DOCSLIB.ORG

Doctor of Ministry

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Doctor of Ministry Introduction to the Assessment Report Every family has a self-proclaimed “official photographer.” At holiday celebrations and sporting events, during yearly vacations, on the first day of school and at graduation, this person faithfully insists that we pause to pose for “just one more” picture. Though we might complain about the inconvenience at the time, later on we are likely to be grateful for the photographer’s persistence, and for the visual history that accumulates over the years. We can understand this history most fully, and enjoy it most completely, when someone takes the time to group the photos by theme or by year. Stacks of photos that are filling up cabinets, boxes, and drawers take on a whole new meaning when seen in the context of a well-designed photo album. These become our treasure chests of cherished memories, books that we return to again and again in order to see and share who we are, where we have been, and where we would like to go. The 2003 Institutional Assessment Report is a photo album of sorts – not a visual history, but a verbal one. This series of verbal snapshots captures the essence of Covenant Theological Seminary during its 47th year of ministry, covering each of its five major departments: Academics and Instruction, Student Services, Advancement, Business Administration, and Information Technology. The final section of the report addresses issues concerning Governance, and the Appendix indicates the performance of Covenant Seminary in light of the 2002 Strategic Plan. The aim of this report is simple, yet comprehensive. Throughout its pages, we seek to portray the institution as it stood in 2003, highlighting any significant changes from previous years or any areas in which change was expected but did not occur. We also seek to account for the reason(s) these changes did/did not occur. Family photos depict both our glory and our imperfections; likewise, this report depicts both our successes and our shortcomings over the past calendar year. We hope that readers will reflect on and respond to the contents of this report, because by reflecting on the past, we can best consider the future. Potential readers include the administrators, faculty, staff, and students of Covenant Theological Seminary, the Board of Trustees, accrediting institutions such as the Association of Theological Schools and the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and any additional parties with a vested interest in this institution. The data for this report was gathered through a variety of means. Employees in every department were interviewed or surveyed regarding their work during 2003. Publications such as Covenant Magazine, the Seminary Catalog, the Faculty Manual, the Student Handbook, the Strategic Plan of 2002, and the Self-Study Report of 1997 also served as valuable resources, as did internal documents such as the Enrollment Data report and Financial Trends spreadsheet. In order to ensure the report’s accuracy and completeness, each of the major sections has been reviewed by members of the Executive Committee. Any questions regarding the origin or interpretation of a specific item in this report should be directed to Rebecca Rine, coordinator of the assessment project. 2003 Institutional Assessment Report COVENANT THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY This 2003 Institutional Assessment Report portrays the institutional health of Covenant Theological Seminary during its 47th year of ministry, covering each of its five major departments: Academics and Instruction, Student Services, Advancement, Business Administration, and Information Technology. The final section of the report addresses issues concerning Governance, and the Appendix indicates the performance of Covenant Seminary in light of the 2002 Strategic Plan. The aim of this report is simple, yet comprehensive. Throughout its pages, we seek to portray the institution as it stood in 2003, highlighting any significant changes from previous years or any areas in which change was expected but did not occur. We also seek to account for the reason(s) these changes did/did not occur. We hope that readers will reflect on and respond to the contents of this report, because by reflecting on the past, we can best consider the future. Potential readers include the administrators, faculty, staff, and students of Covenant Theological Seminary, the Board of Trustees, accrediting institutions such as the Association of Theological Schools and the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and any additional parties with a vested interest in this institution. The data for this report was gathered through a variety of means. Employees in every department were interviewed or surveyed regarding their work during 2003. Publications such as Covenant Magazine, the Seminary Catalog, the Faculty Manual, the Student Handbook, the Strategic Plan of 2002, and the Self-Study Report of 1997 also served as valuable resources, as did internal documents such as the Enrollment Data report and Financial Trends spreadsheet. In order to ensure the report’s accuracy and completeness, each of the major sections has been reviewed by members of the Executive Committee. Any questions regarding the origin or interpretation of a specific item in this report should be directed to Rebecca Rine, coordinator of the assessment project. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS STUDENT PROFILE 3 ACADEMICS AND INSTRUCTION Faculty Profile 7 Academic Departments 9 Programs of Study 10 Curricular Assessment and Revision 14 Academic Support Services 15 Access 17 Francis Schaeffer Institute 18 Youth in Ministry Institute 19 STUDENT SERVICES Campus Community 19 Special Events 24 Graduate Placement 25 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Information Technology Services 26 Audio Visual Services 27 Instructional Design and Technology 28 Institutional Statistics 29 BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Budget Performance 29 Endowment 30 Business Office and Human Resource Management 31 Physical Plant Department 31 ADVANCEMENT Admissions and Enrollment 34 Marketing and Creative Services 37 Development 40 GOVERNANCE Denominational Affiliation 42 Board of Trustees 42 Institutional Planning 42 APPENDIX 44 3 STUDENT PROFILE Paper and ink, sentences and paragraphs, charts and graphs – none of these media is sufficient for getting to know the individuals and families who comprise the student body of Covenant Theological Seminary. Though nothing can replace first-hand knowledge of the people in the Covenant community, this Student Profile provides a useful sketch of the student body, capturing its general features and identifying current trends regarding enrollment, demographics, financial affairs, and distribution by degree. This section of the Assessment Report seeks to describe the student body of 2003 chiefly in quantitative terms, with subsequent evaluation of these statistics. Figures are based on the Covenant Seminary Enrollment Data report, last revised on December 8, 2003. Enrollment To understand the enrollment trends for 2003 and preceding years, we will consider statistics in five categories: Head Count, Full Time Equivalent, New Student Head Count, New Student Full Time Equivalent, and Unduplicated Annual Head Count. Within each category, we will highlight enrollment figures in the Seminary as a whole as well as in the M.Div. program, our flagship degree. Head Count The Head Count, taken after Fall registration, indicates the number of students that attend Covenant Theological Seminary during the Summer and Fall semesters of a given year. Included here are the Fall 2003 Head Counts for credit students, non-credit students, and the composite total (“all programs”). Head Count Fall 2002 Fall 2003 Credit 862 860 Non-credit 82 90 All Programs 944 950 With a total of 950 students, we see a 1% increase in enrollment since 2002 and a cumulative 3% increase over the past five years. This continues a 15-year trend of increased enrollment and solidifies our standing as the 12th largest seminary in the U.S. and Canada. Of the 950 students listed, 344 are enrolled in the M.Div. program, compared with 330 in 2002. This represents a 4% increase both over the past year and over the past five years. Full Time Equivalent More important for assessing Covenant’s educational outreach and for tracking enrollment is the Full Time Equivalent (FTE) count. How is FTE different from the Head Count? The FTE is based on our definition of a “full-time student.” Within each academic program, ATS requires that a school specify a certain number of hours that equals “full-time” status. For instance, at Covenant, M.A. and Th.M. students must be enrolled for 14 hours a semester to be considered “full-time,” M.Div. students must be enrolled for 15 hours, while D.Min. students need enroll for only 9. For any given semester, we determine the FTE for a program by adding 5 up all the credit hours taken by Covenant students in that program and dividing this number by our set standard for full time status in that program. Since the FTE differs across programs, we must total the FTE’s in each program before obtaining a total for the Seminary at large. The FTE statistics give us a common method of comparison with other graduate institutions in terms of our credit hours sold and the health of the various programs. The FTE total for the Seminary in 2003 is 445, a number that reflects no significant change from our 2002 total of 443. However, this number does reflect an overall increase of 30% over the past five years (from 343 in 2002). The M.Div. program exhibits a 4% increase since 2002 and a 25% increase during the past five years. New Student Head Count Two hundred and forty-six new students entered Covenant Theological Seminary in 2003. This number is down 8% from 2002, and down 19% over the past five years. The M.Div. new student enrollment dropped from 88 in 2002 to 83 in 2003, a decrease of 6%. This represents a 16% decrease over the past five years. New Student Full Time Equivalent Although the New Student Head Count has decreased over the past few years, the New Student FTE has actually increased.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 2019-2020 Reports of the Permanent Committees and Agencies and Special Committees of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America
