PCA in Louisiana

[Calvinbeza]

Jacob You told me that you was PCA in LA. Where? What was the name of the church?

 

[Reformed Covenanter]

Let's keep our names straight. Wilkins has morphed into Wilson in the course of this thread.

That's because they are the same thing.

To clarify: I wasn't referring to your post from 1:42 in which you explicitly referred to Wilson. There are several places in this thread in which Wilson's name is given for Wilkins's.

I have noticed the same thing.

 

[RamistThomist]

Jacob You told me that you was PCA in LA. Where? What was the name of the church?

John Knox PCA in Ruston. And I was briefly part of a PCA church plant in Monroe that the Delhi church sponsored. It didn't work out.

 

[Edward]

Wilkins has morphed into Wilson in the course of this thread.

Thanks. I went through and fixed my posts where I found that error. If you see it in any other of my posts,

 

[Edward]

Jacob there is a church planting endevour in Lafayette LA

Southern Louisiana Presbytery. And deep in Catholic Cajun country. Looks like there are 300 members in PCUSA churches spread across 3 congregations. There is an ARP up the road about 20 or 25 miles in Opelousas.

It may have been targeted because of UL-L and its 18,000 students. Generally, they won't put in a RUF unless there is a local church to which the students can be directed.

There is a growing, good sized superregional bank headquartered in Lafayette.

 

[Deleted member 6112]

Wilkins has morphed into Wilson in the course of this thread.

Thanks. I went through and fixed my posts where I found that error.

It's not a difficult mistake to make. They are both leaders of the FV movement whose names start with "Wil." I've probably made the mistake, too, in another context.

That being said, we here on the Puritanboard get enough flack from FVers and others. It would be a shame to give them more reasons to dismiss us. Plus, careful clarity of meaning is a 9th commandment issue.

 

[Backwoods Presbyterian]

This has been an interesting convo.

My two ties to this conversation is that Steve Wilkins used to be the pastor where I now am (when we were PCA, he created toxins here and that was way before FV was a thing, he just has that personality I guess) and a really good friend of mine from seminary is an associate at that big EPC church in Monroe.

 

[Calvinbeza]

It may have been targeted because of UL-L and its 18,000 students. Generally, they won't put in a RUF unless there is a local church to which the students can be directed.

Edward do you think that this church plant is all about to have RUF in the University? I foud that the PCA had 2 congreagations in Lafayette, Covenant Church in Lafayette, left the PCA and Oaklawn wich also left or dissolved, I don't know exactly.

There was a founding PCA church in Alexandria which departed for EPC, before the Wilkins case. I heard the PCA want to replant in Alexandria, LA.

 

[Calvinbeza]

Edward you live in Texas. What do you think of the future of the PCA in Northern Louisiana?

 

[RamistThomist]

It may have been targeted because of UL-L and its 18,000 students. Generally, they won't put in a RUF unless there is a local church to which the students can be directed.

Edward do you think that this church plant is all about to have RUF in the University? I foud that the PCA had 2 congreagations in Lafayette, Covenant Church in Lafayette, left the PCA and Oaklawn wich also left or dissolved, I don't know exactly.

There was a founding PCA church in Alexandria which departed for EPC, before the Wilkins case. I heard the PCA want to replant in Alexandria, LA.

The PCA Church in Alexandria became EPC partly because the Pastor went from "Covenanter" to "Charismatic."

There is a very small OPC church in Pineville (right across the river).

I am about 100% sure the PCA will not replant in Alexandria, nor could they if they wanted to. I don't think NAPARC churches will plant on other churches' turf.

 

[Backwoods Presbyterian]

It may have been targeted because of UL-L and its 18,000 students. Generally, they won't put in a RUF unless there is a local church to which the students can be directed.

Edward do you think that this church plant is all about to have RUF in the University? I foud that the PCA had 2 congreagations in Lafayette, Covenant Church in Lafayette, left the PCA and Oaklawn wich also left or dissolved, I don't know exactly.

There was a founding PCA church in Alexandria which departed for EPC, before the Wilkins case. I heard the PCA want to replant in Alexandria, LA.

