During the last Presbyterian Plumb Line zoom call, Dr. Don Forston mentioned in passing how he’s one of the few people that he’s aware of who has read all of the minutes of the EPC General Assemblies. Don had no idea that I would take that as a dare. So I spent the remainder of October and most of November reading all of the minutes, which are available at EPConnect.org.
To say that I learned a lot would be an understatement. Things I wish I would have taken the time to know years ago.
For example, a few General Assemblies ago, a point of discussion was when the Stated Clerk was to be elected. Some rightly stated that our Rules for Assembly state that the Stated Clerk is to be elected on the last day of the Assembly. However, what they failed to mention, maybe because like me they didn’t know our history, that every Stated Clerk in our denomination’s history has been elected on days other than the last day. Including Mike Glodo who was only reelected one time. Mike’s case is interesting as his reelection took place before the Rules for Assembly were amended in 2025 giving the Moderator discretion when to put the reelection of the Stated Clerk on the agenda.
I learned that CEO was a title used in reference to previous Stated Clerks of the EPC. You can even find the title used in the Stated Clerk report to the Assembly minutes in 2011.
And oh if I could have been a fly on the wall when the Assembly discussed whether or not to include erectile dysfunction medication in their medical benefits plan. The motion made was to not include the medication. The motion was defeated, in case you’re curious.
All that to say, what a history we have! A history some of us have forgotten is a history many of us have never learned. So let me encourage you to go learn your EPC history and read through our Assembly minutes.
But three topics stuck out to me most in my reading of the minutes. A declining Ruling Elder participation in our General Assembly meetings. A congregationalist mindset that we’ve never seemed to shake. And some really great ideas that never got implemented.
DECLINING RULING ELDER PARTICIPATION
In the first 19 years of the EPC, only one year had more Teaching Elders than Ruling Elders at the General Assembly. Two years were a tie. Though we never reached our ideal of two Ruling Elders for every Teaching Elder, early on in our EPC story, Ruling Elders were the dominant voice in our denomination.
Yet, in the last 26 years, there have been 20 years with more Teaching Elders than Ruling Elders. One of the six years where there were more Ruling Elders was 2020, when we gathered on zoom.
Our denomination founders knew the importance of laity involvement in the direction of the EPC. Early on, our Ruling Elders understood their importance and rose to the occasion. But the lack of Ruling Elder involvement in the General Assembly needs to be addressed.
My fear in this year’s Assembly isn’t that many Ruling Elders will show up. I’m all for their participation! My fear is that they will show up in large numbers because of a hot topic issue this year and then fade away in their involvement in the following years. I pray that this won’t be the case, but our last quarter century of history indicates that this will be the case.
Previous Assemblies defeated motions for General Assembly travel and costs to be included in terms of call for Teaching Elders. Their defense in not passing such motions was to ensure that our Assemblies did not turn into an elitist Teaching Elders only type of gathering. I applaud their decision, yet can’t help but lament that the result they hoped to avoid has become our reality based on our attendance numbers. If we look back at our last decade, since 2017 we’ve averaged 376 Teaching Elders at our Assemblies, compared to only 288 Ruling Elders.
If you’re thinking, “I wonder if our registration fee is keeping Ruling Elders from attending?” A registration fee wasn’t introduced until 2008. Six of the eight previous Assemblies, which didn’t have registration fees, had more Teaching Elders than Ruling Elders. And four of the next seven years, with a registration fee, had more Ruling Elders than Teaching Elders.
So what can we do?
First, local churches need to make General Assembly attendance a priority for both their Ruling and Teaching Elders. Budget accordingly. Do fundraisers. Make it a priority.
Second, Teaching Elders needs to teach their Ruling Elders the importance of participating in the life of our denomination. Take your Ruling Elders through the Book of Order and discuss the importance of attending the General Assembly. Personally invite a Ruling Elder or two to go with you. Show them your love for the EPC and help them to love our denomination.
Finally, to any Ruling Elders reading this. My Ruling Elders wrote themselves their own job description. In it, they included an expectation of participating in denominational meetings. They hold each other accountable to being a participating member in our denomination. I’m so proud of them! None of my Ruling Elders are retired. They all use vacation days when attending presbytery or General Assembly meetings. They’ve made it a priority and are making sacrifices that you can make as well.
You can read part 2 of this series here.