The Historical Development of the Book of Church Order

Chapter 21 : The Ordination and Installation of Ministers

Paragraph 8

21-8. After the installation, the heads of families of the congregation then present, or at least the ruling elders and deacons, should come forward to their pastor, and give him their right hand, in token of cordial reception and affectionate regard.

DIGEST : The wording of the current PCA text is unchanged from that of PCUS 1879, and even retains much of the wording of the early PCUS drafts of 1867 and 1869. The current text does not capitalize the names of the offices, where the older editions, both PCA and PCUS did employ that convention. No similar paragraph appears in PCUSA 1789.]

BACKGROUND AND COMPARISON :
1. PCA 1973, 22-8, Adopted text, as printed in the Minutes of General Assembly, p. 141
2. Continuing Presbyterian Church 1973, 22-8, Proposed text, p. 31
3. PCUS 1933, XXIV, §139
4. PCUS 1925, XXIV, §139
5. PCUS 1879, VI-5-7
After the installation, the heads of families of the congregation then present, or at least the Ruling Elders and Deacons, should come forward to their Pastor, and give him their right hand, in token of cordial reception and affectionate regard.


PCUS 1869 draft, VI-5-7
It is highly becoming that, after the solemnity of the instalment, the heads of families of the Congregation then present, or at least the Ruling Elders and Deacons, should come forward to their Pastor and give him their right hand, in token of cordial reception and affectionate regard.

PCUS 1867 draft, VI-5-7
It is highly becoming that, after the solemnity of the instalment, the heads of families of that congregation then present, or at least the elders and deacons, should come forward to their pastor and give him their right hand, in token of cordial reception and affectionate regard.

COMMENTARY :
F.P. Ramsay, Exposition of the Book of Church Order
(1898, p. 151) on VI-5-7:
122.--VII. After the installation, the heads of families of the congregation then present, or at least the Ruling Elders and Deacons, should come forward to their Pastor, and give him their right hand, in token of cordial reception and affectionate regard.
Others are not forbidden to do the same ; nor is it wrong to extend like welcome to a Ruling Elder or Deacon.