HELPFUL HINTS FOR SERVING AS CLERK OF SESSION

What the Book of Order has to say about the work of the Clerk of Session:
G-9.0203a. The clerk shall record the transactions of the governing body, keep its rolls of membership and attendance, preserve its records carefully, and furnish extracts from them when required by another governing body of the church. Such extracts, verified by the clerk, shall be evidence in any governing body of the church.
G-9.0203b. The clerk of the session shall be an elder elected by the session for such term as it may determine. The clerk of a presbytery, a synod, and the General Assembly shall be called stated clerk, shall be elected by the governing body for a definite term as it may determine, and must be eligible for membership in the governing body.
The General Assembly offered this interpretation of the Book of Order in 1988: An elder, not currently active on session, may serve as clerk of session. (GA 1988, 137, 12.187, Com. 4-88).

Stated Session Meetings
Ø Send out request to staff and elders for session meeting agenda items. Do this a week to 10 days ahead of the meeting date.
Ø If the Moderator does not prepare the agenda, then the Clerk of Session should prepare a draft session agenda and email to Moderator on Tuesday before the meeting date.
Ø After the Moderator has had an opportunity to make corrections or revisions, a final agenda packet is emailed to the Session members and to the staff. Ask the Office Manager to put a few hard copies in your box for anyone who has a problem opening or printing the email attachment.
Ø Make sure meeting tables/chairs are set up.
Ø During the meeting, record attendance, motions and action taken during the meeting.
Ø During the meeting, provide information as requested and as able regarding previous actions of the Session.
Ø By the Tuesday following the Session meeting, send out draft of minutes for review. Staff and elders will need these in order to follow-up or implement on Session’s decisions.
Ø Include a motion to approve the minutes in the next month’s session agenda.
Ø Notify the Office Manager when the minutes have been approved so the minutes can be printed for Clerk’s and Moderator’s signatures.
Ø The Office Manager will copy the minutes on appropriate paper and place them in the official record book. It is, however, the responsibility of the Clerk of Session to see that this is being done.

Called Session Meetings
Ø If the Moderator has not done so, notify staff and elders the date, time, place, and purpose of any called session meetings.
Ø As soon as possible after the Called Session meeting, send out draft of minutes for review. Staff and elders will need these in order to follow-up or implement on Session’s decisions.
Ø Include a motion to approve the minutes in the next month’s session agenda.
Ø Notify the Office Manager when the minutes have been approved so the minutes can be printed for Clerk’s and Moderator’s signatures.


Congregational Meetings
Ø Provide advance notification (two successive Sundays) in accordance with Book of Order for any congregational meetings.
Ø Record and prepare minutes for congregational meeting. Approve at next stated session meeting.

Baptisms
Ø A pastor will notify the Clerk of Session when baptisms are requested. Include a motion in the stated session minutes.
Ø A pastor will notify Clerk of the date and service for the baptism. Clerk will represent the session or get another active elder to represent the session and participate in the baptism.

New Members and Transfer Requests
Ø Include as a motion in the session agenda/minutes for the acceptance of new members and the transfer of existing members. Coordinate transfer requests and notification with Office Manager.

Membership Data Base and Registers
Ø Coordinate with Office Manager to insure the membership data base stays up to date. Also, periodically review with her the current status of registers (marriages, baptisms, elders, pastors).

Correspondence
Ø A lot of correspondence is received addressed to the clerk; e.g. from Presbytery. Review the correspondence and handle accordingly, often routing to the appropriate ministry team chairperson for handling. Depending on the nature, you may want to include some as informational items in the next session agenda.
Ø Occasionally sign correspondence and forms as officer of the church.

Commissioners for Presbytery
Ø Determine the dates for Presbytery meetings during the year.
Ø Select and record in the minutes the elder commissioners who will attend. Usually do this the month preceding the Presbytery meeting. Good Shepherd sends three elder commissioners. Include a report (written or verbal) from the commissioners in the agenda at the following session meeting.

Check Signing
Ø Clerk has served as a back-up to other approved check signers. The Office Manager will call when assistance is needed.

Relationships with Presbytery, Synod and General Assembly
Ø Prepare for review of prior year’s minutes with Presbytery. Presbytery will notify the Clerk of Session regarding date, location, and the checklist. The review is usually late February or early March.
Ø The Clerk of Session is responsible for a portion of the Annual Statistical Report to General Assembly and Presbytery, which is completed in January. The Treasurer and pastors may also have portions they are responsible for. The Clerk is the one who is ultimately responsible for seeing that the entire report is finalized and mailed on time.
Ø The Clerk of Session is responsible for reminding Session to elect commissioners to the Presbytery meetings. This can be done annually or prior to each individual meeting.
Ø The Clerk must occasionally complete various forms for Presbytery, such as the certification of the pastors’ change in terms of call.

Keeping Minutes of a Session Meeting
Ø Every set of minutes should contain the following information.
Ø The name of the church
Ø The date, time, and place of the meeting
Ø Whether the meeting is called or stated
Ø The names of the moderator, elders, and others who are present
Ø The names of the absent members may or may not indicate if the absence was excused – this is up to the will of a particular Session.
Ø The opening with prayer
Ø Attesting that a quorum is present
Ø Approval of minutes of previous meetings
Ø All main motions, except those withdrawn, and whether the motions pass or fail
Ø Significant portions of reports
Ø The time of the meeting’s closing
Ø Closing with prayer
Ø Attesting by the moderator and the clerk by their signatures

When motions are passed unanimously, it is not necessary to state the unanimity. When motions have dissenting votes, the vote could be recorded by terms such as “by majority” or “with 1 exception”. Persons casting dissenting votes may request that their vote be recorded by name. It is neither necessary nor advisable to summarize the discussion prior to a vote.

The reports presented can be recorded as “received” which indicates the report has been read or heard but does not necessarily indicate agreement with all aspects of the report.

The minutes should contain, in addition to any actions taken, only those aspects that might be important to future readers of the minutes. After the minutes have been approved by the session, they should be placed in the official Minute Book and signed by the moderator and the clerk. The Minute Book needs to be kept in a secure fireproof environment – at Good Shepherd we have a special file cabinet for this purpose.