Since The Aquila Report has limited staff and budget, we are unable to cover the PCUSA General Assembly. Our good friends at The Layman are there in force, even adding a new writer just for the occasion. We will be providing daily 'teases' and links to many interesting stories, such as:

Presa began by saying "together we stand, divided we freak out." He said that his presbytery -- Elizabeth -- dismissed its first congregation to ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians recently. He said that throughout the conversations between the presbytery and session "we came to a mutual discovery that the particular congregation is leaving -- not because they see we are apostate or unorthodox -- but because they could not live with the broadness" of the PCUSA.

Plans are also moving forward to keep count of the new worshiping communities, but, he admitted, they are a "little bit messy." The Office of the General Assembly is helping to create a methodology that will keep count of what may or may not be a church, Dermondy said. "We are trying to create a baseline. We will start an official tally after the General Assembly.

Each presbytery has seen growth in numbers as well as depth of love for the Lord Jesus Christ. It was reported that over 35% of our membership resides within congregations that were planted in the past 30 years. This shows a significant shift in membership in the last generation.

Ironically, one area where the court was divided was the issue of whether to remove the standing committee called “Understanding the Times.” Historically, this committee has been used as a way for the Covenanters to call the church and nation to repentance and to provide prayerful insight into what the church would fast over, covenant over, and seek the face of Christ over…The court voted 62 to 61 to retain the Understanding the Times Committee

Debate of the issue at the assembly acknowledged that the EPC does not take political positions but does issue statements related to theological and Biblical matters. Because life, religious liberty and the free exercise of the conscience are regarded as issues of significant importance, commissioners agreed overwhelmingly to issue the statement.

Rev. Dave Long (Lafayette, IN) was nominated as moderator. Rev. Long has a track record of church planting as well as sending men into the ministry. The vote was unanimous! Following the election, his congregation presented him with a very large bouquet…of Tootsie Pops!

Currently, two of the EPC presbyteries are majority complementarian, which means they do not ordain women to the office of teaching elder. And in Mid-America "a number of presbyters have expressed the view that churches with women ruling elders should not be received into the presbytery."

Given that there are 1,466 churches in the PCA, and 4,256 TEs, the theoretical attendance at GA this year was a minimum of 7,188. Actual attendance, however, was 797 TEs and 278 REs

Also on Friday, Synod delegates approved four recommendations to move toward a biennial General Synod, proposing odd-numbered years would feature a gathering of congregational leaders to focus on equipping the RCA’s congregations