Family of King’s Cross, thank you for sacrificing that I might attend the annual General Assembly meeting of our denomination. Many who are newer to our church may be unaware of our Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) community or the fact that King’s Cross belongs to one of the nearly 100 presbyteries of our denomination (ours is the Potomac Presbytery). Nevertheless, it is a blessing for a congregation to belong to a larger fellowship of diverse congregations. And it is a blessing for elders and deacons of multiple congregations to share one confession of faith, practice mutual submission, and engage service and evangelism together.
King’s Cross belongs to a denomination called the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). In the Bible, an elder is called, presbyteros (see Tit. 1:5; 1 Tim. 5:17; Jas. 5:14; 1 Pet. 5:1) and they meet in presbyterian assemblies (see Lk. 22:66; Ac. 22:5; 1 Tim. 4:14). A presbyterian congregation is one in which elders meet monthly as a session (a board of elders) to spiritually govern that congregation. The elders of multiple congregations also meet quarterly at regional meetings (presbytery) to spiritually govern a collection of congregations (usually 20 to 30). And elders of the whole denomination meet annually (General Assembly) to spiritually govern the entire denomination.
The General Assembly is made up of any PCA elder who wishes to attend and pays their registration fee to cover assembly expenses. During the four days of General Assembly, these elders are called commissioners and have authority to vote on matters. This meeting was attended by nearly 2,500 commissioners, some teaching elders (pastors) and some ruling elders. Since many PCA missionaries are also ordained teaching elders, commissioners gathered from around the world. Keep in mind that there are more than 5,000 pastors in the PCA, and many more ruling elders. I was joined by around 60 other commissioners from churches in our presbytery, men I see at least five times a year at presbytery meetings. Given the timing, I was the only King’s Cross elder who attended this GA; last year there were two of us.
Anyone can attend General Assembly. All meetings are open to the public. Many elders bring their families. The exhibition hall is filled with ministries and publishers. The three worship services are edifying and encouraging, and very well attended. Some elders attend without paying the registration fee, simply to connect with others. Of course, many members of local PCA congregations come, as do many national leaders from other denominations and traditions.
This year’s GA took place at the Kentucky International Convention Center in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. Next year, we will meet in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The theme of the assembly was The Welcome of God, drawn from Rom. 15:7, “therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God,” and John 4:35, “look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.”
Thank you for the opportunity to attend. The result of our elders empowering and encouraging me to serve in this way means that our small church is an outsized resource to our denomination. I attend the meetings of our presbytery (Potomac Presbytery). I also chair the presbytery committee that oversees local PCA church plants. For more than two decades, serving as a GA commissioner has been a regular part of my ministry. Thank you for going without me last week, and I am thankful to our elders and deacons who encourage this aspect of pastoral ministry.
Attending General Assembly represents work, but also great joy. In Louisville I was able to reconnect with friends from Covenant Theological Seminary, where I attended seminary, and Westminster Theological Seminary, where I completed post-grad studies. I also renewed friendships with people I had not seen in years, old friends with whom I have shared ministry in the past. I was able to spend time with several people I usually only see in remote meetings, like those I serve alongside in Mission to North America (MNA), the church planting agency of the PCA, and the United Kingdom (UK) Partnership, a ministry that helps plant International Presbyterian Church (IPC) churches in the UK. The IPC is the denomination founded by one of my favorite apologists, Francis Schaeffer, and was officially adopted as a partner denomination at this Assembly. Additionally, I was rejuvenated to not only catch up with other pastors and elders, but also to learn about their congregations and ministries, and ask my own ministry questions related to the life of King’s Cross. The worship, the relaxed fellowship, and the overall collegial tone of the deliberations at this GA were such an encouragement to me. Thank you so much for this opportunity. King’s Cross is a treasure to me, and I am so happy to be back in NOVA.
What business was accomplished by GA?
