Report for Heritage Presbyterian Church of the PCA's General Assembly 2016

1. 44TH GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
2016 Report

2. • 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 20-24, 2016
• Place: Mobile, AL
• Attendance: 977 TEs; 275 REs
• Theme: Refreshed – in and for the Cross

3. PCA 2015 STATS
1. Churches: 1,534 (+35 from 2014)
2. Mission Churches: 327 (-5 from 2014)
3. Professions of Faith: 9,679 (+254 from
2014)
4. Membership: 370,332 (+11,816 from
2014)
5. Sunday School Attendance: 97,719
(+1,096 from 2015; first increase in a
number of years)

4. 5. Long Term Missionaries: 586 (-10 from
2014)
6. RUF: 145 campuses (+20 from 2014) in 39
states in 60 presbyteries (9 new efforts
slated for 2016)
7. Ministers: 4,556 (+140 from 2014)
8. Presbyteries: 84 (no change from 2014)
9. * Note many churches did not report their
stats. PCA had modest growth from 2014.
PCA 2015 STATS*

5. • Dr. James “Jim” C. Bland, III, retired after 17 years of
service as Coordinator of MNA. During his tenure
Reformed University Ministries was spun off as a
permanent committee and several new initiatives were
begun while retaining the major emphasis on church
planting. The Rev. James Paul Hahn, Jr. was elected to
succeed him.
• In recent years 7 of the 10 GA Committees and Agencies
(RH, CC, CTS, CDM, RUM, MTW and MNA) have had
changes of Coordinators and Presidents, due primarily to
retirements
LEADERSHIP
CHANGES

6. SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
DEBATED & APPROVED
• Racial Reconciliation
• Confession of past racial sins (Ov. 43 from
Potomac Presbytery, amended)
• Create “PCA Unity Fund” (Ov. 44 from
PP)
• Create study committee on Racial
Reconciliation (Ov. 45 from PP)
• Women in Ministry
• Create study committee regarding
women serving in the ministry of the

7. CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS
• Assembly-wide seminar: Sexual Brokenness
in a Fallen World
• Panel consisting of Tim Geiger, Executive
Director, Harvest USA; Allen Edwards,
Pastor, Kiski Valley PCA; and David Strain,
Pastor, First Presbyterian Church of
Jackson, MS
• Addressed how we may better minister the
gospel to people struggling with same-sex
attraction, gender dysphoria, or
pornography addiction

8. ASSEMBLY HIGHLIGHT
• Pursuing Racial Reconciliation and the
Advance of the Gospel
• GA adopted an amended version of Overture 43
to express its opinion on the issue of racial
reconciliation
• One commissioner filed a respectful dissent:
“With respect to the otherwise laudable
resolutions adopted by the Assembly, I dissent
from the use of the word ‘repent’ in the first two
paragraphs. I do not believe one can repent of the

9. Be it resolved, that the 44th General Assembly of
the Presbyterian Church in America does
recognize, confess, condemn and repent of
corporate and historical sins, including those
committed during the Civil Rights era, and
continuing racial sins of ourselves and our
fathers such as the segregation of worshipers by
race; the exclusion of persons from Church
membership on the basis of race;
OVERTURE 43
(SLIDE 1 / 7)

10. the exclusion of churches, or elders, from
membership in the Presbyteries on the basis of
race; the teaching that the Bible sanctions racial
segregation and discourages inter-racial
marriage; the participation in and defense of
white supremacist organizations; and the failure
to live out the gospel imperative that “love does
no wrong to a neighbor” (Romans 13:10); and
OVERTURE 43
(SLIDE 2 / 7)

11. Be it further resolved, that this General
Assembly does recognize, confess, condemn and
repent of past failures to love brothers and
sisters from minority cultures in accordance with
what the Gospel requires, as well as failures to
lovingly confront our brothers and sisters
concerning racial sins and personal bigotry, and
failing to “learn to do good, seek justice and
correct oppression” (Isaiah 1:17); and
OVERTURE 43
(SLIDE 3 / 7)

12. Be it further resolved, that this General
Assembly praises and recommits itself to the
gospel task of racial reconciliation, diligently
seeking effective courses of action to further that
goal, with humility, sincerity and zeal, for the
glory of God and the furtherance of the Gospel;
and
OVERTURE 43
(SLIDE 4 / 7)

13. Be it further resolved, that the General
Assembly urges the congregations and
presbyteries of the Presbyterian Church in
America to make this resolution known to their
members in order that they may prayerfully
confess their own racial sins as led by the Spirit
and strive towards racial reconciliation for the
advancement of the gospel, the love of Christ,
and the glory of God; and
OVERTURE 43
(SLIDE 5 / 7)

14. Be it further resolved, that the 44th General
Assembly call the attention of churches and
presbyteries to the pastoral letter contained in
Overture 55 as an example of how a presbytery
might provide shepherding leadership for its
churches toward racial reconciliation; and
OVERTURE 43
(SLIDE 6 / 7)

15. Be it finally resolved, that the 44th General
Assembly remind the churches and presbyteries
of the PCA that BCO 31-2 and 38-1 provide
potent and readily available means for dealing
with ones who have sinned or continue to sin in
these areas.
OVERTURE 43
(SLIDE 7 / 7)

16. HOW TO CONTRIBUTE
(CLEARLY DESIGNATE THE OBJECT OF YOUR GIFT)
• Both study committees (Role of Women in
Ministry; Racial Reconciliation) and the PCA
Unity Fund will be underwritten by designated
contributions.
• For either the Study Committee on the Role of
Women or the Study Committee on Racial
Reconciliation send gifts to:
• The Administrative Committee, 1700 N. Brown
Road, Suite 105, Lawrenceville, GA 30043.
• For the PCA Unity Fund send gifts to:
• Mission to North America, PO Box 890233,

17. OTHER GA 2015 REPORTS
• PCA Stated Clerk’s summary
• http://www.pcaac.org/wp-
content/uploads/2016/07/Actions-of-the-44th-General-
Assembly-2016.pdf
• One PCA pastor’s summary
• http://theaquilareport.com/44th-pca-general-assembly-
2016-selected-acts-deliverances/
• GA recommended Pastoral Letter as an example of how a
presbytery might provide shepherding leadership for its
churches toward racial reconciliation
• http://www.pcaac.org/wp-
content/uploads/2016/07/Pastoral-Letter-Overture-55-
MS-Valley.pdf