Editor

2012 Reformation Insert

September 6, 2012 by Editor

Order the 2012 Reformation Insert from the PCA Bookstore

In Ephesians 4:16 the Apostle Paul states, “From whom (Christ) the whole body, joined, and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (ESV). John Calvin wrote in The Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book Four that God has committed the ministry of the Gospel to His Church. Each believer has a functional place in the body.

The Protestant Reformers of the 16th and 17th centuries often stressed the concept of the “priesthood of all believers.” Placed in its historic context, prior to the Reformation, the Roman Catholic church had developed an organizational structure that created an order
of priests who “lorded over” the Church. They actually taught that man’s access to God was through this man-made priesthood system; however, when Martin Luther, John Calvin, and other Reformers read the Scriptures, they found a different instruction, namely that every believer in Christ Jesus was a priest. They called for the church to reinstate the doctrine called “the universal priesthood of all believers.” That biblical position had been lost in the context of a hierarchical ecclesiology.

The missionary and ecumenical theologian Hendrik Kraemer writes that while the Reformation emphasized the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers, it failed to give the concept an ongoing practical expression. We see today’s Church suffering from that same mistake.

The Reformers did rightly emphasize that every Christian had the right to study the Scriptures, to come before God, and to help govern the Church’s ministry. Where the Roman Catholic church had developed a strong dichotomy between the clergy and laity, the Reformers said “no.”

The Romanists taught that the priests were spiritual, in a unique way unlike the average church member. The priests were the rulers and the teachers while the people were the ruled and the taught. Authority was vested in that man-made priesthood system. What they said, had in effect, become the law of the land over the centuries.

One of the great fruits of the Protestant Reformation, which returned the Scripture to its rightful place of authority in the Church as over against the authority of the Church of Rome itself, was their emphasis on and their insistence that the Church implement the universal priesthood of all believers. R. B. Kuiper called this doctrine “a distinctly Protestant doctrine.” We observe that since the days of the Protestant Reformation the Church has, too often, neglected the implementation of this truth. We continue to see the tendency to make a strong dichotomy between the clergy and the laity.

Unless the church practices this great biblical doctrine, it will never be able to function in the manner in which God intended. We believe that both clergy and laity share the blame for this neglect. Often the clerics feel more secure if they are in control, plus many are not equipped to implement this doctrine. However, the laity is also at fault because they have been unwilling to become that involved in the church’s ministry. It is generally easier to hire clergy (professionals) and other staff to do the work of ministry. In many churches the involvement of the laity is much less than the Scripture indicates it should be.

The thesis found in Ephesians 4:16 is that each believer has both a position and a function in the Church’s ministry. The challenge is always how to create an environment in the church where “each part does its work.” Every Christian is enlisted in carrying out the mission and ministry of the Church. That is integral to their call to Christian discipleship and kingdom living.

R. B. Kuiper, in his classic, The Glorious Body of Christ, emphasizes this “Priesthood of All Believers” doctrine. He refers to it as the universal office in contrast to the extraordinary offices both of which are built on the prophet, priest, and king concept. He underscores that each believer is part of the universal office of prophet, priest, and king. He further says this is one of the most significant doctrines restored by the Protestant Reformation.

In one sense we could say that one of the fruits of the Protestant Reformation was to get the Church into its rightful place within the kingdom in order to carry out its God given assignment to make kingdom disciples who in turn would do their part in making kingdom disciples. As we have said in other places, the effectiveness of the kingdom of God is generally determined by the energy and focus of the Church. That is the procedure for how God’s truth and the good news of the kingdom make a difference in the world.

“The Reformation leaders went back to the Apostolic Church, as described in the New Testament, to find there the spirit and practice of the Church as they believed it should operate and closely related to this aspect of reform was the stress on the priesthood of all believers,” writes B. K. Kuiper. What fell through the cracks with the twofold thrust of that doctrine was the second part of “each part working properly.”

Therefore, the Reformation principle of the priesthood of all believers is needed within the community of believers in order for the Church to fulfill its assignment from Jesus, the King and Head of the Church.

