# PCA Election of Officers and BCO 24-1 and 24-4



## SRoper (Mar 4, 2011)

> 24-1. Every church shall elect persons to the offices of ruling elder and
> deacon in the following manner: At such times as determined by the Session,
> communicant members of the congregation may submit names to the Session,
> keeping in mind that each prospective officer should be an active male member
> ...





> 24-4. The voters being convened, the moderator shall explain the purpose
> of the meeting and then put the question:
> Are you now ready to proceed to the election of additional ruling
> elders (or deacons) from the slate presented?
> ...



How is the number of officers to be elected being predetermined in 24-1 reconciled with a majority of all voters present shall be required to elect? What happens if four candidates are approved by a majority, but the congregation only wanted three new officers? Is the majority requirement a necessary but not sufficient condition?


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## fredtgreco (Mar 4, 2011)

The congregation determines how many it wants by the number of men who receive a majority vote.


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## SRoper (Mar 4, 2011)

Thanks, Pastor Greco. That's how I used to understand it, but "the number of officers to be elected shall be determined by the congregation after hearing the Session’s recommendation" seems like a pretty confusing way to put it, if that's the case. So the BCO doesn't allow a congregation to limit the number of new officers ahead of the vote?


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## Scott1 (Mar 4, 2011)

SRoper said:


> Thanks, Pastor Greco. That's how I used to understand it, but "the number of officers to be elected shall be determined by the congregation after hearing the Session’s recommendation" seems like a pretty confusing way to put it, if that's the case. So the BCO doesn't allow a congregation to limit the number of new officers ahead of the vote?


 
It seems the BCO is merely saying that in the end, the congregation chooses its officers, which necessarily means the number of them.

The process, reflected in 24-1 et. al. is nomination, examination, election, ordination, installation. Candidates for office often start but do not finish the process, for many reasons, part of the biblical discernment/ qualification process.

The doctrine, theology behind this is God calls and appoints the right men (and the right number) for office, for the benefit of His people, and according to His plan for that covenant community.


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## fredtgreco (Mar 4, 2011)

SRoper said:


> Thanks, Pastor Greco. That's how I used to understand it, but "the number of officers to be elected shall be determined by the congregation after hearing the Session’s recommendation" seems like a pretty confusing way to put it, if that's the case. So the BCO doesn't allow a congregation to limit the number of new officers ahead of the vote?


 
Scott,

This language is the result of the practice of the Session determining how many qualified men to put on a ballot. For example, if 4 men were nominated and examined and found qualified, the Session cannot only place 2 on the ballot merely for the sake of keeping the Session a certain size. The congregation must determine how many are to be elected. Here is a Constitutional Inquiry from 1988 cited in Morton Smith's commentary on the BCO:



> Constitutional.Inquiry, 1988, p.176, 16-77, III, 26. Digest, I, p. 276.
> That the advice of the Committee on Judicial Business regarding Constitutional
> Inquiry #2 be ratified.
> . Constitutional Inquiry #2: From Covenant Presbyterian Church. Palm Bay, Florida.
> ...


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## SRoper (Mar 4, 2011)

Ah, that makes sense. Thanks, guys! Thanks for taking the time to dig up that inquiry, Pastor Greco.


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