In 1976, the PCA’s General Assembly convened in Greenville, South Carolina, at War Memorial Auditorium, a building that has since been demolished and replaced by a larger auditorium. But on September 13, 1976, 590 elders (325 teaching elders and 265 ruling elders) from 305 churches gathered and began the proceedings by electing Pastor William McIlwaine as moderator of the fourth General Assembly.
Here are some of the significant actions and decisions resulting from the Assembly:
Sanctity of Life
The Assembly passed the following overture denouncing abortion and affirming the sanctity of human life:
Therefore, be it resolved that the Presbyterian Church in America protest, decry, and abhor this mass slaughter of unborn babies who are “persons” by every right of the just laws of God and man, and that the Presbyterian Church in America call upon every responsible citizen to support the enactment of moral legislation that will protect the life of the unborn child.
The Assembly also formed an Ad Interim Committee on Abortion “to study and bring back to the 1977 General Assembly a biblical, theological statement on abortion with practical application.”
Chaplain Commission
Pacific Presbytery sent an overture, which the Assembly adopted, to form a committee to study the formation of a denominational commission to endorse military chaplains. As the overture stated, “It would seem to be best to have the chaplains of our denomination endorsed by a Presbyterian Commission that would more clearly represent our denomination before civil authorities from our theological and ecclesiological points of view.”
NAPARC
In the fall 1975, the North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council held its first formal meeting at Geneva College. During the report of the Interchurch Relations Committee, the 4th General Assembly acknowledged the establishment of NAPARC and received delegates from member institutions.
Sabbath Observance
The Assembly also passed the following motion concerning the observance of the Christian Sabbath:
We the members of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America reaffirm our unwavering stand against all unnecessary encroachments upon the Lord’s Day, and exhort all citizens everywhere to worship God and to properly set aside and sanctify the Sabbath of the Lord Jesus Christ. And that we exhort each pastor and session to study the positive application of Sabbath observance to their congregation in order to bring our practice into greater conformity with the Church’s Standards.
Campus Ministry
The Assembly considered an overture regarding the importance of campus ministry. As a result, it decided “That the Mission to the United States Committees of the Sessions, Presbyteries, and General Assembly study and develop a philosophy and program of Presbyterian and Reformed college campus ministry.”
PCA Foundation Established
The Assembly heard a report from a previously appointed committee on stewardship. As part of its report, the committee stated the following:
In recognition of the concern for carrying the Great Commission given us by our Lord and being of practical assistance to our constituency, the Presbyterian Church in America should embark upon a ministry of deferred giving. A foundation should be established to encourage, and advise our membership on their God-given responsibilities to themselves, their families and to their church. The foundation should also receive, invest, and distribute gifts for the fulfilling of the ministry of the Church.
Ruling Elder Participation
In the report of the Administrative Committee, the following recommendation was approved:
That the General Assembly recognize the serious lack of participation on the floor of the General Assembly, which lack is distressing and inconsistent with our commitment to the parity of ruling and teaching elders, and further that the General Assembly instruct the Permanent Committee on Administration to bring to the next General Assembly positive recommendations as to how ruling elders can better be informed and encouraged to participate in all the courts of the Church, and further, that the Committee continue to address this problem as part of its permanent function.
Christ’s College in Taiwan
Mission to the World was authorized to raise money for Christ’s College in Taiwan, assuming that they would be given title to the land, the right to appoint board members, and full administrative control.
The minutes of previous Assemblies are available online at the PCA Historical Center. Read the complete minutes of the 1976 General Assembly here.