The Body of Christ: The Next Generations

July 24, 2012 by Editor

In our Christian education and Publications training events, we use the phrase “the whole Gospel for the whole church.” We have been asked what we mean by that, to which we have responded: Kingdom discipleship focuses on the whole truth of scripture, and its audience is the entire church at all age levels.

In Making Kingdom Disciples: A New Framework, we point out that Calvin’s emphasis regarding making disciples begins at the earliest stages of a covenant person’s life. The sooner we begin to self-consciously disciple our covenant children, the easier it will be for them to see themselves as covenant children belonging to God’s kingdom and that being a Christian is not only about going to church, or personally believing in Jesus, or reading or hearing the Bible, but every day of the week in all things we are to live for Christ. He is Lord of all. As we have said many times, discipleship involves “teaching to observe all things that God has commanded” and that is connected with baptism. It involves helping our children understand who they are, as well as who God is. As we teach them by the Word and example, our prayer is that they will soon claim for themselves that reality.

In the three previous issues of Equip to Disciple we have focused on: What is the kingdom? What is the church? How do they relate, and what is their respective roles in God’s sovereign plan? As the covenant family, we must obey the Lord’s command expressed in both commissions referred to in previous articles.

I have asked Ms. sue Jakes, our Christian education specialist who focuses on children’s ministry, and our youth and family consultant, Danny Mitchell, to give us their ideas about how a local church can implement a plan of disciple-making with our families, children, and youth. You will recall in the previous issue of equip to Disciple, we made suggestions for the adult education or discipleship strategy.

If nothing else will bring you to the throne of grace begging for mercy and wisdom, the responsibility of discipling children will. And the whole body of Christ has that responsibility. Before we consider each portion of our duty, we must pray that we would never hinder, but always aid, our children’s journey into and through the Kingdom. We must also pray daily for the children in our home and church, that the spirit will work in their hearts that they might become true Jesus men and women.

The most strategic place for making Kingdom disciples in the local church is in the ministry to children. Not only are the children learning and growing, but also all who are teaching and leading are growing as disciples in the process. Most educators agree that one does not truly know anything until he teaches it, and as we teach the Word to young children we can expect it to be life-changing, not only for them, but for us. The foundation of our disciple making ministry for children should be the true teaching of the Word which conforms to what is being preached from the pulpit. Great Commission Publications’ Show Me Jesus curriculum teaches the whole counsel of God, seeing Christ in all of scripture, and trains the teachers to communicate the gospel story in every lesson. Whether this complete Bible curriculum is used in Sunday school or some other Bible instruction setting, it should be foundational in the training of the children in your church.

In conjunction with the knowledge of the Word which leads us to Christ, children must be indoctrinated, understanding what they believe and why. For centuries the church has catechized her children. We must not stop now, but if we have ceased this practice, we must begin again. Very few catechism programs in the church are successful without strong parental involvement. If you have a special program intended for catechism memory, parents should be guided in their home study and memory work with their children.

A kingdom disciple is not only one who knows King Jesus, but one who loves, serves, and thinks like King Jesus. How do we begin to take our children from the classical grammar stage of their faith into the logical and rhetorical living out of what they believe? A standard component of our ministry to children must be parental training. It is the serving, giving, loving, obedient parent who will most likely produce a serving, giving, loving, obedient child. Again, this is a heart issue, but no person can see a parent’s heart better than their own child. They are blessings in this way – always reminding us of our need of saving grace. As we know and see the needs of each individual child, the church’s ministry is to ask what we can do to aid the parent in bringing the child to Christ. This is the gospel message – Jesus came down to earth, becoming man, and we must meet every child and family where they are, while knowing that our God is faithful. He is most glorified when the most difficult circumstances are overcome each day by the work of his grace. True kingdom ministry is never trying to get around a special need, but looking for the power of God to work mightily in it.

