44TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

2016 Report

•What: General Assembly (GA) is the highest court of the PCA. It is a business meeting, a conference, a reunion, a worship event, and a ministry expo.• Dates: June 20-24, 2016• Place: Mobile, AL• Attendance: 977 TEs; 275 REs• Theme: Refreshed – in and for the Cross

PCA 2015 STATS

1. Churches: 1,534 (+35 from 2014)2. Mission Churches: 327 (-5 from 2014)3. Professions of Faith: 9,679 (+254 from

2014)4. Membership: 370,332 (+11,816 from

2014)5. Sunday School Attendance: 97,719

(+1,096 from 2015; first increase in a number of years)

5. Long Term Missionaries: 586 (-10 from 2014)

6. RUF: 145 campuses (+20 from 2014) in 39 states in 60 presbyteries (9 new efforts slated for 2016)

7. Ministers: 4,556 (+140 from 2014)8. Presbyteries: 84 (no change from 2014)9. * Note many churches did not report

their stats. PCA had modest growth from 2014.

PCA 2015 STATS*

• Dr. James “Jim” C. Bland, III, retired after 17 years of service as Coordinator of MNA. During his tenure Reformed University Ministries was spun off as a permanent committee and several new initiatives were begun while retaining the major emphasis on church planting. The Rev. James Paul Hahn, Jr. was elected to succeed him.

• In recent years 7 of the 10 GA Committees and Agencies (RH, CC, CTS, CDM, RUM, MTW and MNA) have had changes of Coordinators and Presidents, due primarily to retirements

LEADERSHIP CHANGES

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES DEBATED & APPROVED

• Racial Reconciliation• Confession of past racial sins (Ov. 43 from

Potomac Presbytery, amended)• Create “PCA Unity Fund” (Ov. 44 from PP)• Create study committee on Racial

Reconciliation (Ov. 45 from PP)•Women in Ministry• Create study committee regarding

women serving in the ministry of the church (from PCA AC)

CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS

• Assembly-wide seminar: Sexual Brokenness in a Fallen World• Panel consisting of Tim Geiger, Executive

Director, Harvest USA; Allen Edwards, Pastor, Kiski Valley PCA; and David Strain, Pastor, First Presbyterian Church of Jackson, MS• Addressed how we may better minister the

gospel to people struggling with same-sex attraction, gender dysphoria, or pornography addiction

ASSEMBLY HIGHLIGHT

• Pursuing Racial Reconciliation and the Advance of the Gospel• GA adopted an amended version of Overture 43

to express its opinion on the issue of racial reconciliation• One commissioner filed a respectful dissent:

“With respect to the otherwise laudable resolutions adopted by the Assembly, I dissent from the use of the word ‘repent’ in the first two paragraphs. I do not believe one can repent of the sins of another.”

Be it resolved, that the 44th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America does recognize, confess, condemn and repent of corporate and historical sins, including those committed during the Civil Rights era, and continuing racial sins of ourselves and our fathers such as the segregation of worshipers by race; the exclusion of persons from Church membership on the basis of race;

OVERTURE 43(SLIDE 1 / 7)

the exclusion of churches, or elders, from membership in the Presbyteries on the basis of race; the teaching that the Bible sanctions racial segregation and discourages inter-racial marriage; the participation in and defense of white supremacist organizations; and the failure to live out the gospel imperative that “love does no wrong to a neighbor” (Romans 13:10); and

OVERTURE 43(SLIDE 2 / 7)

Be it further resolved, that this General Assembly does recognize, confess, condemn and repent of past failures to love brothers and sisters from minority cultures in accordance with what the Gospel requires, as well as failures to lovingly confront our brothers and sisters concerning racial sins and personal bigotry, and failing to “learn to do good, seek justice and correct oppression” (Isaiah 1:17); and

OVERTURE 43(SLIDE 3 / 7)

Be it further resolved, that this General Assembly praises and recommits itself to the gospel task of racial reconciliation, diligently seeking effective courses of action to further that goal, with humility, sincerity and zeal, for the glory of God and the furtherance of the Gospel; and

OVERTURE 43(SLIDE 4 / 7)

Be it further resolved, that the General Assembly urges the congregations and presbyteries of the Presbyterian Church in America to make this resolution known to their members in order that they may prayerfully confess their own racial sins as led by the Spirit and strive towards racial reconciliation for the advancement of the gospel, the love of Christ, and the glory of God; and

OVERTURE 43(SLIDE 5 / 7)

Be it further resolved, that the 44th General Assembly call the attention of churches and presbyteries to the pastoral letter contained in Overture 55 as an example of how a presbytery might provide shepherding leadership for its churches toward racial reconciliation; and

OVERTURE 43(SLIDE 6 / 7)

Be it finally resolved, that the 44th General Assembly remind the churches and presbyteries of the PCA that BCO 31-2 and 38-1 provide potent and readily available means for dealing with ones who have sinned or continue to sin in these areas.

OVERTURE 43(SLIDE 7 / 7)

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE(CLEARLY DESIGNATE THE OBJECT OF YOUR GIFT)

• Both study committees (Role of Women in Ministry; Racial Reconciliation) and the PCA Unity Fund will be underwritten by designated contributions. • For either the Study Committee on the Role of

Women or the Study Committee on Racial Reconciliation send gifts to:• The Administrative Committee, 1700 N. Brown

Road, Suite 105, Lawrenceville, GA 30043. • For the PCA Unity Fund send gifts to:• Mission to North America, PO Box 890233,

Charlotte, NC 28289-0233.

OTHER GA 2015 REPORTS

• PCA Stated Clerk’s summary• http://www.pcaac.org/wp-content/uploads

/2016/07/Actions-of-the-44th-General-Assembly-2016.pdf

• One PCA pastor’s summary• http://theaquilareport.com/44th-pca-gene

ral-assembly-2016-selected-acts-deliverances/

• GA recommended Pastoral Letter as an example of how a presbytery might provide shepherding leadership for its churches toward racial reconciliation• http://www.pcaac.org/wp-content/uploads

/2016/07/Pastoral-Letter-Overture-55-MS-Valley.pdf