General Assembly Of The Free Church Of Scotland (Continuing) 2020

As we Presbyterians say, we value doing our business “decently and in order.”

So, in that spirit and for the sake of completeness I will honor the trifecta and bring you a brief note about the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) and their General Assembly.

Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) logo

The General Assembly of the Free Church (Continuing) will convene tomorrow, Monday 18 May, as scheduled and directed by the 2019 General Assembly. But, in light of the Covid-19 restrictions and recommendations here is their plan quoted from their news article:

The Assembly should be constituted, as indicted, in Edinburgh on Monday 18th May 2020, with the meeting taking place mainly by teleconference.

At the meeting on 18th May, subject to the agreement of the Assembly, the Assembly will, after a few preliminaries, consider only at that time a Report by the AAN [Assembly Arrangements and Nominations] Committee. The Assembly will then suspend to meet in Inverness on Tuesday 6th October. The fact it is being suspended rather than adjourning to meet will give a degree of flexibility, should it be impossible to meet on the said date.

In an update from last week, there are more details about the meeting, including that it will be preceded by a one-hour prayer meeting with remarks by the 2019 Moderator. From there the business portion of the meeting will convene. The meeting will be public and the Zoom meeting information is included in that update.

Based on these updates it must be presumed that the induction of the Moderator-designate the Rev. John MacLeod as the Moderator of the 2020 General Assembly is postponed until at least the indicated October date when the Assembly hopes to re-convene.

We look forward to an update following tomorrow’s teleconference. Our prayers are with them for their meeting.

In a normal year, this is an interesting and active week in Edinburgh with three General Assemblies in session at the same time in the early part of the week. Not so this year. We will see what God has in His Providence for us going forward.

General Assembly Of The Free Church Of Scotland 2020

In this unique year of General Assembly and Synod meetings, there are a small handful of branches that will be meeting by video conference to consider a limited number of items of business that are considered essential, urgent, or time-critical.

Free Church of Scotland Logo

One of those meetings is the 2020 General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland which will meet tomorrow evening, Monday 18 May, at 6 pm Edinburgh time. The Assembly will consider a limited docket of business and intends to suspend the meeting with hopes to resume the meeting in October for a more traditional in-person meeting.

In light of the unique circumstances and limited business at this meeting, the Moderator-Designate Rev Neil MacMillan will not be installed. As the news article says “it is expected that a delay on the new appointment will be put in place until a formal service appointment can be conducted.” It is recommended to the Assembly that the 2019 Moderator, Rev. Donnie G. Macdonald, will continue as the 2020 Moderator to run the meetings this year and that Mr MacMillan’s appointment be deferred to the 2021 General Assembly.

The meeting will be live-streamed. The 2020 General Assembly Reports volume is available as well.

There are five reports which contain business considered “urgent and time-critical.”

  • Assembly Business Committee – approving the arrangements, the programme (agenda), and the handling of documents related to the meeting.
  • The Assembly Clerk’s Office – proposing nominations, alternate arrangements for required annual general meetings of certain groups within the church, and approving “Arrangements for Exceptional Circumstances” to help the various bodies within the church as a whole operate during these exceptional times.
  • Edinburgh Theological Seminary – In addition to the usual thanks to all those involved with the operation of the Seminary there are items to act upon to resolve inconsistencies within the ETS governing documents.
  • Mission Board – two actions, one to change the pastoral staffing arrangement at a church and an action to change the status of a church plant to “a fully sanctioned charge.”
  • Board of Ministry – Seven varied actions including thanks to the Board, noting with sadness the death of a former Clerk to the Board, an appointment to the Board, and asking the church to continue to pray for God to raise up more Gospel workers. There is also an item to note the ongoing review of the Board and action to make changes to the composition of the Board.
  • There will be a private session related to the Board of Ministry as a minister wishing to transfer to the Free Church is introduced and examined. As there is confidential information involved those documents are not distributed in the reports and will be read by the chair of the Board in the private session.

It will be interesting to see how this meeting goes, both in terms of limited business and technology. If there is Twitter activity we can expect to see tweets from the official church account @freechurchscot. The customary hashtag would be #fcga20 although the hashtag #fcos is typically in use as well.

We keep this Assembly in our prayers and look forward to joining you tomorrow evening. May your deliberations be guided by the Holy Spirit and the time productive for the advancement of The Kingdom. Best wishes to all.

