Hills and Plains Presbytery approved an overture at a March 5, 2022 Called Meeting, asking the 49th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America to “amend BCO 16 by adding a new paragraph using wording from the Report of the Ad Interim Committee on Human Sexuality.”

The Overture presents proposed wording to amend BCO 16 by adding a fourth paragraph using wording from the Report of the Ad Interim Committee on Human Sexuality (AIC). The overture argues that since the 48th General Assembly in 2021 voted unanimously to commend the Human Sexuality Report, it seems appropriate to ask the 49th General Assembly to approve wording to add to BCO 16. The proposed wording provides the following:
BCO 16–4. Officers in the Presbyterian Church in America, though sound in the faith and living lives according to godliness, are well served when they can be honest about both their present fallen realities and their hope for sanctification. Their goal is not just consistent fleeing from, and regular resistance to, temptation, but the diminishment and even the end of the occurrences of sinful desires. Desires that are inconsistent with God’s design are to be resisted and mortified, not celebrated or accommodated. To juxtapose identities rooted in sinful desires alongside the term Christian is inconsistent with biblical language and undermines the spiritual reality that they are new creations in Christ. Sometimes there are disagreements about language even when the underlying doctrinal commitments seem to be the same, and how persons express themselves is not finally determinative of their identity.
An overture is a means by which a Presbytery can bring a matter to the GA for consideration. This overture will be considered by the 49th PCA General Assembly at its meeting in Birmingham, Ala., June 20-24, 2022.
OVERTURE from Hills and Plains Presbytery“Amend BCO 16 Adding a New Paragraph Using Wordingfrom the Report of the Ad Interim Committee on Human Sexuality”
Whereas, the Sacred Scriptures instruct us how to walk and to please God, abstaining from sexual immorality and controlling our bodies with holiness and honor (1 Thess. 4:1–5); and
Whereas, the Apostle Paul exhorts Timothy to fight the good fight of faith and to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness (1 Tim. 6:11–12); and
Whereas, overseers must be above reproach (1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:6, 7) and holy (Titus 1:8), and well thought of by outsiders (1 Tim. 3:7); and
Whereas, deacons must be dignified (1 Tim. 3:8) and serve if they prove themselves blameless (1 Tim. 3:10); and
Whereas, the Book of Church Order declares that everyone “whom God calls to bear office in His Church . . . should be sound in the faith, and his life be according to godliness” (BCO 16-3); and
Whereas, the Ad Interim Committee on Human Sexuality of TE Dr. Bryan Chapell, TE Dr. Kevin DeYoung, TE Dr. Tim Keller, TE Dr. Jim Weidenaar, RE Dr. Derek Halvorson, RE Mr. Kyle Keating, and RE Mr. Jim Pocta, studied issues assigned to it by the 47th General Assembly in 2019; and
Whereas, the Ad Interim Committee on Human Sexuality released the Report of the Ad Interim Committee on Human Sexuality in 2020; and
Whereas, overture 38 to “Commend the Human Sexuality Report,” unanimously adopted by Calvary Presbytery, was answered in the affirmative by a show of hands at the 48th General Assembly in 2021; and
Whereas, the AIC Report says, “Christians are well-served when they can be honest about both their present fallen realities and their hope for sanctification” (p. 28); and
Whereas, the AIC Report says, “The goal is not just consistent fleeing from, and regular resistance to, temptation, but the diminishment and even the end of the occurrences of sinful desires through the reordering of the loves of one’s heart toward Christ” (p. 10); and
Whereas, the AIC Report says, “Desires that are inconsistent with God’s design are to be resisted and mortified, not celebrated or accommodated” (p. 28); and
Whereas, the AIC Report says, “To juxtapose identities rooted in sinful desires alongside the term ‘Christian’ is inconsistent with Biblical language and undermines the spiritual reality that we are new creations in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17)” (p. 11);
Whereas, the AIC Report says, “Sometimes there are disagreements about language even when the underlying doctrinal commitments seem to be the same. . . . For these reasons, how persons express themselves is not finally determinative of their identity” (p. 29);
Therefore, be it resolved that Hills and Plains Presbytery (PCA) overture the 49th General Assembly to amend the Book of Church Order chapter 16 by the addition of the following paragraph (underlining for new wording):
BCO 16–4. Officers in the Presbyterian Church in America, though sound in the faith and living lives according to godliness, are well served when they can be honest about both their present fallen realities and their hope for sanctification. Their goal is not just consistent fleeing from, and regular resistance to, temptation, but the diminishment and even the end of the occurrences of sinful desires. Desires that are inconsistent with God’s design are to be resisted and mortified, not celebrated or accommodated. To juxtapose identities rooted in sinful desires alongside the term Christian is inconsistent with biblical language and undermines the spiritual reality that they are new creations in Christ. Sometimes there are disagreements about language even when the underlying doctrinal commitments seem to be the same, and how persons express themselves is not finally determinative of their identity.
Approved by Hills and Plains Presbytery at a Called Meeting on March 5, 2022Attested by Wesley D. Martin, Stated Clerk

