Legal Status

The General Assembly is the supreme court of the church. It has and exercises the power to consider and deal with all matters of doctrine, worship, discipline and government, and generally with all matters affecting the well-being of the church, the moral and religious condition of society, and the extension of the kingdom of Christ in the world.

Its power is subject to:

a) all relevant civil laws; and

b) the surrender or qualification of supreme power in specified matters as provided for in the Basis of Union and Articles of Agreement of the Deed of Union of 24 July 1901 and in subsequent amendments.

The General Assembly may deal with and dispose of any matter before it for which there is no precise and sufficient legal provision, but only in respect of those matters in which it is the supreme court.

The functions of the General Assembly are legislative, executive and judicial. It exercises them by considering and dealing appropriately with: a) reports from its standing and other committees; b) matters brought before it by: i) overture; ii) reference; iii) appeal; iv) petition; v) communication (when no other course is open); vi) matters raised by members of the General Assembly through other avenues such as substantive motion.

The General Assembly consists of: a) all ministers whose names are on the membership rolls of the presbyteries within its jurisdiction and which have been submitted to, and approved by, it; b) one representative elder for each charge within the presbyteries referred to in (a) above whose commission has been sustained by the appropriate presbytery; c) elders who have a seat on a presbytery under the provisions of rule 4.2(n); d) other elders who may be appointed for parity on the nomination of the presbytery on which the minister for whom the parity elder is to be appointed has a seat. This is subject to the limit that no more than two elders from any session are members of the Assembly, except those who are covered by rule 4.2(n).