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Mary Lynn and I are just returning from the annual General
Assembly of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Baton Rouge, LA. Christ Covenant is a mission church of the
EPC, and I’ve been a pastor in this body for over 25 years. As I am always quick to point out, there are
8 different Presbyterian denominations in the United States that are – for
better or for worse – separate and distinct from one another. I’ll comment briefly on some of those others
in a different post, but let me say for now:
I am thankful beyond words to be serving the LORD in the fellowship of
the EPC.
Let me list some aspects of this year’s General Assembly
that show why:
Great Worship, Preaching and Prayer!
For me this is the heart of our gatherings. Every time I attend, I’m inspired and
challenged. I hope to add some links to
sermons so you can get a listen yourself.
We Have Fun
Hardly what you would expect from a national gathering of
folks known historically as the “frozen chosen,” but we really do enjoy getting
together! The host church put on a
side-splitting 30 min “Welcome to Louisiana” production that included the Blues
Brothers meet Swamp People. It got
crazier from there. That was followed by
a brief break and then a 45 minute worship experience focused on our Hope of Heaven
that often brought the assembly to its feet in spontaneous outbursts of praise and
worship. Later, when it was time to
work, we worked, but always with a sense of co-operation in the mission and joy
in our relationship.
Church Planting
There is a growing network of church planters and growing
momentum to do church planting in the EPC.
Christ Covenant is a part of that, and we are not alone. While there are many churches transferring in
from other Presbyterian denominations, we trust that will only be for a
season. The Father’s heart is to reach
His lost people, and church planting is the biblical model for that. As the EPC seeks to grow in our understanding
and practice of being a “Missional” fellowship, church planting will be a
growing emphasis.
World Outreach
Early on, the EPC chose to focus our limited resources on
the Muslim world. By God’s grace we have
been part of establishing a fellowship of strong, multiplying churches in
Kazakhstan that is now
self-governing! Engage 2025 is our
vision to do this ten more times in the next 13 years. Click Here to see the World Outreach Master
Plan brochure.
Theological Clarity and Commitment
I served on the Theology Committee at this assembly where we
reviewed – part of our standard review procedure – our Position Papers on Abortion
and the Value of Human Life. Essentially,
there were only minor clarifications to better connect the positions to the Bible.
Discussion was thoughtful, Gospel-centered
and deeply rooted in Reformed convictions and history. It spoke well to me of our ability in years to
come to speak effectively to our rapidly-changing world with solid biblical foundations
and theological perspective.
There is more that I could say about our time at the Assembly,
and I’d be happy to answer any specific questions that you might have, but I’ll
keep this brief and readable. Still, if you
would like to hear more from me, let’s arrange a time. Contact me by email by clicking here,
Other Resources
In the interest of being your “one-stop-shopping-spot” for
news and info from our General Assembly, I’ll list a number of links to other
blogs and documents.
EPC General Assembly Worship
Summary of our worship services and sermons. As always, outstanding!
A Message and a messenger with a soul and sole focus on the cross from the Presbyterian Layman Online
Report of Stated Clerk Jeff Jeremiah
In most denominations, this is a statistical report. In the EPC, it is a call to renewal and mission. As stirring for me as our sermons during
worship!
EPC has grown from 182 to 364 churches in five years from the Presbyterian Layman Online
Graciously Coping With Growth and Differences
A detailed review of how the EPC is growing and learning to
live with our motto “In Essentials, Unity; In Non-essentials, Liberty; In All
Things, Charity.”
EPC General Assembly re-drawing some presbytery boundaries around women’s ordination from the Presbyterian Layman Online
Daily Summaries from The Reformed Pastor Blog of David Fischler - EPC Church Planter in Woodbridge, VA
Official Reports from the General Assembly
If you would like to download all 500+ pages of the
Commissioners Handbook for the Assembly, simply Click Here. Probably more than most people would care to
read, but we’re glad to make it available.
Reports of particular interest to me, so I pass them along:
Click Here for the Church Revitalization Task Force Report
Click Here for the Stated Clerk’s Report
Click Here for National Outreach Committee Report
Click Here for the World Outreach Committee Report
Click Here for the Student Ministries Committee Report
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