Quote:
Originally Posted by ColdSilverMoon
I agree with you, Pastor Greco. However, in all the hundreds of PCA services I've attended across the country, I've never heard an unordained man preach. So while technically correct, in practice I doubt unordained men preach in Sunday services very often. In a large church with multiple TEs, I suspect it never happens. |
My guess is that is exactly the case. If I recall correctly, before you were at Redeemer you were are Briarwood, right? It would be unusual for a large church with multiple TEs to use an unordained man (or even an RE for that matter). I don't think there is a subtext there, but rather the Lord has gifted those congregations with the means to call multiple men devoted to preaching the Word.
But in smaller congregations (especially those near seminaries), and in churches without a pastor, it is actually relatively common. That is in fact the reason for the Licensing provision in BCO 19. It is up to Presbyteries to determine what constitutes "regular" - in Great Lakes we decided 12 times in a year, regardless of which church. In Mississippi Valley, I believe it was more than once per month in the same church; the difference being MS Valley has many small churches without pastors, and has a seminary in it (RTS Jackson).