“…but as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek. They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind. Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment. (16) But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.” – Psalm 73.2-6, 16-17
Before traveling to General Assembly, I was warned by another pastor to “conceal carry.” This warning was not because of the contentious problems in our denomination, but because of the crime throughout the host city of Memphis. The week of General Assembly proved my pastor friend correct. I observed a physical fight among locals while getting dinner with Adam Sanders. I saw private security at various local restaurants. I even heard reports that one of our pastors was mugged. This is quite a way to start a newsletter article about General Assembly, but I do so because the Lord continued to put Psalm 73 on my mind.
Psalm 73 is a psalm of Asaph, describing his personal discouragement between the knowledge of God’s righteous goodness and justice and the prosperity of the wicked. Asaph wrestles with the value of obedience to the Lord. If pride, violence, and evil are prosperous in this fallen world, has a life of obedience been in vain? Asaph confesses that he envied the arrogant. Many of our hearts might feel this at times. Why does the business that cuts corners or the worker who lies on his taxes thrive? What help is humility and patience when it is costly?
The Lord has an answer for both Asaph's and our hearts. Asaph needed to step into God’s sanctuary, the courtroom of the Lord. When Asaph beheld the court of the Holy One, there he understood. To be welcomed into the Lord’s sanctuary - to join your voices with the saints joyfully joining together in praise and worship - far exceeds any temporal prosperity of the wicked.
This is how Memphis felt! But the experiences of violence, immorality, and wickedness faded into the background as 2,222 pastors and elders gathered in the highest court of our denomination. It was a stark contrast as we sang God’s praises, encouraged each other, and celebrated fifty years of the Lord’s faithfulness to the PCA. This 50th General Assembly, a jubilee year, was marked by gracious debate, biblical reasoning, and celebratory testimonies to God’s goodness.
In recent years there have been growing rumblings of division from various groups within the PCA. Most of these grumblings were over fears that the cultural hot buttons of the day, like same-sex attraction or Critical Race Theory, might harm our denomination. This has not proven to be the case, however. The PCA remains as our motto states: “Faithful to the Scriptures, True to the Reformed faith, Obedient to the Great Commission” of Jesus Christ. This was evident in the preaching of the Word during the worship services and in the rationale during our debates. Personally, the tone and attitude throughout our assembly reminded me of Assemblies from years ago when there was greater care for one another, even among those who disagreed.
Much of this was due to the great work of our moderator, Pastor Fred Greco. He was clear, gracious, and firm, causing us to move through our business the quickest I have ever seen. The Assembly enjoyed the peace of less controversial topics than in years past, yet there was important work for us this year. Most of our votes were decided by very clear majorities. Three key highlights were:
- The Assembly made it clear that all ordained officers must uphold the biblical requirement for human sexuality in their conduct, conviction, and character. This is hopefully a final response to the many concerns and questions over what took place at Revoice in 2018.
- The Assembly believed that we needed to clarify how we refer to ordained and unordained staff in the church by only allowing titles of pastor, elder, and deacon for ordained offices.
- The Assembly appointed a commission to draft a petition to our federal and state leaders condemning the practice of surgical and medical gender reassignment surgery, particularly among children.
The Assembly did much more, including hearing very encouraging reports from our denominational agencies and committees on how the Lord continues to bless and grow our denomination. We held a lengthy debate on whether atheists, who do not have a belief in a coming judgment, are able to provide testimony in an ecclesiastical court. We also heard from the Stated Clerk that the Lord is continuing to build up and grow our denomination both in new members and in new churches.
Despite being a shorter Assembly, it was very full. Jason Coffey, Adam Sanders, and I want to thank you for your many prayers and encouraging words while we were serving the church as commissioners. If you would like to watch or read about the 50th General Assembly you can find more information at pcaga.org or ByFaith online.
