By Jared Nelson | September 21, 2023 While all of the proposed amendments to the Book of Church Order (BCO) received about three-fourths (or more) support at the 50th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCAGA50), Item 1 (i.e., Overture 26), is most likely to receive a measure of debate and discussion in … More Hammering Out Item 1
By Jared Nelson | June 19, 2023 One potentially confusing part of the deliberations at the 50th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) was the consideration of Overture 7. You can see the substance of that overture in a previous Presbyterian Polity article here. While there was some confusion as to substance … More The Route for Amending the RAO: Explaining How the 50th GA Handled Overture 7
By Jared Nelson | March 2, 2023 One of the weightiest responsibilities of a member or delegate at presbytery is examining new Teaching Elders. One must balance the needs of a congregation for a pastor with the responsibilities that man will have in shepherding, teaching, and counseling the flock of Christ’s church entrusted to his … More The Presbyterian Way of Approving Pastors
By Geoff Gleason | October 24, 2022 For as long as I have been a minister in the Presbyterian Church in America (ordained in 2011), there have been intramural debates within the denomination about subscription to the Church’s agreed-upon edition of the Westminster Standards (Confession of Faith, Larger, and Shorter Catechisms) as its theological documents. … More Of Doctrinal Standards & Good Faith Subscription
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 Jared Nelson | September 29, 2022 “So, do you have any questions for us?” When a search committee or a session poses this to a pastoral candidate in an interview or during a candidate visit, this should not be the first time the candidate considers the questions he wants to ask the church. A … More 10 Questions Every Candidate Should Ask a PCA Search Committee