Dear Cornerstone Family,
This past week I had the immense privilege of gathering with eight men from across our denomination including, for a brief time, our current moderator, Dr. Kevin DeYoung, to devote extended time to reflection on the principle and practice of worship.
For those of you who follow denominational business, you may remember that at the 2025 Presbyterian Church in America’s General Assembly, which is the annual meeting of the PCA, the denomination approved the formation of a directory for public worship study committee. This committee is entrusted with the responsibility to “propose revisions to portions of the Directory for the Worship of God not yet given full authority, in accordance with Scripture and the Westminster Standards, for authoritative use in the Presbyterian Church in America.”
In the paragraph above, the Directory for Public Worship is mentioned. If you do not know what that is, you’re in good company, and yet the Directory’s place and role in the history of Presbyterian worship is significant. For instance, the Westminster Assembly—which produced The Westminster Confession of Faith (1643-1647), the theological standards for our denomination—included in their work the very first Directory for Public Worship. The first directory consisted of five principal parts: the assembling of the church for worship, the public reading of Scripture, the exercise of public prayer, the preaching of the Word, and instructions for baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Different from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, which tends to focus on fixed forms (prescribed orderings of services, written prayers and responses, etc.), a Directory sets forward principles, instructions, rubrics, and models that are intended to be a guide to the pastor or worship leader.
Currently, the PCA has authoritative standards for doctrine and polity, but we do not have a binding standard for the practice of worship. The intent behind the action of last year’s General Assembly to form this study committee is to pursue for the first time in our history as a denomination an authoritative standard for worship. Our committee is entrusted with the noble responsibility to review and revise our currently non-binding Directory and then submit our revisions to the denomination for adoption and authoritative use.
In a surprising even humorous providence of our God, I was appointed by our moderator to chair this study committee. I am profoundly humbled to be at the helm of this work and to work closely with an esteemed band of faithful teaching and ruling elders in our denomination.
As we approach the throne of grace this morning, we recognize that the worship we offer to God is not a matter of human desire and design but is defined and directed by the Word of God. As Jesus Christ instructed the Woman at the Well, the Father seeks worshippers who will worship him again today in Spirit and truth (John 4:23-24).
Grace & Peace,
