Encouragements from the Jubilee Assembly
The 50th Assembly was filled with tangible signs of God’s faithfulness to the PCA, the Continuing Presbyterian Church as she returns to the old paths.
One former PCA Moderator characterized the Memphis Assembly as “the most significant in a generation.” The PCA has been at a crossroads (as noted among other places here, here, and here) as she decides whether to be a confessional, Reformed Church committed to walking in the old paths of piety and discipleship or a broadly evangelical, culturally missional, reactionary communion.
In Memphis, the Assembly chose to walk in the old paths of the Reformed faith as evidenced by both the acts of the assembly and the men elected to her permanent committees, agencies, and Standing Judicial Commission (SJC). In addition to the greater manifestation of unity, a return to growth numerically and in terms of giving, increased elder participation, and unity on chastity for officers, there were other, less obvious encouragements not to be overlooked regarding the health of the PCA. God is richly blessing the PCA.
1. Rising Ministerial Standards
Wednesday’s Assembly-Wide Seminar featured reflections and aspirations from four elders from the PCA’s founding generation. In his address, former Moderator TE Charles McGowan noted his recollection that the PCA was founded as a “big tent movement,” yet he remarked how the PCA has grown stronger and more “theologically focused.” He noted how in the early days, the PCA had received pastors who would not be received today, because our communion has become more “clearly and definitely Reformed.”
This is a welcome marker of good health for the PCA. Rather than loosening standards and confessional atrophy, the PCA’s expectations for ministers have become more robust as the denomination insists on a deeper commitment to Reformed Theology.
In his address to the First General Assembly, TE O. Palmer Robertson seemed to predict this very thing as he proclaimed,
By adopting the Westminster Confession of Faith as the basis for its fellowship and ministry, the Continuing Church takes its stand unequivocally for the faith once delivered to the saints…
…No narrowing fundamentalism is to mar the vision of this church as it searches out the implications of Scripture for the totality of human life. It is to the faith of Christianity in its fulness, as it relates to the whole of creation, that the Continuing Church commits itself. In humble dependence on the Holy Spirit to enlighten and empower, the Continuing Church commits itself to the Christian faith in its wholeness…
…Knowing his body to be one, we rejoice in the oneness we now experience, with all who are committed to the same precious faith. May the Lord of his church be pleased to hasten the perfecting of that unity with himself and among us, “until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ.”
TE Robertson’s proclamation those 50 years ago has proven true. The PCA is now more robustly Reformed with both high standards for officers and a zeal for the lost: to know Him and to make Him known. These increasingly high standards manifest a faith in God to sovereignly provide for His Church as we submit to the qualifications and the truths set forth in His word.
2. Commitment to Historic PCA Polity
The Hodge-Thornwell debate on church boards of the 19th Century continues to echo in the assemblies of the PCA. Overture 7 from Southern New England Presbytery proposed a small change to the Rules of Assembly Operation that required the committees and agency boards of the General Assembly to annually give account to the Assembly regarding their faithfulness to the Assembly’s instructions as well as submit any significant policy changes to the Assembly for approval.
This reinforces the PCA’s commitment not to have true “boards” for its agencies, but committees that are subservient to the General Assembly. In the old PCUS, the boards were the strongholds of liberalism and worldliness; the late TE Harry Reeder referred to this phenomenon not as “mission creep,” but mission exchange.
To prevent this, the PCA founding fathers designed a system of government to limit the power of PCA agencies by making them committees and dependent on the Assembly rather than with authority largely independent from the Assembly. You can read more about the development of and tension within the PCA’s polity in David Hall’s new volume surveying the PCA’s first half-century.
Fittingly at our 50th Assembly, the PCA reaffirmed her commitment to her historic ecclesiology as the Assembly adopted stronger language to hold accountable the permanent committees and agencies via the committees of commissioners.
This accountability promotes the health and efficacy of our agencies and committees; the permanent committees are able to develop vision and long-term strategies, while at the same time the General Assembly is able to more fully oversee their work and ensure a robust commitment to that Reformed faith of which TE McGowan spoke in his address. In this way both the permanent committees and committees of commissioners spur one another on to the fulfillment of the Great Commission and their specific missions.
3. Strong Review and Control
The 50th General Assembly received the largest Review of Presbytery Records (RPR) Report in its history. The RPR Committee recommended two presbyteries be cited to appear before the SJC of the PCA.
The issue concerning Metro New York Presbytery (MNY) seems especially significant. In this instance, as the RPR Committee reviewed the minutes of the presbytery, they considered the minutes themselves to reflect a credible report of an “important delinquency or grossly unconstitutional” proceeding (BCO 40-5). In other words, the minutes of presbytery recorded the presbytery acting in a delinquent or otherwise “grossly unconstitutional manner” to such an extent the RPR Committee believed the General Assembly’s judicial commission needed to examine the matter more thoroughly. While what is reported in MNY is no doubt regrettable and troubling, the recommendation of the RPR Committee and the action of the Assembly indicate both the Assembly and her committee are committed to a healthy review of records and to faithfully enforce the Constitution of the Church.
