Considering PCA

[DepravedButForgiven]

Hello everyone,

What does the process of joining the PCA look like? Especially if it involves switching from a different denomination. And I am concerned about my family distancing themselves or never treating me the same when I switch.

I look forward to hearing from you all.

 

[Semper Fidelis]

I can't solve the latter problem of how your family will treat you. What kind of Church are you currently attending?

It depends upon the PCA Church, but you need to begin by regularly attending the PCA Church you are interested in joining. Some require membership classes prior to joining so people get a sense of the Church as well as understanding membership vows.

At some point, you'll meet with the Session (or a subset of Elders appointed). They will interview you about your belief In the Gospel and get a sense for other things about you. They'll probably know you a bit already from time spent. The point of the interview, however, is not to ascertain your theological acumen but whether you understand that you are a sinner and that Jesus is the Savior of sinners and that you understand you are joining a Church, which entails submission and mutual edification. They'll also make sure that you've been baptized because, if you haven't been baptized, then you'll need to be.

The questions you'll be posed after the interview are the vows that you are taking:

Do you acknowledge yourselves to be sinners in the sight of God, justly deserving His displeasure, and without hope save in His sovereign mercy?

Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and Savior of sinners, and do you receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation as He is offered in the Gospel?

Do you now resolve and promise, in humble reliance upon the grace of the Holy Spirit, that you will endeavor to live as becomes the followers of Christ?

Do you promise to support the Church in its worship and work to the best of your ability?

Do you submit yourselves to the government and discipline of the Church, and promise to study its purity and peace?

 

[J.L. Allen]

Hello everyone,

What does the process of joining the PCA look like? Especially if it involves switching from a different denomination. And I am concerned about my family distancing themselves or never treating me the same when I switch.

I look forward to hearing from you all.

We went through a hard time with family and friends when we became Presbyterians. I think they've come around only recently that we are not in a cult. The best thing you can do is keep things brief and gentle if you bring up the topic (which might need to be seldom). Otherwise, be patient and gentle with the questions and comments you receive. Sometimes people ask questions about distinctions only to pick a fight. In actuality, they may not know how to express hurt feelings.

Of course, seek the Lord in prayer and be strengthened Lord's Day by Lord's Day.

 

[Edward]

They'll also make sure that you've been baptized because, if you haven't been baptized, then you'll need to be.

The examination should be a little deeper than "have you been baptized?". The baptism must have been trinitarian in nature. I would expect a Baptist baptism to be readily accepted.

While officers are required to subscribe to the Constitutional standards of the denomination, members are not. But one should be teachable on the issues.

Pop down I-30 to visit us in person, or check us out on Youtube.

 

[Semper Fidelis]

The examination should be a little deeper than "have you been baptized?". The baptism must have been trinitarian in nature. I would expect a Baptist baptism to be readily accepted.

A non-Trinitarian baptism is not a Christian baptism. I suppose I could have been more precise but, as an Elder who does this regularly, I thought it went without saying.

 

[Edward]

but, as an Elder who does this regularly, I thought it went without saying.

To most of us, it would have been. To someone with limited exposure to us, I didn't want to make assumptions.

 

[jwithnell]

Why would you want to leave your current church? If you start going to a local-to-you PCA church, I'd hope they'd ask this question pretty early in the time you are visiting.

 

[DepravedButForgiven]

We went through a hard time with family and friends when we became Presbyterians. I think they've come around only recently that we are not in a cult. The best thing you can do is keep things brief and gentle if you bring up the topic (which might need to be seldom). Otherwise, be patient and gentle with the questions and comments you receive. Sometimes people ask questions about distinctions only to pick a fight. In actuality, they may not know how to express hurt feelings.

Of course, seek the Lord in prayer and be strengthened Lord's Day by Lord's Day.

Hello Allen,

Thank you for the encouragement and sympathy. Is it wrong to no longer switch because losing family would be the cost? And also losing a possible spouse?

