51st General Assembly Reflections
Last week, Teaching and Ruling Elders of the Presbyterian Church in America gathered together in Richmond, Virginia, for the General Assembly. Our time together is marked by sweet fellowship, and serious business. The work we do as the General Assembly enables the PCA to remain faithful and effective in her ministry. Below are a few of this year’s highlights, and my overall response to the 51st General Assembly.
The Final Approval of Item 1 (Overture 26-2023)
In 2023, the 50th General Assembly approved Overture 26, which dealt with the use of officer titles. There has been a confusing practice amongst some churches in the PCA, to use officer titles(Pastor/Elder, or Deacon) to describe unordained persons. In most of these cases, the churches who are misapplying titles are doing so with regards to the diaconate. No men are ordained for the office in these churches, but rather, unordained men and women are “commissioned”(in a way which often is indistinguishable from a ordination service) to serve under the title of deacons. This practice is contrary to the clear instruction of our Book of Church Order(BCO).
This was debated in 2023, thanks to the submission of Overture 26. This overture sought to add a section in our BCO which would prohibit the use of officer titles for non-ordained persons. Overture 26 was approved by a nearly 1000 vote margin at last year’s General Assembly, a supermajority. In our polity, an overture must be approved at the General Assembly, and then be approved by two thirds of the presbyteries. Once it has met that threshold, it must then be approved again for a final time at the following General Assembly. Overture 26 was approved by 70 presbyteries(>80%), another supermajority, and a high bar for an overture to achieve. The 51st General Assembly voted to approve the overture, and codify it in our Book of Church Order.
The importance of this overture cannot be overstated. It brings clarity to who can and does hold office in the PCA. It affirms our commitment to the Biblical truth that the offices of elder and deacon are to be held only by ordained men. This overture will helpfully correct and instruct churches which have erred in different practices to establish “unordained diaconates”. Overall, this overture will help our churches in the PCA be faithful to the Scriptures.
The Commendation of our Statement on Gender Reassignment for Minors
In 2023, at the 50th General Assembly, an overture was put forward asking the General Assembly to make a statement regarding gender reassignment procedures for minors. This came in the wake of increasing pressure to support and affirm the practices as genuine health care. While this has gained some traction in the United States, especially in political groups like the Democratic Party, it has rightly been rejected by Christians. We know that such procedures are damaging to children, often in irreversible ways, and ultimately against God’s created order.
The General Assembly is often hesitant to enter into discussions regarding current events/political issues, and rightly so. This issue, however, was seen to be so drastic that it called for a response. The Moderator, Fred Greco, was empowered to form a commission to write and then distribute a statement to members of our Federal Government. The commission was comprised of Christian medical professionals and theologians. The statement, which was written excellently, was sent to the President, members of Congress, and the Supreme Court justices.
This year, we had a chance to commend this statement, and give thanks to the commission which wrote it. There was a strange amount of pushback to this overture, and the reasons given were confusing at best. Thankfully, the overture passed, and our General Assembly was able to commend this statement and express our gratitude for the fine work of the commission. The statement can be found here, and is worthy of further consideration and distribution.
Review of Presbytery Records
One of the most important works that the General Assembly does is to review presbytery records. This is done primarily through the committee, called Review of Presbytery Records(RPR), which meets to evaluate the minutes of every presbytery, and report back to the General Assembly for any exceptions which need to be addressed. Exceptions can be of form(the format of something was incorrect) or of substance(the substance of the action is in question), and these issues are approved by the General Assembly to be sent back to the local presbytery, for comment and further information. If the response is not satisfactory, RPR can recommend the General Assembly issue a citation, which forces the presbytery to have to adjudicate the matter.
A presbytery(Metro New York) was cited last year for not properly dealing with a church who had permitted a women to preach a sermon during a Sunday worship service. This year, RPR concluded that the response of Metro New York was unsatisfactory and recommended that the General Assembly cite the presbytery again for the infraction. Additionally, there was a troubling case involving another presbytery(Columbus Metro) which had to do with the improper closing of a church plant, which may have involved the seizure of assets. Both of these presbyteries were cited by this year’s General Assembly.
RPR continues to be an encouragement to so many pastors and elders, because it shows that our system works. When churches or presbyteries act in errant ways, there are systems of accountability built in to our polity, to ensure the peace and purity of the church are maintained. While it would be ideal for no infractions ever to occur, we recognize this to be unrealistic. A strong system which provides accountability for local sessions and presbyteries is needed to ensure a healthy denomination. Thankfully, RPR over the past several years has shown us that this work is indeed happening, and we should be thankful for this.
Nominations
The PCA has several committees which operate throughout the year. These permanent committees execute the work of the denomination, and are vitally important. At each General Assembly, we elect men to serve on these committees. The 51st General Assembly saw a strong slate of nominees elected to serve our denomination in the coming years. I have continued to be encouraged by the nominations which have come through over the past several years. These nominations help ensure that the PCA will continue to be strong and effective.
The Rejection of Problematic Amendments
There were several amendments proposed this year which were problematic. It was encouraging to see the Assembly reject these proposals, as I believe they would have caused more trouble than their worth.
There were several overtures seeking to mandate background checks for church officers. While most churches already use background checks, this change to require them would have conflicted with our polity. It also opened up numerous legal issues regarding privacy concerns, financial considerations, and more. The Assembly opted to change the language and strongly recommend the use of background checks for church officers, which is a healthy compromise and a welcomed exhortation.
There has been a push in recent years to amend our rules for witness eligibility for our judicial process. This comes from a recommendation made by our recent study report regarding domestic abuse and sexual assault(D.A.S.A). While I believe these amendments come from a good intent, there are numerous issues with them. The new proposals would eliminate the requirement to believe in God or a future state of rewards or punishment. This is problematic for church courts on numerous levels, and has the potential for further ripple effects. Several considerations were raised from the floor which demonstrate that there are likely several unforeseen consequences to such a change. This proposal was not adopted by the Assembly, which I believe to be the correct outcome.
Several other items were proposed. From requiring presbytery exit interviews, sweeping changes to our judicial process, redundant additions, and more, there were several items that failed at this year’s General Assembly which was the right response in my opinion. Sometimes it really is helpful to not do something.
The Work Continues
As we conclude the 51st General Assembly, we know there is still yet work to do. I pray that the PCA would continue to grow, and be fruitful in her ministry. I want to see the PCA live into the fullest expression of historic, reformed presbyterianism. After the past several General Assemblies, my spirit is encouraged. I am thankful and hopeful for the PCA. While one overture I had supported failed(Overture 3), my overwhelming response to the 51st General Assembly is that of joy. As thousands of pastors and elders return back to their churches to preach the Gospel, shepherd members, run committee meetings, and more, we ought to do so refreshed in what God is doing in the PCA. We ought also continue praying for our beloved denomination, and considering how we might continue to strengthen her for the years, and decades to come. Praise God for the PCA.