Robust review of records and a faithful enforcement of the PCA Constitution are essential for unity in the Church. The Constitution is our agreed upon framework for theology and ministry. As I have written elsewhere, if presbyteries, sessions, and individual officers do not abide by the Constitution, discord, confusion, and schism are the inevitable result.
Rather than allow the apparent deviations from the PCA Constitution in MNY to continue to fester, the Assembly determined to send the matter directly to its judicial commission for adjudication. Despite the pleas for “more time” from members of MNY, the Assembly decided sufficient time had elapsed for the presbytery to “get it right,” such that now was the time for the Assembly to fix any potential delinquencies relative to that matter.
Readers may remember the particular instance in MNY involved a priestess from the Episcopal Church expounding Scripture from the pulpit on a Lord’s Day morning worship service prior to the Lord’s Supper. The Session who invited her to do so attempted to justify the action by explaining the lady was not preaching, but in fact merely leading a “Bible Study.” Neither the RPR Committee nor the Assembly seemed to have the tolerance for such word games, and so the Assembly referred the matter to her judicial commission.
This is significant for the PCA in terms of holding the courts and officers of the PCA to a high standard of integrity regarding our vows. The Assembly has put on notice all presbyteries, sessions, and individual officers that the Constitution of the PCA must be followed, which will bear fruit in greater unity and peace across the PCA.
4. Rejection of Reactionary Appeals & Logical Fallacies
Another sign of strength and health for the PCA was the Assembly’s rejection of Overture 13, which would have opened up the Church courts to the testimony of atheists. While the concerns underlying the proposed amendment are worthy of consideration, its main advocates scuttled their own attempt to pass it.
The Overtures Committee (OC) narrowly recommended against adopting the amendment, yet the proposal made it to the floor of the Assembly as a minority report. The OC Chairman presented the committee’s rationale against adoption and those in the minority chose a speaker to try to persuade the Assembly in favor.
The chosen representative of the minority, whom some readers may remember was the chairman of last year’s DASA Committee, dwelt on the ovation the DASA Committee received at the 49th General Assembly and subsequently urged the 50th Assembly to adopt this amendment since it was based on recommendations within their report. This was largely an “appeal to authority.”
The minority committee representative then urged the Assembly to consider that “the world is watching” and so he implored the Assembly to “choose a headline that is positive for the PCA” by adopting the proposed amendment. The OC Chairman, in his reply, alerted the assembly that what she had just heard was a “pretty profound appeal to emotion.” While logical fallacies are commonly proffered in PCA debate, this year the Assembly was unmoved by them and rejected the proposed amendment by a clear 53-47% margin.
While some of the speakers in favor of the minority offered well reasoned speeches, the damage to their cause had already been done by their chosen presenter. Additionally, there were significant deficiencies in the language of the proposed amendment, which TE Jason Piland highlighted in his own speech.
While it is unfortunate the minority did not craft either a better proposal or select a better spokesman, the failure of this amendment nonetheless signals the good health of the PCA in that her General Assembly will not be swayed by fallacious reasoning and reactionary hypotheticals. This bodes well for the future of the General Assembly as a deliberative body, with high standards for debate and a desire to seriously consider the issues to discern the will of Christ her King.
5. The Baton of Leadership Passing
This year two men were put forward to serve as moderator. TEs Randy Pope and Fred Greco. Pope is the founder of one of the largest PCA congregations, Perimeter Church near Atlanta; in nominating him, TE Charles McGowan portrayed Pope as a successor to PCA founding fathers James Baird and Frank Barker.
By contrast, Greco is the pastor of a medium-sized PCA congregation near Houston. In nominating him, TE David Strain highlighted his qualifications to serve as moderator due to Greco’s grasp of procedure and polity.
The Assembly elected Greco to serve as her Moderator by a clear margin. Rather than elect someone because of his connection to the founding fathers, the Assembly chose to elect a younger man who possessed the talent and skill to preside over the Assembly. In this election the Assembly also demonstrated her confidence in younger, newer leaders. This indicates God is continuing to raise new leaders from another generation in the PCA to serve and shepherd His Church.
In addition to her relatively young Moderator, the Assembly featured newer, younger elders more prominently such as Stephen O’Neill, Ben Joliffe, Zack Byrd, Matt Fender, and others who took to the mics and spoke clearly and persuasively to aid the Assembly in concluding her work along with men who have faithfully served the PCA for many years.
In the Stated Clerk’s subsequent report on the Assembly’s actions, TE Bryan Chapell noted the pastoral leadership of the PCA is “significantly younger than that of most evangelical and main line denominations.” God is faithfully raising up new generations of men to shepherd His people and hold the PCA to faithfulness. Let us continue to pray His blessing upon His church for her next 50 years.
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. (Psalm 145:3–4)