    2019-2020 REPORTS OF THE PERMANENT COMMITTEES AND AGENCIES AND SPECIAL COMMITTEES OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN AMERICA Submitted for the FORTY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN AMERICA June 16-29, 2020 Birmingham, Alabama POSTPONED Until Date to be Decided Published by the Office of the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America Lawrenceville, Georgia 2020 PREFACE Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that emerged in the United States in early 2020, the 48th General Assembly, scheduled to meet June 16-29, 2020, in Birmingham, Alabama, was postponed until a date to be decided later. Consequently, no annual volume of the Minutes of General Assembly was published in 2020. The reports in this volume were originally prepared for the 2020 Commissioner Handbook in anticipation of the 2020 48th General Assembly. With the postponement of that Assembly due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the decision was made to post the reports on the General Assembly website so our PCA people could be informed about the work of our General Assembly ministries throughout the 2019-20 year. They are now provided in this volume for informational purposes and the historical record of the denomination. Please note that the “Recommendations” at the end of these reports will not be acted upon until the 48th General Assembly meets. Each of the Permanent Committees and Agencies and other GA committees will submit a new report for the rescheduled 48th General Assembly with new Recommendations. Note also that the Committee and Agency budgets included in the Administrative Committee report have not been approved because of the postponement of General Assembly.
    [Show full text]
  • SO GREAT a SALVATION 50 Days of Prayer for The
    SO GREAT A SALVATION 50 Days of Prayer for the PCA May 2 – June 20 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:3-6 Devotional text by the pastoral staff of Christ Covenant Church, Matthews NC Copyright 2013 Pastors, Christ Covenant Church All Scripture references, unless otherwise noted, are from the English Standard Version; Copyright by Crossway Books, a Division of Good News Publishers, 2001. Published by Christian Education and Publications Prepared by Gabe Sylvia and Vicki Simpson Copies are allowed exclusively for use during the 50 Days of Prayer, May 2 – June 20, 2013. After that date, use only with permission from Michael F. Ross; [email protected]. –– DEDICATION –– These 50 Days of Prayer devotions are dedicated to the men and women, the gospel witnesses, who patiently and lovingly led each of us to Jesus Christ: Mike Ross……….Wiley Patterson, Jimmy Latimer Bernie Lawrence…Ben Hooks, Rich St. Denis Bruce Creswell…..Eddie Jenkins, David Rusterholtz Mike Miller………Jim Craft Kris Decker……….Duane Denton Gabe Sylvia………Kris Zehm, Kim Floyd Sylvia I thank my God in all my remembrance of you; always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.
    [Show full text]
  • The West End Herald
    Corner of River and Rhett The West End Herald Vol. CXXIX, Edition 25 RECEPTION FOR EZEKIEL DEAN FAMILY & PAT SHUFORD PAID JUNE 20, 2021 The Second Presbyterian Church U. S. Postage Greenville, SC Greenville, Nonprofit Org. Nonprofit Permit No. 559 Permit Corner of River and Rhett Streets Greenville, South Carolina June 27, 2021 2537 - A GUIDE FOR PRAYER 48th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America June 28-July 2, 2021, St. Louis, MO • Pray that the Commissioners will have an ear only to the Word of Christ, as delivered in the Scriptures, as the rule for settling all sub- stantial matters before the General Assembly (GA); that they will exer- cise prudence and good sense in all matters merely circumstantial; and 105 River Street 105 River that they will have the wisdom to so distinguish among the matters before the GA. Return Service Requested Service Return • Pray also that the Commissioners will engage in debate with a sense of fair play, integrity and charity, and that they will be so moved by the Greenville, South Carolina 29601 South Carolina Greenville, Spirit of God, as to put aside selfishness, pride or party spirit, in order The Second Presbyterian Church to glorify Christ in His Church and edify His people; pray that in times of work, worship & fellowship, the bonds of love & unity among our Elders would be strengthened; pray that Pastors who come in discour- agement would be heartened & encouraged to be faithful in their la- bor. • Pray for the Moderator (and his assistants); the Stated Clerk; the Par- liamentarians; and the office staff.