Muller’s example reminds us of some important principles with regard to seeking and following God’s guidance: (1) Bathe our endeavors and decisions in much prayer; (2) Make sure our motives are right—to bring glory to God and benefit to others, not to gain attention or honor for ourselves; (3) Look for confirmation of our plans through the positive outworking of circumstances and the affirming support of other people; (4) Lay hold of and exercise scriptural principles that can strengthen us in our endeavors; (5) We shouldn’t be too surprised if we sometimes have doubts and need additional encouragement from the Lord; (6) Don’t forget to ask God to bless us in all the specific ways that are needed, including basic blessings that we might tend to take for granted; (7) Be sure, as Muller did, to recount God’s many blessings and to heartily praise Him for them.

Recently while seeking God’s direction about quite a significant ministry decision in my own life, I was encouraged by going back and reviewing some of the specific details of how the Lord led George Muller into his great orphan ministry. Perhaps the rehearsal of those wonderful developments in Muller’s life will help provide you with some encouragement and guidance for those times when you find yourself seeking God’s direction about ministry-related matters or other important decisions in life.
Muller moved to Bristol, England, in 1832 at age twenty-six. There he co-pastored two congregations with his good friend and fellow minister Henry Craik. As part of his ministry, Muller taught Bible classes for destitute children and older people. He became greatly concerned for the spiritual and material needs of the many orphans he saw on the streets of Bristol. At that time in the whole of England there were only a dozen small orphanages—eight of those in London and none nearby Bristol.
Muller was acquainted with the work of German Professor A. H. Franke who over a century earlier had established large orphan houses in Germany. On November 20, 1835, Muller came across a biography on Franke. That evening and in the days to follow Muller wrote in his personal journal:
“I have frequently, for a long time, thought of laboring in a similar way, though it might be on a much smaller scale; not to imitate Franke, but in reliance upon the Lord. May God make it plain! November 21: Today I have had it very much impressed on my heart, no longer merely to think about the establishment of an orphan house, but actually to set about it, and I have been very much in prayer respecting it, in order to ascertain the Lord’s mind. November 23 [after receiving even more financial support for his ministries than he had requested in prayer]: This has been a great encouragement to me, and has still more stirred me up to think and pray about the establishment of an orphan house. November 25: I have been again much in prayer yesterday and today about the orphan house, and am more and more convinced that it is of God. May He in mercy guide me!”
In the days to follow Muller continued to spend many hours praying about the possible orphan ministry. He also repeatedly examined his own motives to make sure he was not thinking of pursuing this course out of a desire to gain glory for himself. Muller had a sincere desire to minister to the material and spiritual needs of orphans, and to help them grow up to become positive assets to society. But above all, as he would later write: “The first and primary object of the work was that God might be magnified by the fact that the orphans under my care are provided with all they need, only by prayer and faith, without anyone being asked by me or my fellow laborers, whereby it may be seen that God is FAITHFUL STILL and HEARS PRAYER STILL.”
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The promises of God are Yes and Amen in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:20). That foundation is one that is sturdy. It will hold us. It is not overwhelmed by the waves. The river may rage, but the bottom remains unchanged. We may feel like the billows go over our heads, but be of good cheer, our great foundation is good.

They then addressed themselves to the water; and entering, Christian began to sink. And crying out to his good friend, Hopeful, he said, “I sink in deep waters, the billows go over my head; all his waves go over me.” Then said the other, “Be of good cheer, my brother; I feel the bottom, and it is good.”John Bunyan—The Pilgrim’s Progress
When we reach the day of our death, what will our response be? That day is coming, don’t doubt it. “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Heb 9:27). John Bunyan describes this day like crossing a great river. And like he wrote for Christian, for some, the waters of that river will seem deep and terrifying. I’d wager that for most, when we face the idea of our own mortality, we still feel the knee-jerk reaction to fear that old enemy. I’d like to think that I’d handle it better than others, but I know myself too well. I know that apart from the grace of God, I will tremble on that day. And if it weren’t for the strong hand of God that upholds me, I know that I could never make it safely over on my own. I want to highlight the encouragement that Hopeful gives to Christian in his hour of despair: “I feel the bottom, and it is good.”
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