As a child sees the gospel in everyday living, he must be given every opportunity to use his faith language. Children should be praying. They must watch us pray, pray with us, and then be encouraged to pray continually. serving the family, the Body, and the community is also using their faith language. As we find each child’s gifts by exploring what they love to do, we must then give them many occasions to serve others. Children should also have the opportunity to verbally communicate what has been imparted to them. Again, we tell them all that we know, but do they really know it until they have to teach it themselves? Often times we shy away from having older children teach younger, but this is still the best training ground if they are going to be disciple-makers themselves. And isn’t this the only true measure that we have made a disciple – that they become disciple-makers themselves?

Are we teaching our children to take every thought captive to Christ? Are we defining the culture through the Kingdom grid? The church and home must come together continually and ask these questions, holding one another accountable to the task of training our children by God’s Deuteronomy 6 method. We must talk of these things when we rise up.

Do our families begin the day with Kingdom talk, giving God’s purpose for the day that he has made? And when we sit down, are we reading the Word at home around the meal table, discussing truth and how we apply it to all of life? And when we walk along the way (or drive in the car), are we spending our time wisely preparing our hearts for Kingdom work, singing his songs, telling his stories? And when we lie down, do we remember his good deeds and pray for all those who we are called to remember and serve? Life is war and our children must be armed for it on every front.

It is time to raise our expectations for the next generation of Kingdom disciples. But as we raise our expectations we must also raise our commitment to the task to which God has called us. examine your home and church. Are we getting by with programs and ideas that we hope will work out in the end? Or do we have a clear vision about what we are to do and how we are to implement God’s plan for making Kingdom disciples? You can read this and be overwhelmed or overjoyed. We must be overjoyed that God would continually entrust us with his children and his promise. He will be God to our children and our children’s children. And as we obey him in his commission to make disciples by populating the world with the next generation of Christians, we must never be overwhelmed because he has all authority in heaven and on earth, and he is with us.

Most churches will at some point wrestle with the question of purpose for their ministry to the next generation. The answer to this foundational question becomes the destination point that the entirety of the youth program is moving toward. In the same way that a GPs needs the destination point in order to tell you how to get there, a youth ministry needs a desired outcome to be able to chart the best course of action. Without a well-thought out, biblically-informed, easily-understood purpose, your youth ministry will waste valuable time on programs that do little more than entertain the rising generation. For this reason, every church should not only do the work necessary to answer the question of purpose in ministry to youth, but it should regularly use that purpose as the lens with which the youth program is evaluated.

In youth ministry, our first inclination is to judge a program by numbers. Our second inclination is to try to decide the effectiveness of what we do by determining how much fun our students had at a particular event. unfortunately, we are often further down the list of ministry critiques before we start analyzing our program based on whether or not Kingdom disciples are being produced. It is a sad indictment for any church that would believe that their ministry to the next generation is doing its job because 100 youth went on the ski trip or they all had an awesome time at the lock-in. That is not to knock the value of these types of events in a youth program. Youth need places within the body of Christ to have fun. However, the call of the Church is to make disciples, teaching them to obey all that Christ has commanded. This is the basis and purpose of our ministry to rising generations. It is also the standard by which we should judge our youth programs. How does your annual trip to the slopes of Colorado help your church develop your youth as Kingdom disciples? Or, for that matter, how does helping with recreation at VBs help a teenager become a Kingdom disciple? By asking these kinds of questions, your church can more effectively use its resources to grow the next generation into a generation that seeks after the Lord.

Whether your church decides to continue, cancel or add a ski trip to Colorado is a decision that can be made at any point. There are any number of disciple-making reasons to decide to go, and any number of reasons that a church would decide not to. In other words, the methodology of disciple-making in youth ministry can vary from church to church. One example that several churches in our denomination are dealing with, concerning their youth programs, has to do with summer mission trips. Traditionally, youth ministries go on a summer mission trip. There was a time that many of us felt that that the more exotic the locale, the more effective the trip would be. Getting students out of their comfort zone; so we scoured the globe for just the right comfort-stretching location. In an attempt to be missional in our “Jerusalem,” the trend over the past few years has been to look closer to home for our summer youth mission experience. Both types of trips can be effective in helping grow your students into Kingdom disciples. Your youth ministry decision-makers can make that call. The kingdom disciple-making principle here is that the youth of your church need to be engaged in outreach ministries; ideally, both global and local, but the ministry context of a particular church and available resources will drive that decision.

