Interim Moderator of Session

Definition and Meaning

The term interim moderator of session (Korean imsi danghoejang, 臨時堂會長) means "one who takes charge of and leads the session for a time." In Presbyterianism, the session is the governing body of a local congregation, composed of the minister and the elders. The moderator who presides over the session is ordinarily the church's senior pastor. When the position becomes vacant through the senior pastor's resignation or death, the presbytery, as the higher governing body, appoints another minister as interim moderator.

The interim moderator is distinguished from the acting moderator, a minister whom the senior pastor asks to chair a meeting when the pastor is in office but unable to preside for some reason. The difference is that an acting moderator serves at the request of the moderator of session, whereas an interim moderator is appointed by the presbytery.

Biblical and Historical Background

The office of "interim moderator of session" does not appear in Scripture. Presbyterians cite two grounds for the practice. One is the record of the apostles ordaining elders in every church (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5); the other is the principle "Let all things be done decently and in order" (1 Corinthians 14:40). The practice rests on the principle of Presbyterian church polity that a local congregation does not decide matters on its own but is subject to the oversight of the presbytery. The session and presbytery system of Korean Presbyterianism developed under the influence of American Presbyterian polity. American Presbyterian churches likewise have the practice of a presbytery appointing a moderator of session for a church without a pastor.

Practice in the Korean Church

Most Presbyterian denominations, including the Presbyterian Church of Korea (Tonghap) and the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Korea (Hapdong), include provisions for the interim moderator in their church constitutions. Detailed procedures vary by denomination. The interim moderator's usual duties include the following:

• Convening and presiding over the session.
• Convening and moderating the congregational meeting held to call a new pastor.
• Administering the sacraments, such as baptism and the Lord's Supper, since in Presbyterianism elders do not administer the sacraments.

The interim moderator is commonly the pastor of a neighboring church belonging to the same presbytery or the same visitation district (sichal). The term usually lasts until a new senior pastor takes office. Whether an associate pastor of the same church may be appointed interim moderator depends on denominational rules and practice. When a church dispute arises, the presbytery's appointment of an interim moderator can itself become a point of contention, sometimes leading to denominational judicial proceedings or to the civil courts.

In other denominations, differences in polity mean that the office is not used in the same way as in Presbyterianism. In Methodism, a pastoral vacancy is handled through the involvement of higher bodies such as the district superintendent or the district conference. Denominations that emphasize the autonomy of the local congregation, such as the Baptists, have no system by which a higher body appoints a moderator of session.