Reflections on PCA GA

More than 2,000 elders gathered in Louisville, KY, for this year’s annual meeting of the Presbyterian Church in America from June 22 to 25. This is an important meeting for our denomination, as we gather to review the work of the past year and prepare for the future. The first two days are taken up with committee meetings and other preparations. The rest of the time is reserved for the business of the assembly. I served on the committee that reviewed the work of the PCA Administrative Committee and presented its business to the assembly. I also served on the Nominating Committee, which proposed the personnel to fill out the Committees and Agencies of our denomination. Beyond that, I was one vote among thousands as the business of the assembly was conducted. With this reflection, I would like to offer some thoughts on my time in Louisville.

Before briefly discussing the specific actions of the General Assembly, I will make some general comments. First, though the PCA is not an especially large denomination, our medium size (about 300,000 members) makes the General Assembly something of a convention and a business meeting. In Exhibit Hall, vendors advertise their services to churches, and missionaries set up booths to bring awareness to their work. I met many friends there, including Tom and Catalina Nachtergaele, missionaries supported by our congregation, friends from my time working in Washington, D.C., and friends from seminary. These meetings with friends are useful for knowledge transfer and general encouragement. They contribute to my enthusiasm for this annual meeting. Without the convention aspect of the General Assembly, something would be lost.

With respect to the business, another general comment is that the sheer volume of business this year seemed to change the overall feel of the meeting. With 90 overtures submitted as actionable items of business, along with the election of a new Stated Clerk and other important matters, it seemed that more emphasis was placed on the work of the committees in preparation for the assembly and debate during the assembly was less encouraged. Whether that is a good thing or not is open for debate, but it seemed to be the reality this year.

Finally, and leading up to the business, it seemed to me that even if one takes the view that the PCA is a big tent that houses a diversity of views on many topics, the matters that generate debate within the church are relatively minor and still conservative. Sometimes it is helpful to remember that the sharp points of debate that energize individuals at meetings are still only a very narrow slice of Christianity. Our agreement is more often than not greater than our disagreement.

Turning to the business of the church, it is characteristic of the PCA that we spend time studying, since the historical roots of the denomination trace back to the Elizabethan Puritan movement, which advocated for learned ministers. Unsurprisingly, the General Assembly approved the continuation of two study committees for a second year and the constitution of a third. All three study committees, on the revision of the Directory of Public Worship, on Christian Nationalism, and on Artificial Intelligence, touch on pastorally relevant matters in the church. The fruit of their study will be beneficial to me in particular and to the church as a whole.

Administratively, much discussion revolved around the increasing cost of the annual assembly. Being one who appreciates the convention aspect of the assembly, I voted for the increase in fees to attendees. In a display of the strong undercurrent of conservatism in our denomination, that increase was somewhat resisted and much debated, even if it passed. However, the economic realities are plain, and almost no one is interested in scaling back to a bare bones assembly. This is good, because asceticism is not a feature of our denomination.

Finally, I have not said much about the overtures because the overwhelming number of overtures meant that more than 20 percent of them were referred back, i.e. not considered at this assembly. Another significant percentage was voted down. Eighteen of the 90 overtures were approved, either as is or as amended. One overture addressed the biblical expression of what it means to be a man or a woman. Another group of overtures offered thanks to God on the occasion of the 250^th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence (for which the greatest speech from the floor was given). Most of the rest of the overtures dealt with more technical matters of polity. All in all, I am encouraged by the health of our denomination and thankful for the opportunity to attend the assembly.