by Scott Edburg | January 27, 2024 Since the fall (see my November update), around 24 presbyteries have taken up the three proposed Book of Church Order (BCO) amendments sent from the 50th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) to the regional presbyteries. According to my records, 64 presbyteries have taken up the … More January 2024 BCO Amendments Update
By Michael Khandjian | January 16, 2024 Please note that the Editorial Board of Presbyterian Polity does not necessarily endorse all views expressed on the blog of this site, but the editors are pleased to present well-crafted position papers on issues facing Presbyterian churches and denominations. What follows is one such paper for our readers’ … More Do We Need a Directory for Worship? No.
By Brant Bosserman | January 12, 2024 Please note that the Editorial Board of Presbyterian Polity does not necessarily endorse all views expressed on the blog of this site, but the editors are pleased to present well-crafted position papers on issues facing Presbyterian churches and denominations. What follows is one such paper for our readers’ … More Cretans Are Always Liars: The Necessity of Divine Oaths in Church Courts
By Jared Nelson | January 10, 2024 For 47 years, a “temporary statement” has introduced the Presbyterian Church in America’s Directory for the Worship of God. This note, affixed by the Third General Assembly, noted the unfinished work of revising the Directory of Public Worship stating: “The Directory for Worship is an approved guide and … More The Unfinished Business of the PCA Founding: The Directory for Public Worship
Understanding Overture 4 from Central Indiana Presbytery By Dan Barber | January 5, 2024 Please note that the Editorial Board of Presbyterian Polity does not necessarily endorse all views expressed on the blog of this site, but the editors are pleased to present well-crafted position papers on issues facing Presbyterian churches and denominations. What follows … More Trying to Do Something… Substantial
By Brad Isbell | December 11, 2023 Thesis: No confessional presbyterian church will long remain confessional or Presbyterian if it loses Reformed worship. First, some definitions: Why will unscriptural, man-centered, culturally conditioned, over-contextualized worship undermine confessional orthodoxy? Because worship by its very form (which ought to be according to spirit—uppercase and lowercase— and truth) communicates … More Confessional Presbyterian Worship
by Zachary Groff | December 4, 2023 At the dawning of creation,by the power of God’s Word,light shone forth, cutting through the darkness,when God’s mighty voice was heard. By our sin the darkness took us,and we fell from our high place.But our Savior did not abandon us:Christ has saved us by His grace. We are … More At the Dawning of Creation: A Hymn Celebrating 50 Years of the PCA
by Scott Edburg | November 23, 2023 As fall fades to winter, 40 presbyteries have taken up the three proposed amendments to the Book of Church Order (BCO) initially approved and passed down by the 50th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). Nearly half of the presbyteries have offered advice and consent … More November 2023 BCO Amendments Update
by Scott Edburg | October 29, 2023 As October ends, 26 presbyteries of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) have offered their advice and consent concerning the three Book of Church Order (BCO) amendment items sent down from the 50th General Assembly. As a general reminder, there is a three-step process that the PCA must … More October 2023 BCO Amendments Update
By Ryan Biese | October 11, 2023 How a church-plant, or “mission church,” (BCO 5-1) transitions to become a “Particular Church” is outlined in BCO 5-9. Until a “mission church” becomes a particular church, the church plant is usually under the care of a Presbytery by means of one of two temporary arrangements. In the … More Can a Temporary Session Impose a Pastor on a Church Plant?