The PCA’s system is often described as grassroots because elders from ordinary congregations participate in presbytery and General Assembly. Decisions are not handed down by bishops or imposed by a distant hierarchy. Instead, pastors and ruling elders from the churches themselves gather to deliberate and vote. This participatory structure is one of the great strengths... Continue Reading

In October, GAFCON rejected the Instruments of the Anglican Communion, namely the archbishop of Canterbury, the Lambeth Conference, the Anglican Consultative Council and the Primates Meeting, for failing to uphold the doctrine and discipline of the Anglican Communion. Archbishop Laurent Mbanda of Rwanda declared that the Anglican Communion will be “re-ordered, with only one foundation... Continue Reading

Even though modern evangelicalism often treats Reformed theology as if it were simply Calvinistic soteriology, the Westminster Standards describe something far richer and deeper. They describe a covenantal Bible, a governed church, a regulated worship, a sanctified Lord’s Day, a robust moral theology, and a Christianity built upon the ordinary means of grace.   In... Continue Reading

We’ve all heard stories of admired men who faltered in ministry because of a moral failure. Those stories remind us that we all need accountability. As Paul says, “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this” (1 Tim. 4:16).   My first job in ministry was working for a large... Continue Reading

We should not choose music randomly, as though the service were a playlist. There should be an internal coherence to what we are doing: we gather before God, confess faith, confess sin, hear the Word, respond in praise, and depart with blessing. Song selection should serve that movement.   When modern Christians talk about “worship,”... Continue Reading

According to Ramsay, when qualified deacons could not be obtained it was the elders who discharged the duties of both offices. Looking back, that makes perfect sense because in the Jerusalem church of Acts 6 there were no deacons until the apostles realized they needed help. If all agree that the office of elder is... Continue Reading

Church leaders are called to be shepherds of the flock. Shepherds do not put sheep through a rigorous physical training program. Instead, shepherds lead their flocks to still waters and lie down in green pastures. Like Christ, our one true shepherd, pastors as undershepherds are to guard and protect the flock as they dwell in... Continue Reading

When churches create roles for women that closely resemble the work, visibility, and symbolic authority of ordained officers—while denying that these roles carry authority—they introduce confusion. Authority becomes something that can be visually imitated without being formally bestowed. The congregation is taught (however unintentionally) that authority is aesthetic rather than substantive.    For Dr. Guy... Continue Reading

Students need to encounter Christian piety and practice that is rigorous in cruciformity, but rooted in the imputed righteousness from Christ by faith alone. We must counter the “Be a man” secular virtue ethic with Reformed sanctification. Call disciples to “leave their nets” and follow Jesus with mortification of sin and calls to holiness, but... Continue Reading

The offices of the PCA are open only to men. In some contexts, this may be unpopular or difficult to explain. Withholding ordination from men (as some have admitted doing), making one office subject to local option (as one overture would do), or blurring the lines between ordained offices and larger, informal “leadership” pools is... Continue Reading