1. Particular Churches of Reformed Churches

   These provisions shall be included in the Plan of Union with such churches:

1. The following Plan of Union is adopted by the _______________________ Presbyterian Church of __________________ and the __________________ Church of ____________________ effective as of the date when each of the congregations has approved the plan by a two-thirds majority of those present at a regularly called congregational meeting with such notice and quorum as is required by the Constitution of each church, and when the presbytery (or comparable governing body) of each church has approved the particular union and this Plan of Union.

2. The purpose of this union is to provide for the worship of Almighty God, instruction in the Christian religion, and participation in the mission of the church in the world, by a union congregation which will share the property, real and personal, of the uniting churches and provide for the services of a minister or ministers for the union church.

3. The union church shall be known as the ______________________ church of __________________.

4. The union church shall be subject to the Constitution of each church involved as set forth in subsections r, s, u, and v below.

5. The session (or comparable governing body) shall submit its records annually, and whenever requested, to each governing body of jurisdiction.

6. The membership of the union church shall consist of those who were members of the uniting churches, plus those received by the session of the union church.

7. The session of the union church shall report an equal share of the total membership to each governing body of jurisdiction and such membership shall be published in the Minutes of the General Assembly (or comparable governing body) with a note to the effect that the report is that of a union church, and with an indication of the total actual membership. A similar report of church school members, baptisms, etc., and financial expenditures shall be made by the session and noted by each General Assembly in its Minutes.

8. Initially the officers of the union church, elders and deacons, shall be those officers in active service of the uniting churches who will undertake to perform their ordination responsibilities under the Constitution of each church as indicated in subsections d above and r, s, u, and v below.

9. At the first annual meeting subsequent to the effective date of the union, new classes of officers, to replace the officers noted in subsection h above, shall be elected by the union congregation according to the constitutional procedures in force as a consequence of subsection v below.

10. The pastoral relations of the ministers of the uniting churches shall be dissolved automatically by the action of the presbytery in approving this plan, but they may be eligible to be ministers (pastors, or associate pastors) of the union church according to the will of the union church and subject to the approval of the governing bodies.

11. The minister or ministers of the union church shall be full and responsible members of each governing body of immediate jurisdiction and shall be subject to discipline as provided below in subsection s.

12. The union church shall cause a corporation to be formed under the appropriate laws of the state where permissible. That corporation shall include in its articles or charter the substance of subsections b, c, and d above.

13. All property of the uniting churches, real and personal, shall be transferred to the corporation formed in subsection l above. The new corporation shall be the legal successor of the corporations, if any, of the uniting churches, and it shall be bound to administer any trust, property, or moneys received in accordance with the provisions of the original establishment of the trust. All liabilities of the uniting churches shall be liabilities of the union church. In any state where a church corporation is forbidden, the purposes of this paragraph shall be achieved in harmony with the law of the state.

14. Trustees of the corporation (or the unincorporated body) shall be elected in harmony with civil law according to the constitutional provisions outlined in subsection d interpreted by subsection v below.

15. While recognizing the basic right of any giver to designate the cause or causes to which personal gifts shall go, the session of the union church shall annually propose to the congregation a general mission or benevolence program which shall be divided equitably among the officially approved causes of each denomination. The proportions shall be as the session shall decide in response to the requests of the higher governing bodies.

16. Per capita apportionments or assessments shall be paid to each governing body of jurisdiction on the basis of the total active membership of the union church, equally divided among the denominations involved.

17. All members of the union church shall be under the discipline of the session according to rules agreed upon in harmony with the Constitution of each denomination where they coincide, and in harmony with the mandatory provisions of the Constitution of one denomination where the others are permissive, and at the choice of the session where they may be contradictory.

18. Appeals or complaints against the actions of the session shall be made to one higher governing body only (presbytery or comparable governing body) at the choice of the members and all subsequent appeals or complaints shall be in the governing bodies of the members’ original choice, and decisions so finally made shall be binding on the session and on the member.

19. The minister or ministers shall be subject to the discipline of the presbyteries or comparable governing body provided that when either shall begin an action it shall invite a committee from the others to join the commissioner, prosecutor, or prosecuting committee in formulating and pressing the charges. In the event of appeal the case shall be finally decided by the highest governing body to which the appeal is taken in the church which commenced the action, and that decision shall be equally binding on the governing bodies of jurisdiction.

20. The minister or ministers shall participate in the denominational pension plan of one of the churches. If the minister is already participating in one plan, membership in that plan shall be retained. If the minister is not a member of any plan, one or the other of the churches’ plans shall be chosen.

21. Complaints against the administrative acts of the session may be taken under the constitutional provisions of only one denomination, according to the choice of the complainant, and once being complained to one higher governing body, no other denomination shall accept jurisdiction in the same manner.

22. Wherever the constitutions of the denominations differ, the mandatory provisions of one shall apply in all cases when the others are permissive. Wherever there are conflicting mandatory provisions (except as provided in subsection q above), the session of the union church shall petition the next higher governing bodies to overture their highest governing bodies to resolve the conflict either by authoritative interpretation or by constitutional amendment.

