The Assembly-wide seminar, “Memories and Aspirations of our Founding Fathers and Sons,” took place at 8:00 a.m. You can watch the replay here.
In the report of the Review of Presbytery Records, the Assembly approved the recommendation that Metropolitan New York Presbytery appear before the Standing Judicial Commission to adjudicate several matters pertaining to proceedings on the Lord’s Day. For more details, read here.
The Assembly approved the recommendation that Northwest Georgia Presbytery appear before the Standing Judicial Commission to adjudicate a matter pertaining to the approval of calls and installation of three candidates. For more details, read here.
The Interchurch Relations Committee gave its report.
Reformed University Fellowship Coordinator Will Huss gave the RUF report. Below are some of his highlights:
Reformed University Fellowship International – There are currently 21 RUF-I Campus ministries. We began RUF-I at Cal Berkeley and the University of Florida in January of 2023. We plan to add two more campus ministries in June 2023 (Vanderbilt and UC San Diego).
Reformed University Fellowship Global – We currently have 4 RUF-G, where we have an American TE (Traditional Model). These RUF-Globals are in Tokyo, Japan; L’viv, Ukraine; Bogota, Colombia; and Dakar, Senegal. We currently have 2 RUF-Globals that national ordained Presbyterian ministers lead in Mexico City, Mexico, and Kampala, Uganda (National Model). In 2022 we initiated a pilot program of training non-ordained MTW and Serge missionaries who are engaged in campus ministry in three different cities, Cluj, Romania (Serge); Sofia, Bulgaria; and Tokyo, Japan. We are considering making this program, called the “RUF Affiliate Model,” an official part of RUF-Global.
Ministry Distinctives – Weekly large group, small groups, and one-on-one staff-student meetings provide the structure for campus ministry. Each type of meeting is essential in ministering to college students.
Campus Interns, Staff & Ministry Fellows – Launched in 1980, the Intern Program has trained over 900 interns. In the last 30 years, the program has grown at a rate of 13% per year. Emily Nixon, Assistant Vice President of Internships, continues to lead the department and this year we have 137 full-time and three part-time young men and women (all recent college graduates) that currently work directly with a campus minister and receive on-the-job training in evangelism, small group leadership, and one-on-one ministry.
The Assembly voted to require the RUF permanent committee to give a response to the 51st General Assembly on the following matter:
The permanent committee of Reformed University Fellowship approved a new “Affiliation Agreement” between Presbyteries and RUF concerning Campus Ministers, changing the agreement to make sure that RUF is the legal employee with the responsibility to hire, fire, and exercise fiduciary control.
Tom Gibbs, president of Covenant Theological Seminary, gave the report for Covenant Seminary. Highlights include the following:
To better ensure that our priorities remain clear and that we are serving our students and the church to the best of our ability, I’ve been leading the Seminary through a period of intensive evaluation and assessment aimed at producing a revised and updated Strategic Plan to guide us for the next five years.
The Strategic Plan is built around six main pillars already identified and agreed upon by the President’s Cabinet.
- Prioritize the recruitment of pastor-minded students.
- Strengthen the overall theological preparedness of our students.
- Sharpen our focus on the spiritual formation of our students.
- Strengthen and develop our emphasis on cross-cultural mission: locally and
globally.
- Promote organizational sustainability through proven financial management strategies despite a challenging economic environment.
- Better steward our relationship with the PCA as we seek to provide its next generation of ministry leaders.
Our desire in all this is that the life and work of Covenant Seminary would be characterized not only by the principles implied in our purpose statement (“To glorify the triune God by training his servants to walk in God’s grace, minister God’s Word, and equip God’s people—all for God’s mission”) but also by our institutional values:
Christ-Centered Ministry—We believe that a seminary education is successful only if—at its end—the student knows Jesus Christ more intimately than at its beginning.
Biblical Authority—We believe that the Bible is the Word of God and therefore it is our only infallible rule of faith and practice.
Grace Foundation—We believe that the foundation for all that we do must be the gospel of grace—our absolute confidence in God’s acceptance provided through his redemptive work as the supreme motivation and enablement for love and holiness.
Relational Emphasis—We believe that relationships between students and professors must take a meaningful place alongside teaching content, so that the entire character of the student—mind and heart—might be transformed for ministry.
Pastoral Training—We believe that our primary task is to train students for pastoral ministry—including church planting, campus ministry, chaplaincy, and missionary service.
Church Leadership—We believe that, as the Seminary of the PCA, it is our responsibility to provide pastoral training that is grounded in the Westminster Standards and the historic distinctives of Presbyterian orthodoxy while equipping the next generation of Christian servants for effective church leadership in a changing world.
Kingdom Perspective—We believe that God’s ultimate purpose is the gathering of his people from every nation and the renewal of all things.
Geneva Benefits Group President Ed Dunnington gave the report for Geneva Benefits.
In 2022 we rolled out our new brand, Geneva Benefits Group, with the hope that it would more accurately capture the broad scope of employee benefits we provide for pastors and ministry workers in the PCA.
In 2022 we partnered with Full Strength Network (FSN) to offer “Geneva Counseling.” Now, for less than $200 a year, PCA employees can enroll in Geneva Counseling and gain access to 12 counseling or coaching sessions a year plus 12 additional sessions for their spouse or teenage child. Geneva Counseling also provides access to a host of digital content through their website. We have seen this program grow 20% in the last year with over 500 individuals enrolled.
