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565 results for “Chapter 50: The Public Reading of the Holy Scripture”
WCF
Westminster Confession of Faith
61
Of the Holy Scripture
The Old Testament in Hebrew (which was the native language of the people of God of old), and …
Of the Holy Scripture
We may be moved and induced by the testimony of the Church to a high and reverent esteem …
Of the Holy Scripture
Although the light of nature and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, …
Of the Holy Scripture
Under the name of Holy Scripture, or the Word of God written, are now contained all the books …
Of the Holy Scripture
The authority of the Holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed and obeyed, dependeth not upon …
Of the Holy Scripture
The supreme judge by which all controversies of religion are to be determined, and all decrees of councils, …
Of the Holy Scripture
The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself: and therefore, when there is a question …
Of the Holy Scripture
The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith, and life, …
Of the Holy Scripture
All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all: yet those things …
Of the Holy Scripture
The books commonly called Apocrypha, not being of divine inspiration, are no part of the canon of the …
Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath-day
The reading of the Scriptures with godly fear, the sound preaching and conscionable hearing of the Word, in …
Of God, and of the Holy Trinity
In the unity of the Godhead there be three persons, of one substance, power, and eternity; God the …
Of God, and of the Holy Trinity
There is but one only, living, and true God: who is infinite in being and perfection, a most …
Of God, and of the Holy Trinity
God hath all life, glory, goodness, blessedness, in and of Himself; and is alone in and unto Himself …
Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath-day
This Sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, …
Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath-day
The light of nature showeth that there is a God, who hath lordship and sovereignty over all, is …
Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath-day
As it is the law of nature, that, in general, a due proportion of time be set apart …
Of the State of Man After Death, and of the Resurrection of …
The bodies of men, after death, return to dust and see corruption: but their souls (which neither die …
Of Providence
The almighty power, unsearchable wisdom, and infinite goodness of God so far manifest themselves in His providence, that …
Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation
This infallible assurance doth not so belong to the essence of faith, but that a true believer may …
Of Christ the Mediator
The Lord Jesus, in His human nature thus united to the divine, was sanctified and anointed with the …
Of God’s Eternal Decree
God from all eternity did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and …
Of Creation
It pleased God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, for the manifestation of the glory of His eternal …
Of Creation
After God had made all other creatures, He created man, male and female, with reasonable and immortal souls, …
Of Providence
God the great Creator of all things doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, …
Of Providence
The most wise, righteous, and gracious God doth oftentimes leave for a season His own children to manifold …
Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment thereof
Our first parents, being seduced by the subtilty and temptation of Satan, sinned, in eating the forbidden fruit. …
Of God’s Covenant with Man
Man by his fall having made himself incapable of life by that covenant, the Lord was pleased to …
Of God’s Covenant with Man
This covenant of grace is frequently set forth in Scripture by the name of a Testament, in reference …
Of Christ the Mediator
The Son of God, the second person in the Trinity, being very and eternal God, of one substance …
Of Christ the Mediator
This office the Lord Jesus did most willingly undertake; which that He might discharge, He was made under …
Of Christ the Mediator
Christ, in the work of mediation, acteth according to both natures, by each nature doing that which is …
Of Effectual Calling
This effectual call is of God’s free and special grace alone, not from anything at all foreseen in …
Of Justification
God did, from all eternity, decree to justify all the elect, and Christ did, in the fulness of …
Of Sanctification
They who are once effectually called and regenerated, having a new heart and a new spirit created in …
Of Sanctification
In which war, although the remaining corruption, for a time, may much prevail; yet through the continual supply …
Of Repentance unto Life
By it, a sinner, out of the sight and sense not only of the danger, but also of …
Of Repentance unto Life
As every man is bound to make private confession of his sins to God, praying for the pardon …
Of Good Works
Good works are only such as God hath commanded in His holy Word, and not such as, without …
Of Good Works
These good works, done in obedience to God’s commandments, are the fruits and evidences of a true and …
Of Good Works
Their ability to do good works is not at all of themselves, but wholly from the Spirit of …
Of the Perseverance of the Saints
Nevertheless, they may, through the temptations of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in …
Of Christian Liberty, and Liberty of Conscience
They who, upon pretence of Christian liberty, do practice any sin, or cherish any lust, do thereby destroy …
Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath-day
Religious worship is to be given to God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; and to Him alone; …
Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath-day
Neither prayer, nor any other part of religious worship, is now under the Gospel either tied unto, or …
Of Lawful Oaths and Vows
The name of God only is that by which men ought to swear; and therein it is to …
Of the Civil Magistrate
God, the supreme Lord and King of all the world, hath ordained civil magistrates, to be, under Him, …
Of Marriage and Divorce
Marriage was ordained for the mutual help of husband and wife, for the increase of mankind with a …
Of Marriage and Divorce
Although the corruption of man be such as is apt to study arguments unduly to put asunder those …
Of the Church
This catholic Church hath been sometimes more, sometimes less visible. And particular Churches, which are members thereof, are …
Of the Communion of the Saints
All saints, that are united to Jesus Christ their Head by His Spirit and by faith, have fellowship …
Of the Communion of the Saints
Saints by profession are bound to maintain a holy fellowship and communion in the worship of God; and …
Of the Sacraments
Sacraments are holy signs and seals of the covenant of grace, immediately instituted by God, to represent Christ …
Of Baptism
The outward element to be used in this sacrament is water, wherewith the party is to be baptized, …
Of Baptism
The efficacy of Baptism is not tied to that moment of time wherein it is administered; yet notwithstanding, …
Of the Lord’s Supper
The Lord Jesus hath, in this ordinance, appointed His ministers to declare His word of institution to the …
Of the Lord’s Supper
That doctrine which maintains a change of the substance of bread and wine into the substance of Christ’s …
Of the Lord’s Supper
Although ignorant and wicked men receive the outward elements in this sacrament: yet they receive not the thing …
Of Church Censures
Church censures are necessary, for the reclaiming and gaining of offending brethren, for deterring of others from the …
Of Synods and Councils
It belongs to synods and councils, ministerially to determine controversies of faith and cases of conscience; to set …
Of God’s Covenant with Man
This covenant was differently administered in the time of the law, and in the time of the gospel: …
WLC
Westminster Larger Catechism
52
Is the word of God to be read by all?
Although all are not to be permitted to read the word publicly to the congregation, yet all sorts …
How is the word of God to be read?
The holy scriptures are to be read with an high and reverent esteem of them; with a firm …
How doth it appear that the Son and the Holy Ghost are …
The scriptures manifest that the Son and the Holy Ghost are God equal with the Father, ascribing unto …
How doth it appear that the scriptures are the word of God?
The scriptures manifest themselves to be the word of God, by their majesty and purity; by the consent …
What do the scriptures principally teach?
The scriptures principally teach, what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man.
What do the scriptures make known of God?
The scriptures make known what God is, the persons in the Godhead, his decrees, and the execution of …
What is the word of God?