Moderator-Designate For The Church Of Scotland 2020

In just about 12 hours the Church of Scotland will install the new Moderator who will serve for the coming year. Never mind that there is no Assembly this year to actually moderate – we can hope that next year’s Moderator gives him ample chance to show those skills off the next time the General Assembly convenes.

The Moderator-Designate of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland Rev Dr Martin Fair (source: Church of Scotland)

The Moderator Designate for 2020 is the Rev Dr Martin Fair, or if you prefer the full title from his church website, the Rev. Dr. W. Martin Fair B.A. B.D. D. Min. He is the pastor of St Andrew’s Parish Church in Arbroath, Angus, where he has served for 28 years. He grew up in the Glasgow area and did his BA degree at Strathclyde University studying Politics and Geography. His theological training was at the University of Glasgow and he has since then completed a Doctor of Ministry degree at Princeton Theological Seminary.

While he first did youth work for churches in Leeds and Barbados (as he maintains, “it was a tough job but someone had to go!”) he was ordained to his current position in 1992.

In 2006 he and his congregation set up a mental health and addiction service which has helped around 1000 people. He has a real concern for this ministry and it is no surprise that it will be an area he hopes to focus on in his moderatorial year. He is quoted in the Church of Scotland news article as saying “The biggest success stories we have had in getting people clean is folk who have understood that their freedom is in Christ and for me, that is the Kingdom of God.”

In terms of his free time, the church website profile tells us “When time permits, he loves nothing better that to ‘head for the hills’, whether to walk, climb or backpack. He plays some football and golf and has tried his hand at most other sports along the way!” However, the Kirk news article does provide a qualification that due to an accident in 2017 where he broke his left arm and it did not properly healed he has lost most function in that arm and requires adaptive technology and assistance for some regular tasks. He says a goal is to learn to play golf one-handed.

Martin and his wife Elaine grew up together on the same street and were married in 1987. They have three adult sons.

As his moderatorial year progresses you can follow along on the official Church Moderator (@churchmoderator) Twitter account or his personal account @wmartinfair.

He will be installed in a special service on Saturday morning 16 May which will be live-streamed for us to follow along.

We wish Mr Fair well on the year that is ahead of him. Our prayers are with him.

And he brings great optimism to the position. As he says in the news article:

“As I travel round the country even now, I see green shoots of growth and live in hope for what is going to come. What we will see emerge will be fresh and new and to quote a phrase, God is not finished with Scotland or His Church.”

Church of Scotland: It’s Not A GA, But It Will Do For This Year

Church of Scotland logo

As I was contemplating titles for this post the good old “And now for something completely different” came to mind. The only problem is that this year the whole GA season would resemble that remark.

The bottom line, of course, is that the Church of Scotland, along with a good number of other branches, will not have a General Assembly this year.

But in the midst of this quiet year for the GA there are still two GA-related events that will occur: The installation of the Moderator and an online Heart and Soul event.

While there is no GA to preside over, the role of the GA Moderator in the Kirk goes well beyond the meeting and is a full-year commitment. Unlike other branches, such as the Presbyterian Church in Canada where the moderator will continue for another year until the next meeting, the Church of Scotland will pass the symbols of office to their Moderator Designee Rev Dr Martin Fair. He will be installed in a special service at 11 AM Edinburgh time on Saturday 16 May, about the time the GA was scheduled to open. It will be live-streamed.

The service will be unique as only five individuals will be participating and there will be no audience or congregation present. Besides Mr Fair, there will be the outgoing Moderator, the Rt Rev Colin Sinclair, and the Principal Clerk the Rev Dr George Whyte who, we are told, “will ensure the correct process is followed.” In addition, the incoming and outgoing Moderators’ wives, Elaine Fair and Ruth Sinclair will be part of the group. The ring and the cross will not so much be passed as they will be present to be put on at the appropriate time. In addition, a socially distanced BSL translator and a technology crew will also be present for the live streaming. The live stream will be available on the Church GA streaming page and the Facebook page.

A major event at recent General Assemblies has been the Sunday afternoon Heart and Soul festival in Princes Street Gardens. This year there will be an online version with some of the same features. It will begin with a replay of the installation of the Moderator, it will include some musical components and a number of conversations about the church and its work in social care and social justice issues. The program begins at 2 PM local time and will last two hours. The streaming will be available from the same sites, the Church GA streaming page and the Facebook page.

