A Few Brief Reflections on Synod -- Tim Phillips
The 2022 meeting of General Synod ended this morning around 11 a.m. I drove about 8 hours and arrived home this evening. Even though I am fairly exhausted, I know that Kyle Sims will berate me mercilessly if I don't turn my monthly article on time, so I thought I would offer a few observations about the meeting.
What I Liked
1) Bonclarken! Synod had not met at Bonclarken since 2018 (2019 was held concurrently with the RPCNA at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, PA, and the 2020 and 2021 meetings were moved to Columbia, SC, because of COVID restrictions). It was good to be back in Flat Rock, NC, again!
2) The Moderators. Bill McKay (Moderator) and David Lauten (Vice Moderator) both did excellent jobs chairing the meeting. Rob Patrick was elected as Moderator for next year, and I know he will do a good job as well.
3) Worship. The preaching, as usual, was excellent. The sermons by Patrick Malphrus and Morrie Lawing especially stood out to me, but others, such as Henry Bartsch and Howard Wheeler, also did fine jobs. God's word was faithfully proclaimed, and the gospel of Jesus Christ was clearly set forth. Also, we were able to sing from the Psalter at this meeting, something that was missing the last two years.
What I Didn't Like
1) Time Management. Even though we finished the meeting "early" (Thursday afternoon instead of Thursday evening), there was some lost time that could have resulting in the meeting ending on Wednesday evening. Some of the speakers giving presentations ran a little long, and much of the meeting seemed like sitting through presentations rather than doing the actual business of Synod. The officers of the court are aware of this and I am confident this will be addressed in preparation for next year.
2) Controversy. While controversy is not always a bad thing and often is helpful in furthering the growth of the church (e.g., see Acts 6 or Acts 11 or Acts 15), there was one item of business that disappointed me because of the (albeit fairly mild) uproar it caused. A paper from the committee I chair, Theological and Social Concerns, sought to answer a question concerning whether women could lead in corporate worship services (the paper may be accessed here). It seems the aspect of the paper that was the most troubling to a portion of the court was the statement that women (as well as unordained men) were not to publicly reading the Scriptures during a worship service. This seemed to surprise several members of the court, even though it is mainly an application of Westminster Larger Catechism Q. 156. In the end, the recommendation about the paper was amended (changed from Synod "approving" the paper to Synod "receiving" the paper as information) and passed in that form, but it was very disappointing that there was such a pushback against the teaching of our Standards.
All in all, I am thankful to be home on the same day Synod ended, but I am also thankful to have been with godly brothers, even if just for a few days.