Overture 29: Passed Presbyteries 79-1. An Officer’s view of Indwelling Sin, Actual Sin, and Sanctification matter. This is the language that was approved to BCO 16.4: “Officers in the Presbyterian Church in America must be above reproach in their walk and Christlike in their character. While office bearers will see spiritual perfection only in glory, they will continue in this life to confess and to mortify remaining sins in light of God’s work of progressive sanctification. Therefore, to be qualified for office, they must affirm the sinfulness of fallen desires, the reality and hope of progressive sanctification, and be committed to the pursuit of Spirit-empowered victory over their sinful temptations, inclinations, and actions.”
 
The Presbyterian Church in America just completed its Jubilee Assembly in Memphis, TN!  This 50th General Assembly on this 50th Anniversary year was a God-Glorifying, Christ-Exalting, Body-Edifying Time to say the least.  It was a week full of the joy of the Lord in our worship and work. The week flew by as we reconnected with old friends and made new ones. We’d say that this GA was a statement on Transparency and Accountability as many of these items will show.
Here are the Top 20 Key Actions or Impressions of the 50th PCA GA (loosely in the order they came to the Assembly).  Go here to read the same list again with all the details and links that are needed to understand and research the items.
1) TE Fred Greco was Nominated Moderator
Implication: Fred lived up to his reputation. He ran the Assembly with precision, wit, humor, and gravitas. The assembly ended earlier on Thursday than others in recent history.  A motion was made to make Fred the Permanent
2) Abuse Victim Protection Provisions (last year’s Overture)

Passed Presbyteries: 77-3, Passed GA near unanimously
Implication: Victims of Abuse don’t have to testify in the presence of their abuser.

3) Qualifications for Church Office (last year’s Overture)

Passed Presbyteries 79-1, Passed GA near unanimously
Implication: An Officer’s view of Indwelling Sin, Actual Sin, and Sanctification matter

4) Ordination Requirements and Procedures (last year’s Overture)

Passed Presbyteries 77-3, Passed GA near unanimously
Implication: Candidates view of Indwelling Sin, Actual Sin, and Sanctification matter

5) Overture 7 – Improved Reporting Requirements for Agencies and Committees

Passed 1271-88, Goes into effect immediately
Effects MNA, MTW, RUF, Covenant College, Covenant Seminary, etc.
Implication: There will be more transparency and accountability for the PCA’s Agencies and Committees. This helps ensure they are operating according to the desires of the Assembly.

6) Metro NY Presbytery Referred to the SJC for allowing a Woman to Preach

This came out of the RPR Report
Implication: Our System Works. Women Preachers are not allowed at Worship Services.

7) NW Georgia Presbytery Referred to the SJC for Congregational Meeting Delinquencies

This came out of the RPR Report
Implication: Our System Works. Following the process of Congregational meetings matters.

8) RUF Affiliation Agreement was flagged because it was not approved by the Assembly

Reformed University Fellowship will need to rework the Contract for approval next year.
Implication: Agencies and Permanent Committees need GA Approval on Major Policy changes.

9) Nominating Committee Recommendations – All Were Approved by the Assembly

Great Men were added to the SJC, MNA, MTW, RUF, Covenant College and Covenant Seminary, and other Agency Boards and Permanent Committees.
Implication: PCA Agencies and Permanent Committees will have good guidance and oversight.

10) Overture 23 – Requiring Officers Conformity to Biblical Standards of Sexuality

Passed (1673-223). This must now pass 2/3 of the Presbyteries this year.
Implication: Church officers must communicate their sin struggle according to the Biblical standard for chastity and sexual purity.

11) Overture 26 – Titles for Officers must Not be Used for Unordained People

Passed (1427-481). This must now pass 2/3 of the Presbyteries this year.
Implication: This clarifies how terms for our church offices are used and restricts them to only those who have been ordained according to Scripture as described in our Standards.