Finally, it should be mentioned that while there will not be a full GA, there is still the hashtag. So follow along at #GA2020.

So there is the line-up. It gives us something to look forward to on this lockdown or safer at home weekend.

A Very Different General Assembly Season 2020

Celtic cross logo

Yesterday May 1 – my official starting point for General Assembly Season. But as many of you are aware, this will be a very different General Assembly Season. With the Covid-19 virus circulating almost all of the early meetings have been cancelled or postponed. Many are simply listed as “postponed” with hopes of rescheduling in 2020. Some have specifically stated that they will not happen this year. Still waiting on a few and I will update as announcements are made.

So this is the line-up for General Assembly Season as I know it now. Please let me know if I have missed an announcement or a presbyterian branch.

Presbyterian Church of Malaysia logo


46th General Assembly
Presbyterian Church of Malaysia
23-25 March 2020
Postponed, date to be determined.


Presbyterian Church in Taiwan logo

65th General Assembly
Presbyterian Church in Taiwan
Taipei
21-24 April 2020
Postponed to a date not yet decided


Presbyterian Church of Trinidad and Tobago logo

60th Synod Annual General Meeting
Presbyterian Church of Trinidad and Tobago
April 2020 – Postponed Indefinitely



Presbyterian Church of Eastern Australian logo

Synod
The Presbyterian Church of Eastern Australia
May 2020 – Postponed



Korean Presbyterian Church Abroad logo

45th General Assembly
Korean Presbyterian Church Abroad
5-7 May 2020
Orlando, Florida
Postponed to 4-6 May 2021
(I am seeing various info on this, still sorting through it)


Covenant Presbyterian Church logo

General Assembly & Family Camp
Covenant Presbyterian Church
5-9 May 2020
Westcliffe, Colorado


Presbyterian Church of Tasmania logo


General Assembly
Presbyterian Church of Tasmania
12 May 2020



Korean-American Presbyterian Church of the Americas logo

44th General Assembly
Korean-American Presbyterian Church of the Americas
12-15 May 2020
Cancun, Mexico
To be held by Videoconference


Church of Scotland seal

General Assembly
Church of Scotland
16-22 May 2020
Edinburgh
Cancelled (breaking an over 300 years streak of Assemblies)
There will be a service to install the new Moderator on May 16


Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) logo

General Assembly
Free Church of Scotland (Continuing)
18 May 2020
Edinburgh
The Assembly shall convene by teleconference and suspend the Assembly to reconvene on or about 6 October in Inverness


Free Church of Scotland logo

General Assembly
Free Church of Scotland
18-21 May 2020
Edinburgh
The Assembly will meet virtually this year with a single session the evening of Monday 18 May.


Presbyterian Church in Ireland logo


General Assembly
Presbyterian Church in Ireland
1-4 June 2020
Belfast
A Virtual meeting of the 2019 Assembly cancelled the 2020 Assembly – this is a break in a 180 year sting


87th General Assembly
Orthodox Presbyterian Church
3-9 June 2020
Eastern University
St. Davids, Pennsylvania
The 87th General Assembly has been postponed and will now convene on 2 June 2021


146th General Assembly
Presbyterian Church in Canada
7-11 June 2020
Wilfrid Laurier University
Waterloo, Ontario
The Assembly has been cancelled.


145th General Assembly
Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America
7-12 June 2020 – Rescheduled 27 June – 2 July, 2021
Louisville, Kentucky
Concurrent with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church


190th General Assembly
Cumberland Presbyterian Church
7-12 June 2020 – Rescheduled 27 June – 2 July, 2021
Louisville, Kentucky
Concurrent with Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America


216th Stated Meeting of the General Synod
Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church
9-11 June 2020 – Rescheduled 18-21 August 2020
Bonclarken Conference Center
Flat Rock, North Carolina



General Assembly
United Free Church of Scotland
10 June 2020
Perth
The Meeting has been cancelled



48th General Assembly
Presbyterian Church in America
15-19 June 2020
Birmingham
Postponed to 29 June – 2 July 2021


224th General Assembly
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
20-27 June 2020
Baltimore
Will be held on-line with plenaries on June 19, 26, and 27


General Assembly
Presbyterian Church of Queensland
Including the Presbytery of South Australia
22 June 2020Rescheduled for September2020, date pending
Brisbane Boys’ College
Brisbane


