The second group, the "Reformed evangelicals," also has a strong commitment to God' s Word accompanied by a love for and commitment to Reformed confessional theology, though in a less strict or "good faith" approach. This group has a great love for the church within the denominational model as well and takes our standards seriously, as "containing the system of doctrine" found in Scripture.

The third group, "the neo-Reformed," has a high view of Scripture but in a somewhat more broadly eclectic manner regarding confessional boundaries. This group has a strong leaning to focus more on the local church and its ministry with less emphasis on the denominational paradigm, and thus has the tendency to act more independently. (A fuller description of this group is seen in the book review in this issue of Young, Restless, Reformed by Colin Hansen.)

The fourth group, the "post-conservative evangelicals," appreciates Scripture but may have a different perspective, or maybe even a new perspective, on Scripture. Those of us who were taught neo-orthodox theology in seminary see much similarity here regarding the Bible. This group tends to prefer few to no confessional boundaries; and theologically, they would be more broadly evangelical and generally embrace only a local church commitment. They would tend to make more of an antithesis between being Reformed and evangelical than the previous three groups.

The fifth group, the "emergent movement," is only somewhat present at this time in the PCA, at least in a more sympathetic way than with groups one, two, and three. This group is intentionally non-traditional, non-confessional, and committed to embracing a Christianity placed within a postmodern paradigm that makes truth and authority subjective at best. It also questions the entire organized or institutionalized church model as we have known it, especially the denominational paradigm, which is generally viewed from this perspective as out of touch, authoritarian, or negative and judgmental.

The first three groups are strongly committed to the sovereignty of God, truth and authority, the doctrines of grace, love for the church, and faithfully preaching and teaching within and among those with a Calvinistic theology. Groups four and five adopt more of a non-foundational postmodern framework, which attempts to fit Christianity into it As a generalization, admitted by some who have already left this movement, the emergents desire to focus on a non-Calvinistic and non-traditional model which talks not about biblical, universal truth or institutional Christianity but rather conversations and relationships.

As my conversation continued with my friends, remarked that as you move from left to right on the the chart on the previous page, especially beyond groups one and two, the next three groups, while having a presence in the PCA, diminish in size considerably.

Here is what I have observed and experienced over the years. While groups one and two have learned how to work together, even with their differences, groups three, four, and, five tend to operate differently, Please understand, I believe groups four and five are only embryonically present in the PCA but could continue to grow if we move further away from our authority base, confessional boundaries, and the denominational model.

What happens in the next few years will be extremely important. While some remain committed to the denomination theologically, as well as ecclesiastically, others are not as intentional in reflecting that commitment. Consequently, we need to be extremely careful in what we teach, advocate, and promote in the PCA. We have been quick to advocate some potentially good things and also some things that could end up working against the very denominational paradigm that provides our framework, Here are two examples. While we appreciate and encourage the new concept of the church being missional (meaning that missions starts at home in our neighborhoods and then moves out into the entire world), when churches carry the concept to the extremes, many do not actively participate in the life of the denomination as a whole, Even now, some churches within the PCA are not supporting the whole work of the church. Presently, less than one half of PCA churches support the denominational committees and agencies. Though the PCA Book of Church Order 14.1 has adopted the organizing principle that it is the duty of each church to support the whole work of the church, this present situation works against the denominational model and the PCA has not satisfactorily addressed it. ]t is not enforced even though the principle is part of the PCA Constitution,.

Another example is an emphasis on "movements" and "networks." Men such as D. M. Lloyd Jones and John R.W. Stott have cautioned us in the past that movements have a history of pulling people and resources away from the local church, as well as the denomination; hence they ultimately work against the denominational paradigm. In practice the PCA has demonstrated more of a supportive posture to the movement concept and the results are challenging. The committees and agencies of the PCA have to work within a denominational paradigm but each has to raise its own funds. With the reality mentioned previously regarding the number of supporting churches, doing realistic budgets and funding assigned or approved programs becomes challenging, difficult, and sometimes impossible.

Time will tell for the PCA if we are a solid investment. Presently, the clock is ticking. Lastly, I said to my friend, "Tell me what you heard me say lest i have not been clear in my response."