Session

Session: The group of active ruling elders, elected by the congregation, who make decisions for the running of the local church and serve as spiritual leaders of the congregation. In some denominations this group is called the church council.

Current Session Members:

Clerk, Ron Uttech - 2027
Donna Herman - 2026
Debbie Hutton - 2028
Wes Mayfield - 2028
Pete Keohane - 2028
Peggy Wakeman – 2026

Session/Ruling Elder

Job Description and Responsibilities

The Session (board) is comprised of the current Active Ruling Elder and the
Installed Pastor who serves as moderator.
Definition of Ruling Elder from the Book of Order (G-2.0301)
“As there were in Old Testament times elders for the government of the people, so the
New Testament church provided persons with particular gifts to share in discernment of
God’s Spirit and governance of God’s people. Accordingly, congregations should elect
persons of wisdom and maturity of faith, having demonstrated skills in leadership and
being compassionate in spirit. Ruling elders are so named not because they “lord it over”
the congregation (Matt. 20:25), but because they are chosen by the congregation to
discern and measure its fidelity to the Word of God, and to strengthen and nurture its
faith and life. Ruling elders, together with teaching elders [pastors], exercise leadership,
government, spiritual discernment, and discipline and have responsibilities for the life
of a congregation as well as the whole church, including ecumenical relationships.” 
F-3.0202 Governed by Presbyters
“This church shall be governed by presbyters, that is, ruling elders and teaching elders
(also called ministers of the Word and Sacrament [pastors]) . . . [Ruling Elders and]
Ministers of the Word and Sacrament shall be committed in all their work to teaching
the faith in word and in deed and equipping the people of God for their ministry and
witness.”
G-2.0102 Ordered Ministries
“The Church’s ordered ministries described in the New Testament and maintained by
this church are deacons and presbyters (ministers of the Word and Sacrament and
ruling elders). Ordered ministries are gifts to the church to order its life so that the
ministry of the whole people of God may flourish. The existence of these ordered
ministries in no way diminishes the importance of the commitment of all members to
the total ministry of the church. The government of this church is representative, and
the right of God’s people to elect presbyters and deacons is inalienable. Therefore, no
person can be placed in any ordered ministry in a congregation or council of the church
except by election of that body. Ordination to the ministry of deacon, ruling elder, or
minister of the Word and Sacrament (also called teaching elder) is unique to that order
of ministry.”
W-2.0303: Ruling Elders
Ruling elders are called to nurture the common life of the people of God through their
gifts of discernment and governance. They should also cultivate an ability to teach the
Word when called upon to do so. When appropriately prepared and commissioned by
the presbytery, ruling elders may proclaim the Word and administer the Sacraments in a
particular congregation (G-2.1001).
In a particular congregation, ruling elders shall provide for the church’s worship and

encourage the people’s participation. Specifically, when serving together on the session,
ruling elders and ministers of the Word and Sacrament†: make provision for the regular
preaching of the Word and celebration of the Sacraments, corporate prayer, and the
offering of praise to God in song; oversee and approve all public worship in the
congregation, with the exception of responsibilities reserved for the minister of the
Word and Sacrament†; determine occasions, days, times, and places for worship; and
have responsibility for the arrangement of worship space, the use of special
appointments (flowers, candles, banners, paraments, and other objects), and the
ministries of music, drama, dance, and visual arts.
TRAINING:
G-2.0402 Preparation for Ministry as a Ruling Elder
“When persons have been elected to the ordered ministry of ruling elder or deacon,
the session shall provide a period of study and preparation, after which the session shall
examine them as to their personal faith; knowledge of the doctrine, government, and
discipline contained in the Constitution of the church; and the duties of the ministry.
The session shall also confer with them as to their willingness to undertake the ministry
appropriate to the order. If the examination is approved, the session shall appoint a day
for the service of ordination and installation.”
Training takes place on a continual basis throughout your time as a Ruling Elder.
Advanced training will take place prior to any Ruling Elder beginning their term on the
Session. This training will consist of the following (and more):
 The role of the Ruling Elder, including expectations
 How meetings are conducted
 How Committees work
 How to read and understand the Financial reports
 What is the role of the Clerk of Session and the Moderator?

SPECIFICS:
Stated Session meetings are currently held on the 4 th Tuesday of the month beginning
at 6:30 pm. They generally last 2 (two hours). They are held in the Disciples’ Room.
The Ruling Elder is responsible for the following duties:
 Be a spiritual leader in the church
 Attend stated Session meetings
 Attend special called meetings
 Work with one or more Ministry team. This may include being the moderator,
but it does not require the Elder to be the moderator.
 Assist the Ministry team with the ministry that they are called to carry out.
Sometimes the Session will call a special meeting to consider and/or discuss a specific
issue or when extra time is needed to make a decision.
Our Session conducts its business with God as the center and with much prayer. Given
this, every effort is made to provide amble time for prayer and discernment. Business

brought before the Session is done in a timely manner so that it is presented at least a
month before any vote is taken.
An annual Tri-board (Deacons, Elders, Trustees) meeting is held in February. This
meeting may simply be a 2-3 hour meeting all the way up to an overnight retreat
starting on Friday evening and ending late Saturday afternoon.
Ministry Teams (committees):
 Communications
 Finance
 Mission and Outreach
 Nominating
 Personnel
 Spiritual Growth
 Worship

HOW TO LEARN MORE:
 Speak with the pastor
 Download the Book of Order pdf then search Ruling Elder
o This can be done by simply Googling “PCUSA Book of Order pdf
o Once you have downloaded the pdf and have it open hold the ctrl button
and click on the “f” key. This will bring up a search box.

 Go to www.pcusa.org and search Ruling Elder.
 Watch the first video in the series on Theoacademy entitled “Preparation for
Ordered Ministry.” Here is the link: http://www.theocademy.com/lessons-for-