The Historical Development of the Book of Church Order

Chapter 13 : The Presbytery

Paragraph 13 : Of Visiting Brethren

13-13. Ministers in good standing in other Presbyteries, or in any evangelical church, being present at any meeting of Presbytery, may be invited to sit as visiting brethren. It is proper for the moderator to introduce these brethren to the Presbytery. This provision shall also apply to the General Assembly.

DIGEST:

BACKGROUND & COMPARISON:
PCA 1973, 14-1, Adopted text, as printed in the Minutes of General Assembly,

Continuing Presbyterian Church 1973, 14-10, Proposed text, p. 16
Ministers in good standing in other Presbyteries, or in any evangelical Church being present at any meeting of Presbytery, may be invited to sit as visiting brethren. It is proper for the Moderator to introduce these brethren to the Presbytery. This provision shall also apply to the General Assembly.

PCUS 1933,
The

PCUS 1879,


PCUS 1869 draft, V-4-1

PCUS 1867 draft, V-4-1

Northern Tradition :
PCUSA 1821, 10-2

OPC 2003, 14-1 – 3

BPC 2003, 9-1


COMMENTARY:
F.P. Ramsay, Exposition of the Book of Church Order
, on Chapter V., Section IV, par. 9:
80.—IX. Ministers, in good standing in other Presbyteries, or in any ecclesiastical body with which this Church has established correspondence, being present at any meeting of Presbytery, may be invited to sit and deliberate as corresponding members. Also, Ministers of like standing in other Evangelical Churches may be invited to sit as visiting brethren. In all these cases it is proper for the Moderator to introduce these Ministers to the Presbytery, and give them the right hand of fellowship.
Ruling Elders are not included, as not being ex officio members of Presbytery, but of Session.
Churches are here classified as non-Evangelical and Evangelical, which term, not being elsewhere defined in this connection, and being necessarily more or less approximate, the Presbytery must construe as cases arise. And Evangelical Churches are classified into those with which this Church has established correspondence, and those with which it has not—a provision designed to emphasize the difference between correspondence, correspondence being intermediate between fraternal relations and organic union. For this Church looks upon other Churches with this question, What hinders organizational unity? Accordingly, corresponding members are invited to deliberate, but not to vote, whilst visiting brethren are invited only to sit, but not to deliberate or vote.