    [Show full text]
  • Minutes of the Nominating Committee
    1 MINUTES OF THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE 2 OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE 3 PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN AMERICA 4 March 28, 2020 5 6 The Nominating Committee of the General Assembly convened by GoToWebinar video 7 conference on Saturday, March 28, 2020. Chairman TE Fred Greco called the meeting to 8 order at 10:09 AM with prayer and led the Committee in a devotional on Psalm 91. 9 10 Attendance was taken and a quorum was declared. The Chairman welcomed the Committee 11 and recognized two guests from the PCA Administrative Committee Office – TE L. Roy 12 Taylor, Stated Clerk, and Ms. Angela Nantz, Operations Manager. Sixty-nine (69) committee 13 members were in attendance as follows, and 5 additional members submitted preliminary 14 ballots. 15 16 Members attending: 17 18 Presbytery Member Class 19 Arizona TE Thomas Edward Troxell 2022 20 Ascension TE Jared Nelson 2021 21 Blue Ridge TE Roland Mathews 2021 22 Calvary RE Melton Ledford Duncan 2021 23 Canada West TE Garry Vanderveen 2020 24 Catawba Valley TE William Thrailkill 2020 25 Central Carolina RE Flynt Jones 2020 26 Central Florida RE Gabriel E. Williams 2021 27 Central Indiana TE Charles Anderson 2022 28 Chesapeake RE Bradley James Chwastyk 2022 29 Chicago Metro TE R. Aaron Baker 2020 30 Columbus Metro TE Justin Charles Grimm 2022 31 Covenant TE Robert O. Browning 2021 32 Eastern Canada TE Kyle Hackmann 2020 33 Eastern Pennsylvania RE Terry Carnes 2020 34 Evangel RE Miles E. Gresham 2022 35 Fellowship RE Shaun Ballard 2021 36 Georgia Foothills TE Don Aldin 2021 37 Grace RE Samuel J.
    [Show full text]
  • St. Louis School Refuses to Release Audio Tapes of Woman's Chapel
    P&R News ² March 1999 Recording the Presbyterian & Story of the Presbyterian Reformed News Church in America $2.75 per issue/$15.00 per year Volume 7 Number 2 Published by Presbyterian International News Service, Inc., Coeburn, Virginia March - April 2001 Covenant Seminary Shrouds Itself in Mystery St. Louis School Refuses to Release Audio Tapes of Woman’s Chapel Messages by Mark Rooze and Fridays throughout the fall and spring terms from Tapes of Dr. Langberg’s chapel appearances were 10:00-10:40 AM for a time of worship. Attendance at chapel marketed both separately and as part of a six-tape set In an apparent cover-up that adds fuel to the fire in is voluntary yet strongly encouraged. Chapel is the one including both sessions in classes and her speeches at the women preaching debate, Covenant Seminary consistent place and time in the seminary schedule to an evening event. Originally intending to purchase only administration officials have refused to make available, worship our sovereign gracious God, build Christian the chapel tapes, this reporter found the topics covered to both PCA pastors and to the press, materials which community as we seek His face together, and continually in other sessions to be of personal interest, and so placed may indicate that Covenant Seminary is now allowing an order for the entire conference set on April 10th. women to preach in its chapel services. He was promised that the order would be filled The allegations center on the visit of Dr. Diane immediately. Langberg to Covenant Seminary during a “Family On April 18th, as the tapes had not yet arrived, the Nurture/Counseling Conference” at Covenant Seminary Covenant Seminary media office was again contacted.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 2 Timothy 9 2 Timothy 4:9-22 August 25, 2013 the Rev. Dr. Robert S
