Presbyterian Church in America to hold annual meeting in Memphis: What to know
The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), an influential evangelical Christian denomination, is setting up camp in Memphis this week for its 50th General Assembly.
The conservative, Atlanta-based denomination is expecting more than 2,000 delegates, called commissioners, who will vote on major policies dealing with the sexuality of ministers, abuse prevention and the authority of nonordained ministers.
The denomination will also celebrate 50 years of longevity amid a backdrop of heavy loss. Weeks ago, two major PCA figures died, New York City pastor Tim Keller and Birmingham pastor Harry Reeder. Months ago, the PCA-affiliated Covenant Presbyterian Church in Nashville was the site of a mass shooting at The Covenant School, which left six people dead.
A concert Wednesday evening featuring major Christian musicians will help mark the anniversary.
Most business at this PCA General Assembly will surround overtures, or proposals to change denomination policies or request the PCA to take certain action.
Here’s how it works and what to look out for:
How overtures work
The overtures process began months ago, when presbyteries, or the PCA’s regional authorities, submitted overtures to the PCA Overtures Committee. There were 29 total submissions this year.
The overtures committee is set to meet on Monday and Tuesday to affirm an overture, meaning it recommends approval to the General Assembly, or recommend denial by the General Assembly. The overtures committee can also amend an overture before it goes to the General Assembly.
Some overtures seek to amend the PCA Book of Church Order, which would trigger a multi-step process. If the General Assembly approves an overture amending PCA policy, the overture goes to the presbyteries for a vote at meetings later in the year. If two-thirds of the presbyteries approve the overture, the measure returns to the PCA General Assembly the following year for ratification.
Overtures on sexuality of ministers
General Assembly commissioners are expected to vote on several overtures clarifying church policy on the sexuality of ministers. If approved, the measures will further cement a firm stance against people who aren't straight from serving in church leadership.
The General Assembly will vote on ratifying two overtures from last year amending qualifications for ordination and church office. Also, commissioners will take up five new overtures that also address qualifications for elders and deacons.
The five new overtures are similarly intended to bar someone experiencing same-sex attraction from holding church office, even if that person is celibate. The new measures are refined versions of a proposal last year that passed the General Assembly but later failed to receive approval from two-thirds of presbyteries.
The policy changes are part of ongoing fallout over Revoice, a conference featuring Christian speakers who experience same-sex attraction but hold traditional views on sexuality and gender. The first Revoice, which was in 2018 at a PCA church in St. Louis, sparked controversy within the denomination.
Hardliners saw Revoice as a slippery slope to LGBTQ-affirming attitudes, a key difference between the PCA and its progressive mainline counterpart, the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Two presbyteries launched inquiries into Revoice and the St. Louis church. The PCA then formed an ad interim committee on human sexuality, which presented its findings and recommendations in 2021.
Other important overtures
Other overtures are more inside baseball but have the potential to spark the most debate this year. One would prohibit people who aren’t ordained from using the titles of pastor, elder or deacon, and another would permit atheists to testify in a church court.
Two other overtures deal with abuse prevention and response, one that would require background checks on officers before ordination and another seeking clarification on how PCA churches and agencies communicate information about abuse allegations.
Nashville local PCA news: Regional authority indefinitely suspends the Rev. Scott Sauls over toxic work culture
Last year, a PCA ad interim committee on domestic abuse and sexual assault presented a 220-page report following a review into how PCA churches and agencies can better respond to abuse and prevent it.
Another overture would ask the denomination to petition the federal government and all 50 state governments to end gender affirming care for trans minors.
Other major religious meeting this week: Women pastors, abuse reform, presidential election: What to know about 2023 SBC meeting
Other denomination meetings in Memphis: COGIC Holy Convocation returns next week to its 'Jerusalem' of Memphis
Liam Adams covers religion for The Tennessean. Reach him at ladams@tennessean.com or on Twitter @liamsadams.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Presbyterian Church in America to hold 50th General Assembly in Memphis