The PCA Church in Alexandria became EPC partly because the Pastor went from "Covenanter" to "Charismatic."

There is a very small OPC church in Pineville (right across the river).

I am about 100% sure the PCA will not replant in Alexandria, nor could they if they wanted to. I don't think NAPARC churches will plant on other churches' turf.

We supposedly have a comity agreement among NAPARC churches that discourage planting on top of other NAPARC churches, but to be frank the PCA is not exactly good about following that.

 

[Calvinbeza]

I am about 100% sure the PCA will not replant in Alexandria, nor could they if they wanted to.

Jacob that told me one of the member of the Mid-South Church planting Network. They have the intention of planting in Northern Louisiana as well and Alexandria was also selected to have future plants among others.

 

[Calvinbeza]

We supposedly have a comity agreement among NAPARC churches that discourage planting on top of other NAPARC churches,

Why it is bad to have more conservative Presbyterian church in the same city? I think that is OK to have more NAPARC churches in the same area, city.

 

[Edward]

but to be frank the PCA is not exactly good about following that.

I was going to word it a bit more diplomatically, but I can't disagree with what you said. If it makes you feel any better, I've heard complaints from a PCA church about another PCA church that was planted close by.

Edward do you think that this church plant is all about to have RUF in the University?

I'm not sure I'd say 'all about', but I would suspect that that would be a significant factor. A Southern Baptist item on church planting in Louisiana also listed that as a factor for that area.

I am not as familiar with Acadiana as I am with Northeast Louisiana and the Florida Parishes. I do think I would have tried to time a church plant in that area for a boom portion of the oil cycle rather than a down portion of the cycle.

What do you think of the future of the PCA in Northern Louisiana?

Combining the facts that it has never had a strong Presbyterian presence and the lack of organic growth in large portions of the state, it's going to be an uphill battle. And while the PCA is the dominant Presbyterian force in Mississippi, the strongest Presbyterian body in Louisiana at this point is probably the EPC, led by First Presbyterian in Baton Rouge.

 

[Calvinbeza]

I did not know that the situation in Northern LA is so desperate.Edward what do you think the proposed church planting endevour in North Louisiana by the Mid-South Church Planting Network? Could be successful in Alexandria?A friend of mine said that Monroe and Alexandria are selected as future church planting cities

 

[Calvinbeza]

I mean that Monroe and Alexandria are selected as future church planting locations for the PCA

 

[RamistThomist]

I am about 100% sure the PCA will not replant in Alexandria, nor could they if they wanted to.

Jacob that told me one of the member of the Mid-South Church planting Network. They have the intention of planting in Northern Louisiana as well and Alexandria was also selected to have future plants among others.

It won't happen. The PCA tried to plant a church in Monroe 5 years ago. It failed with flying colors. I am not sure why it would work in Alexandria since Rapides Parish already has a big EPC Church, a tiny OPC Church, several Reformed Baptist churches.

The NAPARC churches in Louisiana used to be able to bring in Calvinist Baptists. However, since many baptist churches hold to most of TULIP, there isn't reason for Baptists to be visiting OPC/PCA Churches.

Monroe has a big CREC Church, a big EPC church. The outlying communities have a tiny PCA church, and a small ARP church. Plus several Reformed Baptist churches in the area.

Exactly what does a PCA church plant have to offer that these other churches don't offer? To bring it closer to him, would I be morally obligated to leave the church I am at and support the PCA plant? If not, how is this going to work?

 

[Backwoods Presbyterian]

but to be frank the PCA is not exactly good about following that.

I was going to word it a bit more diplomatically, but I can't disagree with what you said. If it makes you feel any better, I've heard complaints from a PCA church about another PCA church that was planted close by.

Yes, I could have said it more nicely.

We have had a couple of situations in our Presbytery with this, one which has almost killed one of our churches in north MS.

 

[Calvinbeza]

To bring it closer to him, would I be morally obligated to leave the church I am at and support the PCA plant? If not, how is this going to work?

