Valentine, Kirkpatrick defend PCUSA, claim New Wineskins ‘mischaracterizes’ faith and life
By Craig M. Kibler, June 15, 2007
Just days before the General Assembly of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, the two highest officials in the Presbyterian Church (USA) are telling middle governing body officials that the New Wineskins Association of Churches has mischaracterized “central convictions” of “faith and life” in the PCUSA.
In a letter, General Assembly Council Executive Director Linda Valentine and the PCUSA’s stated clerk, the Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, state that they are writing to “those who seek to interpret accurately the positions of our church.”
In February, the New Wineskins Association of Churches unanimously voted to further the Kingdom of God as “a missional church and connectional body” through what was termed “a realignment” with the EPC.
The plan, if approved during the EPC General Assembly on June 20-23 in Denver, will open the door for the New Wineskins Association of Churches to petition the EPC General Assembly to create a New Wineskins Presbytery, overseen by a General Assembly Commission, that will be authorized to “immediately receive” New Wineskins churches into that presbytery from the PCUSA.
Latest letter from Valentine and Kirkpatrick
The June 12 letter by Valentine and Kirkpatrick, headlined “Letter, resource material to combat information from New Wineskins” in a Presbyterian News Service story, comes as the PCUSA reported that it had lost 46,544 more members in 2006, continuing an ongoing decline that has seen the loss of 225,308 members in just the past five years. This year may see even more members leaving the denomination, since a growing number of congregations have either left the PCUSA, have voted to be dismissed or are considering a vote on dismissal.
In writing to executive presbyters and stated clerks, and including a copy of “The Church’s One Foundation is Jesus Christ Her Lord” developed by the Office of Theology and Worship, Valentine and Kirkpatrick say a way that they “can be of service to you is by providing resources that may be helpful, especially as you deal with congregations in conflict.”
“We recognize that most of our congregations are not focused on New Wineskins or the statements being made” about the denomination, the letter states. “We are simply making this resource available for those who seek to interpret accurately the positions of our church.”
Valentine and Kirkpatrick close their letter with a request for feedback, “especially your thoughts about how we can be helpful to you and the whole church as we seek to reach out to those who believe that the church is moving in troubling directions.”
‘Fulfill the mission of the Church’
The New Wineskins Association of Churches, in a report released before the February vote, said, “In order to fulfill the mission of the Church of serving the Kingdom of God by proclaiming and adhering to Biblical truth, which we believe obedience to Christ requires of his disciples, we are compelled to recommend the Biblical solution of separation from our present denomination.”
The report says the recommendation for “graceful disaffiliation” is due to historical, Biblical, spiritual, missional, congregational, legal and strategic reasons, and that, “It is time for those who are ready to realign with an evangelical, Reformed body that is more faithful to Christ, obedient to Scripture and seeks a missionally-focused partnership with us than what we presently experience in the PCUSA.”
The 155-page report offered a range of options – both for congregations that wish to stay within the PCUSA and those that wish to align with the EPC – and included a “concrete and comprehensive” examination of Biblical, spiritual, missional, congregational, strategic and legal considerations.
Congregations urged not to leave
In advance of the February vote by the New Wineskins Association of Churches, Valentine and Kirkpatrick urged congregations not to leave the denomination.
In a letter titled “We are better together in Christ’s Unity,” Valentine and Kirkpatrick said they were writing “in advance of news you may read in the coming days. We have heard that a few Presbyterian congregations may soon announce their intention to leave the Presbyterian Church (USA).”
In their letter, Kirkpatrick and Valentine said they were “deeply saddened” by the recommendation for “graceful disaffiliation.”
“Any church’s departure is difficult and painful for the congregations involved and the wider church,” they wrote. “Fractures within the body of Christ diminish our witness of God’s grace and mercy to the world – unfortunate in these already divisive times. And, the PCUSA will miss the gifts and perspectives of these brothers and sisters in Christ.”
Kirkpatrick and Valentine stated that part of the reasons for congregations considering disaffiliation “are perceptions of particular actions of the 217th General Assembly last summer. These perceptions include concerns that our ordination standards have changed and that the PCUSA no longer believes in the Trinity. Neither of these is true.”
PUP report condemned
The 217th General Assembly in June 2006 approved the report of the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity, which kept the current ordination standards in the denomination’s constitution, but allows those who choose not to obey them to declare them to be non-essential.
A group of renewal leaders denounced the action, calling it “a profound deviation from Biblical requirements, and we cannot accept, support or tolerate this decision.”
“Many individuals and congregations will conclude from this decision that the PCUSA has abandoned the historic faith of the Church,” the renewal leaders said.
Leaders of the New Wineskins Association of Churches also condemned the vote, saying that “Presbyterianism has been turned on its head,” and the “actions of this assembly have thrown our denomination into a crisis.”
Text of letter
The full text of the letter by Valentine and Kirkpatrick is as follows:
“Dear Executive Presbyters and Stated Clerks:
“We are grateful for the leadership you provide to your governing body and to the whole church. We are also grateful for the ways we in the General Assembly Council and the Office of the General Assembly are able to work with you in the ministry and mission of the church. One way we can be of service to you is by providing resources that may be helpful, especially as you deal with congregations in conflict.
“The New Wineskins Association of Churches has circulated material that mischaracterizes central convictions of the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s faith and life. This material appears on the NWAC web site, as well as in direct communication with some congregations. A number of presbytery executives and stated clerks have asked us to outline the church’s position on these matters.
“We attach a document, ‘The Church’s One Foundation is Jesus Christ Her Lord,’ prepared by the Office of Theology and Worship, that sets forth the church’s convictions. This document, which will also be posted on the PCUSA web site, beginning with www.pcusa.org/mgbconnect, is in two parts: a one-page summary and an expanded commentary.
“We recognize that most of our congregations are not focused on New Wineskins or the statements being made about the Presbyterian Church (USA). We are simply making this resource available for those who seek to interpret accurately the positions of our church. Please feel free to distribute it as you deem helpful.
“We encourage your comments, feedback, and questions – especially your thoughts about how we can be helpful to you and the whole church as we seek to reach out to those who believe that the church is moving in troubling directions. Please send your comments to taw@ctr.pcusa.org.
“We are grateful for so many Presbyterian leaders who are working hard and faithfully in this time of confusion and conflict. You are in our prayers.”
Craig M. Kibler is the Director of Publications/Executive Editor of The Layman and The Layman Online. He can be reached at cmkibler@www.layman.org.