There are several other kingdom disciple-making principles that should be part of any youth program. Before we go further, it may be helpful to give a working definition of a Kingdom disciple. A Kingdom disciple is someone who thinks God’s thoughts after Him and applies them to all of life. That is what your church should be striving toward with its youth ministry. That is the answer to the question of purpose for next generation ministries. The next step is to think about the kingdom disciple-making principles that come from our purpose and should be part of your youth program. From these principles, your church should make its programmatic decisions.

1. Knowing the Word: every church needs to work to effectively teach the Word of God to its teenagers. using biblically strong material like Great Commission and Publications’ So What? youth Bible studies is important. However, you also need teachers of the Word who know how to apply it to this generation of teenagers. This requires that adults be willing to spend adequate time in teaching preparation, time listening to the struggles and joys of their youth, and time learning what is going on in youth culture. At most, we will have three or four opportunities (sunday school, sermon, youth group and discipleship group) each week to teach the Word to the students in our church. That is maybe four hours out of each week. This is why we must take every opportunity to teach the next generation seriously. At the same time, we need to be equipping our youth with the resources to study, understand and apply the Word on their own. Neglecting this step can cost your students dearly as they move out into the world without the ability to understand and apply the Word without someone telling them how.

2. Teaching the Word: students need opportunities within the safety of the Body of Christ to teach the word of God to younger children and youth. Teaching the Word not only forces the student to learn it but also moves them into the process of becoming a disciple-maker. This is a scary thought for some churches because teenagers are… well… teenagers, and they say and do teenage things. Relax. God has been using our weakness to perfect his power since… well… adults ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and evil and were cast out of the Garden of eden.

3. Modeling the Word:This is so important that doing it justice in a few short sentences is not possible. The bottom line is that the next generation needs adults in their lives who will form meaningful relationships with them for extended periods of time. And here is the crazy part: youth desire relationships with adults who will listen and speak into their lives. This is not just a biblical mandate for God’s covenant people but modern-day research is saying the same thing. You can read researchers like George Barna, Christian smith, Walt Mueller, and Chap Clark to verify the claim that was just made. The youth in your church need…YOu.

4. Living the Word:The youth in your church need to learn how to live and function in community. Youth group gatherings can be good places for this to happen. They can force students to deal with conflict, with other personalities and with the opposite sex within a structured environment. However, they need to learn to do this within the multi-generational Body of Christ as well. This means constantly isolating the youth from the rest of the church stunts their growth as functional members of the Body.

5. Spreading the Word:Youth need to be trained and have opportunity to be engaged in outreach ministry

6. Praying the Word:studies show that Christians stink at praying. studies also show that we, adults, are reproducing ourselves in the next generation. If A + B = C in this case, then the next generation is not going to be known as a praying generation. Do your students know the value of praying? Have they seen it modeled within the youth program?

Any point when multiple kingdom disciple-making principles are happening at once is a special youth ministry moment. This is often one sign that a youth ministry is thinking in terms of Kingdom disciple-making. One example of how we do this at CeP is our YXL (Youth eXcelling in Leadership) conference where all six of these principles are happening in one conference. The website www.yxl.pcacep.org has information about all three YXL conferences. Youth sunday school is a place in the local church to re-imagine by using the kingdom-disciple paradigm. It is a time that should be more than just about knowing the Word. How many other of the principles should come into play if we just ask the question “How effective is our youth sunday school at producing Kingdom disciples?”

