Frank Barker III of Barker Communications in Birmingham is offering both DVD and AC recordings of the special Blue Ridge Presbytery meeting on September 18.

On September 18 the Blue Ridge Presbytery hosted a special event to which speakers both in favor of and against the adoption of proposed changes to BCO 14 of the PCA Book of Church Order concerning a funding proposal for the PCA’s Administrative Committee.

Speaking on behalf of supporting the proposal was the Rev. Dr. David Silvernail, pastor of Potomac Hills Presbyterian Church in Leesburg, Virginia – in neighboring Potomac Presbytery. Silvernail is a member of the Permanent Committee on Administration and was present through all the work and vote of the committee to approve, modify, and bring the proposal to the floor of the General Assembly.

Several new items of information were brought forth during his presentation. He read from a legal opinion the AC had requested from a large, prestigious Atlanta law firm about the implications of this proposed change as it applied to property and employment rights. The opinion stated there were no implications in these areas.

He also reported that while the final decision has not yet been made, the AC is moving towards setting in place a procedure for how to handle claims of hardship from churches that, for whatever reason, fall many years behind in paying the required registration fees. The process under consideration would have the requesting church file the need with their Presbytery, and if the Presbytery could not assist the church or in some other way resolve the issue, then it would be forwarded to the AC Staff who would negotiate a settlement with the church.

Speaking and answering questions for those ‘Opposed’ to adoption of the BCO Changes was the Rev. Dr. Dominic Aquila, President of New Geneva Seminary in Colorado Springs, Colo., a member of Rocky Mountain Presbytery, a former moderator of the General Assembly, and thus a member of the Cooperative Ministries Committee (CMC), as well as a long-term member of the Standing Judicial Commission.

Dr. Aquila pointed out that the changes would create two ‘classes’ of Teaching Elders and two ‘classes’ of churches: Those that were ‘members’ of the PCA General Assembly and those that were ‘voting members.’ He explained that setting up such class differences was both unnecessary and dangerous because it was a change to the structure of the Book of Church Order (i.e., a part of the PCA Constitution) rather than just a change to the Assembly’s process. Changes to the Constitution, no matter how well intentioned at the time, are apt to allow for unintended consequences.

Of course, he said, the major unintended consequence could well be in the future, if some civil court took note of the inconsistencies in the PCA BCO and said if the higher court has the power to require payments (at one point he used the ‘T’ word, “tax”) then it could possibly be deemed by the court to be hierarchial at this point, and at best had an internal conflict within its Constitution.

To order copies go to the Barker Productions web site. You may pay online with a credit card. A portion of the purchase will be returned to Blue Ridge Presbytery to cover their production posts, but no income will be derived from these sales to the Presbytery or any individual involved.

The direct web address is: http://www.barkerproductions.net/shop.asp?action=cat&catID=21494