12) Overture 12 – Condemning Practice of Surgical & Medical Gender Reassignment Statement

Passed (1089-793). This takes effect immediately. Will be mailed to Federal & State Governments.
Implication: This will put the PCA on public record as taking a stance against transgender reassignment surgeries. Having a denominational stance on this issue can potentially benefit Christians in the public sphere when they may be required to take a stance against this evil.

13) Overture 28 – Reaffirm the “Message to All Churches” from 1973

Passed (1158-143), takes effect immediately
Implication: This statemen reaffirms the PCA’s 1973 so-called Declaration of Independence, showing our resolve to be faithful to our foundational principle and call our mother denomination, the PC(USA), to repentance.

14) Overture 14 –Attempt that will Hinder PCA Members who are Lawyers from Aiding in PCA Courts

Voted down by the Assembly (unanimous as part of larger vote)
Implication: This preserves that professional lawyers can participate in the church courts without undue restrictions. The language of the proposal would have severely restricted the ability of those members and elders in the legal profession from aiding members in Church Discipline cases. Language in BCO already prohibits paid counsel.

15) Overture 13 – Attempt to Allow atheists to testify in the Church courts

Voted down by the Assembly (1091-751)
Implication: This maintains the current BCO language which requires a belief in “the existence God or a future state of rewards and punishments” in order to testify in the Church courts

16) Overture 15 – Attempt to Codify that Women Cannot Preach to Assembled Christians in the PCA

Voted by the Assembly to refer back to the Overture’s authors (1725-139)
Implication: The decision to “refer back’ indicates the Assembly’s desire to address the subject of women preaching, but they would like the authors to refine and clarify the language before resubmitting the overture.

17) Wonderful Worship Services, Sermons, and Exhortations for our 50th Year

Ligon Duncan’s Call to “Stand Strong in the Lord or You will Fear Man” During His Sermon
O. Palmer Robertson’s Call to Be Ministers who Stand on and Preach the Word of God from the Bible and to Present Christ’s Bride Sanctified before Christ.

18) The Gospel Reformation Network Luncheon & its Honoring of the Late Dr. Harry Reeder

Over 700 people were present. This represents approx. 1/3 of the whole Assembly.
Shows a Commitment to the GRN Vision “To Cultivate Healthy Reformed Churches in the Presbyterian Church in America.”

 19) The Administrative Committee and Host Committee Did a Wonderful Job!

Thank you to all involved in making PCA GA 50 a Christ-honoring success in Memphis, TN!

20) All indications lead us to believe that the PCA is heading in the right direction.

The last 3 General Assemblies have shown that Transparency, Accountability, and Faithfulness are increasing.
Our Membership, Pastors, RUF Chapters, Church Plants, and Missionaries are all growing in #.
May we remain Faithful to the Scriptures, True to the Reformed Faith, and Obedient to the Great Commission.

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GO HERE TO READ THE SUPPORTING DETAILS ON EACH OF THE ABOVE # ITEMS

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The church is the meeting of God’s people. What happens in it is for the benefit of God’s people. Others are welcome to look in, but what we say and do is necessarily for the believers. It is in taking the gospel out to the world that preach the good news to the perishing.

