Chapter 46: Jurisdiction

46-1. When a church member shall remove his residence beyond the bounds
of the congregation of which he is a member, so that he can no longer regularly
attend its services, it shall be his duty to transfer his membership by presenting
a certificate of dismission from the Session of the church of which he is a
member to the church with which he wishes to unite.
When the church of which he is a member has no Session, or for other
good reasons it seems impossible for the member to secure a certificate of
dismission, he may be received by the Session upon other satisfactory
testimonials, in which case the church of which he was a member shall be duly
notified.

46-2. When a church member shall remove his residence beyond the bounds
of the church of which he is a member into the bounds of another, it shall be
the duty of the teaching and ruling elders of the church of which he is a
member, as far as possible, to continue pastoral oversight of him and to inform
him that according to the teaching of our Book of Church Order it is his duty
to transfer his membership as soon as practicable to the church in whose
bounds he is living.
It shall also be the duty of the church from whose bounds the member
moved to notify the teaching and ruling elders of a church into whose bounds
he has moved and request them to take pastoral oversight of the member, with
a view of having him transfer his membership, unless BCO 18-7 applies.
If a member, after having thus been advised, shall neglect for one (1)
year to have his membership transferred, the Session shall then proceed,
according to BCO 38-4, except in special cases such as: servicemen, students,
etc.
The name of any member whose residence has been unknown for one
year to the Session shall be removed from the roll and such names are not to
be counted in the annual statistical reports, though act of removal should be
recorded in the Session’s minutes. If such a person at a later date should appear
or desire transfer of his or her letter, the Session will inform the governing
body of the inquiring church of their action in removing said person from their
roll.

46-3. Members of one church dismissed to join another shall be held to be
under the jurisdiction of the Session dismissing them until they form a regular
connection with that to which they have been dismissed.

46-4. Associate members are those believers temporarily residing in a
location other than their permanent homes. Such believers may become
associate members of a particular church without ceasing to be communicant
members of their home churches. An associate member shall have all the
rights and privileges of that church, with the exception of voting in a
congregational or corporation meeting, and holding an office in that church.

46-5. (Vacated) [see 38-4]

46-6. When a Presbytery shall dismiss a minister, licentiate or candidate, the
name of the Presbytery to which he is dismissed shall be given in the
certificate, and he shall remain under the jurisdiction of the Presbytery
dismissing him until received by the other.

46-7. No certificate of dismission from either a Session or a Presbytery shall
be valid testimony of good standing for a period longer than one (1) year,
unless its earlier presentation be hindered by some providential cause; and
such certificates given to persons who have left the bounds of the Session or
Presbytery granting them shall certify the standing of such persons only to the
time of their leaving those bounds.