1.0 GENERAL INFORMATION

1.1 Red River Presbytery is a constituent presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. As such, it shall be governed by all sections and articles of the most recent edition and printing of the Confession of Faith and Government of the Cumberland Presbyterian ChurchlCumberIand Presbyterian Church in America, adopted in 1984. In the event of contradiction, contravention or abridgement within these Standing Rules or Policy and Procedures Manual, the related section and/or article(s) of the Confession of Faith shall have precedence.

1.2 The Standina Rules and the Presbytery Manual of Operation (as approved by the 1988 General Assembly) order the life, work and ministry of Red River Presbytery. In the event of contradiction, contravention, or abridgement with the Presbytery Manual of Operation, the Standing Rules and the Policy and Procedures Manual of Red River Presbytery shall have precedence.

2.0 ORDERING THE LIFE OF PRESBYTERY

2.1 Presbytery shall have one stated annual meeting each year, to be convened on the fourth Saturday in September. An adjourned meeting shall be held on the third Saturday in April. Meetings shall be called to order at 9:00 a.m. Locations for each meeting shall be determined one year in advance.

2.2 The Agenda and Service of Worship for each meeting of Presbytery shall be determined by the Moderator, Stated Clerk, Committee on Preparation for Ministry, and Pastor(s) Host. The Presbyterial CPWM President should be consulted when the meetings coincide.

2.3 At its fall meeting Presbytery shall elect a Moderator to serve throughout the following twelve (12) months.

2.4 Sessions shall notify the Stated Clerk of the names of elder delegates and alternates at least 45 days prior to the Fall meeting of Presbytery: The delegate should be elected to serve for one year.

2.5 The officers of Presbytery shall include: Moderator, Vice-Moderator, Stated Clerk, Recording Clerk, Treasurer, and Assistant Treasurer. The duties and responsibilities of each office are prescribed in the Cumberland Presbyterian Confession of Faith and Government and the Red River Policy and Procedures Manual.

2.6 An Executive Committee (the Presbytery Treasurer, Board of Finance Chair, Board of Missions Chair, and one (l) Trustee) will oversee and approve the resolution of operational issues that may occur between regularly scheduled Presbytery meetings. (Approved spring 2017).

2.7 Other officers, including board and committee members shall be elected at the Fall Meeting for 3-year terms beginning in January and shall be eligible for two (2) additional terms.

2.8 Commissioners to General Assembly and Synod shall be elected at the Fall Meeting. Travel expenses shall be limited to lesser of the current prevailing IRS rate for automobile or for the amount of air coach fare. Presbytery shall pay the prevailing rate of a single room of the conference hotel for one person for each day of the official meeting. A $50 per diem will be allocated for each day of the meeting to cover the cost of meals and transfers. Receipts for any transportation or hotel expenses must be included with the expense Reimbursement request Elected commissioners, who cannot attend General Assembly, should contact the Sated Clerk or Moderator with information as soon as possible.

2.9 Each Commissioner shall submit a report to the presbytery reporting their participation in the meeting of GA noting actions taken and reflections on those actions. This report is due to the Stated Clerk as soon as possible following the GA Meeting. All Expense Reports should be included with this report. Commissioner expenses will be reimbursed as per Standing Rule 2.8 only following the submission of the Commissioner’s report and approval from the Stated Clerk.

2.10 The minutes of each meeting of Presbytery shall include a Presbyterial Directory which consists of Standing Rules; Presbyterial Roll of Ministers and Probations; Congregations and Session Clerks, and their addresses; personnel of Boards and Committees of
Presbytery, along with their addresses, phone numbers and number of years served.

2.1 1 Each session shall submit one copy of the Session Minutes (January-December) to the current chairman of the Board of Missions by March 1. Minutes will be reviewed by the Board of Missions and forwarded to the Cumberland Presbyterian Archives.

2.12 Requests by ministers for retired status must be made in writing to the Committee on Clergy who will then make recommendations to Presbytery.

3.0. PRESBYTERIAL AGENCIES

3.1 Presbytery shall elect persons to serve on the following boards, and committees [the ( ) indicates number of persons on each]: Board of Finance/Auditing (9), Board of Missions (9), Board of Christian Education (9, plus 2 Youths from Youth Advisory Council), Board of Trustees (4), Committee on Preparation for Ministry (9), Committee on Ordained Clergy, Theology,’ and Social Concerns (6 plus Director of CPCH, unless that person is not a member of Red River Presbytery or of a Cumberland Presbyterian Church. In that case, the CEO/President of CPCH would serve as an ex-officio member of the committee.), Committee on Nominations (5) plus the Moderator and Stated clerk, Heritage Committee (3).

