1. The General Assembly approve the discontinuation of the automatic conferral of the title of Professor and direct that staff who have responsibility over specific departments and who are appointed after 2013 be referred to as Course Organisers. The title of existing Professors shall remain the same as at present.
2. The General Assembly furthermore declare:
2.1 The Senate will consist of all Course Organisers.
2.2 The role of Principal and his relation to Seminary, Senate and Seminary Board will be the same as that of his relation to the Free Church College at present.
3. The General Assembly in accordance with Act XXXVII, 2013, which directs the College Board “to explore ways of planning ahead to make provision for the replacement of teaching staff who intimate their intention to leave or retire”, hereby repeal Act XIX, 1998, and Act XXV, 2000, and approve that as of this date:
3.1 It will be the responsibility of the Seminary Board to oversee and determine the appointment of lecturing staff at the Seminary.
3.2 Staff appointed to the teaching faculty will belong to one of four categories:
3.2.1 Course Organisers A Course Organiser will normally be a Head of Department, departments to be apportioned by the Seminary Board according to current circumstances. They have the responsibility of ensuring that courses are taught to the required standard. Only Course Organisers will be members of Senate.
3.2.2 Part-time Core Lecturers A Part-time Core Lecturer will teach components of a course for at least one semester.
3.2.3 Part-time Module Lecturers A Part-time Module Lecturer will be invited to teach specific modules in a course, less than one semester in length, on a guest and invitation basis.
3.2.4 Temporary Replacement Lecturers A Temporary Replacement Lecturer belongs to a list of persons able and willing to provide cover in the case of long-term absences (more than two weeks) of lecturers in an emergency or due to sick leave.
3.2.5 The number of Course Organisers and Part-time Core Lecturers and their particular roles will be determined by the Seminary Board, in liaison with the Senate, according to current needs and financial constraints.
3.2.6 At least two Course Organisers (who are Heads of Departments) will be ordained ministers of the Free Church of Scotland.
3.2.7 All Core Lecturers must subscribe to the whole doctrine contained in the Westminster Confession of Faith and must be office bearers in a church which, to the satisfaction of the Seminary Board, exercises biblical discipline in matters of heresy or immorality.
4. Process of Nomination – Course Organisers and Part-time Core Lecturers
The General Assembly approve the following regulations for the appointment of Course Organisers and Part-time Core Lecturers to Edinburgh Theological Seminary:
4.1 Candidates who are nominated must normally already possess, or be willing to work towards, a degree at postgraduate level in disciplines relevant to their nomination.
4.2 On at least a bi-annual basis the Seminary Board shall write to Presbyteries asking them to nominate candidates whom they deem to be suitable for academic posts in the Seminary. In so doing, each Presbytery will give reasons for their nominations.
4.3 Members of the Seminary Board may also nominate suitable candidates, giving reasons for their nominations.
4.4 The Seminary Board will write to each candidate informing them that they have been nominated and asking them to indicate their willingness, in principle, to teach at the Seminary, either on a full-time or part-time basis. If a candidate is willing, he should submit his CV to the Board, to be kept in retentis until such time as an appointment is required.
4.5 A Course Organiser or Course Lecturer who is due to retire, or who intends to resign from his academic duties, shall intimate this fact whenever possible to the Seminary Board not later than 31st December, prior to the end of the academic year.
5. Process of Retirement or Resignation
5.1 When a Course Organiser, who is a minister of the Free Church of Scotland and inducted to his position at the Seminary, receives a Call to a pastoral charge, the Presbytery of Edinburgh and Perth have the authority to loose him from his charge. The Presbytery shall immediately inform the Seminary Board of this fact.
6. Process of Appointment
When there is a vacancy for a Course Organiser or part-time Core Lecturer, the following procedure shall apply:
6.1 The Seminary Board will intimate the impending vacancy to the Clerk of Senate at the University of Glasgow, inviting the Faculty to nominate a representative to be associated with the Board in making a new appointment.
6.2 The names which have been previously nominated will be interviewed by a panel appointed by the Seminary Board, with the representative from Glasgow University in attendance.
6.3 The interview panel must bear in mind that all suitable candidates must subscribe to the whole doctrine contained in the Westminster Confession of Faith and must be office bearers in a church which, to the satisfaction of the Seminary Board, exercises biblical discipline in matters of heresy or immorality. It is the Board’s responsibility to ensure that the teaching of core subjects is carried out by staff who are reformed in doctrine, worship and practice.
6.4 Upon completion of all interviews the interviewing panel will, after ascertaining that each of the candidates are acceptable to the University of Glasgow, make a recommendation to the Seminary Board. If the Seminary Board agrees with the recommendation, the successful candidate will be informed as soon as possible as to the Board’s decision and asked to indicate his willingness to accept the appointment within a timeframe set by the Board.
