Jim Shaw

PCA Elders and Members Were ‘Fools for Christ’ At the First Annual GA Evangelistic Outreach

I have been to many outreach events; I have yet to see one this productive. Many people seemed truly moved by the conversations they had with those with whom they shared the Good News.  If it weren’t for a scheduled meeting at GA, we are convinced these witnesses would have been out there for another hour or more.

There were some curious glances, smirks and even comments made as passersby witnessed a group of Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) ruling and teaching elders and some of their family members taking the Apostle Paul’s example to heart and placarding the gospel before others, not fearing to be seen as “fools for Christ.”
TE Jonas Brock of Golden Isles Pres., St. Simons, GA spearheaded the face-to-face evangelism outreach, but did not have to work too hard, as brothers and sisters eagerly engaged in sharing their faith naturally as they hit the streets with fervor.  Up and down the Beale Street in Memphis one could see REs Travis Peacock and Mark Board, TEs Geoff Gleason, Evan Gear, David Bradsher, Jonathan Rowe, Rick Holbert and his wife and daughter, Scott Moreland and his wife, and Jonas Brock engaging in deep gospel conversations with people who’d come out to party on the Beale.  TE Shaw brought out an amplifier to preach a gospel message to those in hearing range and TEs Holbert and Bradsher followed suit.

I have been to many outreach events; I have yet to see one this productive. Many people seemed truly moved by the conversations they had with those with whom they shared the Good News.  If it weren’t for a scheduled meeting at GA, we are convinced these witnesses would have been out there for another hour or more.
We did learn some lessons that will help us prepare the logistics for times, places, transportation and such when GA meets next year in Richmond. Plan on joining us. In the meantime, you may want to practice by planning your own witness opportunities in your community.
A Facebook page called “PCA Fools for Christ” has been opened as a place to encourage us, keep us abreast of local opportunities between GAs and to equip and encourage one another in this ministry.  It also has pictures of the event.  Check it out and plan on joining us next year for 2nd Annual GA Evangelistic Outreach.
Jim Shaw is Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian (PCA), in Brunswick, GA.
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First Annual Pre-PCA General Assembly Outreach and Evangelism Event

You may not have done much Outreach & Evangelism. You may have gotten out of the habit. You may even feel a little intimidated by the prospect. Do not despair. This event will pair you and others with seasoned leaders to go out for an hour to act on the Great Commission in Memphis, Tennessee.

You may not have done much Outreach & Evangelism. You may have gotten out of the habit. You may even feel a little intimidated by the prospect. Do not despair. This event will pair you and others with seasoned leaders to go out for an hour or two in one opportunity to fulfil the Great Commission in Memphis, Tennessee. Once you witness your leaders engaging in O&E your juices will flow and you will be emboldened to speak the Gospel without fear.  When you return from outreach to go to into the opening worship services of the 50th General Assembly at 6:30 pm, you will do so renewed in your commitment to God; you will be encouraged to continue to practice evangelism when you return to your home area.
In a few weeks thousands of godly teaching and ruling elders will descend upon the city center of a significant U.S. city for the annual General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA).  In our hearts we will carry the joy of the knowledge of what Christ has done for us in reconciling us to God, a message that should burst forth from the overflow of our hearts. An opportunity is being arranged to exercise our calling to proclaim the hope that is within us to the nations.
On Tuesday, June 13, PCA men and women will go forth proclaiming our hope on the Beale Street in Memphis from 5-6 pm.
You may not have done much Outreach & Evangelism. You may have gotten out of the habit. You may even feel a little intimidated by the prospect. Do not despair. This event will pair you and others with seasoned leaders to go out for an hour to act on the Great Commission in Memphis, Tennessee. Once you witness your leaders engaging in O&E your juices will flow and you will be emboldened to speak the Gospel without fear.  When you return from outreach to go to into the opening worship services of the 50th General Assembly, you will do so with a nearness to God that you will long to hold onto forever.
Will open air preaching be the harsh and combative stuff of Westboro Baptist?
No.  Sharing the Gospel, even as a street preacher is not something that should be a finger pointing combative exercise to sate some kind of persecution ideology. What would you preach to your congregation in an evangelistic sermon? Share the bad news that we have all sinned and fall short of God’s righteous standard and that the penalty of sin is death, then the Good News that Christ reconciles believers to God through faith in Him.  We are going with great news.
I’m better at personal evangelism.
There will be those who lead personal evangelism groups. Also, needed will be people to hand out materials.
Can women participate?
Yes!  While the open-air preaching of the Word will be reserved for men, we need our godly women to evangelize women, distribute tracts, perform various support services, like driving people from the convention center to the Beale and serving as prayer warriors!
Most of all, encourage your husbands and fathers.
Dr. Henry Krabbendam, the notable OPC pastor and evangelist to Uganda tells a story about a pastor in an area that was being overtaken by communists years ago.  The communists, as they are wont to do, were threatening Christians with imprisonment. One pastor, perhaps looking for relief from his wife, said to her, “You know, I will have to go out and preach the Gospel regardless.  It may well mean that you will soon be without me.”  To which his wife replied, “If you don’t go out.  I will push you out.”
The reality is that godly women desire nothing more than to see their husbands and fathers shod with the shoes of peace, taking up the shield of faith and the Sword of the Lord and going forth as a warrior for our Lord, Jesus Christ!
What do we need?