3.2 In accordance with 2.5 in The Rules of Discipline in the Confession of Faith* a standing commission called the “Judiciary Committee,” will formed consisting of 3 ministers, 3 elders, the Moderator of Red River Presbytery, and the Stated Clerk of Red River
Presbytery. This Committee will operate under the guidelines found in 2.5 of The Rules of Discipline of the Confession of Faith. Ministers and elders elected shall serve one (l) two-year staggered term, after which they must remain off the Committee for one year before serving again.

3.3 Duties and job descriptions for officers, boards, and committees, including their authority and responsibilities, are prescribed in the Red River Presbytery Policy and Procedure Manual and in the Cumberland Presbyterian Confession of Faith and Government

3.4 Each committee shall name its own chair. When a chair vacates, for one reason or another, the Moderator should appoint an interim chair.

3.5 Persons elected to serve on Presbyterial boards and committees shall serve 3-year staggered terms and may be reelected to succeed themselves twice. In no case shall a person serve more than nine (9) years consecutively. Efforts should be made to include on agencies both ministers and laypersons in approximately equal numbers and reflect the male-female ratio of the Presbytery with the exception of the Trustees who are elected to indefinite terms.

3.6 All boards and committees will meet at the same time and place on the first Saturday in March and the third Saturday in August. All meetings will be at a central location within the Presbytery. Time and place shall be determined by the Moderator and Stated Clerk and announced at the Fall Meeting. A simple majority constitutes a quorum.

3.7 All reports must be submitted (copy ready) to the Stated Clerk forty (40) days prior the meeting of Presbytery. Late reports are to be furnished by the Board or Committee in the amount of 75 copies to distribute. The Stated Clerk will distribute Preliminary Minutes including an Agenda and copies of all reports to all ministers, session clerks, and local church delegates at least 25 days prior to the meeting of Presbytery. Each agency shall report in writing Ito each regular meeting of Presbytery. No report shall be allowed at meetings of Presbytery unless a report has been handed to the Stated Clerk.

3.8 Travel expenses of persons attending Board and Committee Meetings or conferences shall be included in the budget of that particular Agency.

3.9 The formula for figuring Presbyterial apportionments will be (1) 50% shall be based on a percentage share of the congregation’s receipts after extraordinary and Building Fund gifts are excluded; (2) 50% shall be based on a dollar share per active member. Statistics provided in the annual report will be used to determine apportionments unless the Board of Finance is notified in writing of the above exclusions.

4.0 STEWARD AND BUDGETARY PROVISIONS

4.1 Before the conclusion of the March committee and board meetings, each group of the Presbytery must submit written budget requests to the Board of Finance/Auditing. The preliminary budget will be presented at lime Spring Meeting of Presbytery, but is not finalized until the August board/committee meetings. Presbytery will approve the budget for the following calendar year at the October• meeting.

4.2 Travel expenses for Moderators, appointed by Presbytery, of churches without pastors shall be paid by the local church. If church is unable to it may request assistance from the Board of Missions.

4.3 At the end of each fiscal year, Reserve Funds in excess of 15% of that year’s total budget will be transferred to Dedicated Funds.

5.0 PROPERTY PROVISIONS

5.1 When property held by Presbytery is sold, the principal from that sale is to be set aside in designated funds for the purchase of other real property. The interest from such funds will go to the Presbytery’s General Operating Fund, unless otherwise designated.

5.2 Individual congregations must secure permission from Presbytery before committing church properly as collateral for any loans.

5.3 Requests from local churches that require long-term (five years or more) and/or large financial commitments (three times the congregation’s annual operating budget) must be included in the Preliminary . Minutes of Presbytery to be voted on at that meeting of Presbytery. Otherwise, the reports may be presented on the day of Presbytery, but there will not be a vote for approval until the next meeting of Presbytery.

5.4 The Board of Trustees shall be responsible for the care of unsold property of churches that are closed.

6.0 AMENDMENTS

6.1 These Standing Rules may be amended by a 2/3 vote of Presbytery. Particular “Standing Rules” may be temporarily set aside by a majority of those present and voting.

Standing Rides approved April 28, 2007 Amended April 21, 2018.