 

[Theoretical]

Hello Allen,

Thank you for the encouragement and sympathy. Is it wrong to no longer switch because losing family would be the cost? And also losing a possible spouse?

Your profile indicates you confess the London Baptist Confession. There's 2 reasons for a credo to go to a PCA typically. One is that there's no other sound churches around that fit their general beliefs, except on baptism. The other is that you're open to or already moved to the paedo position. The third is that a paedo spouse in a paedo-credo marriage drags them there. In that situation, either the family as a whole takes the paedo position or you've got a lot of underlying and unresolvable conflict.

Your latter two questions are serious concerns and factors, but there's very big differences in what those entail and what you're coming from.

For example, it's a heartbreaking situation but if your family and the spouse are Roman Catholic, for example, then you need to make the move.
Ditto for Arminian mainliners. The same would be true in some other situations. Now if the question is that the the family/spouse are one close set of convictions and you're not resolved on your own convictions but want to test the waters, that might be a different consideration. You don't want to be contrarian/divisive for its own sake.

 

[DepravedButForgiven]

Your profile indicates you confess the London Baptist Confession. There are 2 reasons for a credo to go to a PCA typically. One is that there are no other sound churches around that fit their general beliefs, except for baptism. The other is that you're open to or already moved to the paedo position. The third is that a paedo spouse in a paedo-credo marriage drags them there. In that situation, either the family as a whole takes the paedo position or you've got a lot of underlying and unresolvable conflict.

Your latter two questions are serious concerns and factors, but there are very big differences in what those entail and what you're coming from.

For example, it's a heartbreaking situation but if your family and the spouse are Roman Catholic, for example, then you need to make the move.
Ditto for Arminian mainliners. The same would be true in some other situations. Now if the question is that the the family/spouse are one close set of convictions and you're not resolved on your own convictions but want to test the waters, that might be a different consideration. You don't want to be contrarian/divisive for its own sake.

Correct, I am open to and still trying to find more and more evidence in Scripture for paedo baptism. I think I see no issues with scripture in becoming Presbyterian. But, everyone I have known as peers, friends, and mentors. I would be starting all over in life in many ways. But I would need financial independence and security before I could take that leap. My current circumstances in life, unless the Lord answers my cry here in DFW within the month. Will be me moving back near my family. Love them, but they tend to micromanage or attempt to even though I am closer to 30 than to 20. It is a one-horse town, so you have only one protestant church in general (FBC Barstow) and the rest are cults or the Roman Catholics.

And, what did you mean in your last sentence? "You don't want to be contrarian/divisive for its own sake."

 

[J.L. Allen]

Hello Allen,

Thank you for the encouragement and sympathy. Is it wrong to no longer switch because losing family would be the cost? And also losing a possible spouse?

Your situation sounds really difficult. I'm praying that the Lord would alleviate your financial hardship. What is your line of work?

As to you what you said to me here, losing a spouse is a risk not worth taking. As Scott said, there are times when leaving your church situation is absolutely necessary, but this must be done with the utmost caution, especially if destruction of your marriage is a possibility.

As far as losing family goes, you need wisdom liberally poured out from God. If you make a reasonable (and I think correct) decision to change churches, then family may just have to live with such a choice. Yet, such moves need not be combative but with love and respect for them reinforced at every step.

 

[DepravedButForgiven]

I can't solve the latter problem of how your family will treat you. What kind of Church are you currently attending?

It depends upon the PCA Church, but you need to begin by regularly attending the PCA Church you are interested in joining. Some require membership classes prior to joining so people get a sense of the Church as well as understanding membership vows.

At some point, you'll meet with the Session (or a subset of Elders appointed). They will interview you about your belief In the Gospel and get a sense for other things about you. They'll probably know you a bit already from time spent. The point of the interview, however, is not to ascertain your theological acumen but whether you understand that you are a sinner and that Jesus is the Savior of sinners and that you understand you are joining a Church, which entails submission and mutual edification. They'll also make sure that you've been baptized because, if you haven't been baptized, then you'll need to be.