For a multitude of reasons, raising the next generation is not an easy call God has given to His people, but it is a critical call. At the same time, it is a call that we should delight in helping to fulfill. Perhaps the greatest delight is that the call comes to the whole Covenant Community, not just a handful of brave volunteers or paid staff in your church. It is only when we join together as God’s people that will we most effectively grow the next generation into Kingdom disciples. May God find us to be faithful stewards of this call!

How We Teach and How they Learn, Part 13 – The Family That… Deuteronomy 6s Together

July 19, 2012 by Editor

The Family that… Deuteronomy “6s” Together

If your schedule is anything like mine, there is little time left over. However, when I am honest with myself and my schedule, there always seems to be time to do what I want.

The Levites in the OT were appointed to be the teachers in Israel. Elders do this in the NT along with those who have the gift of teaching. All three are told specifically to teach adults. The only instructions God gives for teaching the children are given to their parents.

Because of all that invades our lives on a daily basis, we just don’t seem to have the time to set aside for teaching our children. But there may be a way we can do something, at least to start. How about making a family decision to set apart one night a week, preferably the same night each week? This day must become sacred and special to all and only the most critical interruption will be allowed to break this pledge.

On this night, let’s say it is Monday; there are rules which must be followed:

Rule One – we eat at an agreed time. Clean-up can either be done right after dinner if the kids are involved, or it can wait until after the young ones are in bed.

Rule Two – the TV and computer are off limits! This will be hard for some, but all addictions must be conquered.

Rule Three – plan to have fun!

This is a night for the family to spend together, enjoying each other’s company, regardless of the ages of the children. This is not a night for a two-hour Bible study. However, a study or devotional time should be a regular part of the evening, as we always want the children to see Christ as the center of everything we do, be it Bible study or fun. The length of the evening depends on the ages of the children and how engaged they get in the discussion.

Games – this is a wonderful way to spend time together. It can also be used to discuss topics like godly ethics or money management when playing a game such as Monopoly or Careers. Most games are played to be won. But what if the objective of the game were to see who could be the most helpful to someone else or the most philanthropic?

Included in the evening could be Bible and/or catechism memory and explanation. I remember using Susan & Richie Hunt’s Big Truths for Little Kids, and even though our kids were older when they came to live with us, it was an effective teaching tool.

Sue Jakes gave me this idea: If your church is using GCP curriculum in SS there is a family time idea in the toddler, preschool, and early elementary take-home paper every week. If you don’t use the specific idea, it would be a great time to have each child report on the SS lesson. Your church pays for those take-home papers for a reason – so that the Bible truths will find their way into the family’s life and conversation during the next week.

Focus on the Family has a series of books available to help with the teaching and fun times, called the Family Night Tool Chest dealing with holidays, basic Christian beliefs, Ten Commandments, Proverbs, and wisdom life skills.

If your family is doing something you think other families might like to try, email me the details, and I will either list them in the next Equip or post them on our website and let you know in the next issue where you can find these helps. We are a connectional denomination, and this is one way we can help each other stay connected. My email is dbennett@pcanet.org.

It is sad to admit this, but the Mormons are far ahead of us on this. Every Monday night, in every Mormon home, they are meeting to have fun and learn the ways of their non-Christian cult. We can do so much better. Will you?

The teens in your church are total Bible experts, right?

June 26, 2012 by Editor

The teens in your church are total Bible experts, right?

The latest survey data says that 85% of American homes have a Bible in them-and, on average, each home has 4.5 Bibles.

Let’s do the math: 85% of 311 million American homes is about 264 million … times 4.5 Bibles per home …. That is 1,189,575,000 Bibles in America. And that doesn’t even count the ones online, on phones, in stores, etc…

So that means the teens in your church are total Bible experts … right? But can they articulate thoughtful responses to these questions:

What makes the Bible unique?
How can you be sure it’s God’s Word?
What’s the point of poetry or prophecy?
What’s the big story of the Bible?
And most important: What’s the Bible all about? Or, even better, WHO is the Bible all about?

The newest study in the So What? youth Bible study series, Treasuring God’s Word, is designed to help your students explore the Bible from beginning to end, to grow in their love for Christ, who is the Word, and to understand how to apply it to their lives.