The following items are notable to me, but you can also look at the day-by-day news reports from byFaith Magazine to learn more. Like any family, the objective of GA is to act on a variety of family-matters that have arisen over the past year. Some of those matters are expressed through annual reports of the various agencies (here are the ten agencies), and some come as an overture, a request for action from a presbytery or congregation. This year there were 90 overtures, far more than any other year. Every agency report is reviewed and revised by a committee of 100 or so commissioners the day before their report is officially presented. Similarly, all of the overtures are triaged or categorized by a committee of 130 commissioners the day before the official meeting of GA begins. By the time reports and overtures reach the Assembly, there is a clear strategy for discussion and voting.
This year’s moderator was ruling elder Mel Duncan [bio], from Second Presbyterian Church, Greenville, South Carolina, who led us with selfless grace and subtle humor. The outgoing moderator, Kevin DeYoung of Christ Covenant Church, Matthews, North Carolina, preached the opening sermon. At this GA the assembly elected Fred Greco [bio], the former pastor of Christ Church, Katy, Texas, to serve as the Stated Clerk of the denomination. A Stated Clerk is not a president or CEO, but the leader of the 20-person staff of the Administrative Committee and, essentially, the official voice of the PCA.
The PCA grew, very slightly, over the past year. There were nearly 318,000 communicant members in 2025, which does not count covenant children or, frankly, the members of PCA churches that neglect to report statistics. Nonetheless, it is very significant that we are continuing to grow as a denomination, one of only two or three growing denominations in America. Indeed, as instructed by an overture, we praised God for the nearly 6,000 new professions of faith in the denomination last year. Spreadsheet-lovers are welcome to peruse the latest statistical data on the denomination.
The Book of Church Order (BCO) guides common actions of churches and presbyteries. It is a constitutional document, part of officer nominee training, referenced often for common actions (membership vows, baptisms, congregational meetings, church discipline cases). Most overtures seeking to modify the BCO were either not approved or sent back to their original authors for revision; there was not much appetite at this Assembly for revising the BCO. Though it will require ratification by a majority of PCA presbyteries, one change is that the minutes of sessions (i.e. boards of elders) now must include the roster of both elders and deacons.
The Rules of Assembly Operations (RAO) guides Assembly-related operations. It is not a constitutional document and many elders, myself included, never look at it. Hence, most overtures seeking to modify the RAO were approved without a great deal of discussion. One change is that we will begin serving both juice and wine for communion during GA worship services, which is the practice of so many of our congregations. Also, electronic meetings are now allowable for GA committees.
The work of two study committees producing reports on Christian Nationalism (read the draft) and a revised Directory for Worship (read the draft) have been extended for one year. Next year, we can expect a study committee report on Artificial Intelligence (see Joshua Torrey, There is No Breath in Them), but not a study on Critical Race Theory. Additionally, for churches with a budget larger than $200,000, the registration fee for GA will increase to $650.
Regarding overtures that were approved, congregations have been charged with setting aside a day in September for fasting and prayer for revival and renewal of the church. This Assembly also made an official declaration of thanksgiving for the 250th anniversary of the United States, expressed in this prayer. This Assembly officially commended a 1987 statement summarizing the biblical view of the relationship between men and women, known as the Danvers Statement, as a “biblically faithful declaration.” There were several overtures related to the kinds of ecclesial titles that are appropriate for non-ordained people, particularly related to the ministry of deacons. Many of these overtures were referenced to a single overture seeking to allow women to serve as ordained deacons. This overture was not approved by the Assembly. While the large number of overtures were handled efficiently and without much debate, there will probably be some familiar overtures next year because so many were sent back to their original author.
The reports of the ten agencies always include recommendations (like the approval of budgets) and these recommendations were, for the most part, affirmed by the Assembly. For me, the reports of Covenant College, Mission to the World (MTW), and Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) were particularly encouraging.
As I mentioned in my report from last year, I continue to love the PCA and value pastoring a church that belongs to a family of churches. This General Assembly was an enormous encouragement and, again, many thanks to you, my church family, for the opportunity to minister in this way.
