August 17, 2026
Friends and Colleagues,
This calendar year the Commission on Ministry has had the privilege of interviewing pastors who are not members of the PCUSA, but who have been called to serve congregations within the bounds of the Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley. At our upcoming stated presbytery meeting the COM will be presenting a Ruling Elder for Commissioning, and we have many faithful Commissioned Pastors serving within the Presbytery.
In order to provide some training, continuing education, and on-going support to these leaders, and anyone else interested, I am pleased to present the following Polity Training Events. The outline below includes the dates, times, topics, recommended reading, and facilitators for each event. If you would like to participate, and these dates/times do not work for you, please let us know. With feedback, we may either shift the time, or create recordings of these events to share.
Please RSVP to Tammy for the events in which you plan to participate, so we know who to expect.
Grace and Peace,
The Rev. Marilyn McKelvey Tucker-Marek
Stated Clerk
Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley
3603 Lorna Ridge Drive
Birmingham, Alabama 35216
334-202-2004 (cell)
Polity Training
Timeframe: 2nd Thursdays 6-7pmCT, via Zoom
Join Recurring Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87000376509?pwd=yaYHdpe42uSIuJYbjJhaoAaRxs6O8Q.1
Meeting chat link: https://us02web.zoom.us/launch/jc/87000376509
Meeting ID: 870 0037 6509
Passcode: 270471
Thursday, September 10, 2026
1st Gathering: Book of Order: The Presbyterian Form of Government
facilitated by Stated Clerk Marilyn Tucker-Marek
Topics:
- Presbyterian Governing Structure: Congregation, Session, Presbytery, (briefly cover Synod & GA);
- responsibilities of the pastor;
- responsibilities of the session;
- responsibilities of session and pastor together;
- How to Moderate a Session;
- Basics of Roberts Rules, the hows and whys;
- majority rule, consensus building, and “other forms of discernment.”
Recommended Reading – The Book of Order: Foundations of Presbyterian Polity, the Form of Government
Thursday, October 8, 2026
2nd Gathering: Worship and the Book of Order
Facilitated by Stated Clerk Marilyn Tucker-Marek
Topics:
- required parts of worship;
- optional parts for which the Book of Order provides guidance;
- responsibilities of the pastor;
- responsibilities of the session;
- responsibilities of session and pastor together.
Recommended Readings from The Book of Order:
all of The Foundations of Presbyterian Polity;
The Form of Government: G-1.01; G-1.05; G-2.0301-G-2.0405; G-2.0501; G-2.0504; G-3.01-3.03;
Thursday, November 12, 2026
3rd Gathering: Church Discipline,
“the part of the book you hope you never need”
Facilitated by Teaching Elder Madison Roberts
- Overview of Remedial and Disciplinary Cases
- A summary of steps in a disciplinary case
- Responsibilities of clerk of session, in a disciplinary case
- When to call the Stated Clerk and/or General Presbyter
Recommended Readings from The Book of Order*:
D-1.01-D-2.04; D-4.0101-D-4.0102; D-4.0201-D-4.0204a; D-4.0206, D-7.01-D-7.06; D-7.0901; D-7.10; D-7.14-D-7.16;
*Subject to change
Thursday, December 10, 2026
Clerk of Session Training Proposal
Facilitated by Ruling Elder Lee Cleveland
Topics
- Overview of What Minutes shall/should include
- How the Clerk supports the work/discernment of the session
- “The Annual Checklist”
- Rolls and Reporting
Recommended Reading from the Book of Order: G-3.02*
*Subject to change