    1 2 Timothy 9 2 Timothy 4:9-22 August 25, 2013 The Rev. Dr. Robert S. Rayburn Tonight we conclude this series of sermons on Paul’s letters to his younger colleague Timothy; there were twenty-three in all. Next Lord’s Day evening we begin with one of the few remaining books of the Bible that I have never preached through: the Prophesy of Zechariah. I’m already greatly enjoying and profiting from the study of that book and I’m confident you will as well. As we said last time, vv. 9-22 are something of a postscript to this second letter to Timothy, the last of his New Testament letters. The argument of the letter was concluded in the previous few verses and what remains amounts to personal remarks. Those remarks, however, are illuminating and important and interesting in a variety of ways. This too is the Word of God and profitable for us; it likewise roots our faith in real history and the life of human beings, such life as we have experienced it ourselves. So let’s consider these final verses and what they have to tell us about Paul’s life and our own. Text Comment v.9 The great apostle to the Gentiles, titan that he was, remained a human being, with hopes and longings such as fill the heart of any human being: for companionship, for encouragement, and so on. v.10 Titus had by this time concluded his assignment in Crete, where he was when Paul wrote the letter to him that bears his name, and was now at work establishing the church on the eastern coast of the Adriatic sea opposite the eastern coast of Italy.
    [Show full text]
  • 81St General Assembly
    MINUTES of the EIGHTY-FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY Meeting at Kuyper College Grand Rapids, Michigan June 4–9, 2014 and YEARBOOK of THE ORTHODOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Published by THE ORTHODOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 607 N. Easton Road, Building E Willow Grove, Pennsylvania 19090-2539 USA FOREWORD The three sections of this volume are the following: MINUTES – the journal of the daily sessions of the Assembly. Although the Minutes do not contain the documents that appear in the second section (Appendix), they do contain the recommendations made in those documents; those recommendations appear in the Minutes at the point where they were considered. For ease of reference and cross-reference, the Minutes are divided into articles, denoted by the symbol §. In the Index that symbol, in boldface type, indicates reference to articles in the Minutes; page numbers refer to the Appendix and the Yearbook. APPENDIX – the documents submitted to the Assembly by presbyteries, committees of the Church, and other bodies, for the Assembly’s consideration. With the exception of overtures, communications, and complaints, the several documents appear in the Appendix in the order in which they are normally presented to the Assembly. All references to documents in the Appendix are by page number, in both the Minutes and the Index. YEARBOOK – general information about the denomination. References to items in this section are by page number. ABBREVIATIONS used in this volume for the Standards of the Church BCO The Book of Church Order FG Form of Government BD Book of Discipline SR Standing Rules WCF Westminster Confession of Faith WLC Westminster Larger Catechism WSC Westminster Shorter Catechism The Clerk welcomes suggestions for the improvement of these annual volumes.