The holy scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the word of God, the only rule of …
What are those aggravations that make some sins more heinous than others?
Sins receive their aggravations, 1. From the persons offending: if they be of riper age, greater experience or …
How is the sabbath or the Lord's day to be sanctified?
The sabbath or Lord's day is to be sanctified by an holy resting all the day, not only …
How is the word made effectual to salvation?
The Spirit of God makes the reading, but especially the preaching of the word, an effectual means of …
What are the sins forbidden in the ninth commandment?
The sins forbidden in the ninth commandment are, all prejudicing the truth, and the good name of our …
What shall be done to the righteous at the day of judgment?
At the day of judgment, the righteous, being caught up to Christ in the clouds, shall be set …
How is the grace of God manifested in the second covenant?
The grace of God is manifested in the second covenant, in that he freely provideth and offereth to …
What is the chief and highest end of man?
Man's chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him forever.
How doth it appear that there is a God?
The very light of nature in man, and the works of God, declare plainly that there is a …
What is God?
God is a Spirit, in and of himself infinite in being, glory, blessedness, and perfection; all-sufficient, eternal, unchangeable, …
How many persons are there in the Godhead?
There be three persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and these three …
What are the personal properties of the three persons in the Godhead?
It is proper to the Father to beget the Son, and to the Son to be begotten of …
What are the decrees of God?
God's decrees are the wise, free, and holy acts of the counsel of his will, whereby, from all …
How did God create angels?
God created all the angels spirits, immortal, holy, excelling in knowledge, mighty in power, to execute his commandments, …
How did God create man?
After God had made all other creatures, he created man male and female; formed the body of the …
What are God's works of providence?
God's works of providence are his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures; ordering …
What is God's providence towards the angels?
God by his providence permitted some of the angels, wilfully and irrecoverably, to fall into sin and damnation, …
Did all mankind fall in that first transgression ?
The covenant being made with Adam as a public person, not for himself only, but for his posterity, …
How did Christ, being the Son of God, become man?
Christ the Son of God became man, by taking to himself a true body, and a reasonable soul, …
Why was our Mediator called Christ?
Our Mediator was called Christ, because he was anointed with the Holy Ghost above measure; and so set …
How was Christ exalted in his resurrection?
Christ was exalted in his resurrection, in that, not having seen corruption in death (of which it was …
How is Christ to be exalted in his coming again to judge …
Christ is to be exalted in his coming again to judge the world, in that he, who was …
How do we come to be made partakers of the benefits which …
We are made partakers of the benefits which Christ hath procured, by the application of them unto us, …
Who are made partakers of redemption through Christ?
Redemption is certainly applied, and effectually communicated, to all those for whom Christ hath purchased it; who are …
What is sanctification?
Sanctification is a work of God's grace, whereby they whom God hath, before the foundation of the world, …
What is the communion in glory with Christ which the members of …
The members of the invisible church have communicated to them in this life the firstfruits of glory with …
What is the communion in glory with Christ, which the members of …
The communion in glory with Christ, which the members of the invisible church enjoy immediately after death, is, …
What shall be done to the wicked at the day of judgment?
At the day of judgment, the wicked shall be set on Christ's left hand, and, upon clear evidence, …
What is the moral law?
The moral law is the declaration of the will of God to mankind, directing and binding everyone to …
Of what use is the moral law to all men?
The moral law is of use to all men, to inform them of the holy nature and will …
Where is the moral law summarily comprehended?
The moral law is summarily comprehended in the ten commandments, which were delivered by the voice of God …
What are the duties required in the second commandment?
The duties required in the second commandment are, the receiving, observing, and keeping pure and entire, all such …
What is required in the third commandment?
The third commandment requires, That the name of God, his titles, attributes, ordinances, the word, sacraments, prayer, oaths, …
Which is the fourth commandment?
The fourth commandment is, Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and …
What is required in the fourth commandment?
The fourth commandment requires of all men the sanctifying or keeping holy to God such set times as …
What is required of superiors towards their inferiors?
It is required of superiors, according to that power they receive from God, and that relation wherein they …
What are the sins forbidden in the sixth commandment?
The sins forbidden in the sixth commandment are, all taking away the life of ourselves, or of others, …
What doth every sin deserve at the hands of God?
Every sin, even the least, being against the sovereignty, goodness, and holiness of God, and against his righteous …
What is required of those that hear the word preached?
It is required of those that hear the word preached, that they attend upon it with diligence, preparation, …
How do the sacraments become effectual means of salvation?
The sacraments become effectual means of salvation, not by any power in themselves, or any virtue derived from …
What is a sacrament?
A sacrament is a holy ordinance instituted by Christ in his church, to signify, seal, and exhibit unto …
What is Baptism?
Baptism is a sacrament of the New Testament, wherein Christ hath ordained the washing with water in the …
How is our Baptism to be improved by us?
The needful but much neglected duty of improving our Baptism, is to be performed by us all our …
What is required of them that receive the sacrament of the Lord's …
It is required of them that receive the sacrament of the Lord's supper, that, during the time of …
What do we pray for in the fourth petition?
In the fourth petition (which is, Give us this day our daily bread,) acknowledging, that in Adam, and …
What do we pray for in the sixth petition?
In the sixth petition (which is, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,) acknowledging, …
WSC
Westminster Shorter Catechism
19
What do the Scriptures principally teach?
The Scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man.
How is the Word to be read and heard, that it may …
That the Word may become effectual to salvation, we must attend thereunto with diligence, preparation, and prayer; receive …
How is the sabbath to be sanctified?
The sabbath is to be sanctified by a holy resting all that day, even from such worldly employments …
How is the Word made effectual to salvation?
The Spirit of God maketh the reading, but especially the preaching of the Word, an effectual means of …
What is required in the fourth commandment?
The fourth commandment requireth the keeping holy to God such set times as he hath appointed in his …
What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify …
The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the …
What is God?
God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.
How many persons are there in the Godhead?
There are three persons in the Godhead; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and these three …
How did God create man?
God created man male and female, after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over …
What are God's works of providence?
God's works of providence are, his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and …
How did Christ, being the Son of God, become man?
Christ, the Son of God, became man, by taking to himself a true body, and a reasonable soul, …
How are we made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ?
We are made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ, by the effectual application of it to us …
What are the benefits which in this life do accompany or flow …
The benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification, are, assurance of …
What benefits do believers receive from Christ at death?
The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory; …
What is required in the third commandment?
The third commandment requireth the holy and reverend use of God's names, titles, attributes, ordinances, Word, and works.
Which is the fourth commandment?
The fourth commandment is, Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and …
What is a sacrament?
A sacrament is an holy ordinance instituted by Christ; wherein, by sensible signs, Christ, and the benefits of …
What is Baptism?
Baptism is a sacrament, wherein the washing with water in the name of the Father, and of the …
What doth the preface of the Lord's Prayer teach us?
