Counsel

Covenant Voting

The purpose of this article is to set forth the Biblical and Confessional argument for restricting congregational voting to male heads of households. Though an admittedly unpopular position, it is the official position of the Reformed Presbyterian Church In The United States (RPCUS). We believe this limitation is consistent with the teachings of God's Word on church government, and that it may be deduced by good and necessary consequence from the system of truth set forth in the Westminster Confession of Faith and its Directories. Clear inferences are as binding upon us, according to our Confession, as the foundational doctrines that are explicitly spelled out. We read in chapter I section VI of the Westminster Confession Of Faith, "The whole counsel of God, concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man's salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from scripture..." In his exposition of the Westminster Confession of Faith, Robert Shaw said the following concerning this portion of the Confession: "...but we hold that conclusions fairly deduced from the declarations of the Word of God are as truly parts of divine revelation as if they were expressly taught in the Sacred Volume." We shall demonstrate from the Standards and its proof texts that the Scripture does restrict congregational voting to only male heads of households.