CHAPTER 1 ORGANIZATION

 

Article 1 Membership

The General Assembly shall consist of the ministers and the elders who have been commissioned by their respective presbyteries.

 

Article 2 Officers

The officers of the General Assembly shall be as follows:

Moderator ---1                                         Vice-Moderator ---2(Elder 1)

Clerk ---l                                                  Assistant Clerk ---l

Recording Secretary ---l                        Assistant Recording Secretary ---l

Treasurer ---l                                          Assistant Treasurer ---l

 

Article 3 Election of the Officers

The Nominations Committee shall recommend the candidates for the offices, and the General Assembly shall act on the nominations. The nominees must be approved by the General Assembly to be elected. The officers may serve up to four years.

 

Article 4 Duties

1. Moderator: The moderator shall oversee the entire business of the General Assembly, and he shall also represent the denomination.

 

2. Vice-Moderator: The vice-moderator shall assist the moderator, and he shall substitute for the  moderator in the moderator’s absence.

 

3. Clerk. The duties of the clerk are:

(a) He shall prepare and arrange for the opening of the General Assembly.

(b) He shall receive and handle all documents and correspondence for submission to the General Assembly.

(c) He shall edit and publish the minutes of the General Assembly, and distribute them to all members within one month after the General Assembly concludes.

(d) He shall keep and preserve all documents necessary for the General Assembly.

(e) At least one month before the opening of the General Assembly, he shall prepare, print, and distribute the agenda and the names of the delegates. He shall examine the legality of the certificates of the delegates. He shall check the attendance of the delegates. He shall control the matters pertaining to publicity.

(f) He shall assist the moderator and the delegates in order that the meeting shall move with order and celerity.

(g) The  members of  the  Docket  Committee,  the  inspectors of overtures, and the statisticians shall not be members of any standing committee.

 

4. Assistant Clerk: The assistant clerk shall assist the clerk. He shall examine the overtures, collect the reports on the state of the churches under the respective presbyteries, and present the results to the General Assembly. He shall substitute for the clerk in the clerk’s absence.

 

5. Recording Secretary: The  recording secretary shall  record  the minutes. He shall deliver the minutes to the clerk. He shall obtain and file the overtures and reports that have been distributed by the committees and/or the General Assembly.

 

6. Assistant Recording Secretary: The assistant recording secretary shall assist the recording secretary. He shall draft the minutes before the assembly adjourns. He shall distribute the minutes that have been approved. He shall substitute for the recording secretary in the recording secretary’s absence.

 

7. Treasurer: The duties of the treasurer are:

(a) He  shall  oversee all  the  income and  disbursements of  the denomination. He shall distribute funds according to the decisions of the General Assembly. In any difficult financial matters, he shall follow the recommendations of the Finance Committee.

(b) He  shall  submit  the  annual  financial  report  (income  and disbursements), and he shall be  responsible for the annual auditing of the books.

(c) He shall deposit all of the income in the bank, and the records of the deposits shall be properly audited.

(d) He shall be a member of the Finance Committee.

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER 2 COMMITTEE MEMBERS, GENERAL SECRETARY, DUAL DENOMINATION, WORLD MISSION SOCIETY

 

 

Article 5 The Standing Committees

1. The Standing Committees

(a) Steering, (b) Examinations and Credentials, (c) Rules, (d) Finance, (e) Christian Education, (f) Chaplain, (g) Pension, (h) Home Missions, (i) Foreign Missions, (j) Publications, (k) Presbytery Records Examination, (l) Bills and Overtures, (m) Youth Ministry, (n) Interchurch Relations, (o) Theology, (p) English Ministry. The committee members shall consist of representatives to the General Assembly.

 

2. Method of Election, Term of Office

(a) The members of the standing committees shall be recommended by the Nominations Committee before the opening of the General  Assembly.  The  General  Assembly  shall  act  on the recommendations as soon as it convenes. The nominees must be approved by the General Assembly. Their term of office shall be three years. One-third shall be elected each year.

(b) The committee members shall not be reappointed after their term has expired. The members of the court of the General Assembly shall not have more than two members from the same presbytery

(c) Each standing committee shall be convened by the oldest person who has only one more year to serve. In the absence of that person, the second oldest person shall convene the meeting. In the absence of that person, the third oldest person, and then the fourth oldest person, will assume the responsibility to convene the meeting.