40th General Assembly
Evangelical Presbyterian Church
23-26 June 2020
Hope Church, Cordova, TN
Rescheduled to September 17-18, 2020



189th Synod
Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America
23-26 June 2020
Indiana Wesleyan University
Marion, Indiana
Cancelled as of 30 April


N.S.W. State Assembly
Presbyterian Church of Australia
in the State of New South Wales

13 July 2020 (begins)
Presbyterian Ladies’ College
Croydon, N.S.W.


Reformed Presbyterian International Conference
28 July to 3 August 2020
Indiana Wesleyan University
Marion, Indiana
Not an assembly or synod but a significant quadrennial gathering of Reformed Presbyterians
At this time still accepting reservations but may be cancelled shortly


Convocation of Sessions
Vanguard Presbytery
30 July 2020
Stephens Valley Church
Nashville, Tennessee
A meeting that is part of the development of a new denomination


84th General Synod
Bible Presbyterian Church
6-10 August 2020
Bible Presbyterian Church, Grand Island, NY


General Assembly
Presbyterian Church of Victoria
5 – 8 October 2020


General Assembly
Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand
7-11 October 2020
Lindisfarne College
Hastings
(biennial)
The Assembly has been postponed until October 2021


113th General Assembly
Presbyterian Church in Western Australia
23 October 2020 (begins)
St. Columba’s Church, Peppermint Grove


So that’s the list I am tracking at the moment. I will update as appropriate. If I have missed one, or have information wrong or incomplete, please provide the appropriate information and I will update the list.

I will again reference the series of articles I wrote as an introduction to Presbyterian General Assemblies eight years ago. My GA 101 series consists of the following

GA101: Preface
GA101: Introduction – Why in the world would anybody want to do it this way?
GA101: Connectionalism – The Presbyterian Big Picture
GA101: The Cast of Characters – A score card to identify the players
GA101: The Moderator – All Things In Moderation
GA101: Where does the GA business come from? – Incoming!
GA101: Doing the business of GA — Decently and in Order

So GA Junkies, this is a very different season. By my count, there are currently seven Assemblies or Synods that are still on as scheduled, seven that appear to be postponed to later in the year, two to happen by videoconference approximately as scheduled (not counting electronic meetings to decently and in order reschedule the meeting), and twelve that appear to be cancelled/rescheduled for next year. I am still collecting info and some of the later ones may yet be rescheduled as well. We will see.

So with that, I pray that you stay safe and healthy at this time and may it pass quickly. And for the hard-core GA Junkies out there may the withdrawal symptoms not be too bad and may you find something else to do to fill the time.

And finally, with the prospect of video GA’s coming up, I will start working on a Bingo Card for the occasion. Let me know if you have one and I will share all that I find.

So stay decent and in order my friends.


Remembering The Saints 2019

For all the saints, who from their labours rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

As is my custom on All Saints Day, I pause and give thanks – both privately and here on the blog – for those that I know who passed from the Church Militant to the Church Triumphant the past 12 months.

This year was not an easy one and there are so many names on this list that I deeply miss and their passing to be with the Lord leaves a spot missing on this side of eternity.

Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress and their Might;
Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

This year I remember and give thanks for the lives of:

  • Zachary – A faithful pastor who showed care and concern for many in the midst of his own challenges – physical and otherwise.
  • Leon – An icon of the church in this region and a mentor to lots of pastors over many years
  • Ray – One of my family’s oldest and best friends, a gentle spirit and a devoted husband
  • Bob – a faithful and active pastor, always ready to help out
  • Cliff – A character – one of a kind. He was a pillar of our church and a faithful, hard working long-time volunteer and leader there, a dear friend of our family whose decline was frustrating for him and very painful for the rest of us to experience as we walked alongside him.
  • Vera – a Presbyterian’s Presbyterian. Faithful and active ruling elder serving many years as clerk of session. And someone who always seemed to have a smile.
  • Tom – a pastor in so many senses of the word

O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
Yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

As they have joined the mighty cloud of witnesses my life has been enriched by knowing and serving with each one of them. Well done good and faithful servants.

But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day;
The saints triumphant rise in bright array;
The King of glory passes on His way.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
Singing to Father, Son and Holy Ghost:
Alleluia, Alleluia!

Ecclesia Reformata Semper Reformanda Est Secundum Verbum Dei

On this Reformation Day 2019, a word on Semper Reformanda, its history and the tension which the church holds it in.

