Rev. Craig Troxel, pastor of Bethel Presbyterian Church in Wheaton, IL, was elected as moderator of the 81st General Assembly. Rev. Archibald Allison, pastor of Emmaus Presbyterian Church in Ft. Collins, CO, had also been nominated. Mr. Danny Olinger, who had nominated Mr. Troxel, escorted him to the podium and then led the assembly in... Continue Reading

The delegates adopted “the submitted Psalm Proposal to be the psalter portion of the new songbook” without dissent. They also took note of the dates of May 1, 2015, for the completion of proposed hymn collection in preparation for the publishing of a new songbook in cooperation with the OPC in 2016. In light of the mutual laboring... Continue Reading

Jennings: I wish we were able to interact with “Insider Movements” and other Christian phenomena in categories in more nuanced ways than by asking the single, seemingly straightforward question – one that for us is intertwined with Greco-Latin-European linguistic-conceptual categories – “Is it faithful to the Bible or not?” Garner: On the basis of careful... Continue Reading

The election of officers seated the Rev. Bradd Nymeyer as chairman, Rev. John Bouwers as vice-chairman, Rev. Doug Barnes as first clerk and Rev. Greg Lubbers as second clerk.  As Synod began her work, the men representing the churches were reminded of their task to serve with humility the cause of the churches and the... Continue Reading

Does the Insider Movement contradict Jesus at this point, if it advises converts to sublimate their public profession or to remain as hidden believers or to hide their light under a bushel? To make things crystal clear, Jesus then gives a summary comparison: “Anyone who loves his father and mother more than me is not... Continue Reading

I am personally persuaded that a change in our practice as a denomination is necessary. I am well aware that bringing all the disciplinary cases that rise to the denominational level before the General Assembly could become unwieldy, to say the least. However, according to our own constitution, the General Assembly shall have the power... Continue Reading

The Gospel Reformation Network (GRN) is a collaboration of Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) ministers who are concerned about the balance and accuracy of gospel preaching in our denomination.  Specifically, we are working to bolster the biblical and confessional doctrine of sanctification.  Our concern is that in the fervor of today’s well-placed emphasis on the... Continue Reading

Unlike the Committee Report, the Minority Report contains no actual evaluation, theological or otherwise, of the various forms of the Insider Movement that are advocated in open missiological literature, taught in some seminaries and practiced in the field.  This lack of rigorous, detailed analysis makes it impossible to tell precisely which aspects of Insider Movement... Continue Reading

Ref21 Editors’ Note: The Presbyterian Church in America’s 42nd General Assembly will address the work of the Study Committee on Insider Movements (SCIM). For access to the SCIM reports of 2014, click here. However, given the global relevance of this question, in the next several weeks ahead of the Assembly, Rev. Nelson Jennings and Rev. David... Continue Reading

On the one hand, this overture seems to be asking for the General Assembly to erect a study committee to determine if believing that Scripture allows for women to be ordained to the office of elder is an allowable exception to our constitution for ministers in our denomination. This is actually a very important question... Continue Reading