6.5 If the appointment is for a Course Organiser, and where the Course Organiser is already an ordained minister of the Free Church of Scotland, he will be inducted to the position by the Presbytery of Edinburgh and Perth after following a procedure on the analogy of a call to a pastoral charge, all parties retaining the right of Appeal or Dissent and Complaint to the General Assembly.
6.6 A full time Course Organiser will be remunerated at a salary set by the Seminary Board in keeping with its budget constraints. The total remuneration package of a full time Course Organiser must not be less than that of a minister in the Free Church of Scotland.
6.7 A Part-time Core Lecturer will be remunerated by way of honoraria at a level set by the Seminary Board.
6.8 Each newly appointed Course Organiser and Part-time Core Lecturer must sign Terms of Appointment as agreed by the Seminary Board.
6.9 The term of office will normally be five years for a Course Organiser, renewable with the consent of all parties.
6.10 The term of office for a Part-time Core Lecturer shall be one year, renewable with the consent of all parties.
6.11 Where the Course Organiser or Part-time Core Lecturer is not an office-bearer in the Free Church of Scotland, the Seminary Board must ensure that his Terms of Appointment state the procedure which must be taken to suspend him from his position in the event of him falling short of behavioural or theological standards of morality and orthodoxy, pending appropriate disciplinary procedures.
6.12 Whilst the Course Organiser may exercise discretion to invite guest lecturers on an occasional basis he does not have the authority to appoint a Part-time Core Lecturer in his subject except on a temporary replacement basis in the case of an emergency or due to ill health. The final responsibility for all appointments (Course organisers and Part-time Core Lecturers) lies with the Seminary Board.
6.13 If, by way of partnership agreements, a Part-time Core Lecturer is offered by another institution on a temporary basis, the proposal shall be discussed and approved at the Senate before being forwarded to the Seminary Board for their final approval. The name of the Lecturer being proposed by the partner Institution and his CV will be sent to the University of Glasgow for their approval together with details of the proposed arrangement under which he will operate. The Lecturer must subscribe to the whole doctrine contained in the Westminster Confession of Faith and must be an office-bearer in a church which, to the satisfaction of the Seminary Board, exercises biblical discipline in matters of heresy or immorality.
6.14 The Seminary Board will include in its report to the General Assembly all courses together with Course Organisers, Part-time Core Lecturers and Module lecturers.
7. Process of Appointment – Part-time Module Lecturers and Temporary Replacement Lecturers
The General Assembly approve the following regulations for the appointment of the Part-time Module Lecturers and Temporary Replacement Lecturers to Edinburgh Theological Seminary:
7.1 Temporary Replacement Lecturers It will continue to be the responsibility of the Senate, in consultation with the Seminary Board, to arrange for emergency cover in the event of a Course Organiser’s illness or temporary absence from work. A list of appropriate personnel will reviewed annually and reported to the Seminary Board.
7.2 Part-time Module Lecturers When a continued need for a Part-time Module Lecturer arises in any department at the Seminary, the Course Organiser concerned shall bring the matter to the attention of the Senate.
7.3 If the Senate judge that an appointment is appropriate they shall ask the Course Organiser to nominate a suitable part-time Module Lecturer, and seek the approval of the Seminary Board for an appointment.
7.4 Except in the case of occasional guest lecturers, all Part-time Module Lecturers must subscribe to one of the reformed confessional standards or the Doctrinal Statement of Affinity to which the Free Church of Scotland belongs, a copy of which is annexed to this Report.
7.5 The Senate shall recommend to the Seminary Board that an appointment be made; and that the nominee of the Course Organiser be appointed.
7.6 The Seminary Board shall have the final authority in appointments. They may decide to endorse the Senate’s recommendation; or find that an appointment is inopportune or inappropriate; or ask the Course Organiser (through the Senate) to propose another nomination.
7.7 The Board shall determine the duration of the appointment, which shall be for a maximum of one year. The appointment may be renewed for further periods subject to the consent of all parties.
7.8 The Board, in consultation with the Senate, shall determine the rate of remuneration of part-time lecturers and review it annually.
7.9 Each part-time lecturer shall work under the supervision and according to the instructions of the relevant Course Organiser.
7.10 In the event of a dispute between a lecturer and a Professor or Course Organiser the matter shall be referred in the first instance to the Senate. An appeal may be taken from the Senate to the Seminary Board, whose judgement shall be final.
7.11 The term of appointment for part time lecturers will be renewed annually and they will be required to sign the Confession annually.
8. The General Assembly direct that the status of Rev. Daniel Sladek will now be Course Organiser and Lecturer in Old Testament Language, Exegesis and Theology.