In some circles, the phrase “Ecclesia reformata semper reformanda est secundum verbum Dei” has taken on a bit of urban legend status. R. Scott Clark, in an article on the Ligonier website, has a nice summary of the historical background and usage of the phrase. He begins with this:

With the possible exception of sola Scriptura (by Scripture alone), none of these [Reformed] slogans has been mangled more often toward greater mischief than ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda (the church reformed, always reforming). According to historian Michael Bush, much of what we think we know about this slogan is probably wrong.

After a brief review of the 16th and 17th-century variants, he says:

The full phrase ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda secundum verbum Dei (the church reformed, always reforming according to the Word of God) is a post-World War II creature. It was given new impetus by the modernist Swiss Reformed theologian Karl Barth (1886-1968), who used variations of the phrase with some frequency. Mainline (liberal) Presbyterian denominations have sometimes used variations of this phrase in official ways.

One of the points that Dr. Clark makes is that John Calvin and other reformers of his generation did not see the Reformed faith as evolving but as something that could be achieved and set. He says:

When Calvin and the other Reformed writers used the adjective reformed, they did not think that it was a thing that could never actually be accomplished. Late in his life, Calvin remarked to the other pastors in Geneva that things were fairly well constituted, and he exhorted them not to ruin them.

In another Ligonier article, Michael Horton also takes a close look at the phrase. At one point he says:

Our forebears who invoked this phrase had in mind the consolidation of catholic and evangelical Christianity embodied in the Reformed confessions and catechisms. There is a reason that this wing of the Reformation called itself “Reformed.” Unlike the Anabaptists, Reformed churches understood themselves as a continuing branch of the catholic church. At the same time, the Reformed wanted to reform everything “according to the Word of God.” Not only our doctrine but our worship and life must be determined by Scripture and not by human whim or creativity.

And he makes the point that it is not the Reformed faith that necessarily needs to be reformed, but the human implementation of it:

And yet the church is not only Reformed; it is always in need of being reformed. Like our personal sanctification, our corporate faithfulness is always flawed. We don’t need to move beyond the gains of the Reformation, but we do need further reformation. But here is where the last clause kicks in: “always being reformed according to the Word of God.”

The PC(USA) website has an article by Anna Case-Winters which is widely quoted in various other articles, including Michael Horton’s article above and Leo Koffeman’s below. Near the beginning she discusses the early meaning of the phrase like this:

Our Reformed motto, rightly understood, challenges both the conservative and the liberal impulses that characterize our diverse church today. It does not bless either preservation for preservation’s sake or change for change’s sake.

In the 16th-century context the impulse it reflected was neither liberal nor conservative, but radical, in the sense of returning to the “root.” The Reformers believed the church had become corrupt, so change was needed. But it was a change in the interest of preservation and restoration of more authentic faith and life — a church reformed and always to be reformed according to the Word of God.

The cultural assumption of the Reformers’ day was that what is older is better. This is strange to our contemporary ears. We do not share this assumption; if anything, we applaud the new and “innovative.”

Finally, Leo Koffeman, in an academic article, weaves Horton’s and Case-Winter’s article into his where he looks at not only the origin of the phrase but the ecumenical implication and application. He echoes some of what I have mentioned already, but has this particular emphasis:

I repeat my question: is the slogan ecclesia reformata semper reformanda, either in its shortened or in its lengthier form, a helpful slogan when considering the pros and cons, the possibilities and the limitations, of church renewal in the Reformed tradition? It seems to me that it is not, as long as it leaves the question open as to what, in practice, secundum verbum Dei means. It provides a formal criterion. Therefore, the real issue at stake is that of biblical hermeneutics.

In his conclusion he answers with this:

As far as the motto ecclesia reformata semper reformanda points to the possibility of and need for church renewal, it represents a welcome reminder for all churches that take seriously their identity and mandate. But it can easily over-emphasise human action (‘always reforming’) at the expense of the awareness of how the church is an instrument in the hands of the Holy Spirit (‘always being reformed’). Therefore, a focus on the role of the church in the missio Dei and a clear understanding of the need for ecumenical cooperation is pivotal.

So where does that leave us? Stringing this all together we have Dr. Clark’s emphasis on a developed Reformed faith expressed in the historic creeds and confessions of the church, but with the fallen and flawed nature of a church of human maintenance as pointed out by Dr. Horton. It is a radical call for the church to find identity in its roots of scripture according to Dr. Case-Winters, but as an instrument of God through the Holy Spirit as expressed by Dr. Koffeman.

