Explore every episode of the podcast Polity Matters
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 122. Polity Nerds Stick Together | 10 Mar 2026 | 00:43:44 | |
Jeffrey Choi, a PCA pastor in Los Angeles, discusses the nuances of Overture 37, the role of women in the diaconate, and the implications for PCA polity.
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| 121. Put the Cookies on the Bottom Shelf (BCO 52) | 03 Mar 2026 | 00:42:36 | |
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| 120. In the Shower or at Church (BCO 51) | 24 Feb 2026 | 00:36:27 | |
| 119. Lead My Sheep | 17 Feb 2026 | 00:33:51 | |
| 118. In Your Vulgar Tongue (BCO 50) | 10 Feb 2026 | 00:30:39 | |
| 117. They May Have a Crock Pot On (BCO 49) | 03 Feb 2026 | 00:34:18 | |
| 116. I Like Pulpits Too (BCO 48) | 20 Jan 2026 | 00:50:25 | |
| 115. Worship Vibes (BCO 47) | 13 Jan 2026 | 01:04:19 | |
| 114. Temporary Episode | 06 Jan 2026 | 00:30:26 | |
Temporary statement adopted by the Third General Assembly to preface the Directory for Worship: The Directory for Worship is an approved guide and should be taken seriously as the mind of the Church agreeable to the Standards. However, it does not have the force of law and is not to be considered obligatory in all its parts. BCO 56, 57 and 58 have been given full constitutional authority by the Eleventh General Assembly after being submitted to the Presbyteries and receiving the necessary approval of two-thirds (2/3) of the Presbyteries. BCO 59-3, as amended, has been given full constitutional authority by the Forty-seventh General Assembly after being submitted to the Presbyteries and receiving the necessary approval of two-thirds (2/3) of the Presbyteries. (from the Digital BCO) Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||
| 113. Worship in the EPC | 30 Dec 2025 | 00:53:19 | |
Go here to see resources from the EPC, including their Book of Order. Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||
| 112. Worship in the OPC with Jonathan Cruse | 16 Dec 2025 | 00:40:46 | |
| 111. Directories and the ARP | 02 Dec 2025 | 00:40:23 | |
Mark Ross and Ben Glazer join the guys for a discussion about the ARP and worship. Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||
| 110. Clarity is Part of Our Job | 18 Nov 2025 | 00:33:33 | |
The guys are joined by Patrick Curles to discuss the Book of Common Worship. Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||
| 109. Women in the PCA | 11 Nov 2025 | 00:59:54 | |
David Strain and Joshua Walker gather to discuss the role of women in the PCA. Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||
| 108. Instead of Ben a Loud Italian | 04 Nov 2025 | 01:05:35 | |
| 107. Welcome Per Almquist | 28 Oct 2025 | 00:34:34 | |
Scott and Jared spend some time with Per Almquist, a famliar name to the show. Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||
| 106. Just Let Them Go (BCO 46) | 21 Oct 2025 | 00:43:59 | |
| 105. Rise Out of the Taco Sauce (BCO 45) | 15 Oct 2025 | 00:43:48 | |
| 104. Officer Training w/David Hall | 07 Oct 2025 | 00:35:13 | |
| 103. Vacated (BCO 44) | 30 Sep 2025 | 00:10:00 | |
| 102. We Do Have a Time Limit (BCO 43) | 23 Sep 2025 | 00:52:55 | |
Jared and Scott are joined by Art Sartorius to discuss Complaints. Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||
| 101. Black Jeans & a Navy Blazer (BCO 42 Part 2) | 16 Sep 2025 | 00:31:24 | |
Scott and Ben finish up BCO 42 (with a fair amount of help from Dr. Guy Waters). Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||
| 100. Happy Birthday | 09 Sep 2025 | 01:01:09 | |
| 99. Never Know When a Party Breaks Out (BCO 42 Part 1) | 02 Sep 2025 | 00:35:08 | |
Scott and Ben are joined Dr. Guy Waters to discuss the first five sections of BCO 42. Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||
| 98. Pastor Could Ask His Dad (BCO 41) | 27 Aug 2025 | 00:42:27 | |
| 97. Inept to Do This Alone (BCO 40) | 19 Aug 2025 | 00:58:27 | |
A Ben and Fred duo episode--all about Review and Control. Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||
| 96. Nothing of Substance (RPR w/Thomas Rickard) | 12 Aug 2025 | 00:57:35 | |
Scott and Jared are joined by Thomas Rickard to have (another) discussion about Review of Presbytery Records. Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||
| 95. Put Me Out of My Misery (BCO 39) | 05 Aug 2025 | 00:50:15 | |
It's all about the modes! Join Scott, Jared, and Fred as the discuss the BCO chapter with the longest title: Modes in Which the Proceedings of Lower Courts Come Under the Supervision of Higher Courts. Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||
| 94. A Good Church, A Bad Church, and Nowhere (BCO 38) | 29 Jul 2025 | 00:49:17 | |
He's never introduced, but you can't deny the dulcet tones of RE Howie Donahoe, who joins Scott and Jared to get into BCO 38. Presbytery Clerks Download Page Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||
| 93. BCO Amendments Are Coming! | 22 Jul 2025 | 00:52:06 | |
Scott leads us through the BCO amendments sent down from this years General Assembly. https://pcapolity.com/2025/07/22/thirteen-proposed-amendments-in-2025/ Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||
| 92. Regarding Paul Settle | 15 Jul 2025 | 00:42:01 | |
Jared sits down with Mel Duncan and Jason Helopolous to discuss the influential ministry of Rev. Paul Settle. Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||
| 91. 52nd PCAGA Recap | 01 Jul 2025 | 00:45:31 | |
Ben and Jared hit a few highlights of the 52nd General Assembly, and then Jared is joined by the PCA Archivist Wayne Sparkman for a brief interview. To win a signed copy of Our Bond of Union by Per Almquist, email us and tell how Polity Matters has been a help to you since we started in 2023. Winner will be selected by the three hosts toward the end of July 2025. Check out the following GA roundups that are already published: Presbyterian and Reformed Churchman Podcast Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||
