Commentary
Celebrating 45 years in ministry
By Stephen G. Brown, The Layman, January 26, 2010
Forty-five years have passed since the formation of the Presbyterian Lay Committee. Most of those years have been tumultuous in the life of the church, as was the year the PLC was established. In 1965 the Presbyterian church was considering adopting a new confession, and many believed the draft was unbiblical and contrary to the foundations of the Reformed faith. The denomination was pushing a new social agenda and they were proposing language in the confession that described God’s Word as “nevertheless the words of men …”
Stephen G. Brown
Those few words drew the righteous anger of some Presbyterian elders who believed the new confession would reduce the Bible to everyday literature. They believed this would have a deteriorating effect on the denomination. So a handful of lay leaders met in New York in 1965 and decided to request the denomination’s leadership to allow them to publicize their concerns. Their request was denied. They offered to buy space in Presbyterian publications. Again the answer was “no.” Not to be denied a voice in the matter, these committed Presbyterians placed full-page ads with their own funds in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post and other newspapers.
The 1967 General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church rejected these elders’ views and approved the Confession of 1967. The predictions of these elders came true: Biblical illiteracy; an adulterated gospel; a dramatic decline in mission and evangelism; and a massive loss of members.
The founders of PLC were elders who loved Jesus Christ, the Bible and the Presbyterian church. They saw the need for the laity and clergy to be informed of what was happening in the church. They wanted to see a stronger emphasis on the church’s mission of spiritual leadership and the importance and authority of the Bible as being the true Word of God, which He has provided for the guidance of all people. They wanted to support and encourage ministers and ruling elders and lay members to be ever mindful that the chief aim and purpose of every Christian is to proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior. So in 1968 The Layman was born and ever since there has been an abundance of church news to report.
There must be something appealing about serving the Lord through a ministry that informs and equips Christians. In our 45th year we not only celebrate the mission to which God has called us, we also celebrate our long-term board members (those with over 20 years of service) for their God-given gifts of discernment, leadership and administration. These board members have stood firm while serving PLC for the cause of Christ for many years. Their time of service on the board is as follows:
Bob Stover 1965 – present (one of the founders of PLC)
John Jenks 1967 – present
John Forsberg 1974 – 2009
Warren Reding 1974 – 2006
Richard Paul 1980 – 2005
Bob Howard 1990 – present
We also celebrate a deeply dedicated staff led by Carmen Fowler, our gifted president and executive editor. Our staff carries out board directives without complaint and with the sure knowledge they are serving the Lord Jesus. Sometimes they must wonder if there is a method to the board’s madness, but their conscientious devotion to our mission indicates their willingness to follow our lead. God has blessed PLC with a wise, talented and hard working team. We also praise God for giving us more years of service from Parker Williamson, our long-term spiritual and administrative leader who is now editor emeritus and senior correspondent.
And finally we celebrate our faithful supporters who pray for this ministry and provide for us financially. The Layman is published and distributed through the generosity of our constituency. The Layman Online is likewise a subscription-free service made possible through donor generosity. PLC has thousands of readers who depend on us as the only source of reliable denominational news at a time in our country when the news is “spun” and truth is a scarcity. We celebrate the faithfulness of our supporters who seek to know God’s truth!
All of us from PLC pray for God’s blessings on His Church in 2010 as we celebrate His great faithfulness. May our 45th year be our best yet.
Stephen G. Brown is an elder at First Presbyterian Church of Haines City, Florida. He is chairman of the Board of Directors and chief executive officer of the Presbyterian Lay Committee.
Reprinted in part from January/February 1998 issue of The Presbyterian Layman and from the Articles of Incorporation of the Presbyterian Lay Committee, Inc.