So with that – Happy Reformation Day. And may we all be Reformed and always being reformed as guided by the word of God.

47th General Assembly Of The Presbyterian Church In America

Presbyterian Church in America logo

The next General Assembly is ramping up with the committees of commissioners hard at work, particularly the Overtures Committee which has overtures related to a couple of important issues to make recommendations on.

So here we go, the 47th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America is starting to get rolling in Dallas, Texas. (As a side note, interesting to see both the OPC and PCA General Assemblies there this year.) The Assembly convenes in plenary session this afternoon, Wednesday 26 June, at 1:30 PM CDT, and adjourns at noon on Friday. The theme of the Assembly is “Press on for God’s Glory.” The meeting will be live streamed and there is a schedule of what will be streamed live. There is also the GA app available for several platforms to follow along, and a ShareFile! app on that page for registered commissioners to download reports and other documents.

While the full volume of reports is available only to commissioners, the docket, schedule, and overtures are available online. There is a nice page with links to all the forms and schedules for the meeting.

To track the polity of the PCA you can access the Book of Church Order (BCO) online, which also contains the Rules of Assembly Operations (RAO). For the hardcore polity wonks there is Morton Smith’s Commentary on the Book of Church Order of the Presbyterian Church in America which is only available in a print edition. (Similar to what some branches call the Annotated Book of (Church) Order.)

News updates will be posted through the official news website and online publication byFaith, including the update from yesterday’s Overtures Committee action. Update: Article with all Overtures Committee recommendations is now posted.

Turning to social media, you will probably want to keep an eye on the byFaith Magazine Facebook page. There are numerous opportunities to follow the meeting on Twitter including the official feed from byFaith (@PCAbyFaith). The hashtag for the Assembly is #pcaga, although #pcaga2019 is floating around as well. For pictures, keep an eye on the PCA Flickr site.

Other related Twitter accounts include Reformed University Fellowship (@RUFnational), PCA Discipleship Ministry (@PCACDM), Mission to the World (@mtwglobal), and the Mission to North America (@pcamna). I would also include in this group the denomination’s schools, Covenant College (@CovenantCollege) and Covenant Seminary (@covseminary).

As for individuals to watch – round-up the usual suspects. Some who will be at the meeting and are, or will probably be tweeting include Irwyn Ince (@Irwyn) the retiring Moderator, Fred Greco (@fredgreco), Ligon Duncan (@LigonDuncan), Sean Michael Lucas (@SeanMLucas) who has a high-profile job as chair of the Overtures Committee this year, and Melton L. Duncan (@MeltonDuncan). For organizations, I will mention Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing (@prpbooks), Greenville Seminary (@GPTseminary) and Reformed Theological Seminary (@ReformTheoSem) and their local Dallas campus (@RTS_Dallas). (And as a note, there are other Twitter accounts for the different RTS campuses.)

There is a long list of people tweeting (check out the #pcaga hashtag) but I will mention a few of the early active ones now. Derek Radney (@DerekRadney) is doing us a great service with the detailed tweeting from the Overtures Committee meeting. Others with active accounts at this time include Scott Swain (@scottrswain), Jessica Fore (@forejessica), Robert M. Phillips (@AceAdvocate), and Mark Horne (@purify_elevate). There are also three accounts that have some overlap: More in PCA (@MoreinPCA) – a grassroots organization of REs, Chortles Weakly (@ChortlesWeakly) and Presbycast (@Presbycast). I will add Allan Edwards (@edwardsae1) who is actively tweeting from the meeting, and has given us a new Bingo Card to go along with his past Bingo Card and the Selfie Scavenger Hunt. And for a Twitter feed that is posted decently and in order there is the @PCAPresbyter himself. And don’t forget Joey Pipa’s Mustache (@jpipasmustache), PCA Logo (@PCALogo), and GA Famous (@GA_Famous).

As usual, the overtures to this Assembly reflect where the PCA is today and what it is concerned about. This business will provide a lot of opportunity for discussion, debate and discerning God’s will for the church. The Overtures Committee is the last item of business on Thursday docketed to begin their report at 4:15 PM. If it is not concluded by the dinner recess 45 minutes later (anyone want to give odds on that?), the report will resume at 9:00 PM after worship. I do not see a single article from byFaith with a summary of all 48 overtures, but their GA News feed has a number of articles covering all the overtures grouped by theme.