The preface of the Lord's Prayer, which is, Our Father which art in heaven, teacheth us to draw …
BCO
Book of Church Order (PCA)
433
50-1
50-1. The public reading of the Holy Scriptures is performed by the minister as God’s servant. Through it …
50-2
50-2. The reading of the Holy Scriptures in the congregation is a part of the public worship of …
50-3
50-3. The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments shall be read from a good translation, not …
50-4
50-4. How large a portion shall be read at once is left to the discretion of every minister; …
47-1
47-1. Since the Holy Scriptures are the only infallible rule of faith and practice, the principles of public …
49-4
49-4. All who attend public worship are expected to be present in a spirit of reverence and godly …
56-4
56-4. Before baptism, the minister is to use some words of instruction, touching the institution, nature, use, and …
47-9
47-9. The Bible teaches that the following are proper elements of worship service: reading of Holy Scripture, singing …
48-6
48-6. Let every person and family, in the morning, by secret and private prayer, for themselves and others, …
48-7
48-7. Let the time not used for public worship be spent in prayer, in devotional reading, and especially …
21-4
21-4. Ordination Requirements and Procedures a. An intern applying for ordination shall be required to present a diploma …
21-5
21-5. The day appointed for the ordination having come, and the Presbytery being convened, a sermon suitable for …
52-4
52-4. Ministers are not to be confined to fixed forms of prayer for public worship, yet it is …
52-2
52-2. Then, after singing a psalm, or hymn, it is proper that, before the sermon, there should be …
4-5
4-5. Churches without teaching elders ought not to forsake the assembling of themselves together, but should be convened …
63-2
63-2. Secret worship is most plainly enjoined by our Lord. In this duty everyone, apart, should spend some …
Preliminary Principles
II. PRELIMINARY PRINCIPLES The Presbyterian Church in America, in setting forth the form of government founded upon and …
47-6
47-6. The Lord Jesus Christ has prescribed no fixed forms for public worship but, in the interest of …
24-6
24-6. The day having arrived, and the Session being convened in the presence of the congregation, a sermon …
24-1
24-1. Every church shall elect persons to the offices of ruling elder and deacon in the following manner: …
47-5
47-5. Public worship must be performed in spirit and in truth. Externalism and hypocrisy stand condemned. The forms …
56-5
56-5. The minister shall then read the covenant promises: For to you is the promise, and to your …
47-8
47-8. It behooves God’s people not only to come into His presence with a deep sense of awe …
48-4
48-4. The whole day is to be kept holy to the Lord; and to be employed in the …
19-2
19-2. Examination for Licensure. The examination for licensure shall be as follows: a. Give a statement of his …
19-3
19-3. Questions for Licensure. If the Presbytery be satisfied with the trials of the applicant, it shall then …
27-4
27-4. The power which Christ has given the Church is for building up, and not for destruction. It …
27-5
27-5. Scriptural law is the basis of all discipline because it is the revelation of God’s Holy will. …
52-1
52-1. It is proper to begin the public worship in the sanctuary with the Doxology followed by a …
57-5
57-5. The time having come for the making of a public profession, and those who have been approved …
4-4
4-4. The ordinances established by Christ, the Head, in His Church are prayer; singing praises; reading, expounding and …
18-5
18-5. For the development of his Christian character, for the service he can render, and for his more …
19-7
19-7. The Holy Scriptures require that some trial be previously made of those who are to be ordained …
48-3
48-3. It is the duty of every person to remember the Lord’s Day; and to prepare for it …
54-1
54-1. The Holy Scriptures teach that God is the owner of all persons and all things and that …
58-3
58-3. It is proper that public notice should be given to the congregation, at least the Sabbath before …
58-4
58-4. On the day of the observance of the Lord's Supper, when the sermon is ended, the minister …
61-1
61-1. The services proper for such an occasion are: a. The singing of appropriate psalms or hymns; b. …
62-5
62-5. There should be public worship upon all such days; and the prayers, psalms or hymns, the selection …
63-3
63-3. Family worship, which should be observed by every family, consists in prayer, reading the Scriptures, and singing …
63-4
63-4. Parents should instruct their children in the Word of God, and in the principles of our holy …
47-3
47-3. The end of public worship is the glory of God. His people should engage in all its …
39-3
39-3. While affirming that the Scripture is “the supreme judge by which all controversies of religion are to …
47-2
47-2. A service of public worship is not merely a gathering of God’s children with each other, but …
47-4
47-4. Public worship is Christian when the worshippers recognize that Christ is the Mediator by whom alone they …
47-7
47-7. Public worship differs from private worship in that in public worship God is served by His saints …
49-1
49-1. When the congregation is to meet for public worship, the people (having before prepared their hearts thereunto) …
53-2
53-2. The subject of a sermon should be some verse or verses of Scripture, and its object, to …
The King and Head of the Church
I. THE KING AND HEAD OF THE CHURCH Jesus Christ, upon whose shoulders the government rests, whose name …
19-10
19-10. When an applicant is approved for internship, the moderator of the Presbytery shall offer a prayer suitable …
21-7
21-7. The people having answered these questions in the affirmative, by holding up their right hands, the candidate …
29-1
29-1. An offense, the proper object of judicial process, is anything in the doctrines or practice of a …
36-3
36-3. The Censure of Admonition should be administered in private by one or more members of the court …
48-1
48-1. “The fourth commandment requireth the keeping holy to God such set times as he hath appointed in …
48-2
48-2. God commanded His Old Testament people to keep holy the last day of the week, but He …
49-2
49-2. Let the people assemble at the appointed time, that all being present at the beginning they may …
52-3
52-3. Ordinarily there should be prayer after the sermon having relation to the subject that has been treated …
53-4
53-4. As a primary design of public ordinances is to unite the people in acts of common worship …
58-7
58-7. The minister may, in a few words, put the communicants in mind: Of the grace of God, …
1-1
1-1. The scriptural form of church government, which is representative or presbyterian, is comprehended under five heads: a. …
1-4
1-4. The officers of the Church, by whom all its powers are administered, are, according to the Scriptures, …
1-7
1-7. This scriptural doctrine of Presbytery is necessary to the perfection of the order of the visible Church, …
2-3
2-3. It is according to scriptural example that the Church should be divided into many individual churches.
