By Matt Giesman
I had a wonderful week in Memphis, TN, and I’m grateful that our church sent me (along with Pastor Stephen) to the PCA’s 50th General Assembly. Others are more equipped to track the minutiae, so instead I want to offer several themes I observed this past week.
Lament – Between the shooting in Nashville that claimed six lives and the recent deaths of PCA stalwarts Harry Reeder and Tim Keller, the celebration of the PCA’s 50th birthday was a bit somber. Randy Thompson (preaching at the request of retiring moderator John Bice) responded with an appropriate passage at the week’s opening worship service, focusing on the Lord’s great faithfulness from Lamentations 3. It struck the chord of lament while focusing on the week’s theme – “Great is thy faithfulness.” Ligon Duncan (whose father attended the PCA’s first General Assembly in 1973) touched on similar themes in his message from Ephesians 1 on Wednesday night. And one of my favorite moments of the week was attending the 50th Anniversary concert by Indelible Grace with my family. We sang our hearts out; we cried happy tears; we stayed up too late, and we didn’t regret it for a moment. (For a recording of the concert as well as all of the sessions of General Assembly, see these links: https://vimeo.com/833437403 and https://vimeo.com/pcaga.)
o On that note, this story from Christianity Today (by Megan Fowler, a journalist who also writes for the PCA’s By Faith website) summarized the tone leading up to the Assembly: https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2023/june/pcas-50th-anniversary-comes-during-season-of-grief.html.
Steadfast Love – God’s provision for 50 years was never far from the discussion this past week. And while some of these stories may seem far away and distant, here’s one from the Mission to the World (MTW) website about an original missionary family. If you look closely (at the family reunion picture, which is from 2022, not 2020), you’ll see a picture of some of our members: https://www.mtw.org/stories/details/an-original-mtw-missionary-family-serves-50-years-in-europe.
Accountability – This may not be a splashy theme, but it came up over and over. Two presbyteries were cited to appear before the General Assembly because of major concerns raised in the review of their records. Reformed University Fellowship had to delay the finalizing of some affiliation agreements because they weren’t properly approved by the Assembly. (Affiliation agreements spell out the differing roles that RUF National, the presbytery and its RUF Committee, and the Campus Minister play. Personally, I found no issue with the agreement itself; the main concern of the Assembly seemed to be whether the agreements could be changed without some prior oversight and approval.) One of the PCA’s themes at its founding was that it was a grass roots denomination, built from the ground up, not controlled from the top down. That theme was alive and well this week, including the passage of Overture 7.
Strength for today – The PCA is planting a church every two weeks. Other statistical indicators (membership, baptisms of adults and children, total giving) are on the rise in our denomination, despite setbacks during COVID that other denominations have faced, as well. To quote a previously mentioned hymn, we have “strength for today,” which was the title of Dr. Duncan’s Wednesday night sermon.
Follow Through – The PCA has been discussing sexuality for several years. Two overtures (requests for the General Assembly to act on an issue) from last year received final approval with a 99% vote, specifying the need for elders and deacons (and candidates to become officers) to affirm the Bible’s teaching on indwelling sin and sanctification. Another overture (#23) with similar themes passed with 88% approval and requires two more steps (passage by 2/3rds of the presbyteries and a simple majority at next year’s Assembly) for final approval. These steps, along with an excellent report on human sexuality from 2020 (https://pcaga.org/aicreport/), will hopefully bring unity and clarity on this issue. Another study report last year focused on domestic abuse. Several requested changes to our Book of Church Order arose out of that study to help ensure to help prevent abuse. One such proposal was not approved, in what I believe was the closest vote of the Assembly. (Read more about it here: https://twitter.com/MattGiesman/status/1670092024031379458.) Even though that Overture (#13) was not approved, we did give final approval to Item 8, a series of changes to BCO 35 that would allow, for example, an alleged victim to not have to face their alleged abuser while testifying. While this topic is obviously sobering, and while some feel more could be done to prevent abuse, important steps were taken following last year’s report, for which we should be grateful.
Bright Hope for Tomorrow – When you start with lament, there are obviously hard themes that were discussed this week. And yet, “bright hope for tomorrow” was not absent from this Assembly. Attendance remained high (2290 commissioners, nearly reaching last year’s record registration), the spirit of debate was civil and mostly positive, and the votes were mostly unanimous in most cases. All three preachers (Les Newsome preached a wonderful sermon on Thursday night from Isaiah) reminded us of God’s faithfulness that has carried us for 50 years. Wednesday’s mornings Assembly-wide seminar from several PCA Founding Fathers was a treat (https://vimeo.com/836026842), and we also heard several other videos like this delightful one from Susan Hunt at the beginning of our business sessions (https://vimeo.com/813691185).
Busy but Blessed – I served on the Overtures Committee and the Nominating Committee this year. And even if I hadn’t, there was enough business to keep me quite busy. But there were also friends to see, songs to sing, encouragement to be shared. I love General Assembly. I love the PCA, and I think I love them both more now than I did the first time I attended. (I rarely speak at Overtures Committee, usually deferring to others. But I did offer a short amendment to one that received unanimous approval. I’ll stop bragging now.)
Unity – I would not claim to speak for everyone, but I thought there was a noticeable sense of unity before, during, and after this year’s Assembly. Perhaps it’s because of the lamentable challenges and bitter providences God has allowed us to face. Perhaps I say this because of how many votes received 80% or 90% approval or more. And perhaps I say it because it seems that we pursued truth and found unity in the process. The PCA’s motto has long been Faithful to the Scriptures, True to the Reformed Faith, and Obedient to the Great Commission. While our denomination isn’t perfect, it is still pursing those noble goals and trusting in God’s great faithfulness.
Pastor Matt, June 17, 2023