The topic with the most overtures is human sexuality with eleven of them. This is a timely response to the 2018 Revoice Conference held at a PCA church in St. Louis last August. That conference, and the upcoming one this year, address the Revoice mission: “To support and encourage gay, lesbian, bisexual, and other same-sex attracted Christians—as well as those who love them—so that all in the Church might be empowered to live in gospel unity while observing the historic Christian doctrine of marriage and sexuality.” The theology of this mission statement is under active debate in the PCA and will be significant at this GA. The Overtures Committee is recommending that the Assembly accept Overture 4 affirming the Nashville Statement and there will be a minority report on that. Overture 11 asked that the Assembly commend and distribute the RPCNA’s statement ‘Contemporary Perspectives on Sexual Orientation: A Theological and Pastoral Analysis.’ The Overtures Committee did a major rewrite on the Therefore’s and instead, it now recommends the publication The Gospel & Sexual Orientation. There were also overtures to establish a study committee on Sexuality and the Overtures Committee is recommending these be answered with Overture 42 as amended. The amendments increase the size from four to six teaching and ruling elders, and include in its purview two presbytery studies of the Revoice Conference, one from Central Carolina Presbytery and the other from Missouri Presbytery. We will see how these and the other nine overtures fare as they are handled on the floor.

Another major topic is domestic abuse and sexual assault with nine overtures addressing that topic. The Overtures Committee is recommending that they are answered by Overture 7 which calls for an “Ad Interim Committee to Address Matters Related to Domestic Abuse, Domestic Oppression, and Sexual Assault.” The Committee is recommending that this be answered in the affirmative but it has been amended. In the committee there was discussion as to the makeup of the committee as only men can be ordained officers and a more diverse representation on this committee would be desirable so non-ordained members would be beneficial. I will add the link to the amended version when it becomes available.

And in a related action, and part of a continuing discussion, Overture 8, and related overtures that would allow non-ordained persons to serve on committees and boards, are recommended to be answered in the negative. Overture 29, which would have allowed local option in whether to ordain women as deacons, was withdrawn before the Assembly.

And there are lots of smaller items – like an overture to withdraw from the National Association of Evangelicals and a proposal to study remote voting at General Assembly – that will also be considered.

As I mentioned earlier the Overtures Committee report begins at 4:30 PM on Thursday. One of the polity features of the PCA General Assembly is the role of the OC as a gatekeeper and manager of how the overtures reach the floor. As the GA Stated Clerk, Roy Taylor, quipped yesterday – “We have a convention surrounding a delegated assembly — the Overtures Committee”. There may be more truth in that than many want to admit.

There’s lots on the docket this week and multiple items that are sure to provide a spirited, and hopefully Spirit-filled, discussion among the commissioners. I have seen enough GA’s to know that predicting the outcome of these debates is difficult, but for a couple items of business, certain outcomes could make this a milepost year in the history of the PCA.

Our best wishes and prayers to the commissioners and leaders of the PCA General Assembly for this important meeting and prayers for your discernment the next few days. May the Spirit guide you in your work.

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39th General Assembly Of The Evangelical Presbyterian Church

The 39th General Assembly of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church has just begun gathering at Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church, near Denver. Today, and most of tomorrow, there are workshops and classes as part of the annual Leadership Institute. Business sessions convene tomorrow afternoon, Wednesday 19 June, and will continue through Friday afternoon, as needed.

The Assembly meeting will be live streamed on the web and through the General Assembly app.

There is a lot of information online, most linked through the Documents page and the GA 2019 page. Here are some of the links for information about Assembly business and operation:

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 (#epc2019ga) 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 have been active for a while. However, the Moderator-elect, Case Thorp (@casethorp), has been actively tweeting leading up to the meeting.

As for individuals, strong live tweeting going from Matthew Everhard (@matt_everhard) and Zach Hopkins (@Zhop59). There are initial, promising tweets from Brandon M. Queen (@BQPHOTOS) and Andrew J. Winter (@TheAndrewWinter). And maybe we will see a bit more color and correction from Decent & In Order (@Decent_Orderly).

The theme of the Assembly is “Unstoppable: Keep on Asking, Keep on Seeking, Keep on Knocking,” based on Mathew 7:7.

