Chapter 5: The Organization of a Particular Church

5-1. A mission church may be properly described in the same manner as
the particular church is described in BCO 4-1. It is distinguished from a
particular church in that it has no permanent governing body, and thus must be
governed or supervised by others. However, its goal is to mature and be
organized as a particular church as soon as this can be done decently and in
good order.

5-2. Ordinarily, mission churches are established by Presbyteries within
their boundaries.
a. Initiatives to which the Presbytery may respond in establishing a
mission church include, but are not limited to, the following:
i. The Presbytery establishes a mission church at its own initiative.
ii. The Presbytery responds to the initiative of a Session of a
particular church.
iii. The Presbytery responds to the petition of an independent
gathering of believers who have expressed their desire to become
a congregation by submitting to the Presbytery a written request.
b. In the event an existing non-PCA church is interested in coming into
the PCA, the Presbytery shall work with the church leadership to
determine whether the church should come into the PCA as a mission
church or seek Presbytery approval to be received under the provisions
of BCO 13-8.
c. Should it become necessary, the Presbytery may dissolve the mission
church. Church members enrolled should be cared for according to
the procedures of 13-10.
d. If the mission church is located outside the bounds of a Presbytery, the
responsibility may be exercised through the General Assembly’s
Committee on Mission to North America or Committee on Mission to
the World, as the case may be, according to the Rules of Assembly
Operations. In such a case the powers of the Presbytery in the
following provisions shall be exercised by the General Assembly
through its appropriate committee.

5-3. The mission church, because of its transitional condition, requires a
temporary system of government. Depending on the circumstances and at its
own discretion, Presbytery may provide for such government in one of several
ways:

a. Appoint an evangelist as prescribed in BCO 8-6.
b. Cooperate with the Session of a particular church in arranging a
mother-daughter relationship with a mission church. The Session may
then serve as the temporary governing body of the mission church.
c. Appoint a BCO 15-1 commission to serve as a temporary Session of
the mission church. When a minister of the Presbytery has been
approved to serve as pastor of the mission church, he shall be included
as a member of the commission and serve as its moderator.
The temporary system of government shall record and submit its records to
Presbytery for annual review in the same manner as Sessions of particular
churches.

5-4. Pastoral ministry for the mission church may be provided:
a. by a minister of the Presbytery called by Presbytery to serve as pastor,
or
b. by stated, student, or ruling elder supply (BCO 22-5, -6), or
c. by a series of qualified preachers approved by the temporary
government (BCO 12-5.e).

5-5. The temporary government shall receive members (BCO 12-5.a) into
the mission church according to the provisions of BCO 57 so far as they may
be applicable. As members of the mission church those received are
communing or non-communing members of the Presbyterian Church in
America.
a. If there is a minister approved by Presbytery to serve the mission
church as its pastor (BCO 5-4.a), each member so received shall be
understood to assent to the call of that minister and to affirm the
promises made to the pastor in BCO 21-10.
b. Meetings of the members of the mission church shall be governed
according to the provisions of BCO 25 so far as they may be
applicable.

5-6. Mission churches and their members shall have the right of judicial
process to the court having oversight of their temporary governing body.

5-7. Mission churches shall maintain a roll of communicant and non-
communicant members, in the same manner as, but separate from, other
particular churches.

5-8. It is the intention of the Presbyterian Church in America that mission
churches enjoy the same status as particular churches in relation to civil
government.

B. The Organization of a Particular Church

5-9. A new church can be organized only by the authority of Presbytery.
a. A Presbytery should establish standing rules setting forth the
prerequisites that qualify a mission church to begin the organization
process, e.g., the minimum number of petitioners and the level of
financial support to be provided by the congregation. The number of
officers sufficient to constitute the quorum for a session shall be
necessary to complete the organization process.
b. The temporary government of the mission church shall oversee the
steps necessary for organization.
c. When the temporary government determines that among the members
of the mission congregation there are men who appear qualified as
officers, the nomination process shall begin and the election conclude
following the procedures of BCO 24 so far as they may be applicable.
d. The election of officers shall normally take place at least two weeks
prior to the date of the organization service. However, the effective
date of service for the newly elected officers shall be upon the
completion of the organization service.
e. If deacons are not elected, the duties of the office shall devolve upon
the session, until deacons can be secured.
f. If there is a minister approved by Presbytery to serve the mission
church as its pastor, and members of the mission church have been
received according to BCO 5-5, the temporary session shall call a
congregational meeting at which the congregation may, by majority
vote, call the organizing pastor to be their pastor without the steps of
BCO 20. If no such minister has been appointed, or the minister or
congregation choose not to continue the pastoral relationship of the
newly organized church, a pastor shall be called as follows:
(1) The temporary government shall oversee the election of a pastor
according the provisions of BCO 20 so far as they are applicable.
If a candidate is to be proposed before the organization, the
congregational meeting to elect a pastor shall take place early
enough for Presbytery to consider and approve the pastor’s call
prior to the service of organization. This may be the same meeting
called for the election of other officers.
(2) The ordination and/or installation shall be according to the
provisions of BCO 21 so far as they are applicable. The service
may take place at the service of organization.
g. In order to proceed to organization as a particular church the members
of the mission church shall sign a petition to Presbytery requesting the
same.

h. Upon Presbytery’s approval of the petition, Presbytery shall appoint
an organizing commission and shall set the date and time of the
organization service.
i. At the service of organization the following elements shall be included
in the order deemed by the organizing commission to be appropriate:
(1) The organizing commission shall ordain and/or install ruling
elders and/or deacons according to the provisions of BCO 24-6 so
far as they may be applicable.
(2) If a pastor is being ordained and/or installed at the service, the
organizing commission shall act according to the provisions of
BCO 21 so far as they may be applicable.
(3) A member of the organizing commission shall require
communicant members of the mission church present to enter into
covenant, by answering the following question affirmatively, with
uplifted hand:
Do you, in reliance on God for strength, solemnly
promise and covenant that you will walk together
as a particular church, on the principles of the faith
and order of the Presbyterian Church in America,
and that you will be zealous and faithful in
maintaining the purity and peace of the whole body?
(4) A member of the organizing commission shall then say:
I now pronounce and declare that you are
constituted a church according to the Word of God
and the faith and order of the Presbyterian Church
in America. In the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.