Moderator’s Challenge
The Priority of Him Who Reigns Over the Life and Worship of His Church
REV. ROB PATRICK Moderator
placed me. Preparing to preach for morning and evening sermons each week requires a great deal of time in study. Pastoral care of a congregation is also time consuming. In the week in which I write this article, I’ve had three church members in three different hospitals in three different towns undergoing procedures for cardiac issues. Pastoral ministry requires much, and its daily priority supersedes that of many of the opportuni- ties that come as Moderator of Synod!
A
s you read this article, my term of service as Moderator of Synod is already at the midway point.
and I’m pretty sure that is a function of advancing age. Days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months, and suddenly a new year arrives. Each year seems to go by faster than the last. Before we know it, it will be time for the Synod to gather at Bonclarken once again!
During the course of the year of ser- vice, the Moderator’s duties include an advisory position on all the boards and committees of Synod. With that comes many invitations to appear or speak at meetings and services. When the Mod- erator is retired, there is a wonderful op- portunity to accept those invitations, and to be many places for many functions. But in the case of a Moderator who is still engaged in full time work or vocational ministry, many of those invitations have to be declined, or, at best, kept via elec- tronic presence.
As I pastor the Boyce Memorial con- gregation, I have had to decline many invitations to speak or to be physically present for meetings. I’m sorry for that, in the sense that I have found in-person meeting participation a blessing. I enjoy the fellowship that comes in working with brothers and sisters in Christ who are engaged in service to the church. But I’m not sorry, in the sense that my prima- ry call to serve the church is among the local congregation where the LORD has
That is not to say that service as Moderator of Synod is unimportant. But it is helpful to remember the nature of the work of the Moderator of Synod. He is not the Pope of the Synod. He does not speak for the General Synod, unless the Synod entrusts him with a particular message. Like the Moderators of Presbyteries and Sessions, he is primarily re- Executive Board of Synod. Perhaps not all ARP Church members understand this, but when one moderates meetings, one typically does not vote on the issues, or even engage in the debate on issues. Moderators serve to “moderate” deliberations, and thus should maintain impartiality on the issues debated. Our rules of order allow the moderator of a meeting to vote, particularly when his vote is needed to break a tie, but it is more often the case that he will seek greater unanimity in the deliberating body, rather than cast a deciding vote. As such, moderators hold a position that is better understood primarily as bearing responsibility, rather than exercising authority.
Moderating meetings is important! But when Synods, Presbyteries, and Sessions meet, what is most important is that Elders serve together to seek the mind and will of the One Who reigns over His church. So it is that our meetings are begun and ended with prayer. Proxy votes are not allowed; only those participating in meetings are permitted to vote, because we believe the Holy Spirit of God uses the process of debate and delib- of Ministers and Elders bear the same weight, so that no participant is more important any participant, is lord over the other delegates. All labor together under the authority of Jesus Christ, Who alone is King and head over His church. Elders free from a sense of ultimate authority and responsibility for the life and wor- ship of the church. Scripture makes clear that we will all give an account to Him for the service that we render to Christ and His church. But in that service, it is He Who rules by His Word and Spirit, directing us as we seek to serve Him. There is no area of the life and ministry of His church over which Jesus does not reign. In recent issues of The ARP Magazine, we have read of the priority and His propriety over the worship of His people, both public and private. This edition has an article reminding us of His propriety over the whole of the Lord’s Day. This is true every day, and in everything that is done in the life of the church, whether meetings of Elders or the worship of the gathered church. In fact, one might say this is our priority in all we do: That the One Who reigns over the worship and life of the church is the One to Whom alone we ascribe all wisdom, power of kings and Lord of lords. Let us bow before Him in all our service to His church and remember that it is He Who reigns!
The Priority of Worship January/February 2024 3
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