PCV Code OnLine

Chapter One - The Church
 
1. The Church
  The Presbyterian Church of Victoria is part of the universal church, a constituent part of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, and is in historical continuity with the Church of Scotland reformed in 1560. It was founded in 1859 by the union of certain Presbyterian synods at that time organised within the state, namely: the synod deriving from the Church of Scotland directly and others deriving from the Free Church of Scotland and the United Presbyterian Church.
 
2. Supreme Standard
  The supreme standard of the church is: the Word of God contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.
 
3.

Subordinate standard

  The subordinate (or secondary) standard of the church is the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646), as amended by the General Assembly of Australia from time to time, and as read in the light of the Declaratory Statement contained in the Basis of Union (1901).
 
4.

Other standards

 

The church subscribes to the general principles of the following documents that were also part of the articles of agreement in the 1859 Basis of Union:

  1. the Larger and Shorter Catechisms;
  2. the Form of Presbyterial Church Government;
  3. the Directory of Public Worship;
  4. the Second Book of Discipline.
 
5.

Presbyterian Church of Australia

  When the Presbyterian Church of Australia was formed on 24 July 1901, the Presbyterian Church of Victoria entered into an agreement with the Presbyterian Churches of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia. At that date, the Presbyterian Church of Victoria continued to exist and operate under its own constitution but, under the Deed of Union, agreed to surrender to the Presbyterian Church of Australia final determination in matters of doctrine, worship and discipline.
 
6.

Powers, duties and jurisdiction

 

As a constituent part of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, the Presbyterian Church of Victoria has and exercises the powers, discharges the duties, and enjoys the rights and privileges as are provided for in the Basis of Union and the Articles of Agreement of the Deed of Union of 24 July 1901, and in subsequent competent amendments to them.

The Presbyterian Church of Victoria has full autonomy in all matters, except when power in any particular matter has been given to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Australia under the Basis of Union and the Articles of Agreement of the Deed of Union. The Presbyterian Church of Victoria's powers which are modified to a greater or lesser degree by those of the Presbyterian Church of Australia are:

the doctrine, worship and discipline of the church, world mission, the training of students for the ministry, the reception of ministers from other churches, welfare of youth, and home missions.

Power relating to other matters may by amendment of the Articles of Agreement be assigned by the state churches to the Presbyterian Church of Australia.

 
7.

Government and courts

  In accordance with the Presbyterian form of government set out in the Second Book of Discipline and the Form of Presbyterial Church Government, the church is governed by ministers and representative elders acting in orderly association in a hierarchy of courts of the church by which its organic unity is maintained. These, in ascending order, are the Session, the Presbytery and the General Assembly.
 
8.

The congregation and people of the church

 

In accordance with the law and practice of the church, the people are organised in congregations within parishes or mission fields as arranged in each case by the Presbytery of the bounds. Every congregation is placed under the supervision of a Session (see rules 2:1 and 3:2).

 
9.

Authority of courts of the church

  The authority of the courts of the church is a delegated authority and is received from the Lord Jesus Christ, the only King and Head of the church. It is therefore a declarative and ministerial authority: that is to say, it sets out what Christ has revealed (declarative) and applies his law according to his direction and in agreement with the Word of God under the guidance of the Holy Spirit (ministerial).
 
10.

Law of the church

 

The law of the church is the will of Christ for it. This law finds partial expression and formulation from time to time in:

  1. formal standards (see rules 1:2, 3, 4, 5 above);
  2. legislative enactments;
  3. declarations, directions and resolutions of church courts;
  4. customary law.
 
11.

Two constitutions binding on the church

 

The following explicit formulations of church law are binding on the Presbyterian Church of Victoria:

  1. the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, and the rules, regulations, declarations and directions lawfully made or given by its General Assembly to the extent that they are applicable to the Presbyterian Church of Victoria;
  2. the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria as modified by the Basis of Union and the Articles of Agreement of the Deed of Union of 24 July 1901, and the rules, regulations, declarations and directions lawfully made or given by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria.
 
12.

Procedure for amending rules

  All paragraphs of chapters 1 to 7 are declared to be "rules" of the church and may be referred to as such. They may only be amended, repealed or added to under the Barrier Act procedure as provided in the relevant rules of chapter 5 (see rules 5:53-65).
 
13.

Title and logo

 
  1. The official title of the church in Victoria is the "Presbyterian Church of Victoria".
  2. The logo to be used on official papers of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria is the burning bush within a circular belt, with the words "Nec Tamen Consumebatur" (meaning: and yet it was not being destroyed) inscribed on the belt.
  3. The General Assembly of Australia logo should be used only on official documents of the General Assembly of Australia.
  4. The alternative General Assembly of Australia logo (as adopted by the GAA July 2001, and as subsequently modified or replaced) may be used as an alternative to the burning bush within a circular belt logo except on official papers of the church.