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23-2. The Presbytery may designate a minister as honorably retired when the minister by reason of age wishes to be retired, or as medically disabled when by reason of infirmity is no longer able to serve the church in the active ministry of the Gospel. A minister medically disabled or honorably retired shall continue to hold membership in his Presbytery. He may serve on committees or commissions if so elected or appointed.
DIGEST: This paragraph dates to 1982 [M10GA, 10-89, Item 5, p. 113], with subsequent changes effected in
1989 [M17GA, 17-6, Item 4, p. 44].
BACKGROUND & COMPARISON:
No comparable text for 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 1879,
4. PCUS 1869 draft,
5. PCUS 1867 draft, Chapter VI, Section 5
COMMENTARY :
F.P. Ramsay, Exposition of the Book of Church Order (1898)
[no comparable text in this chapter]
COMMENTARY :
Morton H. Smith, Commentary on the Book of Church Order, 6th edition, 2007, p. 250-251.
A minister may be designated as honorably retired or medically disabled. The initiative for honorable retirement rests with the minister. The reason given for retirement is simply age. No particular age is set for such retirement. This is left to the individual minister concerned. This relieves him of the obligations of the ministry, though he may still be used by the Presbytery to serve on committees or commissions, when elected or appointed to do so. Those who are medically disabled are treated in a similar fashion to the honorably retired.
Constitutional Inquiry, 1989, p. 157,17-82, III, 19. Digest, I, p. 275.
That the advice of the Judicial Business Committee regarding Constitutional Inquiry #3 be ratified.
Constitutional Inquiry #3: From the Uliana Presbytery requesting advice concerning the constitutionality of their proposed rewrite o f Standing Rule 140 o f Standing Rules of the Presbytery:
"140. When ministerial members retire from active status, they need not continue to report, and Presbytery is not required to respond to the above question. However, it is a benefit to the brethren and a courtesy to our retired men that they be given the opportunity to testify to their service for the Lord."
Answer:
The Committee advises Uliana Presbytery that we do not believe the proposed rule 140 is in conflict with BCO (BCO 23-2). We advise Presbytery, based on BCO 41-5, to use its own wisdom in rewriting its standing rules in accordance with the BCO. Adopted
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