An Overview of Providence’s Officer Training
For 9 weeks this summer, candidates for elder and deacon went through Providence’s Officer Training program.
The goal of this training was to help these men better understand the theological convictions, government, and direction of Providence and our denomination, the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA).
But before we ever even began the first session, each candidate completed a preliminary questionnaire. The questionnaire asked about each man’s personal character and integrity. From there, each candidate’s wife submitted a letter of recommendation on her husband’s behalf, explaining why she believed that he would make a great church officer.
It’s important for church officers to not only have a heart for work they’ll be conducting either as elders or deacons, but to share the same theological convictions of the church. In fact, in the Presbyterian Church in America, elders must make a good faith subscription to the Westminster Standards. That is, they must believe that the Westminster Confession of Faith, along with the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms, are faithful summaries of Biblical teaching. Church officers should fulfill their duties out of an overflow of their biblical and theological convictions!
So our training began with Reformed theology and ended with a discussion of the requirements and work of elders and deacons.
Officer Training involved a weekly hour and a half session where candidates reviewed and discussed the material given to them ahead of time. There were also several books for required reading that correlated to the weekly sessions.
Below is an overview of the Officer Training material that was covered.
Session 1: Introduction and Expectations
At the outset, we wanted to first introduce the men to the materials and give some direction for processing whether they feel called to serve Providence as a church officer.
Every candidate received several books for required reading as well as an officer training manual that outlined what would be covered over the next several weeks.
There were two primary goals in session one:
To encourage the candidates to reflect on whether or not they truly felt called to serve as a church officer.
To give expectations in terms of attendance and preparation.
Session 2: Reformed Theology, Part 1
Providence is not theologically innovative or unique but stands in a long tradition of doctrine and practice that flows from the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century.
The theology that came out of the Protestant Reformation is often referred to as Reformed Theology. For that reason, our first lesson began by emphasizing the importance of the Protestant Reformation. We quickly discussed some of the key figures of the Reformation including:
William Tyndale (1492-1536)
Martin Luther (1483-1546)
Philipp Melanchthon
Martin Bucer (1491-1551)
Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531)
John Calvin (1509-1564)
Heinrich Bullinger (1504-1575)
John Knox (1514-1572)
Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556)
Over time, there have been many attempts to summarize Reformed Theology. Three of the primary frameworks are:
The Five Solas - Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide, Sola Gratia, Sola Christus, Soli Deo Gloria
TULIP - Total depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible grace, Perseverance of the saints
Loci of Theology - Prolegomena, Theology, Anthropology, Christology, Soteriology, Ecclesiology, Eschatology
Session 3: Reformed Theology, Part 2
In our third session we continued with what we called “Reformed Theology, Part 2,” where we discussed the doctrine of God (Theology), the doctrine of Man (Anthropology), Christ (Christology), and Salvation (Soteriology).
As John Calvin writes in his introduction to the Institutes, knowledge of God and knowledge of man are intimately related. The foundation of all theological knowledge is God himself; we approach our understanding of God through our understanding of ourselves, and vice versa. As such, the doctrines of Theology (God) and Anthropology (Man) are the starting points for all other knowledge pertaining to Christ, salvation, the church, and the future.
The doctrine of Christ (Christology) flows logically from the doctrines of God and Man. He is the only mediator between God and man, and he is the guarantor of the Covenant of Grace on behalf of the elect who are represented in him. In Christ, God chose to reconcile fallen humanity to himself. God sent his divine, eternally existent Son to become incarnate in the flesh of man, to bear the penalty of sin on the cross, to meet the conditions of the law, and, thereby, to restore man to God. Christ died, Christ has risen, and Christ will come again!
Reformed Theology is perhaps most well known for its doctrines of “special” grace, or its particular understanding of the Scriptural teaching of how lost sinners are saved (“soteriology”). The Reformed perspective emphasizes the total sovereignty of God in salvation while simultaneously upholding the responsibility of man to repent and turn to Christ. The central doctrine within Reformed soteriology is that of justification by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
Session 4: Covenant Theology
Required Reading: The Fulfillment of the Promises of God by Dr. Richard Belcher
Our fourth session covered another important topic: Covenant Theology.
Covenant theology is the framework for understanding the narrative of Scripture and God's relationship with humanity through the lens of covenants. Throughout Scripture, God interacts with His people through a series of binding agreements, or covenants, which establish the terms of their relationship. The two primary covenants often highlighted in this framework are the Covenant of Works, made with Adam before the Fall, and the Covenant of Grace, which unfolds throughout Scripture culminating with the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. In fact, covenants are key to understanding Adam's fall and redemption; the salvation of Noah; Abraham's promise; the thought and theology of Moses; the coming Davidic king; and Jesus' death, resurrection, and priestly intercession.
Each covenant reveals different aspects of God's character, emphasizes the continuity of God's promises throughout the Bible, and demonstrates how the Old Testament covenants find their fulfillment in the New Testament through Christ. By framing the entirety of the Bible within this covenantal structure, believers can better understand the Bible, see the significance of their salvation, and live in accordance to God’s will.
Session 5: Reformed Worship
Required Reading: Reformed Worship by Jonty Rhodes
The fifth session covered the topic of Reformed Worship. This lesson was intended to help explain Providence’s worship style and convictions.
