Lay Committee: Raising the standard in the PCUSA

Directors make plans to expand ministry, publications, outreach

Directors of the Presbyterian Lay Committee gather at a board meeting.

Directors of the Presbyterian Lay Committee have decided to expand their ministry in an “all-out commitment to raise the biblical and theological standard in the Presbyterian Church (USA)", says Robert L. Howard, a past chairman of the organization.

Already, the Lay Committee, through publication of The Layman, reaches more than 450,000 USA Presbyterian homes with coverage, analysis and commentary on the often controversial issues within the 2.49-million-member denomination.

Howard says directors are more firmly committed than ever to summoning denominational leadership and congregations to a Christ-centered and Biblically sound theology.

“ We decided to take an enormous leap in faith,” Howard said. “With continued support from churches and individuals, we will increase funding to expand our ministry to preserve the heritage of the Presbyterian Church, namely that Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, is the head of the denomination, and the Bible is the final authority on faith and life.”

Besides expanding coverage of the PCUSA in The Layman, the Lay Committee has opened a web site on the Internet and will publish additional resources for renewal and growth.

“ The ultimate goal,” said Howard, “is to reverse the flight from our pews, to reinstate a greater sense of shared concerns and to equip the denomination to return to its first order of business: the proclamation of the Gospel. Only when the denomination determines that its mission must be faithful to Christ, Scripture and the Confessions can we move beyond our current preoccupation with conforming to cultural standards.”