3-3
3-3. The sole functions of the Church, as a kingdom and government distinct from the civil commonwealth, are …
4-1
4-1. A particular church consists of a number of professing Christians, with their children, associated together for divine …
5-9
5-9. A new church can be organized only by the authority of Presbytery. a. A Presbytery should establish …
7-2
7-2. The ordinary and perpetual classes of office in the Church are elders and deacons. Within the class …
7-3
7-3. No one who holds office in the Church ought to usurp authority therein, or receive any official …
8-1
8-1. This office is one of dignity and usefulness. The man who fills it has in Scripture different …
8-2
8-2. He that fills this office should possess a competency of human learning and be blameless in life, …
8-5
8-5. When a man is called to labor as a teaching elder, it belongs to his order, in …
9-1
9-1. The office of deacon is set forth in the Scriptures as ordinary and perpetual in the Church. …
11-2
11-2. The jurisdiction of Church courts is only ministerial and declarative, and relates to the doctrines and precepts …
11-3
11-3. All Church courts are one in nature, constituted of the same elements, possessed inherently of the same …
12-5
12-5. The church Session is charged with maintaining the spiritual government of the church, for which purpose it …
13-9
13-9. The Presbytery has power to receive and issue* appeals, complaints, and references brought before it in an …
14-6
14-6. The General Assembly shall have power: a. To receive and issue* all appeals, references, and complaints regularly …
17-3
17-3. As every ecclesiastical office, according to the Scriptures, is a special charge, no man shall be ordained …
20-1
20-1. Before a candidate, or licentiate, can be ordained to the office of the ministry, he must receive …
20-2
20-2. Every church should be under the pastoral oversight of a minister, and when a church has no …
20-7
20-7. If any church shall choose to designate its ruling elders and deacons, or a committee to sign …
20-10
20-10. A congregation desiring to call a pastor from his charge, shall, by its commissioners to the Presbytery, …
25-2
25-2. Whenever it may seem for the best interests of the church that a congregational meeting should be …
26-1
26-1. The Constitution of the Presbyterian Church in America, which is subject to and subordinate to the Scriptures …
27-3
27-3. The exercise of discipline is highly important and necessary. In its proper usage discipline maintains: a. the …
28-1
28-1. The spiritual nurture, instruction and training of the children of the Church are committed by God primarily …
29-2
29-2. Offenses are either personal or general, private or public; but all of them being sins against God, …
29-4
29-4. Private offenses are those which are known only to a few persons. Public offenses are those which …
32-3
32-3. It is appropriate that with each citation the moderator or clerk call the attention of the parties …
32-15
32-15. When a court of first resort proceeds to the trial of a case, the following order shall …
33-1
33-1. Process against all church members, other than ministers of the Gospel, shall be entered before the Session …
33-2
33-2. When an accused person is found contumacious (cf. 32-6), he shall be immediately suspended from the sacraments …
34-1
34-1. Process against a minister shall be entered before the Presbytery of which he is a member. However, …
34-3
34-3. If any one knows a minister to be guilty of a private offense, he should warn him …
34-4
34-4. a. When a minister accused of an offense is found contumacious (cf. 32-6), he shall be immediately …
35-3
35-3. A court may, at the request of either party, or at its own initiative, make reasonable accommodation …
36-2
36-2. Church censures and the modes of administering them should be suited to the nature of the offenses. …
36-4
36-4. Definite suspension from office should be administered in the presence of the court alone or in open …
36-6
36-6. Excommunication is to be administered according to one or other of the two modes laid down for …
37-3
37-3. When the court shall be satisfied as to the reality of the repentance of an indefinitely suspended …
37-4
37-4. When an excommunicated person shall be so affected with his state as to be brought to repentance, …
37-5
37-5. The restoration of a deposed officer, after public confession has been made in a manner similar to …
42-8
42-8. After a higher court has decided that an appeal is in order and should be entertained by …
43-9
43-9. At the hearing, after all the papers bearing on the complaint have been read, the complainant and …
43-10
43-10. The higher court has power, in its discretion, to annul the whole or any part of the …
48-5
48-5. Let the provisions for the support of the family on that day be so ordered that others …
49-3
49-3. Let the people upon entering the church take their seats in a decent and reverent manner, and …
51-1
51-1. Praising God through the medium of music is a duty and a privilege. Therefore, the singing of …
51-5
51-5. The proportion of the time of public worship given to praise is left to the judgment of …
52-5
52-5. All prayer is to be offered in the language of the people.
53-5
53-5. By way of application of the sermon the minister may urge his hearers by commandment or invitation …
55-1
55-1. It is proper for the congregation of God’s people publicly to confess their faith, using creeds or …
57-3
57-3. When unbaptized persons apply for admission into the Church, they shall, ordinarily, after giving satisfaction with respect …
57-4
57-4. It is recommended, as edifying and proper, that baptized persons, when admitted by the Session to the …
59-6
59-6. Marriage is of a public nature. The welfare of civil society, the happiness of families, and the …
62-1
62-1. The observance of days of fasting and of thanksgiving, as the dispensations of Divine Providence may direct, …
62-4
62-4. Public notice should be given a sufficient time before the appointed day of fasting or thanksgiving, that …
62-7
62-7. On days of thanksgiving, he should give information respecting the authority and providences which call for the …
63-1
63-1. In addition to public worship, it is the duty of each person in secret, and of every …
38-4
38-4. When a member of a particular church has willfully neglected the church for a period of one …
The Constitution Defined
III. THE CONSTITUTION DEFINED The Constitution of the Presbyterian Church in America, which is subject to and subordinate …
1-2
1-2. The Church which the Lord Jesus Christ has erected in this world for the gathering and perfecting …
1-3
1-3. The members of this visible Church catholic are all those persons in every nation, together with their …
1-5
1-5. Ecclesiastical jurisdiction is not a several, but a joint power, to be exercised by presbyters in courts. …
1-6
1-6. The ordination of officers is ordinarily by a court, except in the case of ordination by a …
2-1
2-1. The Visible Church before the law, under the law, and now under the Gospel, is one and …
2-2
2-2. This visible unity of the body of Christ, though obscured, is not destroyed by its division into …
3-1
3-1. The power which Christ has committed to His Church vests in the whole body, the rulers and …
3-2
3-2. Ecclesiastical power, which is wholly spiritual, is twofold. The officers exercise it sometimes severally, as in preaching …
3-4
3-4. The power of the Church is exclusively spiritual; that of the State includes the exercise of force. …
3-5
3-5. The Church, with its ordinances, officers and courts, is the agency which Christ has ordained for the …
3-6
3-6. The exercise of ecclesiastical power, whether joint or several, has the divine sanction when in conformity with …
4-2
4-2. Its officers are its teaching and ruling elders and its deacons.
