After GA
Local sources of hope after the busyness of GA season
This year, the most shocking thing about GA was not what happened during the Assembly, but after it ended. X was inundated with various “hot takes” from complaints about the seating in the convention center and lack of ice cream socials to trying to define the term “grassroots.” If possible, I think we might have been more obnoxious after the assembly than in the lead up to it. Here is what the Lord has done to ground me following GA this year. I hope some of these thoughts might encourage you.
Baptize babies - The Sunday following General Assembly, I had the joy of baptizing two covenant children at the Kirk. This past Sunday, I was able to baptize another one. Additionally, I heard of two new pregnancies in the congregation this week. The drama of post-GA X was drowned in the cries of little ones. It did my soul good to return to administering the sacraments to the people I am called to serve.
Preaching - My pastor has a yearly sabbatical in July. I preached all the morning sermons and one evening sermon while he was gone. The routine of study, praying, writing, and then preaching kept me grounded in the Word of God and the people of God. Our concerns at GA are real, but not often felt the same way in every PCA congregation. Sin, grace, sanctification, faith, doubt, joy, sorrow, etc, are felt in every congregation, and the only Word that will satisfy the congregation is the better Word of Jesus Christ.
Presbytery - Okay, that might sound crazy after GA, but hear me out. My presbytery meets in July, and although it is one of the less well-attended meetings of the year, it was a joy to be with my brothers. We examined a man for licensure. We heard encouraging reports of church plants and missionaries. We addressed serious matters affecting two of our congregations. We prayed. We worshiped. We took the Lord’s Supper together. Next to my session, these are the Elders I engage with the most over the year. It was refreshing to see one another after GA and to pick up where we left off in dealing with the pressing matters of our presbytery.
Visitors - Our church has been blessed with a steady stream of new visitors who are becoming new members. This Sunday, three new families will join the Kirk with another potentially three or four more joining in August. They come from PCA, non-PCA, and non-Christian backgrounds. They come because of the emphasis we place on preaching the whole counsel of God, the hospitality of our members, and the reverential joy of our worship.
I know my church is not unique in the PCA. I am sure many of you have similar experiences. I take churchmanship seriously and invest a significant amount of energy and time in General Assembly. However, I view it more as seasonal work. It lasts for a couple of months, then lies dormant until the next season. The work of presbytery and the local church is more consistent and regular. I cannot remember the name of the chair, but for one committee report, the chair was unable to attend because of a church emergency. We don’t leave our churches for a GA emergency, but we certainly leave GA for a church emergency, and that’s the way it should be. Brothers, continue to till the soil of your field. Thanking the Lord of the harvest for the fruit you will reap. Remember to pray for our denomination, but look to the local sources of refreshment, hope, and care that can be found in your presbytery and local church.