Saints, it is hard to believe that it has been over a month since the conclusion of the 51st General Assembly meeting in Richmond. Again, I thank you for your prayers for our time together. The Lord was pleased to answer those prayers and bless our gathering. The stated clerk of the denomination, Dr. Bryan Chapell, released his summary regarding the assembly recently. You can find the full report here.

Let me highlight some of the ways the Lord is blessing the PCA as well as some of the actions taken by the Assembly.

As Dr. Chapell noted, the PCA is one of the few denominations that is experiencing growth. Ryan Burge, the sociologist who coined the term “Nones” to speak of those with no religious affiliation, has pointed to the PCA as one of the few outliers to the general decline occurring in the church in America. Join me in giving thanks to God for His gracious work amongst our covenant children who are embracing the faith as their own as well as for the more than 4,600 adult professions of the faith.

The Lord is also at work through the various ministries of the PCA.

• Covenant College and Covenant Seminary saw increases in enrollment
• RUF, our ministry to college students, serves over 20,000 students each week on close to 200 campuses, including the University of Virginia and James Madison University
• Mission to North America is making good progress on its goal to plant 1,000 new churches by 2030
• Mission to the World saw five-year highs in terms of the number of two year/initial term missionaries and interns

The Assembly took a number of actions this year. Many of those actions revolve around two areas. The first concerns the officers in the church (elders and deacons). The Bible makes it clear that when the leaders and shepherds of the church go astray, this leads to great harm to the flock under their care. After several years of discussion, the Assembly finalized a change to our Book of Church Order which requires that all officers must conform both their teaching and their practice to the biblical standards for chastity and sexual purity. This is increasingly important in the midst of a world in which there is great confusion surrounding issues regarding sexuality and gender. The Assembly also, while not making it a requirement, affirmed the wisdom of requiring background checks for officers.

The other area of concern centers on our judicial process and how we conduct formal discipline within the church. Much of this is in response to the study committee report on domestic abuse and sexual assault, a resource I highly recommend. The Assembly gave final approval to a change that would require that when someone confesses their sin prior to the onset of official disciplinary proceedings, which requires a written confession, that any offended parties (those who have been sinned against) should have opportunity to review the confession and make comment on whether they believe it is sufficient. The Assembly also gave initial approval to a change that would expand who can represent an accused person at a trial. The disciplinary process is often overwhelming to those unfamiliar with all the rules and procedures, which can often lead to errors. The change seeks to open greater avenues for assistance so that the accused are dealt with in a just manner.

As always, if you have any questions about the Assembly, please let me know.