Presbyterian Polity

By Scott Edburg | August 17, 2023

I may not be King Theoden from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, and we are not on the verge of the Battle of Helm’s Deep, but I would like to make the observation that we in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) are beginning another significant event in the life of our Church. While Book of Church Order (BCO) amendments pale in comparison to the excitement caused by orcs laying siege to an impregnable fortress, they have significant importance as it relates to the work of the Church. What begins now is the voting season for the items passed by the 50^th General Assembly held this past June in Memphis. Presbyteries all across the United States and Canada will have the next 9 months or so to offer their advice and consent about the amendments passed at this year’s Assembly. You can find overall results of the General Assembly here.

After an amendment passes the Assembly, it is bundled together with other proposed amendments and together they are then presented as “items” according to their location in the Book of Church Order. These items must pass at least 2/3 (or 59) of the 88 regional presbyteries by a simple majority vote of each presbytery. Any amendment that reaches the 2/3 threshold will be considered for final ratification at the 51^st General Assembly in Richmond, VA on June 10-14, 2024. This year, there will be three amendments for the presbyteries to consider (derived from Overtures 23, 26, and 27).  These proposed changes, respectively, clarify the sexual character expected of ordained officers in the Church, the use of technical titles for non-ordained laypeople, and an alteration in the procedure for a case without process. This article will include the language for each amendment, the history of the respective section in the BCO, and the rationale for each amendment. You can follow the progress of these amendments here (also linked on the Presbyterian Polity homepage).

Item 1: Overture 26

Overture 26 seeks to amend BCO 7-3 on church officers to address the usage of the titles pastor, elder, and deacon for those who have not been duly ordained for said office in the PCA. The amendment reads (underlined section):

7-3. No one who holds office in the Church ought to usurp authority therein, or receive official titles of spiritual preeminence, except such as are employed in the Scripture. Furthermore, unordained people shall not be referred to as, or given the titles of, the ordained offices of pastor/elder or deacon.

This amendment passed the assembly with about 75% support from commissioners with a vote of 1427-481. The relevant section in the BCO (Chapter 7) deals explicitly with the general classification of officers in the church. Section 3 concerns the scriptural authority and titles for those who hold office. Historically, this section grounds the authority of officer bearers to Scripture itself. Furthermore, it protects the church from “men usurping authority because they hold office in the church.”[1]

The rationale for this amendment arises from misapplication of the titles pastor, elder, and deacon (e.g., unordained “youth pastors,” “music pastors,” but also those who are not ordained to the office of deacon receiving that title). Those in favor of this amendment hope that it will help to protect the Church from the unordained (intentionally or unintentionally) usurping the authority of the ordained by claiming the titles of those ordained by God. If this amendment is ratified, what was once implicit in the Church’s constitution will be made explicit.

Item 2: Overture 23

Overture 23 seeks to amend both BCO 8-2 on elders and 9-3 on deacons to require officers’ conformity to the biblical standards of chastity and sexual purity. The amendments read as follows (underlined section):

8-2. He that fills this office should possess a competency of human learning and be blameless in life, sound in the faith and apt to teach. He should exhibit a sobriety and holiness of life becoming the Gospel. He should conform to the biblical requirement of chastity and sexual purity in his descriptions of himself, and in his convictions, character, and conduct. He should rule his own house well and should have a good report of them that are outside the Church.

9-3. To the office of deacon, which is spiritual in nature, shall be chosen men of spiritual character, honest repute, exemplary lives, brotherly spirit, warm sympathies, and sound judgment, conforming to the biblical requirement of chastity and sexual purity in their descriptions of themselves, and in their convictions, character, and conduct.

These amendments to the BCO received support from almost 90% of the Assembly with a vote of 1673-233. The relevant portions of the BCO (i.e., 8-2 and 9-3) deal with the character of those who hold office in the PCA. In particular, BCO 8-2 outlines the qualifications for those who hold the office of elder in the PCA. The present qualifications are:

1. Competency of human learning.
2. Blameless in life.
3. Sound in faith.
4. Apt to teach.
5. Sobriety and holiness of life.
6. Rule his own house well.
7. Have a good report of them that are outside the church.

Morton Smith notes that “the first four qualifications describe the man, while the last three speak of his life.”[2] These qualifications are derived from 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. The amendment above would add an additional explicit qualification that describes the man called to the office of Elder. He must also “conform to the biblical requirement of chastity and sexual purity.”

This amendment is then mirrored to include those who hold the office of deacon in BCO 9-3. Ramsay notes about the character of the Deacon, “to this office should be chosen men of honest repute and approved piety, who are esteemed for their prudence and sound judgment, whose conversation becomes the gospel, and whose lives are exemplary.”[3] In other words, the character qualifications are no different from those who hold either office in the church.

