EPC General Assembly to vote this week on plan for a non-geographical, transitional presbytery
By Craig M. Kibler, June 19, 2007
HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. – Commissioners to the 27th General Assembly of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church this week will consider a proposal that would create two administrative commissions – one for churches and pastors desiring transitional membership in established geographic EPC presbyteries and another for those seeking to join a transitional New Wineskins Association of Churches-Evangelical Presbyterian Church Presbytery.
The General Assembly will be held June 20-23 at Cherry Hills Community Church in Highlands Ranch, Colo., with the theme, “… so I send you” (John 20:21).
In advance of the assembly, the Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Jeremiah, stated clerk of the EPC, wrote commissioners: “As we prepare for this General Assembly, won’t you join me in praying Ephesians 3:16-19 as we look to the Lord and His leading?”
- “I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Holy Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
New Wineskins Association of Churches
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.
In a report prepared for EPC commissioners, Nate Atwood, chairman of the EPC’s Long Range Planning Committee, wrote that a “review of the New Wineskins Constitution gives insight into missional polity designed from the ground up. If the General Assembly approves the transitional presbytery proposal, we will have a working laboratory of a missional presbytery. We think we can all learn a great deal from this ‘ecclesiastical experiment.'”
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 Presbyterian Church (USA).
The report states 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.
Presbytery details
The plan for a transitional, non-geographic presbytery, if approved during the EPC General Assembly, will open the door for the presbytery, overseen by an EPC General Assembly Commission, to “immediately receive” New Wineskins churches into that presbytery from the PCUSA.
This presbytery, according to the New Wineskins Association, would include the following four points:
- It will be self-governing under the New Wineskins Constitution. It shall have authority, for example, to ordain, install, receive and dismiss pastors.
- New Wineskins pastors and staff shall be eligible to participate immediately in the EPC’s pension and medical plans.
- Each New Wineskins church will own its property and will elect and ordain elders and deacons from the members of its own congregations.
- The presbytery shall have the authority to plant churches.
In addition, an EPC General Assembly Commission – comprised of New Wineskins and EPC members – will work “collaboratively on the strategy and actions that will establish an evangelical, missional stream of Reformed Presbyterianism. We believe this will become the new thing the Father has ordained, and we have been led by the Spirit to pursue,” the New Wineskins Association stated.
On May 14, the EPC’s Committee on Administration approved for consideration by the General Assembly the following nominees (listed by name and presbytery) for the two commissions:
- For the transitional commission: ruling elder John Adamson – chairman (Central South); teaching elder Jerry Brundle (Midwest); ruling elder John Graham (Southeast); teaching elder Woody Johnson (Florida); teaching elder John Mabray (Mid-Atlantic); ruling elder Cecil Matthews (West); ruling elder Carolyn Nystrom (Mid-America); and ruling elder Alan Smith (East).
- For the joint New Wineskins Association of Churches-Evangelical Presbyterian Church Commission: teaching elder Bill Meyer – chairman (Florida); ruling elder Zelda Artz (East); ruling elder Chris Danusiar (Mid-America); teaching elder Marty Martin (West); and ruling elder Ed Wedin (Central South).
The New Wineskins Association of Churches, which also will have five members appointed by its leadership on the joint commission, has not released those names pending the vote by the General Assembly.
Proposal gets key approvals
The transitional presbyteries’ plan originally was approved by three key committees of the EPC’s Office of the General Assembly in April, and recommended to the General Assembly. The Finance Committee, Executive Committee and Committee on Administration approved the plan during the April meetings, according to Jeremiah.
“At these meetings,” Jeremiah said at the time in an EP News newsletter, “key decisions were made that shape the agenda for our General Assembly. Let me say that the commitment to and passion for Christ and His church displayed by the members of Finance, Exec and COA is a blessing and encouragement to me.”
He said the committees spent “a significant amount of time” on the transitional presbyteries’ proposal before it was finalized. In addition, he said, “two additional documents” were considered:
1) An “Application for Transitional Membership” for those churches seeking to join a transitional presbytery; and
2) A “Transitional Presbytery Commissions” proposal, which describes the makeup and responsibilities of the commissions.
Both of these documents, Jeremiah said, “were revised and recommended for approval by the General Assembly.”
The proposed application for transitional membership (which includes a contact information form) into the EPC is as follows:
“Churches may be received into transitional membership in the EPC starting June 25, 2007, if they meet the following criteria:
“1. A majority of the congregation must vote to enter the EPC. A decision by the elders will not be sufficient. Groups that intend to enter the EPC as mission churches must also indicate a congregational decision to enter the EPC.
“2. All current ruling elders and ordained pastors must affirm the EPC Essentials without any reservations. Signatures on this document will indicate this affirmation.
“3. All current ruling elders and ordained pastors must acknowledge that the Westminster Confession and Catechisms is the sole confessional standard for officers of a congregation. When a church is ready to enter an existing EPC presbytery, its ruling elders and ordained pastors will be examined according to Chapter 13, Book of Government. The appropriate committee(s) of the existing EPC presbytery will assist in preparing for the examination.
