1. When the General Assembly meets annually, it shall consist of equal numbers of elders and ministers from each presbytery, in the following proportion: Each presbytery consisting of not more than 10,000 members shall elect one elder and one minister; and each presbytery consisting of more than 10,000 members shall elect one elder and one minister for each additional 10,000 members, or for each additional fractional number of members not less than 5,000; and these persons, so elected, shall be called commissioners to the General Assembly.
2. When the General Assembly meets biennially, it shall consist of equal numbers of elders and ministers from each presbytery, in the following proportion: Each presbytery consisting of not more than 8,000 members shall elect one elder and one minister. Presbyteries consisting of more than 8,000 members shall elect one additional elder and one additional minister for each additional 8,000 members, so that:

   Presbyteries of 8,001 to 16,000 members shall elect
   2 elders and 2 ministers;

   Presbyteries of 16,001 to 24,000 members shall elect
   3 elders and 3 ministers;

   Presbyteries of 24,001 to 32,000 members shall elect
   4 elders and 4 ministers;

   Presbyteries of 32,001 to 40,000 members shall elect
   5 elders and 5 ministers;

   Presbyteries of 40,001 to 48,000 members shall elect
   6 elders and 6 ministers;

   Presbyteries of 48,001 to 56,000 members shall elect
   7 elders and 7 ministers.

These persons, so elected, shall be called commissioners to the General Assembly.

[Editor’s Note: This wording was removed following the 217th General Assembly (2006): [Note: The provisions of this amendment would not take effect until the adjournment of the 217th General Assembly (2006).]

3. Each person elected Moderator shall be enrolled as a member of the General Assembly until a successor is elected and installed, and then shall be enrolled as a corresponding member of the General Assembly.

   The General Assembly constitutes the bond of union, community, and mission among all its congregations and governing bodies. It therefore has the responsibility and power

1. to set priorities for the work of the church in keeping with the church’s mission under Christ as described in G-3.0000;
2. to develop overall objectives for mission and a comprehensive strategy to guide the church at every level of its life;
3. to provide the essential program functions that are appropriate for overall balance and diversity within the mission of the church;
4. to establish and administer national and worldwide ministries of witness, service, growth, and development;
5. to provide a system of administrative services to fulfill its objectives and program;
6. to provide services for the whole church that can be performed more effectively from a national base;
7. to establish and maintain an office of the General Assembly;
8. to establish and superintend the agencies and task forces necessary for its work, including a General Assembly Mission Council, providing for the regular review of the functional relationship between the General Assembly’s structure and its mission;
9. to adopt the comprehensive budget of the General Assembly, providing full information to the whole church of its decision in such matters;
10. to provide for communication within the church;
11. to oversee the work of the synods and to facilitate their participation in the mission of the church;
12. to review the records of the synods and to take care that they observe the Constitution of the church;
13. to organize new synods and to divide, unite, or otherwise combine synods or portions of synods previously existing;
14. to approve the organization, division, uniting, or combining of presbyteries or portions of presbyteries by synods;
15. to serve in judicial matters in accordance with the Rules of Discipline;
16. to warn or bear witness against error in doctrine or immorality in practice in or outside the church;
17. to decide controversies brought before it and to give advice and instruction in cases submitted to it, in conformity with the Constitution;
18. to provide authoritative interpretation of the Book of Order which shall be binding on the governing bodies of the church when rendered in accord with G-13.0112 or through a decision of the Permanent Judicial Commission in a remedial or disciplinary case. The most recent interpretation of a provision of the Book of Order shall be binding;
19. to establish and maintain those ecumenical relationships that will enlarge the life and mission of the church;
20. to correspond with other churches;
21. to receive under its jurisdiction, with the consent of two thirds of the presbyteries, other ecclesiastical bodies whose life is consistent with the faith and order of this church;
22. to authorize synods to exercise similar power in receiving ecclesiastical bodies suited to become constituents of those governing bodies and lying within their geographic bounds;
23. to unite with other churches in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Constitution. (G-15.0300)
24. to review the work of the Office of the General Assembly in consultation with the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly.