In 2022, we received a $1 million grant from the Lilly Endowment to provide programs to help address economic challenges facing pastoral leaders. Through this grant, we are launching several initiatives to help pastors and ministry workers grow in their longevity and health. The first is a sabbatical matching fund for small, low budget churches. In 2023, we will pilot a program to match up to $10,000 per church (up to five churches) to provide for their pastor’s sabbatical. These pilot churches will help us evaluate and refine our program for a broader launch in 2024.
Another practice that is proven to enhance ministerial wellbeing is participation in moderated, peer-to-peer cohorts. We plan to hire a Director of Ministerial Wellbeing in 2023. This Director will be responsible for overseeing our sabbatical matching program, our peer-to-peer cohorts, the rest of our wellbeing programs, and Geneva’s Relief program.
The Ridge Haven Conference Center report came from its new executive director Cameron Anderson. Below are some highlights:
Ridge Haven continues to see the Lord abundantly minister on both of our campuses with a record attendance of 13,500 in 2022. We completed our 5.1M Capital Campaign allowing us to construct three year-round cabins in time for use last fall and to refurbish four group lodges on our Brevard campus. We also opened “Badger Barn,” our new 12,000 sq ft indoor, multi-purpose gymnasium and are currently constructing three additional year-round cabins which each will be able to house up to 28 adults or campers to help accommodate our growing summer and year-round ministries.
At our campus at Cono, Iowa, we finished the required sprinkling of buildings before they could be used and refurbished three youth group lodges enabling us now to host up to 175 guests. We are also debt free at both campuses.
PCA Foundation President Tim Townsend offered his report. Below are some highlights:
The PCA Foundation distributed, or granted to ministry, $32.4 million during 2022. Distributions to PCA churches were $15.7 million, distributions to PCA 15 Committees and Agencies were $5.7 million, and distributions to other Christian ministries were $11.0 million. We continue to look for opportunities to work with PCA churches and their members. Among other initiatives, we intend to launch free tax-efficient giving seminars for PCA churches in 2023.
The Assembly voted to answer Overture 29, Direct the Board of the PCA Foundation to Adopt a Policy on Risk Management, in the affirmative as amended by the PCA Foundation. We will provide the amended language later. The vote was 1112-118.
Mission to the World Coordinator Lloyd Kim offered his report to the Assembly. Below are some of the highlights:
Missionary Care — After a two-year hiatus, MTW held its area retreats for its missionaries in Europe in the spring and for missionaries in Africa and Global Muslim Ministry areas in the fall. In addition, MTW had a Summer “Refresh” Conference at Ridge Haven, North Carolina, and a Winter “Refresh” Conference in Florida for missionaries coming home on their home ministry assignment.
Global Opportunities – Our missionaries served and cared for Ukrainian refugees in Romania, Poland, and many other European countries. Bible studies were started, church services held, and many Ukrainians have come to faith. The PCA has also responded with an outpouring of generosity in finances, goods (Crates for Ukraine), time, and prayers. The ongoing war in Ukraine has had an unintended consequence: It has allowed us to establish a church planting work in Krakow, Poland! God has blessed these efforts with much gospel fruit. Please continue to pray for peace in Ukraine and for the ongoing growth of the church in the midst of war.
In October our Asia-Pacific leadership met in Bangkok for the first time since the pandemic began.
In our Africa region we are seeing more opportunities for discipleship and training. At the same time, we are also seeing more African international associate missionaries joining MTW.
As we reflect on the past couple of years things have become more challenging for global missions (anti-globalization, war and conflicts, inflationary economic pressures); however, these very things are opening more opportunities for gospel proclamation and demonstration.
Stephen Estock, coordinator for Committee on Discipleship Ministry (CDM), made a report to the Assembly which included the following highlights:
The CDM staff and Children’s Ministry (CM) Team have updated the website to better serve churches (children.pcacdm.org). Recently, team members created a series of 5-7 min. videos that leaders can use for training. Topics include “Tips for Classroom Management,” “The 5 P’s of Volunteer Recruitment,” and “Helping New Families Feel Welcomed.”
CDM offered another virtual conference in August 2022. The conference is designed to provide high quality, yet affordable, training content for congregations of any size. This year, 97 churches (including a PCA congregation in Germany) registered for 5 months of access to the plenary talks and 10 workshops on shepherding. The format enables leaders to adapt the content to their context. The CM Team decided to offer a 2023 virtual conference that will launch with a “live” event on August 4-5.
The CDM Connect Children Facebook group continues provide a place for CM 33
workers to share ideas, ask questions, and gain encouragement.
The CDM CM Certification program continues to bless individuals and churches. The permanent committee certified 25 students in the 2022 class. The 2023 class has 24 students who began work in January 2023.
In August 2022, CDM partnered with Covenant Seminary to launch “Certification Plus.” Ten CDM Certification graduates audited a course on educational foundations through Covenant’s online program. They also participated in on-campus lectures and a cohort-based video discussions.
In January 2023, CDM submitted a proposal for a large 5-year grant to create resources and training to help churches nurture children in the worship and prayer practices of the congregation. In mid-March, CDM received word we were approved for the grant.
The Assembly recessed until 8:00 a.m. on Thursday. Worship began at 4:45 p.m., and the 50th Anniversary Concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. Both events can be viewed via the livestream.