SHOULD GRACE B-P CHURCH BE A PART OF
THE NEW B-P PRESBYTERY?

On Tuesday, 29 June, Rev Lee Fatt Ping, Elder Seah Soon Huat and I, with 15 other B-P Churches came together in Tanglin Club to discuss the possibility of forming a Presbytery for the present B-P Churches. It was a wonderful occasion as I reflected upon the time when we were in the B-P Presbytery and Synod.

It was 22 years ago when the B-P Church decided that we will dissolve the B-P Synod. The year was 1988. The venue was Life BPC. I was in this meeting and I represented Grace Church when we voted for the dissolution. Since the dissolution of the B-P Synod, every church went their own way. We only had casual fellowship amongst a few Pastors. Was it the right thing to dissolve the Synod? God knows what is best for us (Rom. 8: 28).

With no Presbytery and Synod in the B-P denomination, the Church Session became the main ruling body of the local church. The Session has a harder task to do as it has to deal with the ordination of candidates for the Pastoral Ministry, the discipline of Pastors, and Elders and dealing with doctrinal differences, like the VPP issues etc. There is certainly a limit for which the Church Session can do. We definitely need a Presbytery today!

What is a Presbytery? It is a governing body of ordained Pastors and Elders. They come together to decide on doctrinal issues, and the discipline of church leaders (Pastors and Elders). The Presbytery is a biblical body as we read in Acts 15: 6 "And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter". There was a theological issue for the church to deal with in those days, and the apostles and elders came together to discuss how to deal with the Judaizers' doctrine.

It would be good for the B-P churches to come together again to form a Presbytery. But the denomination is so fragmented today. There seems to be at least six groups today within our denomination. How can we come back again? I was pleasantly surprised to see 16 B-P Churches in this gathering on June 29.

In our last Session meeting (4 July 10) I brought up the matter of our church joining this new Presbytery. We are open to the idea. I told Session that I want to know a little more about the structure of this new body.

In the meeting on 29 June, we were told that the Presbytery will be a different one in management and style from the former. It was refreshing to hear from Rev David Wong some ideas of the new ruling body. Most of the Pastors present were optimistic and open to this invitation.

I ask the church to pray over this matter. The Pastors and Elders will meet again to discuss and finalise a structure comfortable to all. By November this year the new B-P Presbytery should be formed.