This pair of amendments was drafted in light of the failure of Overture 2022-15 from the 49^th General Assembly in response to Side-B homosexuality and the Revoice Movement. Many actions have already been taken to address this controversy in the PCA (i.e. a study committee on human sexuality, an SJC decision on the handling of Revoice, corrective responses concerning the Revoice Conference in Missouri Presbytery, and ratified amendments in BCO 16-4, 21-4, and 24-1). Furthermore, all of this has taken place in light of the church which sparked this controversy by hosting the Revoice Conference leaving the PCA (along with its ministers). Many hope this will be the last round of amendments concerning sexuality in the PCA (at least for now). As one commissioner already wrote, “I hope it will prove to be the Overture around which we unite and put to rest the persistent repetition of new amendments on this issue.”[4]

Item 3: Overture 27

Overture 27 seeks to amend BCO 38-1 on cases without process by clarifying the procedure for confessions with offended parties. The amendment would add the following (underlined section):

38-1. When any person shall come forward and make his offense known to the court, a full statement of the facts shall be recorded, and judgment rendered without process. In handling a confession of guilt, it is essential that the person intends to confess and permit the court to render judgment without process. Statements made by him in the presence of the court must not be taken as a basis of a judgment without process except by his consent. In the event a confession is intended, a written Confession (i.e., a sufficient summary of the facts, the person’s specific confession, and any expression or evidence of repentance) must be approved by the accused, and by the court, before the court proceeds to a judgment, and the co- signed document shall be appended to the minutes (regular or executive session). No other information may be presented without written consent from the accused and the court, and this prohibition includes individuals, prosecutors, committees, and commissions. A censured person has the right to appeal (BCO 42). The person has the right to be assisted by counsel at any point, in accord with the stipulations of BCO 32-19.

In any instances involving a personal offense (BCO 29-3), the court shall attempt to inform the offended person(s) of that part of the Confession the court deems pertinent to the offense against him or her. The court shall invite the offended person to provide the court comment on the Confession prior to final approval of the Confession by the confessor and the court. The court shall encourage the offended person to enlist the help of an advisor in preparing any such comments. In all instances, the court shall report the way such offended persons were informed of the parts of the Confession pertinent to them.

This amendment received almost unanimous support from the assembly with a vote of 1769-43. Ramsay contextually states this about BCO 38-1:

It is essential that the person intends to confess and permit the court to render judgment without process. Statements made by him in the presence of the court must not be taken as the basis of judgment without process except by his consent; for that would be to deprive him of his right. And the full statement of facts should be approved by him as correct before the court proceeds to render judgment. Against the judgment rendered the person condemned may complain. Of course, the words “any person” must be interpreted as meaning any person subject to judicial prosecution before the particular court.[5]

This amendment seeks to ensure that confessions of guilt are comprehensive enough to include those who have been sinned against in the process by “taking adequate steps to evaluate the integrity of a confession and have reasonable assurance of both its accuracy and sufficiency”[6] Under current provisions, the courts have no constitutional requirement to include the injured party in their deliberations.

Looking Forward

The 50^th General Assembly in Memphis was marked by both grace and truth. The temperatures from the previous recent Assemblies were nowhere to be found. As our Stated Clerk has said, “the heat around this issue [sexuality] seemed dissipated.”[7]  As the presbyteries receive these items for advice and consent, I pray that the same spirit of the 50^th Assembly permeates throughout our denomination. While these items are limited in scope when compared to the twelve (12) items from last year, I look forward to the deliberative work of our denomination. May God bless the PCA as we look onward to the 51^st General Assembly in Richmond.

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[1]Smith, Morton, Commentary on the Book of Church Order of the Presbyterian Church in America (Taylors, SC: Presbyterian Press), 63.

[2] Smith, Morton, Commentary on the Book of Church Order of the Presbyterian Church in America (Taylors, SC: Presbyterian Press), 66.

[3] Ramsay, F.P., Exposition of the Book of Church Order (1898), 60-61.

[4] Cassidy, David Patrick, Yes, We need Overture 23 (https://pcapolity.com/2023/07/21/yes-we-need-overture-23/).

[5] Ramsay, F.P., Exposition of the Book of Church Order (1898), 231-232.

[6] PNWP, Overture 27, (https://pcaga.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Overture-27-Pacific-NW-BCO-38-1-rev-4-14-23.pdf).

[7] Chappell, Bryan, STATED CLERK’S SUMMARY AND REFLECTIONS ON THE 50th ANNIVERSARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN AMERICA (2023), 5.

Scott Edburg is a PCA Teaching Elder serving as Pastor of Providence Presbyterian Church in Troy, IL.