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?
by Zachary Groff | October 10, 2023 The venerable ecclesiastical word “Presbyterian” has fallen on hard times. The Twentieth Century played host to a fierce contest between so-called Modernists in one corner and so-called Fundamentalists in the other. Christians of every denominational stripe were caught between the opposing forces of theological Liberalism and a fractured … More Review: Well Ordered, Living Well by Guy Prentiss Waters
by Scott Edburg | September 30, 2023 As the presbyteries of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) begin taking up the amendments this fall, I hope to provide monthly updates on how the amendments are faring throughout the country. There are only three items – in contrast to last year’s twelve – sent down by … More September 2023 BCO Amendments Update
by Philip Ryan | September 20, 2023 “The words ‘system of doctrine,’ have a definite meaning, and serve to define and limit the extent to which the confession is adopted.” ~ Charles Hodge [1] The Westminster Confession and Catechisms are a treasure. When people ask for a good one-volume systematic theology, I usually recommend the … More Our System of Doctrine
by Guy Prentiss Waters | September 8, 2023 Most Presbyterians have attended an ordination service, but many Presbyterians don’t fully understand what they are witnessing. What exactly is (not) happening when men are ordained to office in the church? What are the benefits and blessings of ordination to the church’s officers? The PCA’s Book of … More The Benefits & Blessings of Ordination
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 … More And So It Begins…
By Brad Isbell | July 18, 2023 What equipment does a newly minted Ruling Elder need? I would propose the following: the Bible, the Westminster Standards, the Book of Church Order (BCO), a phone for texting members and fellow elders (there is lots of texting), an email account, and that most presbyterian item of men’s … More In Praise of the Humble Blue Blazer
by David W. Hall | July 12, 2023 Editor’s Note: What follows below is an excerpt (pp. 124-127) from Irony and the Presbyterian Church in America by Dr. David W. Hall (Covenant Foundation, 2023), the first published history of the PCA’s inaugural 50 years. Single copies are available for purchase from Amazon.com, and discount pricing … More A New History of the PCA’s First 50 Years