EPC job, PCA in the future

[Backwoods Presbyterian]

Jeremy I think it's fairly obvious that God has opened this door for you and you shouldn't let this whole argument over "is the EPC reformed or not?" spoil it for you. I would say go for it, speak to the pastor and explain your situation and he'll probably point you in the way you should go concerning membership and I'm sure that some solution will be brought up. I think the EPC are an amazing bunch of people standing outside the camp of the liberals, to discount them as not reformed and not confessional and therefore lesser and to be avoided is frankly disgusting to me. These are people who seperated from apostasy and really need our support instead of our picking faults, sure there not perfect but neither is the PCA nor any church. In all honesty I thank God they aren't as rigid as the OPC, PCA or the free church continuing. I think it's wonderful they allow some extent of freedom on secondary issues instead of being over bearing and making an idol out of theology.

Thanks Lee!

Indeed. Water where you are placed, Jeremy. And God be praised. The EPC has some great people with whom to work.

I know that my last post regarding this issue on another thread was deleted by some anonymous mod, admin, or other, but I will say it again - persons on this board need to stop playing armchair theologian while bashing sister Reformed denominations. I have met many EPC pastors, and I dare say that I have found quite a few whose preaching, pastoral demeanor, and confessional knowledge outstrip much of what I have found in certain sectors of the PCA. Shut it down, men. It's not helping Christ's kingdom one bit.

If this is too much for the admin/mods, and yet certain members are allowed to post their rants against the EPC, then maturity and integrity issues need be addressed amongst yourselves while I calmly remove myself from further participation here. Double standards will not get this board anywhere.

But again, work with your opportunities, Jeremy, and enjoy every place in which Christ gives you opportunity to minister.

Amen, Amen, and Amen

 

[Montanablue]

I'd just like to throw it out there that I came to the reformed faith through a girl in the EPC. She gave me a copy of the Westminster Standards and offered to read through them with me so that I could ask her any questions I had.

Do with that as you will...

---------- Post added at 01:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:28 PM ----------

Edit: ANd when I say she brought me to the reformed faith, what I really mean is to Christ Himself. Though I grew up in the church, I really had no understanding of the nature of God nor a personal relationship with Him.

 

[fredtgreco]

Indeed. Water where you are placed, Jeremy. And God be praised. The EPC has some great people with whom to work.

I know that my last post regarding this issue on another thread was deleted by some anonymous mod, admin, or other, but I will say it again - persons on this board need to stop playing armchair theologian while bashing sister Reformed denominations. I have met many EPC pastors, and I dare say that I have found quite a few whose preaching, pastoral demeanor, and confessional knowledge outstrip much of what I have found in certain sectors of the PCA. Shut it down, men. It's not helping Christ's kingdom one bit.

If this is too much for the admin/mods, and yet certain members are allowed to post their rants against the EPC, then maturity and integrity issues need be addressed amongst yourselves while I calmly remove myself from further participation here. Double standards will not get this board anywhere.

But again, work with your opportunities, Jeremy, and enjoy every place in which Christ gives you opportunity to minister.

Let me add one point, as one relatively versed in PCA polity: the EPC presbytery you are in is very conservtive, Reformed and well thought of in the PCA. There is also the fact that your ordination exam should stand on it's own, not based on where you hav previously served. Far more important to get substantive experience in a good church (and that church is one) than to have none.

 

[Edward]

The folks in the PCA need to be more concerned with cleaning up their own house than with looking for dust under the carpet at other denominations.

 

[Scott1]

There's another thing to consider here-

If your wife becomes a member of the denomination, and you do not, church discipline becomes more difficult.

Also, is this in line with the principle of biblical headship of a man of his family?

 

[LeeJUk]

Scott please just give the man a break, it's pretty obvious that the reason you want him to not go to the EPC is because of your own personal disliking of them and throwing out these things about biblical headship and church discipline is really clutching at straws and frankly quite offensive. I'm not looking to start an argument or put anyone down but I think quite a few people on this board really need to look at how their posts are coming across because a lot of the time it's like getting someone elses opinion jammed down your throat and that anyone who disagrees is unbiblical or unconfessional.

 

[jjraby]

First off, I am in seminary, so i do not have the time, nor the opportunity to be a "bread winner." God has given me a wife with a gift with Children and for Christ. And this Church has given her the ability to work for Christ, to work and help me with my studies. Am i to go to work full time, and school full time and risk my marriage by never seeing my wife because I am to be a bread winner? And here in Jackson, i didn't grow up here, so, sad to say, the PCA churches here are old school southern churches, meaning, Its all who you know and if you take someone's seat you better watch out. If you want in you gotta know someone. I don't know anyone, so I take the provisions that God has given me. If that's what God has given me, then the EPC is where i will be.

 

[Semper Fidelis]

There is no board rule or stance about the EPC.

It seems that the fact that the Moderators cannot keep up with everything that people post on this board is construed as endorsement of the same. This is hardly the case. I have two options:

1. Shut down the board so that people cannot write imprudent things.
2. Rely on others who have a problem with things to try to gently correct them and use the Report Post feature for particularly egregious things.

I don't know how this board (with close to 3000 members) can possibly be all things to all people. The hard stances that people take here are nearly impossible to strike a position where one will not be labeled as a party to the other. This board is criticized by Theonomists for silencing them and by Klineans for allowing Theonomists too much liberty.

I would appreciate those that rule Churches or are in any position of leadership to acknowledge the difficulty that the Mods and Admins have to police this board and that gossip or innuendo about the fact that they are not jumping into a particular discussion implies that they are party to the same.

Furthermore, even if a Mod or Admin take a stand in one area, this does not imply that the Admins or Mods are some sort of "session" that has deliberated on a matter and that the views of the Mods and Admins are monolithic.

In fact, the only person of the Admin team to weigh in on this was Pastor Greco and he was encouraging of the EPC and not bashing it. Frankly, I didn't even follow this thread (as I follow very little these days) but was concerned about the broad brush that every Mod and Admin is painted with every time a particular thread gets somebody's nose bent out of shape and it is implied that the Mods and Admins are soft on that person's "enemies".

Call me cranky or tired but it makes me wonder if this discussion board is sometimes worth the frustration it causes for such petty discussions. I'm ambivalent about the discussion and don't know enough about the EPC to weigh in and so I stayed out but that doesn't keep others from painting me and every other Mod with the brush of decrying the EPC and all its members.