People! Especially those who have experience with evangelism, whether that be face-to-face or as open-air preachers to help lead and encourage others.
People who can shuttle field workers from the center to Beale St. and back.
People who are prayer warriors. We ask that people pray regularly leading up to GA that God will work mightily on the streets of Memphis. (We will have hand out cards directing people to Gospel preaching churches in the area.  May they be blessed.)
You may purchase your own tracts.

If you desire to participate in this evangelism outreach or have questions, contact Jim Shaw.
We will meet in the conference center at 4:15 pm for a brief time of intercessory prayer and then leave promptly at 4:45. If you come on your own, we will stage at the corner of Beale and BB King Blvd.  You can call or text me on my cell: 205-451-5433.
Jim Shaw is a Minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and Pastor of Redeemer PCA in Brunswick, GA.
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How To Kill A Denomination In One Easy Move

If you want to kill your denomination in one easy move that move is to neglect General Assembly.   Those who helped bring in the very things that caused you to send your ruling elders to GA in the first place (Revoice/Side-B, CRT, female line- authority, etc.) are themselves going to be at General Assembly and they are waiting to reengage at the very first indication that our denomination has again attained a false sense of security.

It doesn’t take long to recognize one.  First, the crackly and poor audio. Then the sonar with the 5…4…3…2…1 countdown, brass and drum military band and the staccato words of the narrator. I am, of course, talking about those old World War II military training films that were shown to thousands of enlistees as the nation was looking to pump as many men as possible and as quickly as possible into foreign theaters of war.
Some were entitled, Combat: Kill or Be Killed, or Crack the Tank.  However, one particularly jarring title was, How to Get Killed in One Easy Lesson.  What was the gist of this lesson?  The answer, fall into false security and laziness and you will greatly increase your chances of getting killed in battle.
Mankind was made to work.  We naturally enjoy work and subduing creation. What we don’t like, however, is thorns and thistles.  It is our tendency to want to put programs in place and have those programs run themselves while we do other more pleasant things. Parents send their children off to school where the professionals are supposed to do the work of getting our children into a top college and a fulfilling career. Then we hire a slam-bang-up guy out of seminary to be the youth pastor and we trust that professional to do his magic of making our children into the spiritually mature and exemplary Christians that we want for them to be.
Life doesn’t work that way.  People who turn their attention away from their lawn will soon have an overgrown yard, and people who turn their attention from their children will soon have children whom they don’t recognize. The fact is sin is in the world and because of this everything that is not carefully looked after will devolve into destruction.
So, how does one kill a denomination in one easy move?  Same answers: false security and laziness.
Why do I write these things?  Because, I am beginning to get a sense that some confessionals in the PCA are considering taking the next General Assembly off.  Perhaps the successes of the past two or three General Assemblies and the exit of Memorial Presbyterian on top of the increased expenses to attend GA have caused some to believe that things can be put on autopilot again.  That is exactly the mindset that got the PCA into the situation that we find ourselves now:

Good confessional pastors wanted to focus on their ministries, not church politics.
Ruling elders and members wanted to focus resources on ministry, not on sending the pastor to expensive annual weeklong administrative meetings.
Ruling elders didn’t want to spend their money and vacation time having to go to those boring weeklong meetings.

If you want to kill your denomination in one easy move that move is to neglect General Assembly. Those who helped bring in the very things that caused you to send your ruling elders to GA in the first place (Revoice/Side-B, CRT, female line- authority, etc.) are themselves going to be at General Assembly and they are waiting to reengage at the very first indication that our denomination has again attained a false sense of security.[1]
Ruling elders; would you dare leave your business on auto-pilot?  Members, would dare leave the church to clean itself and maintain its own property?  Of course not. How much more important is Christ’s bride than these things?
Therefore, watch over her and maintain her good health. Send your pastor to do the unpleasant work of maintaining the denomination that you love.  Ruling elders, take from your time and treasure to protect the denomination that you love.
Don’t regret to one day see your church lying lifeless on the field of battle, a casualty to your false security and casualness.
Jim Shaw is A Minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and is Pastor of Redeemer PCA in Brunswick, GA
[1] See Memorial Pres., St. Louis letter to congregation Oct. 18, 2022, https://theaquilareport.com/memorial-presbyterian-church-session-calls-congregation-meeting/

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A Plea to Missouri Presbytery From A Fellow Presbyter

I trust that you are men driven by Christian character who will not countenance watching a sound church of Jesus Christ – your church – be torn asunder, especially by a small minority. If this is true, then give no support, encouragement or succor to any man who would refuse now to submit wholeheartedly to the will of the brethren. 

