Editing Presbyterian polity (section)

==Governing bodies==
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===Session===
{{main|Session (Presbyterian)}}

A session is a corporate body of teaching and ruling elders elected by a particular church. ''sessio'' from ''sedere'' "to sit"), sometimes the ''Kirk session'', ''church session,'' or (in [[Continental Reformed church|Continental Reformed]] usage) ''consistory''. In some Continental Reformed churches, deacons are members of the consistory; others, such as the [[Christian Reformed Church in North America]], distinguish between the consistory, comprising the pastor and elders, and the council, which comprises the pastor(s), the elders, and the deacons.<ref>Christian Reformed Church of North America Church Order Article 35 a-b(2015)</ref>

In most denominations the pastor serves as Moderator and presides over the session ([[primus inter pares]]), in which all elders have an equal vote.{{sfn|Miller|1842}}{{rp|at=Chapter 9}} In some denominations, the pastor is not given a vote; however, in a sitting body of an even number or with a [[quorum]] of the session counted they can break a tie by a casting vote.

In the Polity of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the pastor and associate pastor(s), if elected by the congregation and "installed" to a permanent pastorate by the presbytery, have votes as members of the session on any and all matters;<ref>PCUSA Book of Order G-10.0101</ref> however, often they refrain from voting except in tie situations. The Pastor is not a voting member of the congregation.<ref>PCUSA Book of Order G-7.0308</ref>

With the Session there is one person, usually an elder but not always, who will be given the title, "Clerk of Session".  This person is more or less the secretary for Session. They take notes on each meeting and are responsible for records of the congregation. In addition they find a wide area of responsibility, including responsibility for conduct of worship should a minister suddenly not be available. 
Although it is the responsibility of the Moderator (minister), Session Clerks often have the ability to assist in keeping meetings on track due to skills which are received from experience and the Holy Spirit.

===Presbytery===
[[File:Presbytery flags.jpg|thumb|320px|Presbytery flags of the [[Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu]]]] 
In presbyterianism, congregations are united in accountability to a regional body called the ''presbytery, ''or, in Continental Reformed terminology, the ''classis'', which comes from the Latin word for "fleet". Presbyteries are made up of all the teaching and ruling elders in a particular geographic region. In some Dutch Reformed bodies, a classis serves as a delegated body, which ceases to exist in between meetings, whereas a presbytery exists perpetually.

The officers of a presbytery are a [[Moderators and clerks in the Church of Scotland#Moderators|moderator]] and a [[Moderators and clerks in the Church of Scotland#Clerks|stated or principal clerk]]. The moderator acts as chair of presbytery meetings. As with the moderators of synods and assemblies, the moderatorship is a [[primus inter pares]] position appointed by the presbytery itself. The moderator is addressed as "moderator" during meetings, but their position has no bearing outside of the presbytery meeting and affords him/her no special place in other courts, although typically the moderator (especially if a member of the clergy) will conduct worship and oversee ordinations and installations of ministers as a "liturgical" bishop, and other ordinances which are seen as acts of the presbytery.

The stated or principal clerk takes minutes and deals with the correspondence of the presbytery, and is often appointed for an indefinite term. Presbytery Clerks are the ecclesiastical administrators and generally regarded as substantially influential due to their greater experience of the governance of the church and their ordering of the business of the presbytery. They are thus very much more than secretaries and often in fact are the lynch pin of the organisation.

Presbyteries meet at a regularity between monthly and quarterly, some half-yearly.

===Synod===
In denominations too large for all the work of the denomination to be done by a single presbytery, the parishes may be divided into several presbyteries under ''synods'' and ''general assemblies'', the synod being the lower court of the two. In the [[United Church of Canada]], this is referred to as "conferences" and "General Council". However, the United Church of Canada does not bear the formal ecclesiastical structure of classic Presbyterianism.

Often all members of the constituent presbyteries are members of the synod. Like the commissioners to presbyteries, the commissioners to synods do not act on instruction from their congregations or presbyteries, but exercise their own judgement. A synod also has a moderator and clerk, and generally meet less often than the presbytery.

Some presbyterian churches, like the [[Church of Scotland]], [[Orthodox Presbyterian Church]] and [[Presbyterian Church in America]] have no intermediate court between the presbytery and the general assembly.

===General assembly===
The ''general assembly'' (or [[General Synod|general synod]]) is the highest court of presbyterian polity. Each presbytery selects a number of its members to be commissioners to the general assembly. The general assembly is chaired by its own [[Moderator of the General Assembly|moderator]], who is usually elected to a single term. He or she is addressed as moderator during meetings, but like the other moderators, their position has no bearing outside of the assembly meeting and affords him/her no special place in other courts. He or she presides over meetings of the assembly, and may be called on in a representative function for the remainder of the year.

The stated clerk and deputy clerk of the general assembly administer the minutes, correspondence, and business of the assembly. In some cases a separate business convenor is appointed to deal with the agenda. General assemblies meet less regularly than their subordinate courts, often annually, or in the case of the Presbyterian Church (USA), every other year.

The General Assembly also has members serve as Advisory Delegates. There are four different types of advisory delegates, each with a focus on a different area in the Presbyterian Church like young adult, theological student, missionary and ecumenical. The role of an advisory delegate is to speak about issues or topics that commissioners would usually not worry about or care to speak about during a General Assembly meeting. Advisory Delegates may not present motions or vote in meetings of the General Assembly.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pcusa.org/site_media/media/uploads/oga/pdf/ga221/221st_general_assembly_yaad_information.pdf|title=General Assembly}}</ref>

The powers of the general assembly are usually wide-ranging. However, they may be limited by some form of external review. For example, the rules of the [[Church of Scotland]] include the [[Barrier Act]], which requires that certain major changes to the polity of the church be referred to the presbyteries, before being enacted by the general assembly.

There may be issues arising between annual General Assemblies which require urgent attention. In these cases some presbyterian churches have a 'commission of assembly' who will deal with the issue and refer it to the next General Assembly for homologation.