Continous Discipleship - Congregational Meetings

Prayer: Awesome God, how amazing is your church! People come from varied circumstances, all races and regions, differing abilities, and opposing theologies.   You celebrate and delight in our diversity. As we meet and vote, report and plan, discuss and decide, may we also rejoice in our differences and in our unity under you, the one Head of the Church. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

The congregation is made up of all members on the active roll of a particular church. All such members who are present at a congregational meeting are entitled to vote.                                                                                                              Book of Order  G-7.0301

The congregation shall hold an annual meeting and may hold other meetings as necessary.

The annual meeting may consider such business as
  • electing officers,
  • hearing reports of the session along with plans for the coming year,
  • hearing reports from the board of deacons and other organizations of the church, and
  • transacting other business as is appropriate.
  • It shall review the adequacy of the compensation of the pastor or pastors upon report of the prior review by the session.
Public notice of the meeting shall be given on two successive Sundays.                                                                                                  Book of Order  G-7.0302a
 
Special meetings may be called for any or all of the purposes appropriate to an annual meeting or to conduct such other business as may be proper for congregational consideration. The business to be transacted shall be limited to items specifically listed in the call for the meeting.                                                                                            Book of Order  G-7.0302b

Since Presbyterians believe strongly in the power of group rather than individual decision-making, we meet often. Group decision-making can be slow and arduous, but it can also be very thorough, thoughtful, inspiring, and quite biblical. There are many meetings of the local church: committees, deacons, and the session (elders and pastor). The congregation convenes annually for only a handful of decisions (at left). 

The Apostle Paul, writing to a divided young church at Corinth, “You are the body of Christ and individually members of it,” (I Corinthians 12:27) provides the guideline for the church’s annual meeting: come together to learn, receive and give comfort, remember the past, build up the body of Christ, which is the church. In doing so we can follow Paul’s direction that, “All things should be done decently and in order.” (I Corinthians 14:40)

While the business of a congregation’s annual meeting may be predictable, it can also inspire and energize, as the saints of the church abide by the majority vote while guarding the meekest minority opinion in good Presbyterian fashion.

Prayer: May our decisions reflect the highest calling of the congregation, in all its uniqueness and variety, to follow God’s leading. Amen.