The Ruling Elder/Teaching Elder Disparity in the PCA
In 1973, 179 teaching elders and 208 ruling elders attended the first PCA General Assembly; by 2017, 1151 teaching elders and 310 ruling elders attended the 45th GA.
The growth in this disparity in the PCA has been steady. For assemblies in the 1970s the percentage of ruling elders attending averaged 44%. In the 1980s the percentage fell dramatically to 33%, but held fairly steady in the 1990s at 32%. The first decade of the 21st century saw a decline to 29%. The... Continue Reading
Reasons to Vote in Favor of Overture Requiring 30-days’ Notice
The Overtures propose 30-days’ prior notice for a congregational meeting where there will be a vote to disaffiliate with the PCA.
This year’s proposed 30-day notice requirement does not abridge any congregational right – it actually protects one. It ensures, for example, a Session can’t hustle a church out of the PCA without the clear consent of a well-prepared congregation. 30-day notice doesn’t restrict a congregation’s liberty; it restricts a Session’s liberty. This important distinction is... Continue Reading
Reasons to Defeat Overtures 10, 12 and 17 at the 46th PCA General Assembly
The proposed amendment to BCO 25-11 would mandate a notice of 30 days for congregation meetings if the purpose is to consider withdrawing from the PCA.
Over the PCA’s 46 year history, hundreds of churches have chosen to withdraw from the PCA for a variety of reasons. BCO 25.8-11 makes it abundantly clear that the PCA, from its inception, chose to enshrine in its Constitution the principle of granting congregations full rights over their own property and the liberty to choose... Continue Reading
The PCA and Confessional Integrity
The PCA’s adoption of “good faith subscription” in 2002 has had an unintended consequence of amending the Westminster Standards “in fact” without using “lawful process,” raising questions of integrity.
There are provisions in the BCO for emending the confessional standards. Yet there has been no move on the part of the minority to propose changes to the standards. Perhaps they believe that the approval of the presbytery for their exceptions is sufficient. But over time, as more and more men take these exceptions, and have them... Continue Reading
Reservations about PCA Overture 13: Women and the Boards of the PCA
Overture 13 proposes significant actions that will undo features of the PCA’s polity which its founders explicitly rejected from the polity of the church the PCA left.
Overture 13 has not presented convincing reasons for the General Assembly to approve the proposed changes. And it should be noted, that adopting the proposed changes will have the effect of upsetting the healthy balance of church governance adopted by the PCA. I urge the ordained office bearers who will serve as Commissioners to the... Continue Reading
Fewer Presbyterian Heroes And More Farmers
We need to encourage a culture of practice and learning about our polity and our church courts.
The reason “hero cultures” thrive in business is no less true why heroes will thrive in Church. People like to be the “go to” resource. In some domains the hero protects his knowledge in order to be indispensable. In the church, debate and participation is often left to those who are considered skilled enough to... Continue Reading
Tom Cannon Resigns as Coordinator of Reformed University Fellowship
Cannon submitted his resignation on March 2.; he had served RUF for four years as Coordinator.
According to Will Huss, chairman of the committee, “During Tom’s tenure as Coordinator, RUF has seen encouraging and amazing growth. He made hard decisions, was passionate about RUF, committed to the gospel, and led our organization in new and exciting ministry directions. “We continue to benefit from, the initiatives he pursued,” Huss said, “for the... Continue Reading
‘MORE’ in the PCA: A Foundation Urging PCA Ruling Elders to Attend General Assemblies
If you are an RE concerned about the direction of the PCA and cannot go to General Assembly because your congregation cannot reimburse your expenses, contact MORE!
It occurred to me that there ought to be an organization that would address those problems and encourage REs to attend General Assembly, and presbytery for that matter. Having found no such pre-existing organization, I founded one: MORE in the PCA, Inc. If you want to learn more about the organization, I encourage you to... Continue Reading
BCO 25-3 Amendment Defeated; Not Approved By Requisite Number of PCA Presbyteries
The Amendment failed since it did not receive the required approval of two-thirds of the Presbyteries.
The GA approved the amendment and sent it to the Presbyteries; the BCO requires that amendments be approved by two-thirds of its Presbytery. It is now clear from an unofficial tabulation of the Presbyteries that have voted, that 30 Presbyteries have voted against approving the amendment, which means that the two-thirds requirement cannot be met.... Continue Reading
Covenant Seminary Statement on Biblical Social Justice
This statement seeks to answer questions and concerns we have received regarding the seminary’s view on matters of social justice and particularly as it relates to matters of racial reconciliation and racial justice.
As the denominational seminary, we are seeking to work in conjunction with the current PCA study committee for racial reconciliation to “develop specific steps that could be taken to effect racial reconciliation and the advance of the gospel.” We are striving to be a place that facilitates conversations and helps future pastors and ministry leaders train... Continue Reading
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