In certain circles, seeking to get unbelievers into church is seen as the highest possible goal. There is nothing better, according to some, when unbelievers come into the church and under the sound of the gospel. That, they aver, is what we ought to be about. At the risk of being deemed a contrarian, I just don’t think that is true.
What goes on inside the church is necessarily for the upbuilding of believers. The church is, after all, a gathering of believers. The world is not the church. What happens in the church is not primarily for the world. It is for believers.
This matters when it comes to our preaching. Sermons are not principally for the purpose of sharing the gospel with unbelievers. They are primarily for teaching and applying God’s Word to God’s people. Sermons are for Christians, first and foremost.
That doesn’t mean, of course, that we kick all the unbelievers out the room on Sunday. Of course it is better for unbelievers to be in the room listening to the Word preached than outside not engaging with it at all. Of course the sermon should include some gospel clarity. Not least because the gospel is not just a message we believe when we first trust in Christ, but is the very heart of everything we do as believers thereafter. But we also want some gospel clarity because – even amongst those who think they are genuine believers already – some of them won’t be. It is only clear gospel preaching that will wake such people up to the fact that they don’t actually belong to Christ.
So, on any given Sunday, I fully expect believers and unbelievers to be present in the room. I am more than happy that unbelievers are there.
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Greco is quick to point out that the proposal applies only to prospective officers, not to all church members. “Officers in the church are to be models of godliness and Christ-likeness,” he says. Though imperfect, “they are not to be identified with their sin.” He believes that the three criteria referred to above “make clear that it is neither being a sinner nor struggling with a sin that disqualifies a man from office. It is identifying with his sin and declaring that the Spirit will never give (indeed, cannot give) victory over his sin.”

Following their approval by the Presbyterian Church in America’s 48th General Assembly, the Book of Church Order (BCO) amendments proposed by Overtures 23 and 37 have been sent the PCA’s 88 presbyteries for their advice and consent. Both proposed amendments deal with homosexuality. Two-thirds of our presbyteries, a total of 59, must approve them before they’re presented to the 49th Assembly for a final vote.
Two Overtures, Three Years in the Making
A lot of history — in the culture and in our church — has brought us to this moment. This is how it goes with controversial issues in the PCA. Sometimes they’re theological — the debate over creation days, for example. Sometimes they’re related to polity — such as the ministry of women in the church. And they can be significant issues in the broader culture, such as racial reconciliation or, as we see today, homosexuality.
Such issues produce debate, prompt disciplinary cases, and spawn overtures to the General Assembly (GA). They can also lead to the creation of study committees to explore the issue, and while the findings of such committees are only advisory, they tend to promote peace in the church around the controversies.
So why this issue, and why now? There are two primary reasons.
The first comes from outside the PCA — the dramatic change in attitudes toward homosexuality in American culture. They’ve occurred quickly — in roughly two decades — and they’ve been pervasive. Sadly, these trends have also been reflected in some Christian churches. Many mainline denominations, for example, now endorse same-sex marriage and the ordination of practicing homosexuals. Though the PCA has faithfully advocated the biblical teaching concerning homosexuality, some have called for the denomination to express its position even more strongly in response to these trends.
The second reason is internal. In July 2018 Revoice, an organization created to support Christians who experience same-sex attraction while upholding the historic Christian teaching about marriage and sexuality, held its first conference at Memorial Presbyterian Church, a PCA congregation in St. Louis. The conference stirred controversy and criticism throughout the evangelical world, and particularly within the PCA.
Over the next several months, Greg Johnson, pastor of Memorial, found himself defending Revoice in a variety of public settings. In the process, he acknowledged his own struggles with same-sex attraction, which intensified the controversy and prompted a series of technical judicial actions:

At the request of the Memorial session, Missouri Presbytery created a committee to investigate allegations raised against Johnson and Memorial for hosting Revoice.
In May 2019, the committee presented its findings; while concluding that the Memorial session had failed to exercise due diligence in its handling of the conference, no charges were filed against Johnson or the session.
In January 2020, two presbyteries invoked the provisions of BCO 34-1 that allow a presbytery to ask the General Assembly’s Standing Judicial Commission (SJC) to assume original jurisdiction when a presbytery fails to act on a matter of theological error. The presbyteries alleged that Missouri’s failure to charge Johnson constituted such a failure.
In the same timeframe, two presbyteries and two sessions outside Missouri presbytery requested that Missouri initiate a disciplinary investigation of Johnson under BCO 31-2. The presbytery established a committee to conduct such an investigation in October 2019. It found no strong presumption of guilt and in July 2020 the presbytery exonerated Johnson.
This led a third presbytery to ask the SJC to assume original jurisdiction in Johnson’s case.
But before the SJC could act on these requests, an elder in Missouri Presbytery filed a formal complaint against the presbytery for exonerating Johnson. The complaint was denied by Missouri and then taken to the SJC, which ruled that the complaint should be considered before the requests for original jurisdiction. That complaint is currently being decided.