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3. The Duties of the Committees

(a) The Steering Committee shall deal with matters pertaining to the Constitution. They shall submit suggestions to the General Assembly as to how to solve any problems concerning the Constitution. They shall report to the General Assembly what they have decided on matters that have been entrusted to them by the General Assembly.

(b) The Examinations and Credentials Committee shall examine the graduates of our denomination’s seminary to see if they are qualified to be candidates for ordination. This examination will be held at the time and at the place determined by the committee. The results of the examinations will be reported to the General Assembly for confirmation.

(c) The Rules Committee shall study the matters pertaining to the rules of the General Assembly. They shall decide any matters that are entrusted to them by the General Assembly. They shall submit

their decisions to the General Assembly.

(d) The Finance Committee shall study and present the matters pertaining to the finances of the General Assembly. They shall examine the financial records of the General Assembly. They shall draft the annual budget and submit it to the General Assembly.

(e) The Christian Education Committee shall study and present the matters pertaining to Church Schools, Bible Schools, pastors’ conferences, and publications. They shall be responsible for the improvement of Christian education and the training of church leaders.

(f) The  Chaplain  Committee  shall  take  charge  of  the  matters pertaining to the chaplaincy.

(g) The  Pension Committee shall  study and  direct the  matters pertaining to the welfare of the pastors who have either retired or become invalid due to illness or other valid reasons.

(h) The Home Missions Committee shall study and handle the matters pertaining to the missionary enterprise in North America. They shall promote the programs for expansion that can be used by the churches of the denomination.

(i) The Publications Committee shall handle the matters pertaining to the publications of the denomination.

(j) The Presbytery Records Examination Committee shall examine the minutes of the presbyteries. They shall give special attention to the decisions made by the judicial committees of the presbyteries to find out if their actions were carried out legally, prudently, and fairly. They shall report their findings to the General Assembly.

(k) The Bills and Overtures Committee shall be represented by the delegates who have been recognized as experts in each field. They shall study the particular matters entrusted to them by the General Assembly. They shall also study the matters pertaining to church growth. They shall present their suggestions in writing to the General Assembly at least two months before the opening of the assembly.

(l) The Youth Ministry Committee shall take charge of the matters pertaining to the spiritual needs of the young people of the churches within the denomination.

(m) The  Interchurch  Relations  Committee  maintains  fraternal relations with other like-minded denominations of Reformed faith, and oversees the matters of interchurch relations.

(n) The  Theology Committee shall  take  charge  of  the  matters pertaining to theology.

 

Article 6 Appointed Officials and Committees

1. These  officials and  committees are  appointed  at  each  General Assembly:

(a) Statisticians (two: the clerk and the assistant clerk)

(b) Nominations Committee (the moderators of the presbyteries; convened by the oldest person)

(c) Docket Committee (two members: the moderator and the clerk) (d) Announcer (appointed by the moderator)

(e) Inspector of the absentees (appointed by the moderator)

(f) Inspectors of overtures (two: the clerk and the assistant clerk)

 

2. Duties

(a) The statisticians shall publish the annual report on the conditions of the presbyteries within two months after the close of the General Assembly. They shall receive or collect the reports of the presbyteries at least two months before the opening of the General Assembly.

(b) The members of the Nominations Committee shall choose the members of the Standing Committees before the opening of the General Assembly. They shall report the results to the General Assembly.

(e) The members of the Docket Committee shall prepare the agenda for the General Assembly before its opening. They shall distribute the agenda to the delegates before the assembly convenes.

(d) The announcer shall be responsible for making announcements to the delegates during the General Assembly.

(e) The inspector of the absentees shall check the attendance of the delegates. He shall submit the names of those who are absent or who leave the assembly before it adjourns.

(f) The inspectors of overtures shall check the overtures and petitions submitted by the delegates to see if any inappropriate element has been overlooked. If any such items are found, they shall bring them to the attention of the General Assembly immediately. They shall follow the advice of the General Assembly on how to handle them.

 

Article 7 The Members of the Special Committees

The members of the special committees are those who have been chosen to handle the matters entrusted to them by the General Assembly. The number and the duties of the special committees shall be determined by the General Assembly. They shall be responsible for the matters entrusted to them by the General Assembly, and they shall submit the results of their work no later than the second day after the General Assembly convenes.

 

Article 8 Seminary Trustees

The seminary trustees are those who have been commissioned by the General Assembly to the seminary that is either owned by or committed to the General Assembly. The trustees shall be responsible for operating the seminary according to its bylaws. They shall also recommend other persons to the General Assembly to be approved as new trustees.