Reformed worship emphasizes the centrality of Scripture as the primary guide for worship. This emphasis on biblical fidelity shapes every aspect of worship, from the call to worship to the benediction. This principle of only doing in worship what God has expressly commanded in Scripture is known as the regulative principle.
Reformed worship often features a clear order and structure to the worship service which mirrors the relational dynamics between God and His people. This explains why reformed worship services typically begin with a call to worship, where God invites His people into His presence, followed by responses of confession and assurance of pardon, demonstrating the ongoing nature of believers’ relationship with God, the preaching of God’s word which is applied to His people, participation in the sacraments which reflects God’s presence with his people, and then sending his people out with a benediction, or a “good word,” from the Lord.
Reformed worship is often characterized by its simplicity and avoidance of elaborate rituals or ceremonies in order to focus on God's glory and grace.
Session 6: Confessionalism
Required Reading: Westminster Confession of Faith, Confessing the Faith by Dr. Chad van Dixhoorn
The sixth session was on Christian confessionalism.
Christian confessionalism refers to the belief that churches and individuals should adhere to specific, written confessions of faith that summarize essential Christian doctrines. These confessions, such as the Westminster Confession of Faith, serve as formal statements of belief that guide teaching, worship, and church governance. Confessionalism emphasizes the importance of doctrinal clarity and unity, believing that a shared, well-defined theology helps preserve the truth of the gospel and provides accountability for both leaders and congregants.
Although Scripture is the only rule for faith and practice, confessions seek to provide faithful theological summaries of what Scripture teaches.
Session 7: Polity of the PCA
Required Reading: The Book of Church Order, Parliamentary Procedure for Presbyters by Jacob Gerber
As a denominational and confessional church, Providence highly values the importance of church governance and accountability, both within the local body of believers and among multiple individual churches.
“Polity” is the term used to describe the organization and governance of the church. In session 7, we discussed and evaluated the three main models for church government (independent, episcopal, and presbyterian) and focused specifically on the biblical basis and distinctives of the Presbyterian model, along with an overview of our denomination’s polity.
Session 8: Elder & Deacon
Required Reading: The Shepherd Leader by Dr. Timothy Whitmer
The God we worship is one of order and specificity. He rules all his created realm, and especially his chosen people – the church – through the dominion and reign of Christ, our King. Christ himself is the primary ruler of his people. But the Lord has chosen to administer the rule of his people through the leaders he establishes over his church. He sets apart men as officers who are his instruments for guiding, ruling, shepherding, caring for, and protecting his bride. These men are called by Christ himself to this ministry, and they bear authority over the church that is derived from Christ himself. In other words, they serve as “under-shepherds” of Christ, exercising his authority but in subservience to him alone.
There are two classes of such ordained leaders in God's church: elder and deacon. In this section, we discussed the Biblical background, requirements, and duties of these officers.
Session 9: Providence Mission & Distinctives
In our last session we discussed Providence’s mission and distinctives.
In one sense, every church has the same mission, which is to carry out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), but churches differ in how they execute their God-given mission.
In session 9, we discussed various distinctives of Providence. First, we are unapologetically presbyterian. This means that we’re committed to God’s Word, love the Westminster Standards, celebrate reformed worship, are dedicated to the PCA, and willingly engage in bold evangelism.
We also want to be a church that is means of grace oriented. This means that we believe the church’s highest function is spiritual and because of this, we want to emphasize a commitment to the Word (both read and preached), the sacraments (baptism and the Lord’s Supper), and dependent prayer. The means of grace are God-given tools for making disciples.
Third, we want Providence to be hospitable. This of course means that we want folks to be welcoming to visitors on Sunday morning, but it also means that we want people to have one another in each other’s homes. Hospitality is a vital component to being a welcoming, friendly, church.
Additionally, we want to be committed to church planting. Starting new churches is the best way to reach unbelievers with the gospel. It’s with that in mind that we want to see more gospel centered churches planted locally, regionally, and internationally.
We also want to be a church that encourages positive, gospel-centered changes in our denomination. This means that the elders must be committed to regularly attending both presbytery meetings and our denominations annual General Assembly.
And lastly, we want to be a church that is willing to get creative in order to reach our community (of course, within the confines of Scripture!). But we want to think creatively about how to reach the Roanoke Valley, Roanoke College, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, etc.
Examinations
At the ninth session, we distributed exams that covered the material of the past several weeks and the candidates had two weeks to complete them.
Each candidate also met with the temporary session of elders for an interview to discuss their qualifications, theological convictions, etc.
Next Steps
We are grateful to have two candidates that will be up for election as elder and two candidates that will be up for election as deacon.
In the upcoming weeks, our congregation will gather together after worship for a congregational meeting in which we will vote on elders, deacons, and the pastor.
Then, on Saturday, November 9th, elders and deacons will be installed and ordained in our Particularization Service. A commission of men from the Blue Ridge Presbytery will lay hands on our new elders and deacons and pray for them, as well.
It is an exciting time in the life of our church! The Officer Training process has been long and extensive, but absolutely necessary in laying a strong foundation for the future of Providence.
