Presbytery Meetings
Presbytery Meetings
165th Stated Meeting
Saturday, February 14, 2026
at First Presbyterian Church, Sweetwater
10:00am
Dear Friends,
There is much for us to do together at the February meeting of the Presbytery. We will receive new members, hear about mission projects at one of our congregations, give thanks for another congregation as their life comes to an end, remembers the elders and ministers of the presbytery who have joined the rolls of the church triumphant this past year, and enjoy great worship and renewing fellowship with one another.
There are two recommendations ( the 2026 budget, and the AC’s recommendation regarding the New Prospect Presbyterian Church property) that presbytery will address at the meeting. Please read through them and if you have questions for clarification, feel free to reach out to the moderator of the group bringing the recommendation before the meeting.
I look forward to being with you all on February 14.
See you all soon. Grace and peace,
Wendy
General Presbyter
2026 Presbytery Meeting Dates
Saturday, February 14th at First Presbyterian Church, Sweetwater
Tuesday, May 12th at Washington Presbyterian Church
Saturday, August 8th at Northside Presbyterian Church
Tuesday, November 10th at First Presbyterian Church, Knoxville
Who Attends Presbytery Meetings?
The presbytery is the council serving as a corporate expression of the church within a certain district and is composed of all the congregations and ministers of the Word and Sacrament within that district. The presbytery shall adopt and communicate to the sessions a plan for determining how many ruling elders each session should elect as commissioners to presbytery, with a goal of numerical parity of ministers of the Word and Sacrament and ruling elders. (G-3.0301).
How Many Elders?
The Presbytery’s formula for determining how many elder commissioners attend from each congregation is based on the size of the congregation.
- Membership of 1001 to 1500 members = 3 commissioners.
- Membership of 201 to 1000 members = 2 commissioners.
- Membership of 1 to 200 members = 1 commissioner.
- Additionally, elders serving on the Coordinating Committee not serving as church commissioners, Commissioned Lay Pastors, and a representative from the Presbyterian Women of the Presbytery all are given a voice and vote at each meeting.
Who Can Vote?
All elder commissioners, those additional elders noted above, and all minister members of the Presbytery have privilege of voice and vote. Ministers serving within the Presbytery, but whose membership is in a different presbytery are recognized as Corresponding Members and have privilege of voice, but not vote.
A Very Brief Guide To Parliamentary Procedure
The presbytery is responsible for the government of the church throughout its district, and for assisting and supporting the witness of congregations to the sovereign activity of God in the world, so that all congregations become communities of faith, hope, love, and witness. As it leads and guides the witness of its congregations, the presbytery shall keep before it the marks of the Church (F-1.0302), the notes by which Presbyterian and Reformed communities have identified themselves through history (F-1.0303) and the six Great Ends of the Church (F-1.0304) (G-3.0301).