1. To ensure careful nomination of members of such boards, agencies, and committees as the General Assembly shall from time to time designate, the General Assembly Nominating Committee shall propose nominees to the General Assembly for such bodies. Consideration shall be given to the nomination of equal numbers of ministers (both women and men), laymen, and laywomen. The committee shall consist of members equal in number to the synods of the church, each member resident in a different synod, and members distributed so that there are one third ministers (both women and men), one third laymen, and one third laywomen. (G-9.0801, G-11.0501, G-12.0102d, G-13.0202) Members shall be elected by the General Assembly for a term of six years, and the terms shall be so arranged as to provide that one third of the members shall complete their service at the conclusion of each regular meeting of the General Assembly. Within thirty days prior to the regular meeting of the General Assembly, the Moderator of the preceding General Assembly shall nominate persons for election by the General Assembly to fill the vacancies occurring at the adjournment of the ensuing General Assembly. The Moderator shall also appoint persons to fill, until the next succeeding General Assembly, vacancies during the year caused by death, resignation, or inability to act. These appointments shall be in consultation with the synod through its regular nominating process and shall reflect the commitment of the inclusive policies of the General Assembly. Such appointments shall not prevent election of the same person to a full term. No person who has served a full term of six years on the committee shall be eligible for reelection or for appointment or nomination to a body for which the committee has submitted nominations to the General Assembly during that person’s term until four years have passed since the expiration of the person’s term on the committee.

2. The committee shall elect its own officers at the last meeting prior to the regular meeting of the General Assembly. The existence of this committee shall not limit or abridge the right of any commissioner to the General Assembly to nominate any eligible person in addition to the nominees presented by the committee.

1. The General Assembly shall establish an Advisory Committee on the Constitution composed of nine persons, ministers and elders in numbers as nearly equal as possible. The Stated Clerk of the General Assembly shall be a member ex officio without vote. The nine voting members shall be former members of the Permanent Judicial Commission of the General Assembly, stated clerks or former stated clerks of synods or presbyteries, or other qualified persons with knowledge of and experience with the Constitution and polity of the church. Voting members shall be nominated by the General Assembly Nominating Committee and elected by the General Assembly and shall serve a term of six years in three classes. No person who has served on the Advisory Committee on the Constitution for a full term of six years shall be eligible for reelection until four years have elapsed after the expired six-year term.

2. The Advisory Committee on the Constitution shall meet prior to each session of the General Assembly and shall submit its report and recommendations no later than sixty days prior to the convening of the next session of the General Assembly.

3. All questions requiring an interpretation by the General Assembly of the Book of Order arising from governing bodies of the church or from individuals shall be communicated in writing to the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly no later than 120 days prior to the convening of the next session of the General Assembly.

4. The Stated Clerk shall refer all such questions of interpretation to the Advisory Committee on the Constitution, except those pertaining to matters pending before a judicial commission. The Advisory Committee shall report its findings to the General Assembly along with its recommendations. Such recommendations may include proposals for constitutional change. The General Assembly shall vote on the recommendations, and may amend or decline to approve them.

5. At least three members of the Advisory Committee on the Constitution, appointed by the moderator of the committee, shall be present at the session of the General Assembly. All items introduced as new business that touch upon constitutional matters, including requesting rulings by the Moderator on questions of order involving constitutional matters, shall be referred in writing to these persons. They shall act as the full committee and shall consider each matter referred to them and make recommendations directly to the General Assembly through the Moderator.

   The General Assembly shall create an Assembly Council which shall have the following responsibilities:

1. to cultivate and promote the spiritual welfare of the whole church;
2. to provide resources to support equal employment opportunity and affirmative action for members of racial ethnic groups, for women, for various age groups, for persons regardless of marital condition (married, single, widowed, or divorced), and for persons with disabilities;
3. to develop and propose, for General Assembly approval, the mission directions, goals, objectives, and priorities of the General Assembly Mission Council, doing so by taking into account the mission work being done by sessions, presbyteries, and synods, and to propose for General Assembly approval an accompanying budget that will implement the mission work plan of the General Assembly Mission Council;
4. to act in those specific matters assigned to the General Assembly Mission Council by the General Assembly or this Constitution, acting always according to previously enacted General Assembly policies, reporting fully to each subsequent General Assembly its actions;
5. to perform such additional responsibilities and duties as may be assigned by the General Assembly.

1. The membership, terms of office, and officers of the General Assembly Mission Council shall be approved by the General Assembly as provided for in the Manual of Operations of the General Assembly Mission Council. The Council shall include members from each of the synods of the church.

2. In the nominating process, the General Assembly Nominating Committee shall consult with the General Assembly Mission Council to identify needed skills, and shall provide for diversity and inclusiveness in accordance with G-4.0403. It will maintain a goal of at least twenty percent racial ethnic membership for the General Assembly Mission Council. It will also follow the provisions of G-9.0104, G-9.0105, and G-13.0111 and shall ensure that, exclusive of the Moderator and predecessor Moderators, one third of the members are ministers of the Word and Sacrament (both women and men), one third laymen, and one third laywomen. The committee will also provide that members be nominated in such a manner as to provide three classes of approximately equal size. Any vacancy occurring during a term shall be filled pursuant to General Assembly policies.