This article is a mere summary of RPR’s actions and is not intended to be comprehensive or exhaustive. The full report will be made available to commissioners in coming weeks. Moreover, the actions of RPR are not final; they simply make recommendations to the General Assembly who may approve, reject, or amend these recommendations when it convenes in Chattanooga.

In Presbyterian church government, higher courts are responsible for reviewing the actions and records of lower courts. As a result, the General Assembly is responsible for reviewing the minutes of the 87 presbyteries spread across the U.S. and Canada. The Review of Presbytery Records is the committee entrusted with this task. The committee met last week near Atlanta to conduct its work.

The Review Process

By the very nature of its work, the committee cites presbyteries for problems in their record keeping. Specifically, RPR highlights areas where the presbytery took actions it should not have taken or failed to take actions it should have taken. These issues often arise from a presbytery failing to properly record the actions it took.

When RPR examines the minutes of a presbytery and finds irregularities, the committee must decide whether they appear to be exceptions of form or substance. An exception of form is a minor irregularity. An exception of substance is a serious irregularity. The debate within the committee is often not whether a presbytery erred; rather, it often centers around whether the error should be treated as a matter of form or substance.

“No Record”

The most repeated phrase throughout the committee’s report is “no record.” When the committee cites a presbytery, it often uses statements like this:

• No record of a congregational meeting.
• No record of an annual report from teaching elders serving out of bounds.
• No record of reviewing session minutes.
• No record of quorum for a meeting.

The failure to record may be just that: The presbytery may have taken the required action but simply failed to properly record it.

A presbytery’s minutes are not a transcript of the meeting, but the PCA’s constitution provides specific instructions as to what must be included in the minutes of a meeting. This includes everything from the opening prayer to the various parts of an ordination exam. When required items are missing, RPR informs the presbytery and requests that it address the oversight.

When a presbytery is cited with an exception of substance, they are required to respond by the following year. The most common response is, “We acknowledge our error and have corrected our minutes.”

Items of Note

Korean Southwest. Last year, the General Assembly took the extraordinary step of assigning a commission to help Korean Southwest Presbytery improve its minutes. Over the past year several elders travelled to participate in their meetings and assist them in putting their minutes in order. This year’s RPR was encouraged by the progress that has been made.

40-5 items. RPR received four reports regarding 40-5 matters. These are communications sent to the General Assembly and referred to the committee. They originate from various parties with concerns about alleged unconstitutional proceedings in presbyteries. The committee ruled in all four cases that the matters referenced did not rise to the level of being grossly unconstitutional or important delinquency. In two cases, they cited the presbytery for an exception of substance.

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