Heritage Presbyterian Church Adult Sunday School

1. PCA
47th General Assembly
2019 Report

2. 2A newcomers guide to GA
• 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 25-28, 2019
• Place: Dallas, TX
• Attendance: 1,160 TEs; 407 REs
• Theme: Press On For God’s Glory

3. 3A few introductory comments
• Moderator
• Assembly demeanor
• “Worship” comments

4. 4Clerk’s Report
Statistics Reported
• Total membership, 384,793 (increase of 10,057)
• Churches, 1,572 (increase of 4)
• Ministers, 4,951 (increase of 69)
• Presbyteries, 88 (adding 2)

5. 5Clerk’s Report
BCO amendments (rejected)
• BCO 30-1, regarding definite suspension, that
was shown to be self-contradictory
• BCO 30-3 regarding indefinite suspension, that
was shown to be dangerously lacking in
specificity
• BCO 32-19 to allow counsel by any communing
member in all courts

6. 6Clerk’s Report
BCO amendments (approved)
• BCO 8-1; 8-3 regarding the qualifications of elders
• BCO 25-11 to require thirty-days’ notice for a
congregation to withdraw from the PCA

7. 7Clerk’s Report
BCO amendments (approved)
• BCO 35-11 not to disqualify automatically a
member of a court who was called as a witness
• Grant BCO 59-3, as amended, full Constitutional
status. The amended provision (new text
underscored) reads: “Marriage is only to be
between one man and one woman (Gen. 2:24,25;
Matt. 19:4-6, 1 Cor. 7:2), in accordance with the
Word of God. Therefore, ministers in the
Presbyterian Church in America who solemnize
marriages shall only solemnize marriages between
one man and one woman.”

8. 8Interchurch Relations
• NAE debate and decision
• Review of Presbytery records
• Approving a man for admission to the Presbytery,
then seeking to censure his teaching
• MTW: Statement on valuing women
• Women currently serving in “director” roles

9. 9Overtures: dodging bullets
• Ordain women deacons (withdrawn)
• Allow non-ordained to serve on permanent
committees and boards (failed / declined
approval)
• Release Covenant Theological Seminary
from the PCA (failed)
• Overture 40: support women leaders
without delay or divisiveness (failed)

10. 10Overtures: uncovering landmines
• Response to adoption of the Nashville
Statement
• The value of an Ad Interim Study
Committee on human sexuality
• Will it address how we deal with ordained men
who identify as “gay” already serving in the PCA?