23. A union church may be dissolved by a two-thirds vote of two congregational meetings, held not less than one year and not more than two years apart, subject to the concurrence of the governing bodies involved. In case of dissolution of a union church, all property of the union church, real and personal, shall be divided equally between the next higher governing bodies.

24. After consultation with the union congregation, in accordance with G-11.0103i, and the next higher governing body of the other denomination involved, a presbytery may dismiss the congregation from membership in the presbytery. All property, real or personal, of the congregation may be retained by the congregation or divided between the congregation and the presbytery by agreement among the parties involved, subject to any restrictions on transfer of ownership that may exist in deeds.

1. The union church shall be subject to the constitutions of each church involved, as set forth in subparagraphs l, m, o, and p below.

2. The union church shall be governed by a representative body elected by the congregation from among its members. This governing body shall have the powers of the session. The members of the governing body need not be elders, but if the Plan of Union provides for elders, the governing body shall consist of elders.

3. Members of the governing body of the union church shall be eligible to membership and office in the higher governing bodies.

4. The governing body of the union church shall report an equal share of the total membership to each governing body of jurisdiction, and such membership shall be published in the minutes of each church involved with a note to the effect that the report is that of a union church, and with an indication of the total actual membership. A similar report of church school members, baptisms, etc., and financial expenditures shall be made by the governing body and noted by each involved church in its minutes.

5. The minister or ministers of the union church shall be full and responsible members of each governing body of immediate jurisdiction and shall be subject to discipline as provided below in subparagraph m.

6. The union church shall cause a corporation to be formed under the appropriate laws of the state where permissible. That corporation shall include in its articles or charter the substance of subparagraph a above.

7. All property of the uniting churches, real and personal, shall be transferred to the corporation formed in subparagraph f above. The new corporation shall be the legal successor of the corporations, if any, of the uniting churches, and it shall be bound to administer any trust property or moneys received in accordance with the provisions of the original establishment of the trust. All liabilities of the uniting churches shall be liabilities of the union church. In any state where a church corporation is forbidden, the purposes of this subparagraph shall be achieved in harmony with the law of that state.

8. Trustees of the corporation (or the unincorporated body) shall be elected in harmony with civil law according to constitutional provisions outlined in subparagraph a above as interpreted by subparagraph p below.

9. While recognizing the basic right of any giver to designate the cause or causes to which a personal gift shall go, the governing body of the union church shall annually propose to the congregation a general mission or benevolence program which shall be divided equitably among the officially approved causes of each denomination. The proportions shall be as the governing body shall decide in response to the requests of the higher governing bodies.

10. Per capita apportionments or assessments shall be paid to each governing body of jurisdiction on the basis of the total active membership of the union church, equally divided among the denominations involved.

11. All members of the union church shall be under the discipline of the governing body according to rules agreed upon in harmony with the Constitution of each denomination where they coincide, and in harmony with the mandatory provisions of the Constitution of one denomination where the others are permissive, and at the choice of the governing body where they may be contradictory.

12. Appeals or complaints against the actions of the governing body shall be made to one higher governing body only at the choice of the members and all subsequent appeals or complaints shall be in the governing bodies of the members’ original choice, and decisions so finally made shall be binding on the governing body and on the members.

13. The minister or ministers shall be subject to the discipline of the governing body of jurisdiction provided that when one shall begin an action, it shall invite a committee from the others to join the commissioner, prosecutor, or prosecuting committee in formulating and pressing the charges. In the event of appeal the case shall be finally decided by the highest governing body to which the appeal is taken in the church which commenced the action and that decision shall be equally binding on the governing bodies of jurisdiction.

14. The minister or ministers shall participate in the denominational pension plan of one of the several churches. If the minister is already participating in one plan, membership in that plan shall be retained. If the minister is not a member of any plan, one or the other of the churches’ plans shall be chosen.

15. Complaints against the administrative acts of the governing body may be taken under the constitutional provisions of only one denomination, according to the choice of the complainant, and once being complained to one denomination, no other denomination shall accept jurisdiction in the same matter.

16. Wherever the constitutions of the denominations differ, the mandatory provisions of one shall apply in all cases when the others are permissive. Wherever there are conflicting mandatory provisions (except as provided in subparagraph k above), the governing body of the union church shall petition the governing bodies of immediate jurisdiction to overture their highest governing bodies to resolve the conflict either by authoritative interpretation or by constitutional amendment.

17. A union church may be dissolved by a two-thirds vote of two congregational meetings, held not less than one year and not more than two years apart, subject to the concurrence of the governing bodies involved. In case of dissolution of a union church, all property of the union church, real and personal, shall be divided equally between the governing bodies of jurisdiction.

18. After consultation with the union congregation, in accordance with G-11.0103i, and the next higher governing body of the other denomination involved, a presbytery may dismiss the congregation from membership in the presbytery. Al1 property, real or personal, of the congregation may be retained by the congregation or divided between the congregation and the presbytery by agreement among the parties involved, subject to any restrictions on transfer of ownership that may exist in deeds.