The founders of the PCA viewed ruling elders as a reliable, commonsense bulwark against doctrinal and denominational decline. The founders were not insensible to the fact that teaching elder professors and influential large-church pastors had presided over the liberalization of the old Southern mainline church from whence the PCA came. The late increase in ruling elder participation is a fitting tribute to the founders of the PCA, many of whom were ruling elders.
The Presbyterian Church in America—if judged by General Assembly actions in the last 15 years—is changing,1 and so is the proportion of ruling elders to teaching elders who attend those assemblies. I first wrote of RE/TE percentages in 2018, the nadir of RE attendance. From 2014-2018 ruling elders made up less than 22% of GA commissioners. Then something (or a few things) happened.
What happened? The Revoice controversy played an obvious part in motivating lay elders to attend. So did efforts to raise awareness, encourage RE attendance, and assist REs with GA attendance expenses. Since 2019 unofficial events have been held at the assemblies to encourage REs and give them something to do while their pastors schmooze and catch up with old acquaintances. The increase in RE attendance is not radical—it simply represents a return to levels of previous decades:
- 1973-1979 – 44% (!)2
- 1980-1989 – 32% (the largest downward change—RPCES effect?)
- 1990-1999 – 32%
- 2000- 2009 – 29%
- 2010-2019 – 23%
- 2021-2024 – 30%3 (these years have also seen the PCA’s largest assemblies)4
Ironically, the decline in ruling elder attendance might have resulted from denominational growth. 1982’s receiving of the RPCES, far-flung expansion (like Canada and the West Coast), and growing numbers of Korean churches (who send very few ruling elders) may have played a part.