4-3
4-3. Its jurisdiction, being a joint power, is lodged in the church Session, which consists of its pastor, …
5-1
5-1. A mission church may be properly described in the same manner as the particular church is described …
5-2
5-2. Ordinarily, mission churches are established by Presbyteries within their boundaries. a. Initiatives to which the Presbytery may …
5-3
5-3. The mission church, because of its transitional condition, requires a temporary system of government. Depending on the …
5-4
5-4. Pastoral ministry for the mission church may be provided: a. by a minister of the Presbytery called …
5-5
5-5. The temporary government shall receive members (BCO 12-5.a) into the mission church according to the provisions of …
5-6
5-6. Mission churches and their members shall have the right of judicial process to the court having oversight …
5-7
5-7. Mission churches shall maintain a roll of communicant and non- communicant members, in the same manner as, …
5-8
5-8. It is the intention of the Presbyterian Church in America that mission churches enjoy the same status …
5-10
5-10. Upon organization, the newly elected session should meet as soon as is practicable to elect a stated …
6-1
6-1. The children of believers are, through the covenant and by right of birth, non-communing members of the …
6-2
6-2. Communing members are those who have made a profession of faith in Christ, have been baptized, and …
6-3
6-3. All baptized persons are entitled to the watchful care, instruction and government of the church, even though …
6-4
6-4. Those only who have made a profession of faith in Christ, have been baptized, and admitted by …
7-1
7-1. Under the New Testament, our Lord at first collected His people out of different nations, and united …
8-3
8-3. It belongs to those in the office of elder, both severally and jointly, to watch diligently over …
8-4
8-4. As the Lord has given different gifts to men and has committed to some special gifts and …
8-6
8-6. When a teaching elder is appointed to the work of an evangelist in foreign countries or where …
8-7
8-7. A Presbytery may, at its discretion, approve the call of a teaching elder to work with an …
8-8
8-8. A Presbytery may, at its discretion, approve the call of a teaching elder to work as a …
8-9
8-9. As there were in the Church under the law, elders of the people for the government thereof, …
8-10
8-10. Elders being of one class of office, ruling elders possess the same authority and eligibility to office …
9-2
9-2. It is the duty of the deacons to minister to those who are in need, to the …
9-3
9-3. To the office of deacon, which is spiritual in nature, shall be chosen men of spiritual character, …
9-4
9-4. The deacons of a particular church shall be organized as a Board, of which the pastor shall …
9-5
9-5. Deacons may properly be appointed by the higher courts to serve on committees, especially as treasurers. It …
9-6
9-6. The deacons may, with much advantage, hold conference from time to time for the discussion of the …
9-7
9-7. It is often expedient that the Session of a church should select and appoint godly men and …
10-1
10-1. The Church is governed by various courts, in regular gradation, which are all, nevertheless, Presbyteries, as being …
10-2
10-2. These courts are church Sessions, Presbyteries, and the General Assembly.
10-3
10-3. The pastor is, for prudential reasons, moderator of the Session. The moderator of the Presbytery may be …
10-4
10-4. A clerk or clerks shall be elected by the Session, Presbytery, and General Assembly to serve for …
10-5
10-5. Every meeting of the Session, Presbytery and General Assembly shall be opened and closed with prayer, and …
10-6
10-6. The expenses of ministers and ruling elders in their attendance on the courts shall be defrayed by …
11-1
11-1. These assemblies are altogether distinct from the civil magistracy, and have no jurisdiction in political or civil …
11-4
11-4. For the orderly and efficient dispatch of ecclesiastical business, it is necessary that the sphere of action …
12-1
12-1. The church Session consists of the pastor, associate pastor(s), if there be any, and the ruling elders …
12-2
12-2. The pastor is, by virtue of his office, the moderator of the Session. In the pastor’s absence, …
12-3
12-3. When a church is without a pastor, the moderator of the Session may be either a minister …
12-4
12-4. Associate or assistant pastors may substitute for the pastor as moderator of the Session at the discretion …
12-6
12-6. The Session shall hold stated meetings at least quarterly. Moreover, the pastor has power to convene the …
12-7
12-7. Every Session shall keep an accurate record of its proceedings, which record shall be submitted at least …
12-8
12-8. Every Session shall keep an accurate record of baptisms, of communing members, of non-communing members, and of …
12-9
12-9. Meetings of the Sessions shall be opened and closed with prayer.
13-1
13-1. The Presbytery consists of all the teaching elders and churches within its bounds that have been accepted …
13-2
13-2. A minister shall be required to hold his membership in the Presbytery within whose geographical bounds he …
13-3
13-3. Every ruling elder not known to the Presbytery shall produce a certificate of his regular appointment from …
13-4
13-4. Any three ministers belonging to the Presbytery, together with at least three ruling elders, being met at …
13-5
13-5. Ordinarily, only a minister who receives a call to a definite ecclesiastical work within the bounds of …
13-6
13-6. Ministers seeking admission to a Presbytery from other Presbyteries in the Presbyterian Church in America shall be …
13-7
13-7. The Presbytery shall cause to be transcribed, in some convenient part of the book of records, the …
13-8
13-8. The Presbytery, before receiving into its membership any church, shall designate a commission to meet with the …
13-10
13-10. When a Presbytery determines to dissolve a church, it shall give no less than sixty (60) days …
13-11
13-11. The Presbytery shall keep a full and accurate record of its proceedings, and shall send it up …
13-12
13-12. The Presbytery shall meet at least twice a year on its own adjournment. The Moderator shall call …
13-13
13-13. Ministers in good standing in other Presbyteries, or in any evangelical church, being present at any meeting …
14-1
14-1. The General Assembly is the highest court of this Church, and represents in one body all the …
14-2
14-2. The General Assembly, which is a permanent court, shall meet at least annually upon its own adjournment. …
14-3
14-3. When an emergency shall require a meeting of the General Assembly earlier than the time to which …
14-4
14-4. Each commissioner, before his name shall be enrolled as a member of the Assembly, shall produce appropriate …
14-5
14-5. Any one hundred (100) of these commissioners, of whom half shall be teaching elders and half ruling …
14-7
14-7. Actions of the General Assembly pursuant to the provision of BCO 14-6 such as deliverances, resolutions, overtures, …
14-8
14-8. The whole business of the Assembly being finished, and the vote taken for final adjournment, the moderator …
15-1
15-1. A commission differs from an ordinary committee in that while a committee is appointed to examine, consider, …
15-2
15-2. Among the matters that may be properly executed by commissions are the taking of the testimony in …
15-3
15-3. Presbytery as a whole may hear a case, with or without process (BCO 31-38), a reference (BCO …
15-4
15-4. The General Assembly shall elect a Standing Judicial Commission to which it shall commit all matters governed …
15-5
15-5. a. In the cases committed to it, the Standing Judicial Commission shall have the judicial powers and …
15-6
15-6. The General Assembly shall have power to commit to a commission, consisting of not less than three …
16-1
