Chapter 46 : Jurisdiction

Paragraph 7 :

46-7. No certificate of dismission from either a Session or a Presbytery shall be valid testimony of good standing for a period longer than one (1) year, unless its earlier presentation be hindered by some providential cause; and such certificates given to persons who have left the bounds of the Session or Presbytery granting them shall certify the standing of such persons only to the time of their leaving those bounds.

[HISTORICAL SUMMARY : Only minor differences of punctuation distinguish the current PCA text from that of PCUS 1879.]

ANTECEDENT TEXTS :
1. PCA 1973, RoD, 20-7, Adopted text, as printed in the Minutes of General Assembly, p. 155
2. Continuing Presbyterian Church 1973, RoD, 20-7, Proposed text, p. 62
3. PCUS 1933, RoD, XV-§301
4. PCUS 1925, RoD, XV-§301
No certificate of dismission from either a Session or a Presbytery shall be valid testimony of good standing for a period longer than one year, unless its earlier presentation be hindered by some providential cause; and such certificates given to persons who have left the bounds of the Session or Presbytery granting them, shall certify the standing of such persons only to the time of their leaving those bounds.

PCUS 1879, Rules of Discipline, XV-6
No certificate of dismission from either a Session or a Presbytery, shall be valid testimony of good standing for a longer period than one year, unless its earlier presentation be hindered by some providential cause; and such certificates given to persons who have left the bounds of the Session or Presbytery granting them, shall certify the standing of such persons only to the time of their leaving those bounds.

PCUS 1869 draft, Canons of Discipline, XV-8
No certificate of dismission from either a Session or a Presbytery shall be valid for a longer period than one year, unless its earlier presentation be hindered by some providential cause; and such papers given to their bearers, after they have left the bounds of the Session or Presbytery giving them, shall only certify the standing of such persons up to the time of leaving those bounds.

PCUS 1867 draft, Canons of Discipline, XV-8
No certificate of dismission from either a session or a presbytery shall be valid for a longer period than one year, unless its earlier presentation be hindered by some providential cause; and such papers given to their bearers, after they have left the bounds of the session or presbytery giving them, shall only certify the standing of such persons up to the time of leaving those bounds.