Whereas, "It belongeth to synods and councils, ministerially to determine controversies of faith, and cases of conscience; to set down rules and directions for the better ordering of the public worship of God, and government of His Church…" WCF 31:2.

Whereas, "Our blessed Saviour, for the edification of the visible Church, which is His body, has appointed officers not only to preach the Gospel and administer the Sacraments, but also to exercise discipline for the preservation both of truth and duty." Preface to the Book of Church Order, Preliminary Principles, paragraph 3.

Whereas, the 13th General Assembly of the PCA in 1985 appointed a study committee to examine Freemasonry and whether its tenets were contrary to basic Christianity. M13GA, p. 133.

Whereas, the 15th General Assembly of the PCA in 1987 received as evidence and for study and education of the entire membership of the PCA the report (M15GA, p. 464, et seq.) and accompanying documents from the study committee on Freemasonry and "exhort[ed] all members of Freemasonry and those considering membership in Freemasonry, who are also members of the PCA, to reconsider their relationship with that organization in the light of the evidence given in th[at] report and the Topical Summary of the Document Sources and particularly in light of such passages as I Thessalonians 5:21, 22 and Matthew 6:22-24." M15GA, p. 162.

Whereas, the PCA study committee on Freemasonry found the following:

a) "joining the Masons requires actions and vows out of accord with Scripture."

b) "participation in Masonry seriously compromises the Christian faith and testimony."

c) "membership in Masonry and activity in its ritual lead to a diluting of commitment to Christ and His Kingdom. The Scripture is emphatic that a Christian cannot have two masters…" M15GA, p. 473.

Whereas, we concur in the above studied and documented findings by the PCA study committee.

Whereas, after an additional year of study, the 16th General Assembly of the PCA chose to leave the issue of Freemasonry in the hands of the courts of original jurisdiction, while the study committee noted that the PCA "cannot ignore its responsibility to warn those who have ventured into Freemasonry and exhort them to examine their lives and commitments anew in the light of God’s Word (2 Cor. 4:2; Heb. 13:8, 9; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Thess. 5:21-22; Matt. 6:22-24; Jas. 1:8)." M16GA, p. 507.

Whereas, more than fifteen (15) years have passed since this issue was first addressed in the PCA leaving more than ample time for gentle and compassionate teaching, instruction, exhortation, and pleading as to the evils of Freemasonry and its incompatibility with Christianity.

Whereas, there still exist officers in the PCA who are also members of Freemasonry, an indication that some courts of original jurisdiction have failed properly to act in this serious matter.

Whereas, some faithful Christian members and congregations who have considered membership in the PCA have expressed serious concern because of the toleration of Freemasonry in the PCA.

Whereas, other denominations (e.g., Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod, and the Christian Reformed Church) have recognized that membership in Freemasonry is incompatible with membership in the Christian Church (M15GA, p. 465), a finding in which we concur.

Whereas, membership in Freemasonry is at the very least incompatible with the higher standards and qualifications for officers set forth in Scripture and in the constitutional standards of the PCA.

Therefore, be it resolved that Louisiana Presbytery calls upon the 30th General Assembly of the PCA to declare that no man shall be qualified for officer in the PCA if he maintains membership in Freemasonry.

This page was last updated 21 June 2008.