There’s so much that’s encouraging, one respondent told the magazine, but he too perceived an “unmistakable climate of suspicion.” You see and feel it in presbytery and General Assembly, he said. Some are sure that the denomination is teetering on the brink of liberalism, while others fear that we’re becoming rigid and sectarian.
A slim majority of respondents to an informal survey believes the PCA is generally healthy. At the same time, more than 70 percent say that PCA leaders don’t trust one another the way they should.

Many survey respondents were quick to note signs of denominational vitality: growing membership, young people coming into PCA churches, more expansive missions programs, a wider geographical presence, aggressive church planting, and faithfulness to the gospel and to our Confessional Standards.

But an overwhelming majority is alarmed by the “intramural debating and backbiting” they’ve seen in presbyteries and at General Assembly. Respondents cite a number of reasons for the discord, including worship practices, generational tension, and a perceived disconnect between the Atlanta-based agencies and local churches. But ultimately, the tension comes down to who’s orthodox and who’s not — and who decides.

Too Narrow or Too Broad?

The survey, which is unscientific, reveals that a number of PCA elders believe the denomination has relaxed its Confessional Standards. We’re not as strongly grounded in our Reformed confessions and commitments as we should be, one respondent says. In his view, this encourages experimentation. As a result, “We push at the edges of what’s acceptable in both doctrine and practice.”

This view makes many wary, leading a number of pastors to feel as though the bounds of acceptable thought — to say nothing of permissible practice — are growing “tighter by the day.” Several participants alluded to a “vocal minority” in the denomination who “are at the ready” to condemn those who don’t agree with their views or theological positions.

This punch/counterpunch tone permeates the survey. One man says we have too much theological diversity and sees that diversity at the heart of denominational strife. “Unity follows purity of doctrine,” he says, and we’ve allowed too many significant exceptions to our Standards.

But frustration smolders at both ends of this spectrum, with another elder contending that we value doctrinal minutiae over love, and that too many elders value doctrinal purity over Christ’s mission in the world.

One respondent claims that a group of PCA pastors has set aside our standards. When challenged, he says, they accuse their challenger of being intolerant and narrow-minded. Another notes that a different group of pastors insists on agreement on secondary and tertiary issues. This is unrealistic, he says, yet those who hold this view aren’t willing to have a healthy discussion about these issues.

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