Caleb Mercer, 25, completed his reading of the Prairie Ridge Reformed Church 1992 constitution on Tuesday evening, having begun the document in May following his first coffee meeting with Elder Gerald Hoffstead. The reading took eleven weeks, generated seventeen documented questions organized by constitutional article, and filled one notebook that Caleb has described as “nearly complete” and Megan Mercer has described as “full.” Ezra Mercer, fifteen months, destroyed three pages of notes in week nine. They were reconstructed from memory.

The seventeen questions were submitted to Elder Hoffstead by email on Wednesday morning. Elder Hoffstead confirmed receipt. He described the list as “thorough.” He then asked Caleb, in the same email, whether they might schedule a follow-up coffee to discuss the questions in person rather than in writing. Caleb responded within four minutes. He confirmed availability on six separate dates. Elder Hoffstead has not yet responded with a date. Caleb has not followed up a second time, which Elder Langley, when informed, called “growth.”

Three of Caleb’s seventeen questions concern articles he has flagged as potentially warranting revision — specifically Articles IV, IX, and XIV, which govern elder qualifications, the amendment process, and what the constitution refers to as “guidance on extraordinary circumstances,” a phrase that appears once and is not defined. Caleb’s question regarding Article XIV is: “What constitutes an extraordinary circumstance, and has this provision ever been invoked?” Elder Hoffstead’s private response to this question, shared with the Dispatch by a source who was in the room when he read it, consisted of a long silence followed by reaching for his coffee.

Elder Langley, reached separately, described Caleb’s questions as “exactly the kind of engagement the church should want from its young men.” He said this with the careful phrasing of a man who has thought about how to say it for some time. Elder Hoffstead’s description remains “thorough.” The two characterizations are not in conflict.

No one has yet informed Caleb that constitutional amendments at Prairie Ridge Reformed require a two-thirds congregational vote, a sixty-day notice period, and approval by the presbytery. The Dispatch has confirmed this is accurate. The Dispatch has not informed Caleb either, as it is a reporting organization and not a pastoral one. We note the fact and move on.

AT PRESS TIME: Caleb’s notebook has been replaced. The new notebook is identical to the previous one. He purchased two.

DEVELOPING: The Dispatch has learned that the fellowship hall renovation — tabled seven consecutive times since 2017 — will be formally addressed at Tuesday’s elder session. Elder Hoffstead is said to have prepared materials. The nature of the materials has not been confirmed. Elder Langley has not slept especially well this week.

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