May 30-31, 2008
Elder Alyson A. Janke
 

The Presenter

Alyson A. Janke

I am a Presbyterian Elder (First Presbyterian Church, Westfield, WI). I currently serve as the Stated Clerk in John Knox Presbytery and as a CLP in Wild Rose Presbyterian Church, Wild Rose, WI.  I am an adjunct teacher for Presbyterian Polity at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, and have taught their on-line courses both for CLPs and in the M.Div. program.  I am an elected member of the General Assembly's Advisory Committee on the Constitution, and have served as a back-up parliamentarian at meetings of the General Assembly.  I have served the church in many capacities and at all levels as a volunteer.

I am a sixth generation Presbyterian, the daughter of a Presbyterian minister.  This Church is in my blood!

In my other life, my husband and I own and operate, with our son and daughter-in-law, a 700 acre dairy farm in south central Wisconsin.  We have two granddaughters (on the farm) under the age of 2, and I care for them most week days.  Our oldest son lives in Hong Kong and works for Merrill Lynch and our daughter is a Kindergarten teacher in Milwaukee, WI.  My interests include "domestic arts," which means that I enjoy those 1950s and '60s homemaker pursuits.

The Course

This course provides an overview of Presbyterian Church (USA) polity, both in principle and in practice.  There will be an emphasis on the use of the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church, USA, Part II in the congregation.  Teaching method includes lectures, discussion of case studies, and role plays.

This course is designed to equip students to become competent moderators of Session and to help students become knowledgeable interpreters of the polity of the church in the local congregation.

Assignments

     Before the class

1. Read the following:

     Book of Order, with special attention to the Preface; the Form of Government chapters 1-4, 5-10, 14; the Directory for Worship, and the Rules of Discipline, chapters 1-2.

     Presbyterian Polity for Church Officers. It may be helpful to read this book using the appropriate chapter as a lens to help study the corresponding chapters from the Book of Order.                                                                               

2. Prepare a chart/table or spreadsheet, listing across the top: pastor, congregation, session, presbytery, synod, General Assembly, other. As you study the Form of Government (FOG), fill in the cells in the table with responsibilities (signified by the verb "shall, is to be/are to be") of each entity, making a brief descriptive note and FOG reference.  This is a tool to help you study; use a format that is convenient for you.

3. As you read the Directory for Worship (DFW), use three different colored highlighters. Use one to mark material that describes church practice. Use another color to mark material that describes theology. Use the third color to mark material that describes polity.  In this category especially note responsibilities and requirements.  This is another study tool, primarily for you.

4. Gray and Tucker, in Presbyterian Polity for Church Officers, describe three characteristics of Presbyterian polity. They say that it is representative, constitutional, and relational.  In no more than one page, describe how you have experienced each of these characteristics of the PCUSA.  This paper you will turn in at the beginning of class.

     After the Class

     You will be given questions from the Ordination Exam in Church Polity in previous years, with specific instructions for responding to them.  These test your understanding of the Book of Order, and your ability to apply this knowledge in a specific situation with pastoral sensitivity.