Kirkpatrick, Valentine urge churches not to leave the PCUSA
By Craig M. Kibler, February 5, 2007
In advance of the upcoming convocation of the New Wineskins Association of Churches, the two top officials of the Presbyterian Church (USA) are urging congregations not to leave the denomination.
In a letter titled “We are better together in Christ’s Unity” dated Jan. 29, Clifton Kirkpatrick, stated clerk of the General Assembly, and Linda Bryant Valentine, executive director of the General Assembly Council, 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).”
New Wineskins, in a report released Jan. 15, 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.”
Delegates to the convocation, scheduled Feb. 8-9 in Orlando, Fla., will consider that recommendation as well as review the possibility that the Evangelical Presbyterian Church will vote in June on establishing a transitional, non-geographic presbytery to receive those churches that disaffiliate from the Presbyterian Church (USA).
‘Graceful disaffiliation’
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 offers a range of options – both for congregations that wish to stay within the PCUSA and those that wish to align with the EPC – and includes a “concrete and comprehensive” examination of Biblical, spiritual, missional, congregational, strategic and legal considerations, including the request for dismissal of a congregation from its presbytery.
In their letter, Kirkpatrick and Valentine say they “are 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 write. “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 state 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.”
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.
In a statement, they said, “Today, in a single vote by 298 commissioners, the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA) effectively was changed. The mandated requirements of ordination, rooted in Scripture and our Confessions, have been made optional. Sessions and presbyteries have been allowed to treat the Seventh Commandment as ‘not essential.’ These ordaining bodies have been told that they need not obey the explicit instruction of the apostles: that all Christian believers should ‘abstain from … sexual immorality’ (Acts 15:29).”
Consequences
“The consequences of the decision of this General Assembly throw our denomination into crisis. Many individuals and congregations will conclude from this decision that the PC(USA) has abandoned the historic faith of the Church. The decision will be regarded by others in the worldwide body of Christ as profoundly offensive.”
In response to the General Assembly’s action, leaders of New Wineskins issued a statement in Birmingham saying that, “Presbyterianism has been turned on its head.” They said, “In the past 24 hours, everything has changed. Tuesday’s actions of the General Assembly of the PC(USA) has turned Presbyterianism on its head.”
“The decision of the assembly to forsake our Presbyterian heritage for the sake of structural unity has left many shaken, disheartened and deeply concerned, but with God there is always hope,” the statement said. “We are confident that God will be faithful to use this crisis to surface the need for, to awaken our desire for, the new work God wishes to do among us. In God’s hands, and with our humble and prayerful cooperation, these events can serve to move us closer to becoming the faithful community of Presbyterians for which God and we long together.”
In another controversial decision, the 217th General Assembly voted to receive a paper on the Trinity that proposed both the Biblical tradition for the names Father, Son and Holy Spirit, as well as a number of alternatives, such as: Rainbow, Ark and Dove; Speaker, Word and Breath; Overflowing Font, Living Water and Flowing River; Compassionate Mother, Beloved Child and Life-Giving Womb; Sun, Light and Burning Ray; Giver, Gift and Giving; Lover, Beloved and Love; and Rock, Cornerstone and Temple.
Since the June 2006 meeting in Birmingham, the paper has continued to be criticized.
In their letter, Kirkpatrick and Valentine issue a plea to congregations considering disaffiliation with the denomination, saying that, “We are better together than we are apart.”
“In over three hundred years of American Presbyterian history,” they write, “we have never agreed 100 percent on any issue of the day. But, in the end, we are better together in Christ’s unity.”
Text of letter
The complete text of the letter by Kirkpatrick and Valentine is as follows:
“Dear Presbyterian sisters and brothers in Christ,
“We are writing to you 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).
“We are deeply saddened by this news for several reasons. First, any church’s departure is difficult and painful for the congregations involved and the wider church. 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.
“Among the reasons of those wishing to leave 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.
“It is our deep conviction that we are better together than we are apart:
“We are better followers of Jesus when we stick together, mutually encouraging one another in the work of discipleship. “We are better together and more effective in confronting the enormous problems in the world – dire situations like Darfur, HIV/AIDS in Africa, and ongoing human tragedies in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
“We are better together because the Presbyterian Church (USA) as one expression of the whole body of Christ needs all of its parts in order to function well (1 Cor. 12).
“We are better together because our resources of time, talents and treasure have a larger and farther reach.
“We are better together because our discernment and deliberations on tough topics need our many perspectives to reach the most faithful decisions.
“Our confidence in the strength of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and its people is unwavering. More than 11,000 PCUSA congregations are, day in and day out, engaged in remarkable ministries that include proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, breaking the bread and sharing the cup, challenging injustice, and exhibiting the kingdom of God to the world. As the apostle Paul wrote, ‘I am confident … that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ'” (Phil. 1:6).
“In over three hundred years of American Presbyterian history, we have never agreed 100 percent on any issue of the day. But, in the end, we are better together in Christ’s unity. “May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.”
Craig M. Kibler is the Director of Publications for the Presbyterian Lay Committee and Executive Editor of The Layman and The Layman Online. He can be reached at cmkibler@www.layman.org.