The Historical Development of the Book of Church Order

Chapter 20 : The Election of Pastors

Paragraph 13 : Of Ordained Non-PCA Missionaries

20-13. A missionary who is an ordained teaching elder in another denomination found fit and called (in accordance with BCO 20-1) for missionary service by a missionary agency or Presbytery shall be examined by Presbytery for admission to Presbytery in accordance with BCO 13-6. If approved he shall be enrolled as a member of Presbytery.

DIGEST: The current text of BCO 20-13 dates to 1986 [M14GA, 14-19, Item 8, p. 92]. The amendment adopted that year added this text as a new paragraph for chapter 20. No comparable provision was included as part of either the earlier PCA editions or any of the PCUS editions.

BACKGROUND & COMPARISON:
No comparable text in the following editions:
1. PCA 1973, Adopted text, as printed in the Minutes of General Assembly,
2. Continuing Presbyterian Church 1973, Proposed text,
3. PCUS 1933
4. PCUS 1879
5. PCUS 1869 draft
6. PCUS 1867 draft

COMMENTARY:
F.P. Ramsay, Exposition of the Book of Church Order (1898)

[no comparable text for discussion]