 

Article 9 The General Secretary

1. Duties and Power

(a) The general secretary shall dispose of both internal and external matters pertaining to the General Assembly under the direction of the moderator, within the bounds of the Constitution. He does not represent the denomination.

(b) The general secretary shall have the right to speak at the Officers’ meetings as a member. He shall report to the General Assembly on the business conducted during his term.

(c) The general secretary shall distribute the minutes of the meeting as well as members’ contact information to all members, no later than four months after the General Assembly concludes.

 

2. Election

The general secretary shall be nominated by the officers of the General Assembly. The nominee shall be presented to the General Assembly for approval. If the general secretary becomes invalid after the assembly has adjourned, the officers may choose an acting general secretary.

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3. Term

The term of the general secretary shall be three years, and he may be reelected for no more than one additional term. The annual salary shall be $30,000.00.

 

Article 10 Dual Denomination Membership

The General Assembly allows dual membership in World Korean Presbyterian Church(WPC) and The Presbyterian Church of Korea(PKC).

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Article 11 World Mission Society

As stated in the nonprofit organization’s articles and rules, World Mission Society will form and manage a board of trustees(council) and annually report the conditions to the General Assembly.

 

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CHAPTER 3 FINANCES 

 

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Article 12

The Finances of the General Assembly :

The Finances of the General Assembly shall consist of the dues paid by the presbyteries and the freewill offerings of individuals.

 

Article 13

The Traveling Expenses of the Delegates :

The expenses incurred by the delegates to attend the General Assembly shall be paid by the delegates’ local churches.

 

 

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CHAPTER 4 MEETINGS

 

 

Article 14

The General Assembly :

The General Assembly shall meet annually on the Tuesday after the third Sunday in May. The opening time will be 8 p.m. The meeting place shall be decided at the previous assembly. If the meeting place has to be changed, the officers shall choose the new location.

 

Article 15

The Standing Committees :

The standing committees shall meet one day before the assembly convenes in order to prepare the matters that should be reported to the General Assembly. The times and places of these meetings shall be arranged by the Docket Committee.

 

 

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CHAPTER 5 FORMS AND DOCUMENTS

 

 

Article 16

The Forms to Be Used by the Presbyteries to Report on the Conditions of Their Respective Presbyteries

1. The presbyteries should report on the following matters, including matters for thanksgiving:

 

2. The conditions of the local churches under the presbytery: (a) Increases in membership

(b) Things pertaining to evangelism

(c) Movements of the pastors

(d) Building projects

 

3. Matters pertaining to the Sunday School or Bible School

 

4. Special Events

 

5. Future Plans

 

6. Statistics:

(a) The number of officers: pastors, elders, evangelists, ordained deacons, kwonsas, and acting deacons

(b) The number of households: the families of the adults (14 years old and older)

(c) The number of members: those who have been admitted through transfer; those who have been admitted through confession; newly admitted members; baptized infants; baptized adults

(d) The number of children in Sunday schools

(e) Finances: income, expenditures, total The clerk of the General Assembly shall receive these reports and put the summaries into the minutes of the General Assembly as appendices.

 

Article 17

The Clerk of the General Assembly shall publish the names of the delegates and the agenda of the General Assembly, and distribute these published materials to the delegates at least one month before the General Assembly opens.

 

Article 18

All the reports, overtures, and inquiries shall be submitted to the clerk in duplicate by using the forms approved by the General Assembly.

 

Article 19

All the reports and documents that are to be examined by the Bills and Overtures Committee ought to be submitted to the clerk at least three days before the General Assembly opens. Any business that is to be presented to the assembly, but has not been submitted through the normal process, must have the signature of at least ten delegates to be accepted, and it must be submitted immediately.

 

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APPENDIX

 

 

1. Amending the Bylaws

Any proposed amendment should be sent to the Rules Committee first. The Rules Committee shall study the matter and present its recommendation to the General Assembly. Then the General Assembly shall vote on the proposal. It must receive a two-thirds vote of approval from the delegates present at the assembly to be adopted.

 

2. An amendment to the Bylaws shall become effective the moment it is adopted.

 

3. The following titles are not recognized by the denomination and must not be used:

(a) “Founding Pastor” (b) “Founding Elder” (c) “Ex-moderator of the Presbytery” (d) “Ex-moderator of the General Assembly”