 An open letter to our readers from the Presbyterian Lay Committee  The Layman – Volume 40, Number 2 – Posted July 30, 2007
The PLC was formed in 1965 by Presbyterian lay leaders who were deeply concerned with the draft version of the Confession of 1967. Scripture was being reduced to everyday literature. The confession stated that, “The Scriptures are nevertheless the words of men. …” When denominational officials rejected their request to sell them space in denominational publications to publicize their concerns, the lay leaders reached deep into their own pockets and ran full-page advertisements in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post and other publications. The ad said: “The 1967 Confession does not ring true. It is so filled with ambiguities, undefined statements … and obscure language that it becomes possible to rationalize almost any point of view the reader seeks to establish.” Regrettably, the 1967 General Assembly rejected the PLC’s position and commissioners approved the confession. And we have seen the predicted results – an ongoing massive loss of members, a dramatic decline in evangelism and missions, and growing Biblical illiteracy. In order to continue its mission to inform and equip church members by proclaiming Jesus Christ alone as the way of salvation, the truth of God’s Word and the life of discipleship, the PLC began publishing The Layman in 1968. In time, it became one of the largest and most respected Christian periodicals in the world. Critics of the PLC, those who would reshape the denomination to reflect cultural and social values rather than Biblical ethics, frequently have lambasted The Layman’s news coverage, editorials and commentaries. Ongoing coverage of General Assembly activities in The Layman, for example, resulted in sharp reductions in unrestricted church gifts for projects controlled by the General Assembly Council. In 1995, denominational leaders even tried to have the General Assembly publicly censure The Layman, but that effort was overwhelmingly voted down – 517-20. Denominational battles Since its formation, the PLC and other renewal groups have fought numerous battles within the denomination, mainly over two issues – the authority of Scripture and the person and work of Jesus Christ. Many people believe the action taken by the 217th General Assembly in approving the report of the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity was the death blow for the Presbyterian Church (USA). Reducing ordination standards to non-essential rules rendered the denomination’s Constitution meaningless. Commissioners were led to believe their action would lead to peace, unity and purity. The opposite is now clearly seen, and the congregational unrest has reached a level never before experienced in the life of the denomination. The number of disputes over church property is growing nationwide and the list of churches deciding to leave is expanding. Denominational leaders, meanwhile, believe they can hold the PCUSA together through fear and intimidation. The denomination is dying, and the big question now being asked is: “How long will it be before it takes its last breath?” As Christians, though, we always have hope – hope that God will perform a miracle and save the denomination from withering away into oblivion. The dreadful action of the 217th General Assembly will have to be reversed for there to be hope that the PCUSA can be renewed and restored to its former position of Kingdom building. The PLC today This brings us to the PLC today. Our Lord has amazingly blessed this ministry during its more than 40 years of operations. It has in place a dedicated and talented staff, and is grateful for a loyal and generous donor base. We believe God provided the PLC with these blessings to continue to serve His Church in the future. If we believe the PCUSA is dying and “God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts … and they exchanged the truth of God for a lie …” (Romans 1:24), what should the PLC do in the future? The most important task of the board this past year has been to discern God’s will for the PLC as we move through these turbulent times and seek His desires for our future mission. Here, based on deep prayer, debate and the counsel of wise brothers and sisters in Christ, is what we have concluded: The Layman and The Layman Online. The need for reliable information about church issues has never been more pronounced than it is at present. Our readers rely on The Layman and The Layman Online to inform them of what is happening in this crisis-ridden denomination. For those people and churches that have left the PCUSA, but still are interested in ongoing news coverage of the denomination, The Layman will continue as their link. There is a large number of faithful churches that, for a variety of reasons, will remain in the denomination for the foreseeable future. Members of those churches will need to be informed and equipped more than ever before. Thus, the PLC will continue to report on events in the PCUSA by way of The Layman and The Layman Online as long as God provides us with the means to do so. Improvements to The Layman Online. A multitude of our brothers and sisters depend on The Layman Online, our “daily” news report, to keep informed about the news and events occurring in the PCUSA and other mainline denominations. Later this year, readers will see a completely redesigned edition of The Layman Online that will expand its news and information offerings, be user-friendly in its organization, and provide an improved layout and artistic presentation. Readers will be able to contact us, order publications, search the site and make donations. We believe these improvements will be valuable to our constituency. Book Publishing. The PLC has filled a needed niche in today’s society by publishing valuable books regardless of their commercial appeal, such as A Guide to Church Property Law: Theological, Constitutional and Practical Considerations. Despite their value to church members, it is doubtful whether any commercial publishing house would have published many of the helpful resources published by the PLC. We seek to expand this segment of our ministry by establishing additional partnerships to help market and distribute PLC titles. Education of the Laity. We see a need to emphasize the building up of lay leaders through teaching, consulting and the development and publishing of educational and resource materials. This will be accomplished through partnerships with groups that have expertise in these areas. We believe there is a need for strong, well-equipped lay leaders in many churches. The lack of such leadership has caused an imbalance between the roles of pastors and lay leaders and is the root cause of many of the problems plaguing the PCUSA and other mainline denominations. By developing resources that would help equip lay leaders to properly fulfill their responsibilities, as historically and Biblically understood within the Reformed tradition, we believe a stronger and more spiritually vibrant Church will arise. Our goal is to help prepare lay leaders to use their gifts of the Spirit to build up the Body of Christ in their faith, their knowledge of Jesus Christ, and their maturity until the whole measure of the fullness of Christ is attained (Ephesians 4:11-13). Reaching Beyond the PCUSA. The PLC sees the future of the Church moving away from denominational institutions that struggle with the person and work of Jesus and question the authority of Scripture. The hope for the Church in building God’s Kingdom on Earth lies in the foundations of our faith – the essential tenets the denomination now considers optional. We see The Layman and The Layman Online expanding to reach like-minded members in other Reformed denominations. Most mainline denominations are experiencing the same difficulties as the PCUSA, and we see a need to expand the news coverage, information and resources that the PLC can provide their members as they seek to be informed and equipped on the issues facing their churches. In the future, based on our mission statement and objectives (see box on Page 9), the PLC will continue to seek God’s wisdom and His will for this ministry. Stephen G. Brown is an elder at First Presbyterian Church in Haines City, Florida. He is chairman of the Board of Directors and chief executive officer of the Presbyterian Lay Committee. |
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