Dear Joe,<br><br>thanks for your reply. I did not understand you to be attacking any particular denominations.<br><br>Clearly we haven't visited the same PCA churches. I have been tremendously encouraged by all four I have visited (Tenth Philadephia, Village Church New York, Redeemer New York and Nroth City, California). I am aware of ups and downs in some of these and have been ecouraged again to see people seeking to address them biblically. So, as you say, we haven't seen the same churches!<br><br>Certainly encouragement, in my book, includes appropriately addressing problems in a church. I do believe individual congregations need reformation and indeed I labour at that in the congregation where I have recently begun serving as a deacon. It isn't easy, it takes a long time, it requires building relationships and working and praying hard to see behaviours, attitudes and beliefs change. So far I am very encouraged myself by how the Lord has opened possibilities to be active in this way.<br><br>Thus it may be that the churches you are involved with in the PCA need reformation to rediscover and apply biblical truths. The challenge is always how we see ourselves glorifying God in the midst of them. We can choose to work for biblical solutions without any illusions as to how hard this can be. Or we can walk away and keep looking for the perfect church.<br><br>Yours in Christ,<br><br>James.