Defining subscription or theological adherence by ministers and elders to the Confession and Catechisms of the Presbyterian Church in America has been a matter of great debate for most of its history. At its 2002 General Assembly, the PCA approved an amendment to the Book of Church Order 21-4 that its framers believed would define the nature ofsubscription clearer. Forty-five presbyteries approved the amendment, while nineteen did not approve it, giving it the necessary two-thirds vote needed for passage. To complete the ratification process, the amendment also had to be approved by the 31st GA.

The effect of the amendment will require ministers to state any differences with the PCA’s confessional standards, to have the presbytery determine whether the differences are allowable exceptions, and to have the differences recorded in writing.

While only a majority vote was necessary for ratification, the amendment received a 60% vote of the commissioners with a vote of 816 to 545.

The 30th General Assembly had indicated an exception to the minutes of the Presbytery of Southern Florida on the approval of an exam by a minister transferring into the Presbytery. The Presbytery responded to GA’s exception. The Review of Presbytery Records Committee recommended that the 31st GA answer the Presbytery by asking it to recognize that its action in granting the exception to the minister “strikes at the fundamentals of our system of doctrine.” This recommendation was adopted by GA.

General Assembly voted to answer Overture 23 from Ascension Presbytery and Western Carolina Presbytery (To Amend RAO 13-5 and 13-6 to Allow Bills and Overtures Committee to Offer Germane Amendments to Overtures and Resolutions) in the affirmative. After removing the word “germane,” the amendment to the RAO passed.

The issue was the ability of Bills and Overtures Committee and/or the General Assembly to make changes to overtures sent to the General Assembly by Presbyteries. By its vote, GA stated that amendments to overtures were permissible.

Overtures 24 and 25 requested the General Assembly to consider exploring organic union with churches in the North American Presbyterian and Reformed Churches (NAPARC). Overture 25 asked GA

“1. To direct the stated clerk of the General Assembly to communicate to the General Assemblies and General Synods of the constituent NAPARC Churches that the PCA is desirous of entering into conversations with each of them with a view toward Church union; and
2. To direct the Interchurch Relations Committee (IRC) to initiate conversations with equivalent NAPARC Churches' committees with a view toward Church union.”

The GA voted to answer these overtures in the affirmative. It also approved the following motion: “To instruct and advise the Permanent IRC Committee to return to the 32nd General Assembly with a statement on church union from a PCA perspective, including a definition of ‘organic’ union.”

The GA also approved a motion that the IRC develop a profile of each member church in NAPARC to include things like history, size and growth record and report its findings to the 32nd GA.

The following reasons were offered for approving these recommendations:

“The unity of Christ’s Church is a present, indestructible reality grounded in the spiritual union between Christ’s people and their great Head – not in any merely organizational or institutional union (Eph. 4: 4-6). And, in some cases, the existence of separate denominations of Christians may be a necessity and even a benefit in the cause of truth and faithfulness to Christ (1Cor. 11:18-19). Nevertheless, while our division into various denominations does not destroy our spiritual unity as God’s people, it does, to some extent, obscure it (BCO 2-2).

Given our duty to give outward expression to our inward oneness in Christ (1 Cor. 1:10; Eph. 4:1-3; Col. 3:12-14; Phil 2:1-2), it seems appropriate and worthwhile to discuss the possibilities of greater outward unity with other Christians, especially such like-minded churches as those in NAPARC.”