Rev. Barry Ballard

Barry and his family have been with the Wyalusing Presbyterian Church since 1996.  Since then, the Ballard's have made Wyalusing their home.  Barry has worked with churches throughout his life in various positions.  He graduated from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in 1990, and has since worked in professional ministry.

Barry's vision for ministry comes from Ephesians 4:11-13, which says it is the job of pastors and teachers "to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of God."  Barry believes that God specifically called him to Wyalusing to bring people to Jesus in a personal way, so that they could learn to walk with him every day, and do everything to his glory.  Barry also believes that the Church is God's agent of transformation in the community, and each member has a ministry and a mission that God gives them to make that transformation happen.

Barry is married to Karen Ballard.  Karen is the pastor of nearby Rome Presbyterian Church.  They

have two children: Kirstyn and Wesley.  All four Ballard's have taken part in community events from sports to Boy Scouts to school music programs, working to fulfill their mission: to transform Wyalusing for Christ.

A NOTE FROM BARRY:

Hi.  If you have been watching, reading, or listening to the news lately, you have probably heard something about our denomination, the Presbyterian Church (USA) opening its doors to ordaining practicing gays, lesbians, etc. to offices in the church.  I felt the need to offer some clarification on this reporting.  Amendment 10-A is one of several amendments to one part of the constitution of the PC (USA)--the Book of Order, which gives us guidelines for how the church operates.  For years, the Book of Order has upheld the Biblical standard that ordained people (ministers, elders, and deacons) are "to practice fidelity in marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness," (Book of Order, G-6.0106b).  The necessary majority of presbyteries around the country have voted to replace G-6.0106b with Amendment 10-A, which relaxes these standards.  As the pastor of a church with varying points of view on this topic, I realize that some of you will applaud the denomination's voting on 10-A, and some of you will be ready to leave.  I wanted you to know my point of view on this topic and the voting, as well as give you some resources so that you can understand the breadth of this ongoing debate within the PC (USA).

First, I am aware of the voting and which way it has been headed for some time.  The church does not nor has it ever said that gay people come to worship here.  Jesus Christ came to save sinners, of which I am probably one of the worst.  That means people who are struggling with any kind of sin, even ones that they are not aware of, are welcome in our church.  No one has to be perfect to come to church at WPC.

Second, While it is not a popular position in a very vocal part of our culture in the Western world, the Bible points out that people who practice homosexual activity are in sin.  In other words, God does not have very favorable things to say about this activity in the Bible.  References can be cited in both Old and New Testaments about this.  I encourage you to look them up and decide for yourself.  My point of view, in obedience to Scripture, is that of Amendment G-6.0106b--ordained officers in the church should practice fidelity in marriage between a man and a woman, and chastity in singleness.  So, anybody can come to our church to worship, and we trust that as they open themselves to the work of the Holy Spirit, they will become aware of their need for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.  Furthermore, as we walk through our lives as Christ's disciples, the Holy Spirit will sanctify us, transform us, and help us overcome even the most deeply ingrained problems, habits, attitudes, and behaviors with which we struggle, including sexual struggles.  However, in order to be ordained to an office, prospective officers need to meet the standards established in the Book of Order, Chapter VI, section G-6.0106.  I believe that includes striving to live in obedience to the Bible, and not rationalizing behavior which Scripture calls sin.

Third, I have informed the Session about Amendment 10-A, and I have encouraged them to read up on the subject and possible implications for our church and other Presbyterian churches in the area.  A spokesperson for "The Fellowship," a newly forming renewal group, described the effect as that of an earthquake: some people and congregations will be devastated because of their location and the surrounding demographics, while other congregations will barely notice a tremor.  I suspect that out where our church is located, we will barely notice a tremor.

Fourth, Karen and I intend to head for the first gathering of "The Fellowship" in August.  We agree that the best way to handle this does not initially involve cutting and running.  We will explore the possibilities of effecting change within the denomination while remaining in the denomination.  The Fellowship maintains that it will continue to uphold fidelity in marriage between an man and a woman and chastity in singleness, as G-6.0106b (Book of Order) currently reads.  That is the standard I intend to uphold.  Furthermore, "The Fellowship" upholds the essential tenet that we must live IN OBEDIENCE to Scripture (not simply guided by Scripture as the new amendment reads), and that is how I see it.  We should be living in obedience to Scripture whether or not we are ordained in the church.

Finally, it is worth noting that our presbytery--the Lackawanna Presbytery--voted AGAINST Amendment 10-A  It was a relatively close vote, but we voted to keep Amendment B (G-6.0106b--the Fidelity and Chastity Amendment) in place in our Book of Order.  So our presbytery was among the minority that voted to uphold this standard.

The results of the voting process are disappointing to me, but I intend to stay put in the PC(USA), and continue to uphold the Scriptural standards of practicing and teaching fidelity in marriage between a man and a woman, and chastity in singleness.

If you want to know more about this than just what the popular media and radio talk show hosts are saying, here are some websites to check out: Fellowship PC(USA) (http://www.fellowship-pcusa.org/);  Jim Singleton--PC (USA) Fellowship Videos (http://vimeo.com/21090976); The Presbyterian Outlook (http://pres-outlook.com/); Presbyterians for Renewal (http://www.pfrenewal.org/); The Presbyterian Layman (http://www.layman.org/Home.aspx); The Presbyterian Coalition (http://www.presbycoalition.org/); The Covenant Network of Presbyterians (http://www.covnetpres.org/); and The Presbyterian Church (http://www.pcusa.org/).  These websites represent both sides of the debate.

I hope this helps you as far as what the denomination is going through.  If you want to talk about this, just give me a call, and we can get together.

Barry