One of the highlights of the Assembly will be the Wednesday morning and Thursday evening [corrected – regret the error] speaker, EPC Teaching Elder Andrew Brunson, who was released from detainment in Turkey last October after being held there for two years on charges of support of terrorism and espionage. According to the website, they expect an overflow crowd for worship that evening.

Another item of interest is the search for a new Stated Clerk to fill that position when Dr. Jeremiah steps down after his current term ends in 2021. The National Leadership Team is asking for authorization to form a search committee made up of one member from each of the EPC’s 14 presbyteries and to have it begin its work.

There is a good summary of all the action items coming to the Assembly this year. A couple of items of business stand out. One that caught my eye was an overture from the Presbytery of the Pacific Northwest that requests adding language to the Book of Order that clarifies that candidates being examined for ordination are being examined to be ordained by an EPC presbytery. The Permanent Judicial Commission (PJC) recommends approving this change. Another overture from the Presbytery of the East would add as voting members of a presbytery those ruling elders who were elected to leadership positions other than the officers of the presbytery. The PJC recommends it be disapproved as it does not meet “the requirements for clarity, consistency of language, and compatibility.”

Looking to the future the NLT is recommending the Moderator appoint an ad interim committee “composed of five REs or TEs from diverse, strongly-supporting churches across multiple presbyteries to address how to improve our churches’ long-term culture of giving to the EPC” and to evaluate the Per-Member Asking formula. On another front, the Next Generation Ministries Council is asking that presbyteries be encouraged “in creation of Next Generation Networks for children, youth, and college workers in collaboration with the Next Generation Ministries Council.”

For the polity wonks, there is a proposed amendment to the Book of Government section of the Book of Order brought forward by the National Leadership Team (NLT) that would make explicit in the constitution a policy that has been voiced for many years that the EPC does not have the called position of co-pastor. The paragraph from the NLT report captures this well:

Since 1985, when the Fifth General Assembly approved the Permanent Judicial Commission’s ruling that the office of “Co-Pastor” is “non-existent,” it has been the official position of the EPC that this office is prohibited. However, this position is not explicitly declared in the Book of Government. A number of EPC churches that came from another denomination in the past ten years were familiar with or had used the “co-pastor” model in their past. Some of these churches have questioned the “constitutionality” of the prohibition of co-pastor. The NLT recommended amendment to the Book of Government makes explicit constitutionally the position of the EPC since 1985.

A lot going on this week. I wish the EPC commissioners well and we will be lifting them up in our prayers as they meet.

215th Stated Meeting Of The General Synod Of The Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church

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Having introduced the Synod meeting of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, it would be appropriate to turn our attention to the 215th Stated Meeting of the General Synod of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. As mentioned previously, these are concurrent meetings with joint worship, workshops and some plenary meetings that began this morning at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.

The basic documents for the meeting are posted. First, there is a schedule for the meeting with a general business agenda. The ARP News is posting many of the other items associated with the meeting, including the pages of the metrical psalms to be sung during the joint worship services. Commissioner-specific material was distributed to registered commissioners ahead of the meeting and unlike some previous years is not publically available online.

For the doctrinal and polity standards of the ARPC you can check out their Governing Documents page which has all of those, plus links to some other interesting information.

While there is no live stream, the ARP’s official media outlet takes up the challenge nicely. ARP Magazine will be extensively covering the meeting on their news feed, Facebook page and on Instagram. The news feed will also be the place to look for daily updates every evening. They are also the official Twitter feed for the meeting as well (@arpmagazine) and the usual hashtag is #arpsynod2019 although this year #arpsynod is clearly in the mix. While there is the official main @ARPChurch feed it has been quiet for a while. World Witness (@theworldwitness), and Erskine Seminary (@ErskineSeminary) are active, however.

Looking at the initial Twitter action I would recommend Benjamin Glaser (@WVPitt), and Mark James (@GeraldMarkJames). And since these are concurrent meetings, you might want to keep an eye in the other hashtag, #RPSynod.

Without the reports, it is tough to preview the business of this meeting, but one of the reports that caught my attention is tomorrow morning related to Homosexual Orientation. While I don’t know the content of the report, or if any recommendations are being presented, I have a degree of curiosity if it is at all related to a significant discussion that has developed in the PCA over orientation, above and beyond homosexual practice. We will see what the reports on the Synod let us know after this business.

So, in the midst of this General Synod, we pray for their deliberations and the fellowship with the RPCNA, and look forward to hearing how they are guided by the Holy Spirit in their business.