16-1. Ordinary vocation to office in the Church is the calling of God by the Spirit, through the …
16-2
16-2. The government of the Church is by officers gifted to represent Christ, and the right of God’s …
16-3
16-3. Upon those whom God calls to bear office in His Church He bestows suitable gifts for the …
16-4
16-4. Officers in the Presbyterian Church in America must be above reproach in their walk and Christlike in …
17-1
17-1. Those who have been called to office in the Church are to be inducted by the ordination …
17-2
17-2. Ordination is the authoritative admission of one duly called to an office in the Church of God, …
18-1
18-1. A candidate for the ministry is a member of the Church in full communion who, believing himself …
18-2
18-2. Every applicant for the ministry must put himself under the care of Presbytery, which should ordinarily be …
18-3
18-3. The applicant shall appear before the Presbytery in person, and shall be examined by the Presbytery on …
18-4
18-4. The candidate continues to be a private member of the church and subject to the jurisdiction of …
18-6
18-6. The Presbytery shall require every candidate for the ministry under its care to make a report to …
18-7
18-7. The Presbytery may, upon application of the candidate, give a certificate of dismission to another Presbytery. The …
18-8
18-8. An applicant coming as a candidate from another denomination must present testimonials of his standing in that …
19-1
19-1. To preserve the purity of the preaching of the Gospel, no man is permitted to preach in …
19-4
19-4. The applicant having answered these questions in the affirmative, the moderator shall offer a prayer suitable for …
19-5
19-5. When any licentiate shall have occasion to remove from the bounds of his Presbytery into those of …
19-6
19-6. The license to preach the Gospel shall expire at the end of four years. The Presbytery may, …
19-8
19-8. An applicant for internship must be a candidate and may be a licentiate in the Presbytery in …
19-9
19-9. Examination for Internship. Before the applicant begins his period of internship, he shall give to the Presbytery …
19-11
19-11. When any intern shall have occasion, while his internship is in progress, to remove from the bounds …
19-12
19-12. Presbyteries should require interns to devote themselves diligently to the trial of their gifts; and no one …
19-13
19-13. At the end of the period of time set by the Presbytery for his internship, an intern …
19-14
19-14. An intern, who, during his internship, is to serve a congregation in the capacity of the minister …
19-15
19-15. Restrictions. The intern may be asked by the moderator of a Session temporarily to chair the meeting …
19-16
19-16. Where circumstances warrant, a Presbytery may approve previous experience which is equivalent to internship. This equivalency shall …
20-3
20-3. When a congregation is convened for the election of a pastor it is important that they should …
20-4
20-4. Method of voting: The voters being convened, and prayer for divine guidance having been offered, the moderator …
20-5
20-5. On the election of a pastor, if it appears that a large minority of the voters are …
20-6
20-6. Form of call: The terms of the call shall be approved by the congregation in the following …
20-8
20-8. Prosecution of call: One or more commissioners shall be appointed by the church to present and prosecute …
20-9
20-9. When a pastor desires to accept a call to another Presbytery, he must be examined and approved …
20-11
20-11. If the congregation or other field of labor to which a minister, licentiate, or candidate is called, …
20-12
20-12. A candidate or licentiate found fit and called (in accordance with BCO 20-1) for missionary service by …
20-13
20-13. A missionary who is an ordained teaching elder in another denomination found fit and called (in accordance …
21-1
21-1. No minister, licentiate or candidate shall receive a call from a church but by the permission of …
21-2
21-2. When an intern has completed his internship to the satisfaction of the Presbytery, and has accepted a …
21-3
21-3. No Presbytery shall ordain any intern to the office of minister of the Word with reference to …
21-6
21-6. The candidate having answered these questions in the affirmative, the presiding minister shall propose to the church …
21-8
21-8. After the installation, the heads of families of the congregation then present, or at least the ruling …
21-9
21-9. In the installation of an ordained minister, the following questions are to be substituted for those addressed …
21-10
21-10. The candidate having answered these question in the affirmative, the presiding minister shall propose to the church …
21-11
21-11. In the ordination of interns as evangelists the same questions are to be propounded as in the …
22-1
22-1. The various pastoral relations are pastor, associate pastor, and assistant pastor.
22-2
22-2. The pastor and associate pastor are elected by the congregation using the form of call in BCO …
22-3
22-3. An assistant pastor is called by the Session, by the permission and approval of Presbytery, under the …
22-4
22-4. The relationship of the associate pastor to the church is determined by the congregation. The relationship of …
22-5
22-5. In order to provide necessary changes in pastorates, a temporary relation may be established between a church …
22-6
22-6. Such temporary relationships can take place at the invitation of the church Session to the minister of …
23-1
23-1. When any minister shall tender the resignation of his pastoral charge to his Presbytery, the Presbytery shall …
23-2
23-2. The Presbytery may designate a minister as honorably retired when the minister by reason of age wishes …
23-3
23-3. A minister, being medically disabled or honorably retired, may be elected pastor emeritus by a congregation which …
24-2
24-2. The pastor is, by virtue of his office, moderator of congregational meetings. If there is no pastor, …
24-3
24-3. All communing members in good and regular standing, but no others, are entitled to vote in the …
24-4
24-4. The voters being convened, the moderator shall explain the purpose of the meeting and then put the …
24-5
24-5. On the election of a ruling elder or deacon, if it appears that a large minority of …
24-7
24-7. Ordination to the offices of ruling elder or deacon is perpetual; nor can such offices be laid …
24-8
24-8. When a ruling elder or deacon who has been released from his official relation is again elected …
24-9
24-9. When a ruling elder or deacon cannot or does not for a period of one year perform …
24-10
24-10. When a deacon or ruling elder by reason of age or infirmity desires to be released from …
25-1
25-1. The congregation consists of all the communing members of a particular church, and they only are entitled …
25-3
25-3. The quorum of the congregational meeting shall consist of one-fourth (1/4) of the resident communing members, if …
25-4
25-4. The pastor shall be the moderator of congregational meetings by virtue of his office. If it should …
25-5
25-5. A clerk shall be elected by the congregation to serve at that meeting or for a definite …
25-6
25-6. A particular church which is not incorporated, desiring to elect trustees, may select from among its membership …
25-7
25-7. If a particular church is incorporated, the provisions of its charter and bylaws must always be in …
25-8
25-8. The corporation of a particular church, through its duly elected trustees or corporation officers, (or, if unincorporated, …
25-9
25-9. All particular churches shall be entitled to hold, own and enjoy their own local properties, without any …
25-10
25-10. The provisions of this BCO 25 are to be construed as a solemn covenant whereby the Church …
25-11
25-11. While a congregation consists of all the communing members of a particular church, and in matters ecclesiastical …
