We are at a crossroads in the PCA. I believe that the next two years will reveal what path the denomination will choose. Will it choose the path of biblical and Reformed confessionalism, the way that strives to fulfill the Great Commission through the means that God Himself promised to bless for the salvation of the elect? Or will it choose the path of compromise, allowing the culture to shape the agenda and message of the church?
Like many of you, I missed attending the 48th Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) General Assembly in June. Our annual summer gathering is always a joyful and encouraging week of Christ-centered fellowship. It’s also an important time to labor for the spiritual health and unity of the church. In God’s mysterious providence, however, our plans to gather in Birmingham were not meant to be. “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD determines his steps” (Prov. 16:9).
The 2020 assembly was shaping up to be a consequential one in light of the Ad Interim Study Report on Human Sexuality. Moreover, there were (and are!) several overtures related to Rev. Greg Johnson, Memorial PCA, Transluminate, and the Missouri Presbytery. Many of us are deeply concerned about the influence of Revoice doctrine upon our churches and surprised by the sympathy it has received from some in our ranks. Perhaps of even more concern is the growing ascendancy of critical theory and elements of the social gospel within the PCA.
Importing secular ideologies into our churches will poison and ultimately kill them. The landscape of church history is littered with the ruins of well-intentioned churches that thought becoming like the world was the best way to reach the world. They couldn’t have been more wrong! Our risen Lord Jesus Christ gave His church clear marching orders—The Great Commission (Matt. 28:18–20). It’s critical that we do not lose sight of it. Our mission—as it was for the apostles and the early church—is to faithfully preach the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ, make mature disciples through the ordinary means of grace, and plant (and strengthen) healthy churches everywhere. If the church does not carry out these God-given tasks, who will?
We are at a crossroads in the PCA. I believe that the next two years will reveal what path the denomination will choose. Will it choose the path of biblical and Reformed confessionalism, the way that strives to fulfill the Great Commission through the means that God Himself promised to bless for the salvation of the elect? Or will it choose the path of compromise, allowing the culture to shape the agenda and message of the church? Will we remain Faithful to the Scriptures, True to the Reformed Faith, and Obedient to the Great Commission? Or will we embrace a progressive and confessionally dismissive agenda? Time will tell.
