Lloyd-Jones did not intend for these questions to be the determining factor of whether one should stay or go in any particular controversy. They were to be a gauge for his audience to examine their motives and hearts as they pursued faithfulness to Christ and His church.

Many of us have become immune to talk about a “split” in the Presbyterian Church in America. Yet, our current troubles feel different.

I became a Ruling Elder in the PCA in 1998 and was ordained a Teaching Elder in 2021. Throughout all my years of service, we have faced controversies every few years that came with monikers like “the big one,” or “the tipping point.” I heard stories from mentors—Paul Settle and Paul Fowler—of the ones that came before me, such as the debates on Roman Catholic Baptism (1987), Divorce and Remarriage (1992).

I lived through debates, reports and study committees in my own time, like those on Creation (2000), Federal Vision (2007), Insider Movement (2012-14), and Women Serving in Ministry (2017). Debates were heated, but unity prevailed.

While differences on these issues may remain, I believe our denomination remains stronger after the hard work of study and debate.

This One Feels Different

By now, interested PCA presbyters and members are well aware of the failure of Overtures 23 and 37 to receive the required two-thirds approval from the presbyteries. The failure has fueled heated language about staying and leaving from each side.

The purpose of this piece is not to argue for either side, but to acknowledge that this issue is divisive enough that most of us have at least contemplated the question, “Should we stay, or should we go?” No matter your party or position, Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones has four questions for you to ponder.

In the late 1940s, as his ministry and popularity reached new heights, Lloyd-Jones was a sought-after speaker and voice in English evangelicalism. Lloyd-Jones was deeply involved in the then Inter-Varsity Fellowship since its inception in 1941. He spoke and participated in multiple Inter-Varsity events and related conferences every year. In October of 1947, he has asked to address Inter-Varsity’s Graduates Fellowship. His assigned subject was “The Position of Evangelicals in Their Churches.” The principal question he was to cover was, “When should one stay and when should one leave their fellowship or denomination?”

At the conclusion of his address Lloyd-Jones listed four questions each to those considering staying or leaving, questions that may serve us well in the PCA over the months and possibly years ahead in our current controversy.[1]+

Lloyd-Jones did not intend for these questions to be the determining factor of whether one should stay or go in any particular controversy. They were to be a gauge for his audience to examine their motives and hearts as they pursued faithfulness to Christ and His church.

As one considers staying or leaving in our current controversy, the Doctor’s probing questions may help us self-diagnose as well.

To “Those Who Are Contemplating Withdrawal Or Secession Should Ask Themselves Continually:”

1. Am I absolutely certain that Christ’s honor is really involved, or that my basic Christian liberties are threatened?
2. Am I going out because it is easier, and I am following the line of least resistance?
3. Am I going out because I am impatient?
4. Am I going out because I am an egotist and cannot endure being a ‘Brother of the common lot’ with its disadvantages as well as its spiritual advantages?

To “Those Who Are Staying In Their Church Should Ask Themselves:”

1. Am I staying in and not joining others who may be fighting the Lord’s battle because I am a coward?
2. Am I staying in because I am trying to persuade myself that I am a man of peace and because peace seems to be worth any price?
3. Am I staying in because I am just a vacillator or at a very low spiritual ebb?
4. Am I swayed by some self-interest or any monetary considerations?

I don’t believe additional comment on the questions is needed. We know our proclivities more than we would like to admit. Hopefully these questions, so brilliantly put to struggling ministers and church leaders so many years ago, can be applied to us as we try to remain faithful to the Christ we proclaim, the standards we believe, to the church that we love, and not least of all, each other.

Is this controversy truly different? Time will tell.

Mark Trigsted is a Minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and is Associate Pastor of Redeemer PCA in McKinney, Texas.

[1] Iain Murray, David Martyn Lloyd-Jones: The Fight of Faith 1939 – 1981, Repr (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 2009), p. 184. Volume 2 of Dr. Murray’s excellent biography of Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones.