does not desire to call such a man as its pastor as determined by a congregational vote, notice should be given as early as possible.  Interns may be called to serve as assistants to ministers during their internship, by the Session of a church with approval of the call by Presbytery. 

 

19-15.  Restrictions.

            The intern may be asked by the moderator of a Session temporarily to chair the meeting of the Session.  In such cases the moderator shall supervise this activity and may overrule the intern or re-assume the chair at will.  The intern is not a member of Session and may not vote in the meetings unless he has previously been ordained a Ruling Elder and elected to the Session by the congregation.  Normally, he shall serve in an advisory capacity to the Session and Diaconate when he has been called to work out his internship by a congregation.  He shall have the right to conduct funerals.  An intern may not administer the Sacraments.  He may serve on committees of the church he serves. 

 

19-16.  Where circumstances warrant, a Presbytery may approve previous experience which is equivalent to internship.  This equivalency shall be decided by a three-fourths (3/4) vote of Presbytery at any of its regular meetings.  Such equivalent experience shall be decided only after the Presbytery’s internship committee has determined and reported that the candidate has met the following requirements:

a.   he has had at least one (1) year of experience in comparable ministry;

      b. he has satisfactorily performed the full scope of ministerial duties;

c.       he has the manifest approbation of God’s people in a local church as having the requisite gifts for the pastoral ministry.