Policy & Procedure

In keeping with the Manual of Operations for the Presbytery of Baltimore the Nominating Committee has provided a slate of nominees for Commissioner to PC(U.S.A.)'s 220th General Assembly's meeting in Pittsburgh, PA June 30-July 7, 2012.  The Presbytery will meet on February 11, 2012 at Northminster Presbyterian Church for the purpose of electing Commissioners.  This election will use ballots. Pursuant to the Manual, members of the Presbytery may also nominate people to serve as commissioner nominees must be presented to the Stated Clerk at least one week prior to the February 11 Gathering, along with a short biography and a letter of acceptance by the nominee.   

In addition, each new nominee must identify which of the Nominating Committee nominees the person will run against. This procedure brings in alignment the practice of nominating and election utilized by the General Assembly and honors the depth of work performed by the Presbytery’s Nominating Committee.  It should be noted that alternate commissioner nominees would only need a plurality of votes to be elected.  Those considering nominating someone from the floor are further encouraged to attend to the details listed in the manual under Section 17 and are reminded that such nominations must be reported in writing to the Stated Clerk one week prior to the January meeting of Presbytery.

Nominating Committee, as it considered the slate of Commissioners, is cognizant of inclusivity, diversity and demographics of the Presbytery of Baltimore.  The Committee, in terms of inclusivity, looks to the broad geographic dispersion of the Presbytery, the consideration of prior commissioners from a particular church and a variety of theological constructs.  When turning to the diversity, the committee, with its nominees, seeks to reflect the breadth and depth of this Presbytery by any measure that is used.  The demographics of the Presbytery guides the committee in presenting a slate that reflects the racial ethnic, age and gender of the body.

The Nominating Committee is unanimous in its intent to reflect not just the majority position or sense of the Presbytery, but also those voices and groups that have been marginalized in prior years.  We are intentional in our deliberations, prayerfully considering all candidates and attempting to serve the church with the best qualified nominees. Therefore, the Presbytery of Baltimore will consider at its 850th Gathering Meeting the following commissioners and alternates: