The 38th General Assembly of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church began their business meetings yesterday afternoon at Hope Church, in Memphis. The gathering began Tuesday and continued Wednesday with workshops and classes as part of the Leadership Institute. Business sessions convened yesterday afternoon, Wednesday 20 June, and will continue through Friday afternoon, as needed.
The Assembly meeting is being live streamed.
There is a lot of information online, most linked through the Documents page and the GA 2018 page. Here are some of the links for information about Assembly business and operation:
- There is the Schedule and the Docket (being issued in daily segments) so you know when the business sessions are and what is being covered.
- There is also the Commissioners Handbook by parts or as a full download from that page.
- Also keep an eye on the EP Connection News Blog for news items from the Assembly.
- And don’t forget the current Book of Order and the Rules for Assembly.
As for social media, there is a bit of that out there. There is a Facebook page for the EPC that is currently being updated regularly with Leadership Institute and Assembly items. The official EPC Twitter feed is @EPChurch and the active official hashtag (#epc2018ga) has sprung to life. There is also a feed for EPC Student Ministries (@EPCStudentMin), EPC World Outreach (@EPCWO) and the Stated Clerk Jeff Jeremiah (@Jeff_Jeremiah ) -but none has been active for a while. In addition, you can follow the host church at @Hope4Memphis, but again, not a really active account.
I would also mention Ligon Duncan (@LigonDuncan), Chancellor and CEO, Reformed Theological Seminary, who has been hanging around the Assembly and will be the speaker for this evening’s worship. I am looking forward to the live stream of that.
As for individuals, strong live tweeting going from Matthew Everhard (@matt_everhard), Zach Hopkins (@Zhop59), Doug Resler (@dougresler), EPC Presbyter (@epc_presbyter), and David D. Feiser (@therevdocfeis). And if you want a bit more color and correction check out Decent & In Order (@Decent_Orderly).
The theme of the Assembly is Forward! based on Philippians 3:13-14.
It is important to note that the prayer, fasting and efforts to free Pastor Andrew Brunson from imprisonment in the nation of Turkey continue, and are highlighted in the Stated Clerk’s Report under the heading “Praying and Advocating for One of our Own.” He also notes that “An increasing amount of my time has been invested in Andrew’s situation…” and is thankful for his connections in Washington, D.C., with government officials to keep the issue before them and help advocate for his release.
A couple of items of business stand out. One is a recommendation from the Ad Interim Committee on Ministerial Education to substantially modify and expand the section of the Book of Order on the Ruling Elder as Commissioned Pastor (9-11).
In a final report from the preliminary report and proposed draft last year, the Ad Interim Committee on Pastoral Letter is recommending the proposed “Pastoral Letter on Human Sexuality” be adopted by the Assembly. This is an extensive 56 page document that covers many issues within human sexuality and gives Biblical/Theological Foundations, Contemporary Challenges to the Biblical View, Pastoral Guidance, and Recommended Reading for each topic.
With that, I will wish the EPC commissioners well and we will be lifting them up in our prayers as they meet.
