Stated Clerk
The Rev. Val Fowler
585-738-8283
585-624-2160
pastorval@juno.com
The Stated Clerk is responsible for maintaining the minutes and the rolls of the presbytery and for official correspondence.
The stated clerk defends and interprets the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
He takes minutes for the Council and the Committee on Ministry, and consults with them on polity issues.
Val is pastor for Honeoye Falls, First. Previously he served Chili, First for 12 years and pastorates in Texas and Oklahoma. A folk guitar and vocal musician, Val has dedicated his talent to providing benefit concerts for congregations and mission projects. His wife is Carol, and his stepchildren are Mandy and Brendan.
Stated Clerk
Interpretations and Advisories from
Stated Clerk, Rev. Val Fowler
Handbook for Clerks of Session
March 2012
This Handbook for Clerks of Session is written for clerks by clerks, as a guide to the responsibilities of clerks of session.
Our Book of Order now begins with a chapter titled Foundations of Presbyterian Polity. That chapter lays the groundwork for our mission as Presbyterian witnesses to the love of God and the light of Christ.
The new Form of Government now refers to sessions, presbyteries, synods, and the General Assembly as councils. Formerly, they were called “governing bodies” or “judicatories.” This Handbook uses the term council, to be consistent with the Book of Order.
This Handbook is built upon two foundations:
- Clerking is Ministry
- As leaders we have a responsibility to further the Great Ends of the Church
Our Presbyterian polity commits to a shared ministry among elders, deacons, members, and ministers of Word and Sacrament. Our polity commits to corporate governance in which decisions are always communal, never individual.
“All of us are generally wiser than one of us,” is one way to express this commitment. “The Holy Spirit works powerfully through groups, as well as through individuals,” is a classic Presbyterian approach to common work in the Church.
The moderator and the clerk of session are guardians of this polity… all in the hope of enhancing our witness to Jesus Christ, and furthering the Great Ends of the Church.
Electronic Meetings
January 2012
Over the past few years questions have been regularly raised about the wisdom, propriety, and mechanics of “electronic meetings”.
The prevalence of e-mail, Skype, video-conferencing, telephone conferencing, Facebook, Twitter and other media have made the issue of electronic meetings an important one.
This resource offers some parameters for planning for and conducting electronic meetings. It is in three parts:
- The complete section of Robert’s Rules of Order, for electronic meetings.
- An “Advisory Opinion” from the Office of the General Assembly.
- Some reflections from your stated clerk on the issue of such meetings.
Navigating the New Form of Government —
A Resource for Sessions and Congregations
November 2011
A new Form of Government was approved by a majority of the Presbyteries of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and took effect on July 10, 2011.
The document is more streamlined than its predecessor, allowing for more flexibility to sessions, congregations, and presbyteries in deciding how they will be ordered and structured to accomplish the mission to which God calls them.
This resource is built around the things that sessions and congregations need to do sooner and the things they will need to do later (or at a more relaxed pace). That word “relaxed” is important. The best “first thing” to do is to relax.
The Office of the General Assembly has said that the provisions of the previous Form of Government remain in force until a session or congregation changes them, or clarifies them in light of the new Form of Government’s flexibility. Still, it would be unwise to put off some decisions.
The resource is structured in the following way:
- A statement of the decision that needs to be made.
- The relevant reference and quotation from the new Form of Government.
- Questions that will help guide the decision to be made. It is fully permissible to go with the requirements of the previous Form of Government, but that decision must be stated and recorded in the minutes of the session or the congregation.
- Read more…