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 Daniel Thornton | June 12, 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 Constraining Choice of Counsel Contravenes Christ
By Jacob Gerber | June 9, 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 Overture 11 & Making Objections to SJC Decisions
By Brad Isbell | May 31, 2023 Dozens of congregations of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) communicate to the church and to the world that ordination is not essential to the holding of church office or to bearing the titles thereof. The two-office polity of the PCA is simple and clear; its on-the-ground manifestation … More PCA Officers & Their Pronouns
By Ryan Speck | May 5, 2023 In Matthew 18:20, Jesus promises that “where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (cf. 1 Cor. 5:4). Does this mean that two Christians gathering at a restaurant for lunch have achieved a Temple experience? Put another way, … More The Discipline of Worship
By Brad Isbell | April 27, 2023 The Presbyterian Church in America’s (PCA) Book of Church Order (BCO) contains no glossary, but maybe it needs one. This is not to fault the BCO’s early-70’s authors — no previous generation of Presbyterians had trouble figuring out what most of the words meant, including those words that … More An Overture on Titles & Ordination
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 Brad Isbell | February 28, 2023 In the Presbyterian Church in America, there are but two offices: elder and deacon. All officers in the PCA are ordained; both offices (by definition) are filled by (and only by) ordained persons. Officers are essential in many kinds of organizations inasmuch as they are legally required or … More The Church’s Two Laws
By Jared Nelson | January 28, 2022 Every Christian ought to heed Paul’s warnings to “have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths” (1 Timothy 4:7) and not to be found in “quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.” (2 Corinthians 12:20). Thus, we must be especially cautious when approaching a subject such … More Secret Caucuses & the PCA
By Rich Leino | November 29, 2021 The title of this article is a hat tip to James Womack who has been at the fore of lean transformation movements for years. In one of his articles he points out that many Chief Executive Officers are heralded for their amazing leadership and vision to steer the ships … More Fewer Presbyterian Heroes, More Presbyterian Farmers