An Overview of the 53rd General Assembly
The 53rd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) gathered in Louisville, Kentucky, a few weeks ago. Downtown Presbyterian was represented this time by Scott Hultstrand (one of our ruling elders), and the four DPC pastors (teaching elders). More than a few participants noted that this year’s Assembly seemed to have a more collaborative spirit — a refreshing departure from the contentiousness of recent years. One interesting wrinkle in this year’s meeting: the Assembly experienced technical difficulties with the electronic voting devices provided for commissioners, a situation dubbed "Clickergate." While frustrating, this seemed to have an unanticipated effect. When votes took much longer than they normally would, commissioners could be heard talking and even laughing while we waited for the devices to register votes. We seemed to get along a bit better as the pace slowed down, and as we became co-belligerents against the “clickers”!
New Stated Clerk and Moderator
The Assembly elected Ruling Elder Mel Duncan as this year’s Moderator. Mel grew up in Second Presbyterian Church in Greenville, and he serves as both an elder and a staff member for that church. Mel had the daunting task of facilitating an orderly meeting with thousands of people in the room. Teaching Elder Fred Greco, who previously pastored a PCA church in Katy, Texas, was approved as the new Stated Clerk of the PCA. The Stated Clerk serves as the chief administrative officer for the PCA. He facilitates church-wide communications, and he provides guidance to presbyteries and local congregations about issues of polity and governance.
Record-Breaking Participation and Elder Engagement
The 53rd Assembly saw record-breaking attendance, with almost 2500 registered commissioners present. Significantly, 34% of those in attendance were ruling elders. This reflects a healthy "grassroots" involvement in which the men who shepherd local PCA churches are directly shaping the national church.
Unprecedented Volume of Overtures
This year, the Assembly managed 90 overtures — the highest volume in the history of the PCA. At some important points, the Assembly demonstrated trust in the prior work of the Overtures Committee, rather than trying to deliberate about all 90 overtures on the floor of the Assembly.
Gender and Church Office (Overture 37)
The Assembly addressed several overtures concerning gender and office. One Overture from Pacific Presbytery (Overture 37) proposed that our Book of Church Order be changed to allow the ordination of women as deacons. This overture was answered by the Assembly in the negative. This answer was deemed a sufficient response to eight other overtures concerning gender, church office, and the participation of non-ordained church members.
Commending the Danvers Statement
In a move to underscore biblical teaching on gender, the Assembly voted to commend the Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. This is a document from 1987, created by a parachurch ministry call the Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW).
Continuing Study on Christian Nationalism
The ad interim committee tasked with studying Christian Nationalism has been extended and will report again at the 54th General Assembly. Importantly, the Assembly applied a funding contingency to this work: the committee must use existing funds or specifically raised donations. This ensures the study continues without creating an unexpected burden on the general denominational budget.
Continuing Study of our Directory for Public Worship
The Assembly also extended the ad interim committee tasked with revising the Directory for Public Worship (DPW). The present Directory is the final section of our the PCA Book of Church Order. It provides general guidelines about the elements of a worship service, as well as weddings, funerals, and family worship. Like the committee studying Christian Nationalism, this committee is to bring a refined report to next year’s Assembly.
AI Study Committee
The Assembly created a new study committee to examine Artificial Intelligence. This initiative is designed to help local churches shepherd their members, as emerging technologies present new ethical and pastoral challenges in our daily lives and ministries.
The Vibrant Growth of RUF
Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) continues to be one of the PCA’s most fruitful ministries. Here are some encouraging stats:
Weekly Student Engagement | 22,000 Students | Up 32% since 2022
New Campus Works | 30 Added | ~20% increase in 5 years || Current total of 202 chapters
Intern Class of 2026 | 93 Interns (including our own Charlie Hall!), the largest in RUF’s history
RUF-International | 26 campuses (this ministry ministers to international students in the US)
RUF-Global | 14 campuses in other countries
A Declaration of Thanksgiving—America’s 250th Anniversary
The Assembly issued a declaration of thanksgiving in anticipation of America’s 250th Anniversary. DPC made a similar gesture with our litany of thanksgiving on June 28, the Sunday before July 4.
Some final observations:
Now over half a century into its existence, the PCA still strives to be (in the words of a slogan from its founding): “Faithful to the Scriptures, True to the Reformed Faith, and Obedient to the Great Commission.”
The PCA is one of the few Christian denominations in the US that is growing.
Although meetings like General Assembly and Presbytery can feel “clunky” with their parliamentary procedure and technical jargon, these meetings are valuable. More importantly, they demonstrate that churches like Downtown Presbyterian are in a “connectional” denomination. We are not an autonomous church body. We have doctrinal and ethical accountability to others, and we participate in nationwide ministry as we seek to make Christ known beyond our own city.