The questions you'll be posed after the interview are the vows that you are taking:

Do you acknowledge yourselves to be sinners in the sight of God, justly deserving His displeasure, and without hope save in His sovereign mercy?

Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and Savior of sinners, and do you receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation as He is offered in the Gospel?

Do you now resolve and promise, in humble reliance upon the grace of the Holy Spirit, that you will endeavor to live as becomes the followers of Christ?

Do you promise to support the Church in its worship and work to the best of your ability?

Do you submit yourselves to the government and discipline of the Church, and promise to study its purity and peace?

My family is still at the church I grew up in. A missional, nowadays, borderline charismatic in its "worship" (three vocalists and a boy with a guitar, like 96% of SBC churches, and as a man who has trained in sacred music and theology, I can't cope with it much longer), and will never leave the SBC. Guilty of and marxism. Even some open-ended conversations I have had with family in recent years about Presbyterianism ended with someone saying, "We are the only biblically accurate church and denomination today". The current pastor there once equalized the Presbyterian church as indifferent to Catholics (because of paedobaptism).

Anyway. All of that is not a primary concern right now. I may end up traveling home to stay with family for a bit anyway because of no jobs responding for three years, no lie, in DFW. While on academic break. Maybe it has been the Lord's will for me to go back near family again for a while anyway. Although part of me is reserved on the thought. Mostly because of a lot of traumatic memories in my hometown.

 

[DepravedButForgiven]

Your situation sounds really difficult. I'm praying that the Lord would alleviate your financial hardship. What is your line of work?

As to you what you said to me here, losing a spouse is a risk not worth taking. As Scott said, there are times when leaving your church situation is absolutely necessary, but this must be done with the utmost caution, especially if destruction of your marriage is a possibility.

As far as losing family goes, you need wisdom liberally poured out from God. If you make a reasonable (and I think correct) decision to change churches, then family may just have to live with such a choice. Yet, such moves need not be combative but with love and respect for them reinforced at every step.

I do bi-vocational ministry in church and academia. Or that is what I have trained for these past seven years has been theology and church music (professional singing as well). And those are my long-term goals. However, I have not been licensed or ordained yet though. And I am not sure I in good theological conscience could be ordained at an SBC church anymore. Maybe I am being legalistic? However, in my current state, I am open to any work right now. And to clarify, I am not currently married. I was speaking metaphorically about a possible marriage with a gal in my hometown.

But perhaps your words ring true in that context nonetheless.

Thank you for your counsel.

 

[J.L. Allen]

My family is still at the church I grew up in. A missional, nowadays, borderline charismatic in its "worship" (three vocalists and a boy with a guitar, like 96% of SBC churches, and as a man who has trained in sacred music and theology, I can't cope with it much longer), and will never leave the SBC. Guilty of and marxism. Even some open-ended conversations I have had with family in recent years about Presbyterianism ended with someone saying, "We are the only biblically accurate church and denomination today". The current pastor there once equalized the Presbyterian church as indifferent to Catholics (because of paedobaptism).

Anyway. All of that is not a primary concern right now. I may end up traveling home to stay with family for a bit anyway because of no jobs responding for three years, no lie, in DFW. While on academic break. Maybe it has been the Lord's will for me to go back near family again for a while anyway. Although part of me is reserved on the thought. Mostly because of a lot of traumatic memories in my hometown.

Lies like what the church is stating are always sad and hurtful. I understand your concerns. They are no small matters. Does your line of work allow for remote working?

 

[DepravedButForgiven]

Lies like what the church is stating are always sad and hurtful. I understand your concerns. They are no small matters. Does your line of work allow for remote working?

Yes, that line of work allows for remote working. I do intend to finish grad studies and post-graduate in music eventually though. Then maybe after that, get an MDiv.