By Jacob Gerber | March 13, 2023 Who Is Responsible for Church Discipline? Church discipline is painful and messy. Even the very lowest levels of church discipline are agonizing, when we admonish someone we notice to be sinning. The pain of church discipline only ratchets up, though, as we approach the ultimate censure of the … More Who Is Responsible for Church Discipline?
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 | October 13, 2022 “Grassroots Presbyterianism” has become a common description of the polity of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). The term generally communicates the understanding that the PCA has been a bottom-up denomination that was formed with a conscious effort to give more power to the Presbyteries rather than the … More Grassroots Presbyterianism & Amending BCO 34-1
by Zachary Groff | September 6, 2022 What makes this church over here Presbyterian and that church over there Episcopalian or Lutheran or Congregational or Baptist or Pentecostal or Anglican or Independent? In other words, what’s in a name? From where do we derive the nomenclature which we have adopted to describe various expressions of … More Presbyterianism & the Regional Church
By Matt Fender | July 19, 2022 During the proceedings of the 49th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), we saw two examples of historical precedent being invoked to support a decision of the moderator that appeared to be contrary to the plain language of the Book of Church Order (“BCO”) or … More Deliberating by the Book
By Jacob Gerber | May 9, 2022 As a fundamental principle of church government in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), our Book of Church Order limits church power and authority to be only ministerial and declarative: All church power, whether exercised by the body in general, or by representation, is only ministerial and declarative since the Holy Scriptures … More All Church Power Is Only Ministerial & Declarative
By Scott Edburg | April 26, 2022 How has the failure of last year’s proposed Book of Church Order (BCO) amendments regarding sexuality affected the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) so far? Some effects are more obvious than others. The most obvious effect to date is the attempt on the part of some presbyteries to … More New Overtures for a Pressing Concern
By Scott Edburg | March 8, 2022 Earlier this week, byFaith Online published an article entitled SJC Concludes Action on Matters Related To Revoice 2018. In that article TE Larry Hoop states, “this concludes the matters that have been before the SJC related to Revoice 18 involving TE Greg Johnson, the Session of Memorial Presbyterian … More A “Concluding” Action on Revoice 18?
By Scott Edburg | February 5, 2022 Earlier this week, byFaith Online published an article entitled SJC Answers Dissent in Greg Johnson Case. This comes several months after the majority made a ruling on a complaint against Missouri Presbytery that sided with Missouri Presbytery over how the Presbytery conducted an investigation of one of its … More Dissent, Response, & Concurrences in Speck v. Missouri Presbytery
By Jacob Gerber | December 20, 2021 “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” (Ps. 133:1). Life in Christ’s church can be hard, especially when we must deal with complicated, difficult, and controversial questions. Nevertheless, we purposefully close every General Assembly by singing Psalm 133 together as a prayer that … More The Biblical Foundations of Parliamentary Procedure