Dear Brothers:
Pondering the dangerous and seemingly unquenchable division in our nation right now the thought has occurred to me that sometimes men just have to “slug it out.” Boxers, pre-fight, stare at each other with absolute malice in their eyes and the visceral desire to kill or seriously wound the other.  Honestly, there is no way that this aggression is going to be defused without a fight.  However, after the match the combatants usually hug and congratulate each other as reconciled enemies. The hostilities have abated, and the two stand with a unique and very strong bond as brothers in arms.
Around 160 years ago our nation was torn apart by a bloody civil war.  Young men chomped at the bit to move onto the field of battle and unleash lethal force upon their neighbor.
However, after four years of bloodshed men on both sides had had enough and were ready to be at peace. General Robert E. Lee did much to help bring about that peace.
It is reported that President Jefferson Davis desired to continue to fight a guerrilla war against the U.S. However, knowing the costs of dividing a nation and the price of war, Lee said, “No.” Instead, he went on an extensive campaign throughout the South to help heal the rift that had formed.  He encouraged Southerners to forget the past, to lay aside revenge and not to engage in continued warfare against the Union. Did Lee suddenly think that his reasons for fighting were wrong? No, however, what he saw was the greater good of peace and unity that stood before a nation torn apart by a four-year war.
Interestingly, the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), our denomination, has been at civil war for the same number of years. It was in 2018 that a member church of your presbytery stunned the denomination by hosting Revoice, a Side-B gay affirming conference. Letters and articles were written addressing genuine concerns.  Greg Johnson went on a speaking campaign via podcasts, magazines, twitter and finally a book.
The Heart of the People
Brothers, the rollout of Side-B was orchestrated in your presbytery. I am not going to get into all of the evidence of this in this letter, but suffice it to say, the evidence is clear. Now, I do not think that you all planned to “take down” the PCA.  I simply believe that you misread the heart and mind of the denomination; a heart and mind that has been clearly demonstrated over the past two General Assemblies.
At GA 2021, the GA voted to pass overture 23 by well over 2/3 of the body.  The overture clearly expressed the will of the denomination that a man not be allowed to serve as a church officer who professes to be a “gay Christian,” “same-sex attracted Christian,” “homosexual Christian,” or like terms. Many in the PCA wanted their feelings expressed and did so.
Those on the other side were successful in scuttling the overture by seeing that it did not reach the high threshold for ratification by 2/3 of presbyteries.  Nonetheless, the vote was very close to the two-thirds of presbyteries needed.
So, the elders of the denomination came back together in 2022 and passed yet two more overtures dealing with the matter.  Overture 29 only had 200 votes against it.  Overture 15, with specific language referring to those claiming to be homosexuals, and despite arguments that it wouldn’t be able to pass the 2/3 threshold, still passed GA by nearly 55% of the body. The point in all of this is that the denomination has spoken.  It does not agree with Side -B-gay-but-celibate ideology. The sentiment is overwhelming.  The war is over.
Jolene
Back in the early ‘70s Dolly Parton sang a song about a woman who came from a position of admitted weakness, begging her antagonist, who was beautiful and seductive, to have a heart and not take away her only love, just because she could.
Our denomination finds itself coming to you in a position of weakness. Those who support Side B could wage a guerilla war within our denomination. 1) They could work to scuttle the overtures again, frustrating the will of the members, and we could debate them again at GA after GA. Or 2), they could allow the overtures to pass, but simply not obey their spirit while hiding within sympathetic presbyteries and an effete Standing Judicial Commission.  Certainly, PCA members would be very frustrated.  Or 3), they could even engage in a tactical retreat in order to hide out and replan, only to spring another surprise on the Church in a few years. In short, those supporting Side B ideology could do much to sow discord and in so doing destroy the peace and health of the PCA, something they swore not to do in their ordination vows.
The reality is it is time for those who support Side B-gay-but-celibate ideology to submit to the will of their brethren, also a part of their ordination vows and bring an end to the lost-cause campaign.
This is where you step in to be the Robert E. Lee of our age. The denomination needs you to say, “Enough.  It is time for peace and submission.”  Many of those who support the other side of this issue look up to you all – particularly certain members of your court who perhaps have served them at the seminary.
Fool Me Thrice
There is an old proverb: “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” Even though I have had my trust abused on numerous occasions by fellow PCA presbyters and ought to know better, I am just a sucker.  I trust that you are men driven by Christian character who will not countenance watching a sound church of Jesus Christ – your church – be torn asunder, especially by a small minority. If this is true, then give no support, encouragement or succor to any man who would refuse now to submit wholeheartedly to the will of the brethren.  Make every effort to root out rebellion, and counsel men of the need to uphold their vows.
It is understood that some will conscientiously be unable to submit to the will of the brethren in this matter. They must be encouraged to exit the denomination for one that suits them better.
Brotherhood Again
The fight has been long, tiresome and costly. We have slugged it out, so to speak. It is time to shake hands, come together and be one church with the same heart and mind. It is incumbent upon you to rally together to restore peace and unity in the PCA, to strengthen the PCA for the good of Christ’s Church.
Sincerely in Christ,
Jim Shaw is a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America serving Redeemer Presbyterian in Brunswick, GA. 
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