The quote in the title is from British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s announcement today that he has set a date for his resignation. But it got me thinking and reflecting on the pull of power, especially in a Presbyterian system.
As a Reformed church we believe that power should not be concentrated in an individual person but held by the commissioners to that governing body. Even then, in the Presbyterian Church (USA), an elder may only serve on session for a maximum of six years before they must take at least one year off. The same is true in my Presbytery for committees, although many people just move on to another committee. My Presbytery has no restrictions on elder commissioners to Presbytery. I’ve lost track of the number of years I have been an elder commissioner, but not always from my church. My status as a voting elder in Presbytery has also included my time as a committee chair and as moderator and vice-moderator. And minister members are always voting members for as long as they are members of Presbytery. But, our Synod commissioners only serve a maximum of four years and an individual is usually only a General Assembly commissioner once.
There are places in our system where there is usually no limit on time of service. Clerks are one of these places. There is no requirement that the elder serving as clerk of session be an elected member of session so there is no limit on how long someone can serve. As an example, when my six years as a member of session were up, I continued on for an extra two years serving as clerk. No vote, but an opportunity to participate. And at my parents’ church there is a vintage plaque memorializing a gentleman who a number of years ago served for decades as the clerk of session.
Our presbytery recently reelected our stated clerk for another three year term which will get them to near two decades of service. Having worked closely with the clerk this individual is wonderful at the job, never injecting them selves unless I was about to do something contrary to the Book of Order or if I asked them for advice. Now, the theory is that these positions have only limited power, but many of us are aware that even in setting dockets or providing constitutional guidance to committees there is the substantial opportunity for influence. So, on principle, in a Presbyterian system, should there be term limits on any position just to avoid the “pull of power?”
Just some thoughts for today after hearing the quote from Mr. Blair. In a related note, his presumed successor as PM is Mr. Gordon Brown, a Scot. I have heard and read of him described a number of ways, but almost all of the profiles (like this one from Earthtimes.org) mention his father’s service as a minister in the Church of Scotland. In one of the interviews this morning with an opposition commentator I heard him described as “presbyterian,” with the adjective used not in a spiritual sense but as being stern and reserved, much like another article I commented on here a while ago.