Presbytery Assignment
Option 1: For churches and pastors desiring membership in the New Wineskins EPC Presbytery.
“The General Assembly of the EPC has established a transitional, non-geographic presbytery called the New Wineskins EPC Presbytery (NWEPC). Only churches that belong to the New Wineskins Association are eligible to enter this presbytery. This presbytery will operate under the constitution of New Wineskins until the joint commission of EPC and New Wineskins leaders present a plan of full integration of the two bodies and that plan is approved by both bodies. This integration will likely occur in stages over the five-year period.
Option 2: For churches and pastors desiring membership in an existing geographic EPC presbytery
“The General Assembly of the EPC has established the transitional commission that will serve as the facilitator for becoming members of existing geographic EPC presbytery. Depending upon the number and distribution of applicant churches/pastors, the transitional commission may establish a non-geographical transitional presbytery to facilitate the joining and assimilation of the applicants.
“The transitional commission will serve as the temporary governing body of the transitional presbytery and fulfill those presbytery duties and responsibilities in the Book of Government (16-14 through 16-19) as necessary.
“All churches received into transitional membership in the EPC that are not affiliated with New Wineskins will be assigned to the appropriate EPC presbytery. Examinations and reception into membership will be completed when both the churches and the EPC presbytery are ready and able to do so.”
The finalized transitional presbytery proposal, which is recommended by the EPC’s Committee on Administration to the 27th General Assembly, is as follows:
Proposal for Administrative Commissions to Implement
“The Structure for Receiving Churches & Pastors Transitionally”
“The Committee on Administration is recommending that the Assembly appoint two administrative commissions for the purpose of implementing the transitional presbytery proposal (if approved) with the following provisions:
“COMMISSION ONE: “The transitional commission” for churches and pastors desiring transitional membership in established geographic Evangelical Presbyterian Church presbyteries.
“The transitional commission will consist of eight members, one from each of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church’s presbyteries (five ruling elders, three teaching elders), to oversee the transitional membership of churches entering the Evangelical Presbyterian Church during the five-year period between the 27th and the 32nd Assembly.
Powers of the Transitional Commission
“1. Organize a non-geographic transitional presbytery when and if the commission deems it necessary, serve as the temporary governing body of the transitional presbytery, and fulfill those presbytery duties and responsibilities in G.16-14 through 16-19 [Book of Order] as necessary.
“2. Receive churches and pastors into transitional membership as members in the transitional presbytery or assist them in becoming transitional members in established Evangelical Presbyterian Church presbyteries, whichever seems best, in consultation with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church presbytery and the applicant church/pastor. This will be done in accordance with the conditions in ‘The Structure for Receiving Churches and Pastors Transitionally.’
“3. The commission will serve from the end of the 27th General Assembly until the beginning of the 32nd General Assembly, unless a subsequent general assembly changes the duration.
Membership of the Commission
“The Committee on Administration will present a slate of names to the Assembly for election. Individuals will be recruited who are willing to commit five years to the task and are willing and able to travel and make phone contacts with churches in transitional membership. If any members resign prior to the end of the five-year period, the moderator will nominate replacements, which will be approved by the Committee on Administration.
Duties of the Commission
“1. Respond to all churches and pastors applying for transitional membership in established Evangelical Presbyterian Church geographical presbyteries.
“2. Coordinate with the applying church/pastor and the appropriate presbytery to determine whether they will join an existing presbytery as a transitional member or the transitional presbytery.
“3. Assist the Evangelical Presbyterian Church presbytery, when asked, to assess the readiness of transitional members to be examined and received by the Evangelical Presbyterian Church presbytery.
“4. Prepare an annual budget for the operation of the transitional presbytery and present it to the Committee on Administration for inclusion in the administrative budget.
“5. Monitor the progress of pastoral and professional staff entering the Evangelical Presbyterian Church’s benefits programs.
“6. Meet annually, or as needed, with presbytery clerks to facilitate the process of receiving applying churches and pastors.
“7. Maintain accurate rolls of the transitional presbytery with the assistance of the Office of the General Assembly.
“8. Report annually to the general assembly, semi-annually to the Committee on Administration, and make appropriate recommendations.
“COMMISSION TWO: ‘The New Wineskins Association of Churches-Evangelical Presbyterian Church commission’ for churches and pastors desiring membership in the transitional New Wineskins Association of Churches-Evangelical Presbyterian Church Presbytery.
“The New Wineskins Association of Churches-Evangelical Presbyterian Church Commission, a joint commission appointed with the leadership of the New Wineskins Association of Churches, will consist of five members from the Evangelical Presbyterian Church appointed by the General Assembly (three ruling elders, two teaching elders) and five members appointed by the leadership of the New Wineskins Association of Churches to seek the full integration of both bodies by the 32nd General Assembly.
The Powers of the Joint Commission are to:
“1. Constitute and oversee the organization and operation of the New Wineskins Association of Churches-Evangelical Presbyterian Church Presbytery, according to ‘The Structure for Receiving Churches and Pastors Transitionally,’ and serve as its liai