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Updated "Advisory Handbook" Available

Tim Cargal

Several actions taken by the General Assembly this past summer affect the preparation for ministry process. In conjunction with the annual “Polity Conference” the first week of October, we are releasing an updated version of the Advisory Handbook on Preparing for Ministry in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). This edition also includes new materials in response to requests for expanded treatment of some topics. “Release 1.3” of the 2011/2013 handbook is now available for download from our website.

In all, six sections in the “Walking the Road Together” chapter of the Handbook have been updated. In order of their appearance in that chapter and together with the Book of Order paragraph to which they relate, here are brief descriptions of the changes:

• “Changing the Partners to the Covenant” (G-2.0608): new material addresses working with inquirers or candidates currently under care whose home congregations may be closed or dismissed from the PC(USA).
• “Examining Inquirers and Candidates” (G-2.0104): a new section added to the handbook looking at how the provisions of G-2.0104b regarding “manner of life” relate to considering individuals for admission to the process as inquirers, advancement to candidacy, and “certification of readiness” at final assessment.
• “Negotiation for Service” (G-2.0607): The 220^th General Assembly retained the authoritative interpretation (AI) issued by the previous Assembly allowing a presbytery to grant permission to negotiate for service as a teaching elder prior to “certification of readiness to be examined for ordination, pending a call” so long as certain requirements are met. This section lists those requirements from the AI.
• “Exceptions” (G-2.0610): The Assembly this past summer did not retain an AI issued in 1992 that limited the circumstances when exemptions could be considered to cases where the candidate was “unusually or exceedingly qualified to receive a call” as a teaching elder. The revised section looks at what are the current limits for exceptions that a presbytery may grant by a three-fourths vote.
• “Removal from Covenant Relationship” (G-2.0609): New material in this section looks at considerations for cases where a presbytery’s recommendation to remove an inquirer or candidate from the process is contested.
• “Ordination” (G-2.07): This year’s Assembly issued an AI on the language of 2.0702 clarifying that the presbytery of call has primary responsibility for examination and ordination of new teaching elders. It has the “discretion [to] invite the presbytery of care to conduct the ordination of a candidate on its behalf,” but still must examine such persons just as it would when receiving any teaching elder from membership in another presbytery.

Again, the full handbook can be downloaded from our website. Handout versions (in both Adobe Reader [.pdf] and Microsoft Word [.doc] formats) of each section of the handbook are also available from that same page.

To be sure you have the latest version, look for the date "October 2012" in the lower-right corner of the cover, and the words "2011/2013 Release 1.3" on the copyright page.

• Posted at 2:42 p.m.
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Categories: Ordination Process