The PCA GA is the annual denominational meeting for the
Presbyterian Church in America. The PCA is the second-largest Presbyterian
denomination in the United States, though it is only about one-sixth the size
of the largest: the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Convention
In large part, PCA GA is a convention, much like a business
or academic convention. There is a large Exhibit Hall in which the PCA
Permanent Committees and Agencies (to be explained later) have informational
and promotional booths set up. Other institutions have displays as well. As
might be expected, there is a bookstore run by the Committee on Discipleship
Ministries (one of the Permanent Committee). In addition to the exhibit hall,
there are seminars on various topics related to ministry and missions scheduled
around the business sessions.
Business Meeting
The PCA at the national level has five Permanent Committees:
Administration, Discipleship Ministries, Mission to the World, Mission to North
America, and Reformed University Ministries. In addition, it has five agencies:
Covenant College, Covenant Theological Seminary, PCA Foundation, PCA Retirement
and Benefits, Inc., and Ridge Haven Conference and Retreat Center. Each year,
these committees and agencies submit reports, with recommendations for the
coming year, to the Assembly. These reports are reviewed by ad hoc committees
of commissioners (CoC: committees made up at each GA out of attendees from the
various churches). These committees are made up of one person from each
presbytery (82 presbyteries total). Most of the time, fewer than half of the
presbyteries are represented in these committees of commissioners. These CoCs
review the report of the committee or agency then present their report to the
Assembly as a whole for action. For the most part, these reports and the votes
on them are pro forma.
Court of the Church
Part of the responsibility of the GA is to handle cases that
come to it from the lower courts (sessions and presbyteries). These cases come
in one of two ways. They may come from the Standing Judicial Commission (SJC).
In these cases, the SJC has already rendered a verdict in the case. It is,
however, the responsibility of the GA as a whole to either approve or
disapprove the judgment of the SJC.
The other way in which cases come to the Assembly is through
the Report of the Committee on the Review of Presbytery Records (CRPR). If some
exception of substance is taken with some aspect of a presbytery’s actions,
then the GA as a whole must deal with that case. Most of these are pro forma,
as the Assembly will often simply go with the recommendation of the CRPR. But
in cases where there is not a unified report from the CRPR, the case may induce
a fair amount of discussion at GA.
Finally, in some sense, the GA is a church. The meeting of
the Assembly is opened with a worship service (Tuesday evening), and each other
evening of the meeting (Wednesday and Thursday) there is also a worship
service.
It should be obvious that with all that to be done, and
three-and-a-half days to do it, the schedule can be pretty hectic.
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