The 2025 GC Session is coming soon. If it feels like it’s coming around sooner than usual, don’t worry, it’s not your imagination.
GC Sessions are held every five years (or quinquennial). We had one in 2015. The next one in 2020 was moved to 2022 because of scheduling and logistic problems during Covid-19. So, it’s been three years since the last one.
Observations
Page 46 deletes this paragraph from CM page 35:
No one should be allowed to speak to any congregation unless he/she has been invited by the church in harmony with guidelines given by the conference. It is recognized, however, that there are times when congregations may be addressed by government officials or civic leaders; but all unauthorized persons shall not be given access to the pulpit. (See pp. 126-127.)
It is good that they deleted this paragraph, but they allowed the other (similar) paragraph on page 126 to stand. The paragraph on page 126 needs to be deleted, or significantly reworked to prevent conferences from exercising inordinate power over local congregations.
There is a power imbalance in the relationship between local churches and conferences, as evidenced in 2023 with the indiscriminate cancelling of Stephen Bohr at several churches in the Potomac Conference. Likewise, the Michigan Conference administration cancelled Conrad Vine throughout the state of Michigan in 2024, and prevented Pastor Ron Kelly from speaking to his former congregation at his own farewell event in 2025. This power imbalance is painfully illustrated by the cancelling of Conrad Vine for, ironically, the sin of suggesting a way to address the power imbalance.
This clause below needs to be deleted from page 126 of the church manual. Hopefully, faithful delegates will rise up and strike this troublesome clause from the Manual. Here it is:
Authorized Speakers—Only speakers worthy of confidence will be invited to the pulpit by the local church pastor, in harmony with guidelines given by the conference. (See “Terms Used in the Church Manual,” pp. 19-20.) The local elders or church board may also invite speakers, in consultation with the pastor, and in harmony with conference guidelines.
There is a typo on page 46 of the GC25 Session Agenda. Extra points to whoever finds it.
On page 44, there is a call for church elders to take a greater role in church leadership, with pastors doing more work in church planting. This appears to be a positive change, one that we hope is accepted. Admittedly, there is a shortage of pastors currently, which could be part of the motivation behind this change. In any case, it is a good change, with more biblical support than having ‘settled’ pastors at each church.
One thing that I observed at the 2022 GC Session, is a large number of delegates who rubber stamped everything that the agenda called for. This is not doing your job, dear brother delegate. You are called to think honestly, hold leaders accountable, and seek the Lord’s wisdom on every agenda item.
Delegates face a peculiar problem, which is instead of holding the Church to account on behalf of the people/members, they offer administrators unconditional support in exchange for the illusion of influence. Any delegate who does that is not faithfully serving the 22-million members they represent, but rather serving themselves. Never get into a popularity contest. Ever.
Pray that the Holy Spirit will fall on the America Center in Saint Louis!
See you there.
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“Let all things be done decently and in order.”