25-12
25-12. If a church is dissolved by the Presbytery at the request of the congregation and no disposition …
26-2
26-2. Amendments to the Book of Church Order may be made only in the following manner: 1. Approval …
26-3
26-3. Amendments to the Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms may be made only in …
26-4
26-4. In voting upon an amendment to the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church in America, the Presbyteries may …
26-5
26-5. Full organic union and consolidation of the Presbyterian Church in America with any other ecclesiastical body can …
26-6
26-6. If by reason of the failure of a number of Presbyteries to act, or to report action, …
27-1
27-1. Discipline is the exercise of authority given the Church by the Lord Jesus Christ to instruct and …
27-2
27-2. All baptized persons, being members of the Church are subject to its discipline and entitled to the …
28-2
28-2. The home and the Church should also make special provision for instructing the children in the Bible …
28-3
28-3. The Church should maintain constant and sympathetic relations with the children. It also should encourage them, on …
28-4
28-4. Adult non-communing members, who receive with meekness and appreciation the oversight and instruction of the Church, are …
28-5
28-5. All non-communing members shall be deemed under the care of the church to which their parents belong, …
29-3
29-3. Personal offenses are violations of the divine law, considered in the special relation of wrongs or injuries …
30-1
30-1. The censures, which may be inflicted by church courts, are admonition, suspension from the Sacraments, excommunication, suspension …
30-2
30-2. Admonition is the formal reproof of an offender by a church court, warning him of his guilt …
30-3
30-3. Suspension from Sacraments is the temporary exclusion from those ordinances, and is indefinite as to its duration. …
30-4
30-4. Excommunication is the excision of an offender from the communion of the Church. This censure is to …
30-5
30-5. Deposition is the degradation of an officer from his office, and may or may not be accompanied …
31-1
31-1. Original jurisdiction (the right first or initially to hear and determine) in relation to ministers of the …
31-2
31-2. It is the duty of all church Sessions and Presbyteries to exercise care over those subject to …
31-3
31-3. The original and only parties in a case of process are the accuser and the accused. The …
31-4
31-4. Every indictment shall begin: “In the name of the Presbyterian Church in America,” and shall conclude, “against …
31-5
31-5. An injured party shall not become a prosecutor of personal offenses without having tried the means of …
31-6
31-6. When the offense is general, the case may be conducted either by any person appearing as prosecutor …
31-7
31-7. When the prosecution is instituted by the court, the previous steps required by our Lord in the …
31-8
31-8. Great caution ought to be exercised in receiving accusations from any person who is known to indulge …
31-9
31-9. Every voluntary prosecutor shall be previously warned, that if he fail to show probable cause of the …
31-10
31-10. When a member of a church court is under process, all his official functions may be suspended …
31-11
31-11. In the discussion of all questions arising in his own case, the accused shall exercise the rights …
32-1
32-1. It is incumbent on every member of a court of Jesus Christ engaged in a trial of …
32-2
32-2. Process against an offender shall not be commenced unless some person or persons undertake to make out …
32-4
32-4. The citation shall be issued and signed by the moderator or clerk by order and in the …
32-5
32-5. In drawing the indictment, the times, places and circumstances should, if possible, be particularly stated, that the …
32-6
32-6. a. When an accused person shall refuse to obey a citation, he shall be cited a second …
32-7
32-7. The time which must elapse between the serving of the first citation on the accused person, and …
32-8
32-8. When the offense with which an accused person stands charged took place at a distance, and it …
32-9
32-9. When an offense, alleged to have been committed at a distance, is not likely otherwise to become …
32-10
32-10. Before proceeding to trial, courts ought to ascertain that their citations have been duly served.
32-11
32-11. In every process, if deemed expedient there may be a committee appointed, which shall be called the …
32-12
32-12. When the trial is about to begin, it shall be the duty of the moderator solemnly to …
32-13
32-13. In order that the trial may be fair and impartial, the witnesses shall be examined in the …
32-14
32-14. On all questions arising in the progress of a trial, the discussion shall first be between the …
32-16
32-16. Either party may, for cause, challenge the right of any member to sit in the trial of …
32-17
32-17. Pending the trial of a case, any member of the court who shall express his opinion of …
32-18
32-18. Minutes of the trial shall be kept by the clerk, which shall exhibit the charges, the answer, …
32-19
32-19. No professional counsel shall be permitted as such to appear and plead in cases of process in …
32-20
32-20. The accused or a member of the court may object to the consideration of a charge, for …
32-19
32-19. In any instances involving a personal offense (BCO 29-3), the court shall attempt to inform the …
33-3
33-3. If after further endeavor by the court to bring the accused to a sense of his guilt, …
33-4
33-4. When it is impracticable immediately to commence process against an accused church member, the Session may, if …
34-2
34-2. As no minister ought, on account of his office, to be screened in his sin, or slightly …
34-5
34-5. Heresy and schism may be of such a nature as to warrant deposition; but errors ought to …
34-6
34-6. If the Presbytery find on trial that the matter complained of amounts to no more than such …
34-7
34-7. When a minister, pending a trial, shall make confession, if the matter be base and flagitious, such …
34-8
34-8. A minister under indefinite suspension from his office or deposed for scandalous conduct shall not be restored, …
34-9
34-9. When a minister is deposed, his pastoral relation shall be dissolved; but when he is suspended from …
34-10
34-10. Whenever a minister of the Gospel shall habitually fail to be engaged in the regular discharge of …
35-1
35-1. All persons of proper age and intelligence are competent witnesses, except such as do not believe in …
35-2
35-2. The accused party is allowed, but shall not be compelled, to testify; but the accuser shall be …
35-4
35-4. The testimony of more than one witness shall be necessary in order to establish any charge; yet …
35-5
35-5. It belongs to the court to judge the degree of credibility to be attached to all evidence.
35-6
35-6. No witness afterwards to be examined, unless a member of the court, shall be present during the …
35-7
35-7. Witnesses shall be examined first by the party introducing them; then cross-examined by the opposite party; after …
35-8
35-8. The oath or affirmation to a witness shall be administered by the Moderator in the following or …
35-9
35-9. All testimony shall be recorded (transcription, audiotape, videotape, or some other electronic means) and witnesses informed of …
35-10
35-10. The records of a court or any part of them, whether original or transcribed, if regularly authenticated …
35-11
35-11. In like manner, testimony taken by one court and regularly certified shall be received by every other …
35-12
35-12. When it is not convenient for a court to have the whole or perhaps any part of …
35-13
35-13. A member of the court shall not be disqualified from sitting as a judge by having given …
35-14
35-14. An officer or private member of the church refusing to testify may be censured for contumacy.
