The Admonition and Discipline of Officebearers
a. General discipline shall not be applied to an officebearer
unless he/she has first been suspended from office.
b. The appropriate assembly shall determine whether, in a given
instance, deposition from office shall take place immediately,
without previous suspension.
c. Suspension/deposition of elders, deacons, and commissioned
pastors
1) The suspension or deposition of an elder, deacon, or
commissioned pastor shall be imposed by the council with the
concurring judgment of the council of the nearest church in the
same classis.
2) If the neighboring council fails to concur in the position of
the council of the elder, deacon, or commissioned pastor
involved, the latter council shall either alter its original
judgment or present the case to classis.
d. Suspension/deposition of ministers
1) The suspension of a minister of the Word shall be imposed by
the council of the minister’s church with the concurring judgment
of the council of the nearest church in the same classis.
2) If the neighboring council fails to concur in the position of
the council of the minister involved, the latter council shall
either alter its original judgment or present the case to
classis.
3) The deposition of a minister shall not be effected without the
approval of classis together with the concurring advice of the
synodical deputies.
e. Ministers subject to two councils
1) A minister of the Word whose membership resides with a
congregation other than the calling church is subject to the
admonition and discipline of the councils of both churches.
Either council may initiate disciplinary action, but neither
shall act without conferring with the other.
2) If the councils disagree, the case shall be submitted to the
classis of the calling church for disposition.
f. The lifting of suspension is the prerogative of the assembly
which imposed suspension.
g. The council of the church which deposed the minister shall
declare the deposed minister eligible to receive a call upon the
affirmative judgment of the classis which approved the
deposition, together with the concurrence of the synodical
deputies. Upon acceptance of a call, the previously deposed
minister shall be reordained.
(Acts of Synod 1991, pp. 719-20)
Note: Councils and classes should take note of the regulations regarding suspension and/or deposition from ministerial office adopted by Synod 1998 (see Acts of Synod 1998, pp. 396-99).