FROM THE CHAIRMAN…
BETTER THAN USUAL
(Reflections on the 24th General Assembly)
By TE Charles L. Wilson
In giving my impressions of the 24th General Assembly, I am going to limit
my-self to the business aspects of the Assembly. Generally speaking, this
meeting of the Court was better than most of the more recent Assemblies.
The report of the Ad-Interim Committee on Judicial Procedures (AICJP), and
the subsequent adoption of that report, set the tone for the conduct of the
rest of the Assembly's business. As many may know, the AICJP was appointed, in
part, as a response to the Memorial submitted by Concerned Presbyterians
to the 21st Assembly. This study committee was the first in many years to be
composed of men representing the variety of viewpoints found in the PCA. This,
in and of itself, was a significant action.
Alter three years of study, this committee brought in recommendations that
were acknowledged to be the fruit of compromise. The word
"compromise," in this context, means that all the committee members'
concerns were heard and accommodated if possible. No one came away from the
process with everything he wanted, but all were able to agree unanimously on
the ten proposals that were brought to the Assembly. Again, this was a
significant accomplishment.
The General Assembly adopted all ten proposals. The Moderator, TE Charles
McGowan, properly noted and commended the AICJP for the good work the committee
had done. He also reminded the Assembly that this committee had all viewpoints
represented, and stated that this shows that we can work together to resolve
important issues of the sort addressed by the committee.
The AICJP makeup and quality work reminded the remaining founders of the PCA
of the good work done by the committees that were appointed in the early years
of the new denomination. When the PCA was first organized, every committee had
members representing the varieties of viewpoints found in the church. Most of
the time these committees returned to the Assembly with "compromise"
(as defined above) recommendations.
No doubt the AICJP showed "newcomers" and "skeptics"
that much can be accomplished even by men who do not agree on every point when
they humble themselves before the Lord. The tone of the Assembly was definitely
affected by the AICJP's work. It did seem that every viewpoint was heard and
considered in all the Assembly's business. For the most part, the decisions
that were reached were, like the AICJP's recommendations, sound decisions.
Having said all this, there was one decision made by the court which we do
find troubling: the decision to allow each committee of the Assembly to become
a corporation. Yes, that's right. The Assembly voted to allow its committees to
obtain 5O1(c)3 corporation papers. (In the Memorial sent to the 21st General
Assembly, Concerned Presbyterians expressed our concern that the Assembly
committees were acting as board-type agencies. Now, they are able to move from
being board-type agencies to being corporations!)
The two basic reasons set forth in favor of this decision during the debate
constitute what is perhaps the most alarming part of the Assembly's decision.
The first reason was that each committee needed corporation status so it could
receive trust funds and large financial gifts without having to call the PCA
Board of Directors. The concern was stated that having to call the Board of
Directors took so long that the PCA might "lose" a gift. One speaker
even referred to "almost" losing a "huge trust fund." This
argument fails to take into account that the Boards of Directors of the new
corporations will also have to be called when "huge trusts funds" are
given. It also fails to recognize that God "giveth the power to get
wealth"(Deuteronomy 8:18). The second argument set forth was that allowing
each committee to incorporate would prevent every committee form being liable
if the PCA is sued. This reason fails to note that if someone wants to sue the
PCA they have only to list all these "corporations" to include them
in the suit. It also raises the question, What are the men at 1852 Century
Place doing that makes them so afraid of lawsuits?
The problem with both arguments is that they are arguments of fear and not
of faith. When we do not exercise faith, we must remind ourselves of Romans
14:23: "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin." When we take actions out
of fear, we also need to keep in mind the teaching of Job 3:25: "For the
thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is
come unto me.
While this Assembly was an encouragement, we still have a long way to go.
Indeed, we will fall short as a Court until we make the Bible our "rule of
faith and practice" in every decision.
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