| 90. Revisiting RPR | 23 Jun 2025 | 01:08:39 | |
Our AI substitute wasn't able to record an episode, so it seem like it generated an introduction with NotebookLM and then aired our RPR Deep Dive from last year. Enjoy. Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||
| 89. Crash Course on the PCA General Assembly | 16 Jun 2025 | 00:39:55 | |
Jared, Scott, and Ben spend time with friend of the show Steve Dowling, discussing the week of General Assembly and what we might expect at the 52nd. Fred Greco's Overtures Roundup Jacob Gerber's Parliamentary Procedure for Presbyters Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||
| 88. Some Sense of Order (Overtures 2025 Part Two) | 12 Jun 2025 | 01:06:50 | |
Alex Ford is back! We quickly put him to work sifting through Overtures with the guys... Overtures discussed: 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 27, 28, 29, 33, 34, 35, 36, 41, 42, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50 Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||
| 87. It's Almost GA, Where's Our Controversy? (Overtures 2025 Part One) | 10 Jun 2025 | 01:01:47 | |
Alex Ford is back! We quickly put him to work sifting through Overtures with the guys... Overtures discussed: 1, 6, 7, 8, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 22, 23, 24, 25, 30, 31, 32, 37, 40 Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||
| 86. Orderly Meeting | 03 Jun 2025 | 00:55:10 | |
| 85. BCO 37: The Removal of Censure | 27 May 2025 | 01:00:39 | |
Mel Duncan joins the show to help us think through the removal of censures in BCO 27. Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||
| 84. BCO 36 The Infliction of Church Censures | 13 May 2025 | 01:02:16 | |
Dr. Waters joins the guys to discuss the infliction of censures. Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||
| 83. Bigger Problems Than Testifying in a PCA Court (BCO 35 part two) | 06 May 2025 | 00:38:30 | |
Ben, Jared, Scott, and Fred finish out BCO 35. Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||
| 82. An Out of Date Bunch of Malarkey (BCO 35 part one) | 29 Apr 2025 | 00:35:29 | |
Ben, Jared, Scott, and Fred begin PCA BCO Chapter 35 on Evidence. They discuss the competency of witnesses, the rights of the accused and accuser, procedures for handling testimony, and the judgment of evidence in church courts. Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||
| 81. All of My Secrets Have Been Exposed (BCO 34) | 22 Apr 2025 | 00:49:35 | |
Jared and Scott are joined by RE John Bise to work through matters pertaining to process against TEs. Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||
| 80. Until I Read Them Out Loud (BCO 33) | 15 Apr 2025 | 00:41:51 | |
Steve Dowling joins the polity bros to work through BCO 33: Special Rules Pertaining to Process Before Sessions. Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||
| 75. The People I Lied to Are Dead: Part Three (BCO 32 part two) | 08 Apr 2025 | 00:41:32 | |
Ben, Jared, Scott, and Fred continue their discussion and explanation of BCO 32. Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||
| 74. The People I Lied to Are Dead (BCO 32 Part One) | 01 Apr 2025 | 00:49:27 | |
Ben, Jared, Scott, and Fred deal with the first six sections of BCO 32. Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||
| 73. Best Host Ever (BCO 31 part two) | 25 Mar 2025 | 00:51:02 | |
Ben, Jared, Half-Scott, and Steve are back to finish BCO 31. Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||
| 72. Story Time with Steve (BCO 31 part one) | 18 Mar 2025 | 01:04:11 | |
Ben, Jared, and Scott are joined by Steve Tipton to dive into BCO 31, which outlines the key players and procedures involved in formal judicial processes within the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). They start off with a bit of fun—Jared presents a quiz on judicial cases that have shaped the PCA. Then, the discussion turns serious as they unpack the nuances of BCO 31, addressing questions of jurisdiction, the role of the courts, and the necessity of due process in church discipline. Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||
| 71. Pure Hypothetical (BCO 30) | 11 Mar 2025 | 00:55:15 | |
In this episode of Polity Matters, hosts Ben Ratliff, Jared Nelson, and Scott Edberg welcome Dr. Guy Waters of Reformed Theological Seminary to discuss Chapter 30 of the PCA Book of Church Order (BCO), which deals with church censures. They explore the biblical, theological, and practical aspects of church discipline, the different types of censures available to church courts, and how they should be wisely applied in the life of the church. Books by Dr. Waters: Facing the Last Enemy: Death and the Christian The Sabbath as Rest and Hope for the People of God Well-Ordered, Living Well: A Field Guide to Presbyterian Church Government For the Mouth of the Lord Has Spoken: The Doctrine of Scripture Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||
| 70. Just Give Me Another Hour (BCO 29) | 04 Mar 2025 | 00:35:26 | |
In this episode of Polity Matters, hosts Ben Ratliff, Jared Nelson, and Scott Edberg welcome Ruling Elder John Bise to discuss Chapter 29 of the PCA Book of Church Order: Offenses. The conversation tackles the distinctions between personal and general offenses, as well as private and public offenses, and how church courts should approach discipline in a biblical and pastoral manner. Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||
| 69. The Jared Nelson Memorial Episode (BCO 28) | 25 Feb 2025 | 00:52:30 | |
Ben, Jared, and Scott are joined by Steve Tipton --the fourth polity bro-- to discuss BCO 28: Disciplining of Non-communing Members. Send us a text message! (but bear in mind the we can't see who sends it unless you tell us...) | |||