The PCA Reacts With 11 Overtures
All this — external and internal factors combined — led to a flurry of 11 overtures sent to the 2019 General Assembly.

One asked the Assembly to commend a study paper on sexual orientation produced by the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) and make it available to the denomination.
Two offered their own statements on homosexuality.
Two others asked the Assembly to re-affirm previous statements.
Two presbyteries overtured the Assembly to commend the Nashville Statement, produced by the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, and make it available to the denomination.
Four presbyteries asked the Assembly to appoint a study committee to address the issue.

Ultimately, the Assembly commended the Nashville Statement and the RPCNA’s study paper. It also approved the appointment of a study committee; GA Moderator Howard Donahoe appointed the Ad-Interim Committee on Human Sexuality (AIC) which posted its report in May 2020, prior to the Assembly that was postponed because of COVID-19.
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For a complete statement of Fred Greco’s arguments in favor of Overtures 23 and 37, click here.
For a complete statement of Kyle Keating’s argument against the Overtures, click here.

[The Aquila Report Editor’s Note: Here are the proposed amendments to the PCA’s Book of Church Order as approved by the PCA General Assembly and sent to the presbyteries for their votes]:
BCO 16-4. Officers in the Presbyterian Church in America must be above reproach in their walk and Christlike in their character. Those who profess an identity (such as, but not limited to, “gay Christian,” “same sex attracted Christian,” “homosexual Christian,” or like terms) that undermines or contradicts their identity as new creations in Christ, either (1) by denying the sinfulness of fallen desires (such as, but not limited to, same sex attraction), or (2) by denying the reality and hope of progressive sanctification, or (3) by failing to pursue Spirit-empowered victory over their sinful temptations, inclinations, and actions are not qualified for ordained office.
BCO 21-4 e. In the examination of the candidate’s personal character, the presbytery shall give specific attention to potentially notorious concerns, such as but not limited to relational sins, sexual immorality (including homosexuality, child sexual abuse, fornication, and pornography), addictions, abusive behavior, racism, and financial mismanagement. Careful attention must be given to his practical struggle against sinful actions, as well as to persistent sinful desires. The candidate must give clear testimony of reliance upon his union with Christ and the benefits thereof by the Holy Spirit, depending on this work of grace to make progress over sin (Psalm 103:2-5, Romans 8:29) and to bear fruit (Psalm 1:3; Gal. 5:22-23). While imperfection will remain, he must not be known by reputation or self-profession according to his remaining sinfulness, but rather by the work of the Holy Spirit in Christ Jesus (1 Cor. 6:9-11). In order to maintain discretion and protect the honor of the pastoral office, Presbyteries are encouraged to appoint a committee to conduct detailed examinations of these matters and to give prayerful support to candidates.
BCO 24-1. In the examination of each nominee’s personal character, the Session shall give specific attention to potentially notorious concerns, such as but not limited to relational sins, sexual immorality (including homosexuality, child sexual abuse, fornication, and pornography), addictions, abusive behavior, racism, and financial mismanagement. Careful attention must be given to his practical struggle against sinful actions, as well as to persistent sinful desires. Each nominee must give clear testimony of reliance upon his union with Christ and the benefits thereof by the Holy Spirit, depending upon this work of grace to make progress over sin (Psalm 103:2-5; Romans 8:29) and to bear fruit (Psalm 1:3; Gal. 5:22-23). While imperfection will remain, he must not be known by reputation or self-profession according to his remaining sinfulness, but rather by the work of the Holy Spirit in Christ Jesus (1 Cor. 6:9-11). In order to maintain discretion and protect the honor of church office, Sessions are encouraged to appoint a committee to conduct detailed examinations into these matters and to give prayerful support to nominees.