35-15
35-15. If after trial before any court new testimony be discovered, which the accused believes important, it shall …
35-16
35-16. If, in the prosecution of an appeal, new evidence be offered which, in the judgment of the …
36-1
36-1. When any member or officer of the Church shall be found guilty of an offense the court …
36-5
36-5. Indefinite suspension from office or the Sacraments should be administered after the manner prescribed for definite suspension, …
36-7
36-7. The censure of deposition shall be administered by the moderator in the words following: Whereas, ____________________, a …
37-1
37-1. A person who has been definitely suspended from office shall be restored by the court at the …
37-2
37-2. After any person has been indefinitely suspended from the Sacraments, it is proper that the rulers of …
37-6
37-6. When a ruling elder or deacon has been absolved from the censure of deposition, he cannot be …
37-7
37-7. When a person under censure shall reside at such a distance from the court by which he …
37-8
37-8. In the restoration of a minister who is under indefinite suspension from the Sacraments, and/or his office, …
37-9
37-9. In the case of the removal of censures from, or the restoration of, a minister, jurisdiction shall …
38-1
38-1. When any person shall come forward and make his offense known to the court, a full statement …
38-2
38-2. A minister of the Gospel against whom there are no charges, if fully satisfied in his own …
38-3
38-3. a. When a member or officer in the Presbyterian Church in America shall attempt to withdraw from …
39-1
39-1. The acts and decisions of a lower court are brought under the supervision of a higher court …
39-2
39-2. When the proceedings of a lower court are before a higher court, the members of the lower …
40-1
40-1. It is the right and duty of every court above the Session to review, at least once …
40-2
40-2. In reviewing records of a lower court the higher court is to examine: 1. Whether the proceedings …
40-3
40-3. It is ordinarily sufficient for the higher court merely to record in its own minutes and in …
40-4
40-4. Courts may sometimes entirely neglect to perform their duty, by which neglect heretical opinions or corrupt practices …
40-5
40-5. When any court having appellate jurisdiction shall receive a credible report with respect to the court next …
40-6
40-6. In process against a lower court, the trial shall be conducted according to the rules provided for …
41-1
41-1. A reference is a written representation and application made by a lower court to a higher for …
41-2
41-2. Among proper subjects for reference are matters that are new, delicate or difficult; or on which the …
41-3
41-3. In making a reference the lower court may ask for advice only, or for final disposition of …
41-4
41-4. A reference may be presented to the higher court by one or more representatives appointed by the …
41-5
41-5. Although references are sometimes proper, in general it is better that every court should discharge the duty …
41-6
41-6. When a court makes a reference, it ought to have all the testimony and other documents duly …
42-1
42-1. An appeal is the transfer to a higher court of a judicial case on which judgment has …
42-2
42-2. The only parties entitled to an appeal are those who have submitted to a regular trial, those …
42-3
42-3. The grounds of appeal are such as the following: any irregularity in the proceedings of the lower …
42-4
42-4. Notice of appeal may be given the court before its adjournment. Written notice of appeal, with supporting …
42-5
42-5. It shall be the duty of the clerk of the lower court to file with the clerk …
42-6
42-6. Notice of appeal shall have the effect of suspending the judgment of the lower court until the …
42-7
42-7. If a lower court shall neglect to send up “the Record of the Case” or any part …
42-9
42-9. The decision of the higher court may be to affirm in whole or in part; to reverse …
42-10
42-10. An appellant may represent himself or be represented as provided in BCO 32-19.
42-11
42-11. An appellant shall be considered to have abandoned his appeal if he fails to appear before the …
42-12
42-12. If an appellant manifests a litigious or otherwise un-Christian spirit in the prosecution of his appeal, he …
43-1
43-1. A complaint is a written representation made against some act or decision of a court of the …
43-2
43-2. A complaint shall first be made to the court whose act or decision is alleged to be …
43-3
43-3. If, after considering a complaint, the court alleged to be delinquent or in error is of the …
43-4
43-4. Notice of complaint shall not have the effect of suspending the action against which the complaint is …
43-5
43-5. The court against which complaint is made shall appoint one or more representatives to defend its action …
43-6
43-6. It shall be the duty of the clerk of the lower court to file with the clerk …
43-7
43-7. The complainant shall be considered to have abandoned his complaint if he fails to appear before the …
43-8
43-8. Subject to the provisions below, after the higher court has decided that the notice filed with its …
45-1
45-1. Any member of a court who had a right to vote on a question, and is not …
45-2
45-2. A dissent is a declaration on the part of one or more members of a minority, expressing …
45-3
45-3. A protest is a more solemn and formal declaration by members of a minority, bearing their testimony …
45-4
45-4. An objection is a declaration by one or more members of a court who did not have …
45-5
45-5. If a dissent, protest, or objection be couched in temperate language, and be respectful to the court, …
46-1
46-1. When a church member shall remove his residence beyond the bounds of the congregation of which he …
46-2
46-2. When a church member shall remove his residence beyond the bounds of the church of which he …
46-3
46-3. Members of one church dismissed to join another shall be held to be under the jurisdiction of …
46-4
46-4. Associate members are those believers temporarily residing in a location other than their permanent homes. Such believers …
46-5
46-5. (Vacated) [see 38-4]
46-6
46-6. When a Presbytery shall dismiss a minister, licentiate or candidate, the name of the Presbytery to which …
46-7
46-7. No certificate of dismission from either a Session or a Presbytery shall be valid testimony of good …
46-8
46-8. When a Presbytery shall divest a minister of his office without censure, or depose him without excommunication, …
51-2
51-2. In singing the praises of God, we are to sing in the spirit of worship, with understanding …
51-3
51-3. It is recommended that Psalms be sung along with the hymns of the Church, but that caution …
51-4
51-4. The leadership in song is left to the judgment of the Session, who should give careful thought …
53-1
53-1. The preaching of the Word is an ordinance of God for the salvation of men. Serious attention …
53-3
53-3. Preaching requires much study, meditation, and prayer, and ministers should prepare their sermons with care, and not …
53-6
53-6. No person should be invited to preach in any of the churches under our care without the …
54-2
54-2. It is both a privilege and a duty, plainly enjoined in the Bible, to make regular, weekly, …
54-3
54-3. It is appropriate that the offerings be dedicated by prayer.
56-1
56-1. Baptism is not to be unnecessarily delayed; not to be administered, in any case, by any private …
56-2
56-2. It is not to be privately administered, but in the presence of the congregation under the supervision …
56-3
56-3. After previous notice is given to the minister, the child to be baptized is to be presented, …
57-1
57-1. Believers’ children within the Visible Church, and especially those dedicated to God in Baptism, are non-communing members …
57-2
57-2. The time when young persons come to understand the Gospel cannot be precisely fixed. This must be …
57-6
57-6. Persons received from other churches by letters of dismissal as well as those being received by reaffirmation …
58-1
58-1. The Communion, or Supper of the Lord, is to be observed frequently; the stated times to be …
58-2
58-2. The ignorant and scandalous are not to be admitted to the Lord's Supper.
58-5
58-5. The table, on which the elements are placed, being decently covered, and furnished with bread and wine, …
58-6
58-6. Since believers are to act personally in all their covenanting with the Lord, it is proper that …
58-8
58-8. As past custom has been found in many parts of the Presbyterian Church, our congregations are urged …
59-1
59-1. Marriage is a divine institution though not a sacrament, nor peculiar to the Church of Christ. It …
59-2
59-2. Christians should marry in the Lord; therefore it is fit that their marriage be solemnized by a …
59-3
59-3. Marriage is only to be between one man and one woman (Gen. 2:24, 25; Matt. 19:4-6, 1 …
59-4
59-4. The parties should be of such years of discretion as to be capable of making their own …
59-5
59-5. Parents should neither compel their children to marry contrary to their inclinations, nor deny their consent without …
59-7
59-7. The minister should keep a proper register of the names of all persons whom he marries, and …
60-1
60-1. The power of the prayer of faith is great, and Christians therefore should make entreaty for the …
61-2
61-2. The funeral services are to be left largely to the discretion of the minister performing them, but …
62-2
62-2. Fasting and thanksgiving may be observed by individual Christians; by families; by particular congregations; by a number …
62-3
62-3. It should be left to the judgment and discretion of every Christian and family to determine when …
62-6
62-6. On days of fasting, the minister should point out the authority and providences calling for the observance; …
63-5
63-5. Parents should set an example of piety and consistent living before the family. Unnecessary private visits on …
63-6
63-6. In the supreme task of religious education, parents should co-operate with the Church by setting their children …