    [Show full text]
  • Minutes Fortieth General Assembly Presbyterian
    MINUTES of the FORTIETH GENERAL ASSEMBLY of the PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN AMERICA Part I DIRECTORY OF GENERAL ASSEMBLY COMMITTEES AND AGENCIES Part II JOURNAL Part III APPENDICES Part IV CORRECTIONS TO PREVIOUS MINUTES Part V REFERENCES AND INDEX June 19-21, 2012 Louisville, Kentucky The Minutes of the General Assembly are published by the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly and distributed by the Committee on Christian Education and Publications. 40th GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTIONS SENT DOWN TO PRESBYTERIES: Proposed Amendments to BCO: BCO 19-2.e, f; 20-3; 24-2; 25-4; 42-4; 43-2; 43-3; 58-5 THE NEXT MEETING OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY: Tuesday, June 18, through Friday, June 21, 2013 Greenville, South Carolina If your Presbytery would like to learn more about hosting a General Assembly, contact the PCA Stated Clerk’s office at 678-825-1000. Order from: Committee on Christian Education and Publications PCA Bookstore 1700 North Brown Road, Suite 102A Lawrenceville, Georgia 30043-8143 E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 1-800-283-1357 Web: www.cepbookstore.com Copyright 2012© Office of the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America All rights reserved. Minutes of the Fortieth General Assembly Published by the Presbyterian Church in America Lawrenceville, Georgia 2012 MINUTES OF THE FORTIETH GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN AMERICA PART I DIRECTORY I. Officers of the General Assembly .........................................5 II. Ministries of the General Assembly......................................6 III. Permanent
    [Show full text]
  • Tennessee Valley Declines to Investigate Or Instruct Cedar
    P&R News ² March 1999 Recording the Presbyterian & Story of the Presbyterian Church in America Reformed News $2.75 per issue/$15.00 per year Volume 6 Number 1 Published by Presbyterian International News Service, Inc., Lawrenceville, Georgia January-February 2000 Tennessee Valley Declines To Investigate or Instruct Cedar Springs Church Regarding Female Preaching Presbytery Approves Unordained Persons Speaking in Public Worship At its Winter Stated Meeting, held that the church had scheduled a woman to be he concluded, she is not preaching because Church is only ministerial and declarative, and January 8, 2000, in Sweetwater, Tennessee, the plenary speaker at its missions conference she is not presenting authoritative teaching. therefore whoever proclaims the Word of God Tennessee Valley Presbytery (TVP) of the in 2001. By way of illustration, he added that just in the church is by that very preaching Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) At its November 1999 stated meeting, because it walks like a duck, looks like a duck, exercising authority over all who hear, declined to institute a judicial investigation of Western Carolina sent yet another letter to and quacks like a duck, doesnt mean its a including the Session, which is not lawful for Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church, Knoxville, Tennessee Valley. After noting the action duck. During his attempted defense of the women to do. Two resolutions were Tennessee, or to instruct the Session and taken by Cedar Springs, the communique notion that a woman who fills the pulpit is not proposed in the overture: 1. The Tennessee Pastor that they must cease from the practice asked TVP to intervene and to require the preaching, Mr.
    [Show full text]
  • Actions of the 41 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America
    Actions of the 41st General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America L. Roy Taylor, Stated Clerk PCA 41st General Assembly in Greenville, South Carolina The 41st General Assembly of the PCA met in Greenville, South Carolina, June 17-20, 2013 hosted by Calvary Presbytery. There were 319 Ruling Elders and 1,008 Teaching Elders from 705 churches as registered commissioners. The General Assembly “constitutes the bond of union, peace and correspondence among all its congregations and courts” (Book of Church Order 14-1). It is primarily a meeting to conduct and review the work of the denomination. The Assembly, however, is more than just a business meeting. It is an annual church family reunion, an occasion for corporate worship, an opportunity for fellowship, networking, information and training through seminars, renewal of friendships, and learning about ministry resources from exhibitors. Preachers for the three worship services were Dr. Michael Ross, retiring Moderator; Rev. Brian Habig, pastor of Downtown Presbyterian Church, Greenville; and Dr. David Sinclair, pastor of Clemson Presbyterian Church. Major seminars offered this year were: “Commending and Defending the Total Truthfulness of Scripture,” led by Dr. Ligon Duncan, Pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, MS, and Dr. Al Mohler, President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; and “Working Together in the PCA to Address Our Cultural Moment,” led by Dr. Ligon Duncan and Dr. Tim Keller, Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church of New York. RE Bruce Terrell, Moderator The tradition in the PCA is to elect a Ruling Elder or Teaching Elder as Moderator in alternating years. This year Ruling Elder, Bruce Terrell, Executive Director at Redeemer PC of New York was elected.