The first three sessions are devoted to the Bible itself: what makes it unique, how we can trust it, and the internal and external evidences for its accuracy and reliability.

Next, students look at the big story of the Bible using key words and icons-studying its storyline from beginning to end in just three sessions. That’s the whole Bible in three weeks! It’s a great way to get a “big picture” view of the Bible. Whether for students who are very familiar with the Bible or new Christians who need help piecing it all together, these sessions will give them a handle on the who, what, when, where, and why of God’s rescue plan through Christ.

In the third unit, teenagers will study four types of literature: narrative, poetry, prophecy, and letters. This important section will teach them how to read different genres and learn how to interpret and apply each to their lives.

The last three sessions focus on applying the Word. As James writes, “Be doers of the Word and not hearers only.” Teens will see how knowing the big story of the Bible is an effective way to share the good news of Christ with others.

Youth leaders can use these 13 sessions for three months or easily break it into three- and four-week chunks because each unit has its own study booklet.

At the end of each study session is a devotional journaldesigned to get students into God’s Word during the week. It’s also a great tool for midweek meetings. Students may use these devotional questions to apply and pray through the truths they learned in Scripture during the session.

For more than 50 years, Great Commission Publications has served the church with biblical resources. Interactive, flexible, dynamic-the So What? youth Bible studies are designed to help teens take ownership of their faith in Jesus Christ.

Our ultimate objective is to see Christ’s church strong and prospering … filled with believers who “glorify God and enjoy him forever”!

Download a free lesson from Treasuring God’s Word and learn more today: http://sowhatstudies.org/studies/study-treasuring-gods-word/

As Good As It Gets

May 30, 2012 by Editor

Honestly, I had never delved into the Song of Songs prior to reading Stephen Clark’s book As Good as It Gets. Now I stand amazed at the depth and richness of how God reveals himself in the “lyrics” of this song. References to the book have always been more on the subject of love, which is certainly there, but the author makes the words come alive as he directs our attention to what love means in our relationships with each other, in friendships, in community, and in the broad scope of our lives as we relate to God and man. This was my first time reading a commentary processing the thoughts behind the words in the Song of Songs, and it proved to be a very enlightening experience. Clark presents his commentary in the form of daily devotions, breaking the song into fifty days of guiding us through human emotions we face in life and relationships.

The author speaks of the beauty and passion found in the pages while seeking to discover the meaning it has for all of life: identity, community, transformation, dignity, just to name a few. The reader is taken on a journey through, as Clark says, “…a garden steeped in passion, a place filled with this tantalizing thing called love-always nearly in grasp, forever slipping through our fingers, but never left forgotten once it is found.” This book helps us be at home in relationships and takes us to the very core of God’s love. We are given what the author feels is the key to the book which is affirmation. He explains, “It may take time for this to revolutionize the way that we relate to others, but until it does, we will find ourselves alone, embattled, and unready to love and be loved.” He goes on to say, “…in love we are transformed, and in loving we become life-transforming.”

As Good as It Gets is a commentary but uniquely done, capturing the essence of the meaning behind the words while drawing out the far-reaching implications of what God intends to teach us.

2012 Women’s Tuesday Program for General Assembly – Seminars

April 3, 2012 by Editor

On Tuesday afternoon, June 19, CEP will offer two back-to-back seminars designed especially for elders’ wives. The first seminar hour (2-3 pm) will combine a teaching segment and a season of prayer. The second seminar (3:30-4:30pm) will offer two separate panel discussions-one designed for Ruling Elders’ wives and one for the wives of Teaching Elders.

Elders’ Wives: What am I to do?

How do we think about our call to be an elder’s wife? Do questions like, “What am I to do?” or “Where is the training manual?” enter your mind? Just how do we biblically support our husband’s call as a shepherd in God’s Church? Join us for a discussion thatcombines purpose with practical equipping. A teaching segment that focuses on the Church, the household of God,will be followed by panel discussions highlighting the privilege of leadership marriages. Our prayer is that we will all leave encouraged and strengthened with answers to our questions.

