Office of the Stated Clerk

Meetings & Stated Clerk Events

Meetings and Stated Clerk Events

Minutes Readings
Pittsburgh Presbytery Meeting Schedule
Stated Clerk Events

Stated Clerk Events

New Clerk of Session Training

Once a year the Office of the Stated Clerk sponsors a training seminar for new Clerks of Session. Although the training is geared toward those in their first and second year of service, all Clerks of Session are welcome to attend.

Training always occurs on a Saturday in February from 9:00 a.m. to noon in the Patrick room of the Presbytery Center.  We announce the date for the training at the end of every year and will post it here.

New Clerk Training 2021

Saturday February 6, 2021, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, training will occur virtually and that information will be announced before the gathering.

Deadlines & Instructions

Deadlines & Instructions

Docket Time & Term Limit Waiver Requests
Overtures to the General Assembly

2021 Request Deadlines for Presbytery Meeting Docket Times & Waivers

Click here to download the waiver request form.  Docket time requests can be made via email.

All requests are due to the Ecclesiastical Committee via the Stated Clerk’s Office (email/412-323-1405), including waivers of the six-year limitation on terms for elder and deacons, no later than noon on the following dates:

• Wednesday, January 27 for the February 25, 2021 presbytery meeting
• Wednesday, April 14 for the May 20, 2021 presbytery meeting
• Wednesday, August 18 for the September 16, 2021 presbytery meeting
• Wednesday, November 3 for the December 9, 2021 presbytery meeting

IMPORTANT NOTE: If action by the Presbytery is being requested, the full text of the motion and any accompanying documents (reports, rationale, etc.) must be submitted at this time as well.

Overture Deadlines to the 2020 General Assembly

Any session or presbyter planning to submit an overture to the General Assembly should keep in mind that to be considered by the Assembly a potential overture must be approved by Pittsburgh Presbytery and have at least one concurrence from another presbytery by the following deadlines:

• February 21, 2020: 120-Day Deadline for all overtures requesting amendment to or interpretation of the Book of Order
• April 21, 2020: 60-Day Deadline for all overtures with financial implications
• May 6, 2020: 45-Day Deadline for all other overtures, concurrences, and comments

For upcoming meeting of Pittsburgh Presbytery, those wishing to propose overtures or concurrences must be mindful of the following deadlines as well:

IMPORTANT NOTES: Any overture submitted after the deadline for docket time requests, but before the deadline for submission to the Stated Clerk’s office must be introduced as new business pursuant to the Presbytery Manual.

Any person or group considering an overture or concurrence request must review carefully the requirements in the Manual of the General Assembly, which may found online.

Stated Clerk Forms & Resources

Stated Clerk Forms & Resources

Listed Alphabetically

• Book of Order 2019-2021
• Book of Confessions 2016
• Child Abuse, Criminal, & Federal Criminal History Clearances/Records Information
  • PA Child Protection Laws
  • Clearances from the PA Department of Human Services
  • Reporting Abuse with PA Department of Human Services
  • Volunteer Fingerprint Waiver
  • FAQ’s for Volunteers and Employers
• Clerk of Session Handbook
• Examination of Rolls & Registers Form
• Examination of Session Minutes Form
• Hybrid Meeting Guidance
• Manual of Pittsburgh Presbytery
• Minister Update Form
• Per Capita Information
• Policy & Procedures for the Dismissal of Churches in the Pittsburgh Presbytery
  (Adopted by Pittsburgh Presbytery on September 25, 2014)
• Sample Church Bylaws
  • Suggested Church Bylaws
  • Suggested Church Bylaws PA Corporate Expanded
• Sample Minutes
• Sexual Misconduct Policy Template
• Sexual Misconduct Policy (2004) of Pittsburgh Presbytery
• PCUSA Resources on Sexual Misconduct:
  • Sexual Misconduct Policy & Procedures
  • Creating Safe Churches: Addressing Sexual Misconduct
• Waiver Request Form
• Year-End Statistical Reports
  • 2020 Church & Clerk Information Report
  • 2020 Session Roster & Contact Information Report
  • Year-End Statistical Report How-To Video

Statistical Reports

Statistical Reports

Statistical Reporting Instructional Video
Submit Statistics

At the end of each calendar year, the Office of the General Assembly, via the Office of the Stated Clerk, asks all the congregations in Pittsburgh Presbytery to submit statistics and information about their churches.  This information not only helps the denomination track the health of its churches, but it is also used to calculate the individual per capita each church owes for the year.  Because of this, it is very important the churches participate in the yearly gathering of the reports.

Statistical reports are submitted solely online and the system opens in early December and closes in early February.

Along with the statistical reports, we also like to do annual updates on church contact information, clerks, and session members, which is also vital for our continued communication with the presbytery congregations.

Submit Statistics

The year-end statistical reporting site will open on Friday, December 4, 2020, and submission deadline is Tuesday, February 9, 2021.  To enter your statistical report, go to http://oga.pcusa.org/section/churchwide-ministries/stats/statistical-reporting-faq/ . There you can also find instructions and answers to FAQ’s. Click on “access the year-end statistics online reporting system” to enter your log in information that was emailed to all churches and clerks at the end of November 2020.  If you do not have your log in information, please contact Adrien Domske, Assistant to the Stated clerk, by email or call 412-697-9207.

Along with the statistical report, it is important that we gather updated information on your church, clerks, and sessions. Please click on the links to fill out the 2021 Church and Clerk Information form and the 2021 Session Information form.