What could ARP offer? Declining rural churches, declining membership, ARP church planting in big cities failed, or had very limited success. The PCA is not a perfect denomination. But PCA ties to evanelize the country, trying to plant churches as well as in Louisiana. Just an example in the 1990s the PCA had 3 congregations now PCA has 22. And yes I know Northern LA is declining etc.

In Chicagoland and in Michigan several RCA churches joining PCA. This Mid-South PCA Network is promising

 

[Edward]

Just an example in the 1990s the PCA had 3 congregations now PCA has 22.

What or where are you counting?

In 1997, Louisiana Presbytery had 10 churches, SELa had 9.

 

[Calvinbeza]

It was just an example in Indiana . In 1990 the PCA has 3 churches now 22, in Indiana.

 

[Backwoods Presbyterian]

To bring it closer to him, would I be morally obligated to leave the church I am at and support the PCA plant? If not, how is this going to work?

What could ARP offer? Declining rural churches, declining membership, ARP church planting in big cities failed, or had very limited success. The PCA is not a perfect denomination. But PCA ties to evanelize the country, trying to plant churches as well as in Louisiana. Just an example in the 1990s the PCA had 3 congregations now PCA has 22. And yes I know Northern LA is declining etc.

In Chicagoland and in Michigan several RCA churches joining PCA. This Mid-South PCA Network is promising

While the ARP is not blowing up the statistical charts we are not declining. but have had marginal growth in the past several years.

Am not sure what you mean by the church plants in cities that have failed.

 

[Calvinbeza]

While the ARP is not blowing up the statistical,but have had marginal growth in the past several years.

The ARP loosing churches and membership is declining, ARP churches are mostly located in rural declining towns, in these towns churches are declining, the ARP closed several churches and the ARP simply declining.

No other Presbyterian denomination plants so many churches than the PCA. PCA growth is because church planting EPC ECO growing because seceder liberal PCUSA churches, but this growth slowed down.

 

[Calvinbeza]

Am not sure what you mean by the church plants in cities that have failed.

I am trying to say that PCA PLANTING even if it failed, no other Presbyterian denomination stresses church planting so much. 1973 PCA had 260 churches now almost 2,000. This is not marginal growth than in the ARP this is national growth, including the South

 

[NaphtaliPress]

Growth is not so great if it is not good growth. We need more churches fully committed to the Presbyterian faith of the Westminster Confession and Catechisms. I have to say, I am not a fan of these defend the PCA do or die threads. Provide useful information but if these church comparisons continue in this vein I will close these threads as fast as they appear.

 

[Calvinbeza]

What about a PCA plant in Natchitoches. I know that in this city is an OPC church.

 

[Edward]

What about a PCA plant in Natchitoches. I know that in this city is an OPC church.

Then it sounds like it is pretty well covered for a city of under 20,000. Unless a core group approached NTex Presbytery, I doubt it would be high on the target list. It does have a close to 10k student university. But since there is a reformed church to which students could be directed, arrangements might be worked out where a RUF could be set up even without a local PCA church. I'd try to explore that before I'd jump in with a church planting effort.

I'll try to explain it another way - there is a stewardship issue. You have limited resources. Are you going to put them where you have a pretty good chance of success, or are you going to put them in high risk situations. While an occasional high risk shot might be appropriate, generally efforts should be made where experience indicates that things are likely to work out.

 

[Edward]

but to be frank the PCA is not exactly good about following that.

I was going to word it a bit more diplomatically, but I can't disagree with what you said. If it makes you feel any better, I've heard complaints from a PCA church about another PCA church that was planted close by.

Yes, I could have said it more nicely.

.

My comment was not intended as a reproach. I generally tend more toward clarity than diplomacy myself.

 

[Calvinbeza]

I'll try to explain it another way - there is a stewardship issue. You have limited resources. Are you going to put them where you have a pretty good chance of success, or are you going to put them in high risk situations. While an occasional high risk shot might be appropriate, generally efforts should be made where experience indicates that things are likely to work out.
Edward

I understand,

 

[Calvinbeza]

But let Northern Louisiana without confessional Reformed church?