Guidelines for Presbytery Worship Leadership

I. Selection of Preachers

A. The Docket Committee (Moderator, Vice Moderator, Clerk, Assistant Clerk, and Executive Presbyter) recommend to the Presbytery Council approval of preachers for Presbytery meetings for the succeeding year.

B. The Docket Committee contacts those being proposed to determine the availability for specific dates.

C. The Docket Committee will seek to recruit one General Assembly staff member and one Synod staff member to be the preacher for a Presbytery meeting each year.

II. Length of the Presbytery meeting worship. It is critical that the complete worship service (music, hymns, litanies, prayers, scripture readings and sermon) fit into the time allowed for the worship service.

A. The Presbytery meetings of January, June and November are longer meetings, allowing for 45-60 minutes for the worship service.

B. The Presbytery meetings of March, May and September are shorter meetings. Twenty to 25 minutes is allowed for the opening worship service, unless longer time is granted by the Docket Committee. The sermon should reflect the homily style rather than a full-blown sermon.

III. The January meeting is always reserved for the outgoing Moderator to preach. It is held in the building of the congregation to which the incoming Moderator is associated. The service shall include Communion and the installation of the incoming Moderator.

IV. Planning the Worship Service

A. The Docket Committee may suggest a particular emphasis for the worship services.

B. If no emphasis is suggested by the Docket Committee, the preacher is free to select the emphasis.

C. Language for the service should reflect the commitment of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) To the use of inclusive language and sensitivity to cultural diversity.

D. The host pastor should be invited to participate in the worship service.

E. The preacher is responsible for providing to the Presbytery office a copy, preferably in electronic version, of the Order of Worship 7 days in advance of the Presbytery meeting for inclusion in the meeting materials.

1. The preacher should consult with the host pastor concerning selection of hymns and other

music for the service, including the organist/pianist.

2. The host pastor is responsible for insuring that an organist/pianist will be available, knows

which hymns and responses will be sung, and is prepared to play a brief prelude and postlude.

F. Use of the Mission Yearbook of Prayer is encouraged.

V. The Presbytery will compensate the organist/pianist for the service.