By Brad Isbell | June 20, 2023 The recently-concluded 50th Presbyterian Church in America General Assembly in Memphis, TN was the second-largest ever with (unofficially) 2250 elders in attendance; only the previous year’s assembly was larger with 2385 in attendance. More significantly, this year’s meeting solidified a trend of greater ruling elder (RE) participation in … More Ruling Elder Renaissance
by Joshua Torrey | June 8, 2023 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 Should the PCA Require Background Checks
by Zachary Groff | June 7, 2023 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 Crafting Sexuality Criteria for Church Officers
by Zachary Groff | April 24, 2023 Whenever people gather as a group to accomplish certain tasks and to achieve shared goals, they must operate according to rules held in common. The more formal the group, the more formal the expression of said rules must be. However formal or informal, these rules direct the group … More What Can the BCO Teach Us?
By Ryan Biese | December 5, 2022 I was reared Lutheran (ELCA). In my experience growing up and attending several different Lutheran congregations, the worship was fundamentally the same.[1] Regardless of whether we attended a relatively conservative or relatively liberal congregation, the order of worship essentially did not change. It did not even matter whether … More Beware the Latitude of the Pharisees
By Jared Nelson | June 21, 2022 For my own edification, I have made a habit to read through the book of Proverbs in preparation for General Assembly each year. A few years ago, I wrote out certain Proverbs which I need to remember when interacting with others, speaking privately or publicly, and maintaining my … More Proverbs for Presbyters
by Zachary Groff | April 7, 2022 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy (Matthew 5:7). At the heart of the Beatitudes, our Lord sets forth mercy as a – if not the – central mark of Christian discipleship, Kingdom living, and human flourishing in the church. Such being the case, what does … More Mercy in Church Courts