Teaching Session: Kathy Stair, Ruling Elder’s Wife and Women’s Ministry Trainer

Panel Leaders: Karen Hodge, Teaching Elder’s’ Wife and Women’s Ministry Trainer and Cathy Wilson, Ruling Elder’s Wife and Women’s Advisory Sub-Committee Representative for Mid-America

If my husband had a dime for every time he heard me say, “You just don’t understand, nobody really knows just how I feel,” he would be a rich pastor. If you are anything like me, there are moments from time-to-time when you experience loneliness and isolation.I wantto invite you to join a conversation on Tuesday afternoon at General Assembly…one that is safe, authentic and one, prayerfully, where you will feel encouraged and enfolded. It is a conversation about the highest highs and the lowest lows of all that arepart of the calling of ministry marriage. I look forward to telling my husband “I was wrong…there are women who understand how I feel.”

Karen Hodge is a motivating and encouraging pastor’s wife and mother of two beautiful children. She is having the time of her life serving alongside her husband Chris, Senior Pastor at Naperville Presbyterian Church. Prior to their newest adventure, Chris and Karen have served at Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, AL, Christ Covenant Church in Charlotte, NC, and planted Treasure Coast Presbyterian Church in Stuart, FL. She also serves as National Trainer for the Women’s Ministries for the Presbyterian Church in America. She has a heart for MNA (Mission to North America) and sits in an advisory role to the Standing Committee of MNA as well as serving the Church Planting Assessment Center. It is from this perspective as wife, mother, leader, and friend that she offers insight from God’s word to women concerning how she and they can most effectively learn to enjoy and extend God’s glory.

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Each year that I attend GA, I look forward to seeing friends from all of the places that we have lived and labored and sometimes it is a real “blast from the past” with wonderful surprises. But I also look forward to seeing the bigger picture that God is painting of His Church. Just as our local church “bodies” are built with individual gifts and graces, just like each of my friends, this PCA “body” is built of churches with individual gifts and graces that together help visualize God at work. This year I look forward to fellowshipping with ruling and teaching elders’ wives as we look at what Scripture shows us about how, we as wives of elders, are an integral part of this “body” building.

Kathy Stair is the wife of Randy Stair, ruling elder and President of the PCA Foundation. They are parents of Julie and Brad, and grandparents of Samantha,Aidan, and Logan. Kathy and Randy are members of ChristChurch Presbyterian, Atlanta, GA. Kathy has served in several churchesin Women’s Ministry, five years as Administrative Assistant to CEP’s Coordinator of Women’s Ministries, and is a CEP Women in the Church Trainer.

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In a culture attuned to individual callings and responsibilities and rights, are we taking time to evaluate our ministry as a couple to our local church? We will have a conversation with several ruling elders’ wives that will include, in part, these questions: What does the BCO have to say about our husband’s callings and what does that mean for us as wives? How do we come along side of them to enhance and support their service as elder to the glory of God and the edification of our churches? What might that look like in the context of our churches’ demographics and missions and our individual families’ giftings and other callings/responsibilities? My prayer is that we can be iron sharpening iron and contemplate together our privileges and responsibilities as wives of ruling elders, so thatwe can spur further discussion with our husbands and with our fellow church family elder’s wives.

Leading the discussion is Cathy Wilson, wife of Bill Wilson, ruling elder at Christ Church, Normal, IL. Cathy serves as the Women’s Advisory Subcommittee representative for the Mid-America Region. During their marriage, they have been members of four PCA families in Memphis, St. Louis (where Bill also served on Session and Cathy was part-time coordinator of Women’s Ministries at Kirk of the Hills), Jackson, MS, and now Bloomington/Normal, IL. They have two college age children: Alexandra and Strother. Cathy works part-time at Talbots and serves on the Christ Church women’s ministry team, volunteers with Bill for Young Life, and helps him juggle his work, church and community involvements including his tennis matches! She runs for health, friendship and stress release!