    [Show full text]
  • The Regulative Principle of Worship in American Presbyterianism of All Of
    Kobe Theological Hall Special Lecture - Spring 2015 “RPW, Historically Considered” Frank J. Smith, Ph.D., D.D. President, Tyndale International University, Los Angeles, California Part-Time Instructor, Georgia Gwinnett College, Lawrenceville, Georgia Minister, Atlanta Presbyterian Fellowship (RPCNA), Atlanta, Georgia The Regulative Principle of Worship in American Presbyterianism1 Of all of the doctrines maintained historically by the Calvinistic branch of Christendom, perhaps none has been subject to as much controversy within that tradition as the regulative principle of worship. Over the past two or three decades, there have been increasing numbers of books, pamphlets, and articles on the subject of worship within the Reformed community. Even before the recent plethora of material, ecclesiastical struggles spawned concern over the nature of worship. However, not all of the writings from purportedly Reformed men have held to this sine qua non of Reformed worship, viz., the regulative principle. Before we take an historical overview of how the regulative principle of worship (sometimes abbreviated “RPW”) has fared over the past couple of generations within the Reformed world, we need to understand what is meant by the principle itself. I. The Regulative Principle The term “regulative principle of worship” does not appear in the creeds and confessions of the Reformation and Post-Reformation era. However, this term, which may not have been used until the twentieth century, sums up the teaching of the Reformed church. The principle is quite simple: whatever is commanded by God for worship is required, and whatever is not commanded is forbidden. This principle therefore goes contrary to the view of worship embraced by Roman Catholicism, Lutheranism, and Anglicanism, viz., that whatever is not forbidden in worship is allowed.
    [Show full text]
  • Minutes Thirty-Sixth General Assembly Presbyterian
    MINUTES of the THIRTY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY of the PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN AMERICA Part I DIRECTORY OF GENERAL ASSEMBLY COMMITTEES AND AGENCIES Part II JOURNAL Part III APPENDICES Part IV CORRECTIONS TO PREVIOUS MINUTES Part V INDEX June 10-12, 2008 Dallas, Texas The Minutes of the General Assembly are published by the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly and distributed by the Committee on Christian Education and Publications. 36th GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTIONS SENT DOWN TO PRESBYTERIES: Proposed Amendment to BCO: BCO 57-5, see 36-47, III, 4, pp. 189-90 THE NEXT MEETING OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY: Tuesday, June 16, through Friday, June 19, 2009 Orlando, Florida FUTURE GENERAL ASSEMBLIES: June 29-July 2, 2010 Nashville, TN June 7-10, 2011 Virginia Beach, VA June 19-22, 2012 Louisville, KY Order from: Committee on Christian Education and Publications PCA Bookstore 1700 North Brown Road, Suite 102A Lawrenceville, Georgia 30043-8143 E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 1-800-283-1357 Web: www.cepbookstore.com Copyright 2008© Office of the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America All rights reserved. Minutes of the Thirty-Sixth General Assembly Published by the Presbyterian Church in America Lawrenceville, Georgia 2008 PART I DIRECTORY OF GENERAL ASSEMBLY COMMITTEES AND AGENCIES 2008-2009 I. OFFICERS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY Moderator TE Paul D. Kooistra 1600 North Brown Road Lawrenceville, GA 30043-8141 Phone: 678-823-0004 Fax: 678-823-0027 E-mail: [email protected] Stated Clerk TE L. Roy Taylor Jr. 1700 North Brown Road, Suite 105 Lawrenceville, GA 30043-8143 Phone: 678-825-1000 Fax: 678-825-1001 E-mail: [email protected] 3 MINUTES OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY II.
    [Show full text]