God is big enough
EPC has grown from 182 to 364 churches in five years
By Carmen Fowler LaBerge, The Layman, June 22, 2012
51 appear in the printed
docket of the meeting:
1. Shiloh Presbyterian Church, St. Marys, PA
2. Westminster Community Church, Canton, OH
3. New Bedford Presbyterian Church, Pulaski, PA
4. Mt. Pleasant Church, Raccoon Township, PA
5. New Covenant Presbyterian Church, Mandeville, LA
6. First Presbyterian Church, Adamsville, TN
7. First Presbyterian Church, Ripley, TN
8. Wiggins Presbyterian Church, Wiggins, MS
9. El Principe de Paz Presbyterian Church, Mercedes, TX
10. Iglesia Presbiteriana San Pablo, Brownsville, TX
11. San Benito Presbyterian Church, San Benito, TX
12. First Presbyterian Church, New Madrid, MO
13. First Presbyterian Church, Ocean Springs, MS
14. First Presbyterian Church, Pascagoula, MS
15. First Presbyterian Church, Vicksburg, MS
16.Mt. Sharon Presbyterian Church, Adamsville, TN
17.Mason Presbyterian Church, Mason, TN
18. Grace Presbyterian Church, Pennington, NJ
19. PC of Kennett Square, Kennett Square, PA
20. Closer to God EPC, Newark, NJ
21. Manoa Community Church, Havertown, PA
22. Faith Presbyterian Church, Pembroke Pines, FL
23. Eastminster Presbyterian Church, Wichita, KS
24. St. Luke Evangelical Church, Newton, KS
25. Church at Dutch Fork, Columbia, SC
26. Darlington Presbyterian Church, Darlington, SC
27. McBee Presbyterian Church, McBee, SC
28. Westminster Presbyterian Church, Florence, SC
29. First Presbyterian Church, South Charleston, OH
30. Lebanon Presbyterian Church, Lebanon, OH
31. First Presbyterian Church, Greenville, OH
32. Holtsinger Memorial Presbyterian Church, Cincinnati, OH
33. Russellville Presbyterian Church, Russellville, OH
34. Church of the Good Shepherd, Winona Lake, IN
35. Wheat Ridge EPC, West Union, OH
36. Faith Presbyterian Church, West Lafayette, IN
37. Westminster Presbyterian Church, Port Huron, MI
38. Easton Presbyterian Church. Fresno, CA
39. Saddlerock EPC, Wenatchee, WA
40. Reflections Church, Meridian, ID
41. Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church, Gig Harbor, WA
42. Evergreen Presbyterian Church, Graham, WA
43. Christ Church (mission church), Berkeley, CA
44. First Presbyterian Church of Davenport, Davenport, WA
45. Oakville Presbyterian Church, Shedd, OR
46. Community Presbyterian Church, Danville, CA
47. Confluence Church, Champaign, IL
48. First Presbyterian Evangelical Church, Montezuma, IA
49. Princeville Presbyterian Church, Princeville, IL
50. Alexis United Presbyterian Church, Alexis, IL
51. Parkway Presbyterian Church, Cumming, GA
An additional 10 churches were received since the docket’s printing. Those include congregations in Parma, Idaho; two churches in Hurley, VA, Addeville, SC; Marion, VA; Orlando, FL; Cade Springs, GA; Longview, TX and Carefree, AZ.
BATON ROUGE, La. – The Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) voted unanimously to elect the Rev. Jeffrey Jeremiah to a third term as its stated clerk. In his remarks to the assembly, meeting this week at First Presbyterian Church, Baton Rouge, Jeremiah said that five years ago (2007) the EPC had 182 churches. Today, that number has literally doubled to 364.
The 61 churches that have joined the EPC since the 31st assembly last summer were read aloud and representatives received a laying on of hands and prayers.
When asked why the EPC has been so blessed to receive so many dynamic congregations Jeremiah said that the EPC is “clear” and “competent” particularly in relationship to “standards, doctrine and values” as a Presbyterian Reformed evangelical group of churches with a commitment to being intentionally missional.
But then Jeremiah asked “so what?” “Why is God growing and blessing and providing so abundantly for this body?” As he answered that question Jeremiah said that he realized two things. First, “as the needs of the EPC change, the office of the stated clerk” and by extension the functionality of how the GA serves the churches “must also change.” Second, he acknowledged that at some point “the influx of new churches will come to an end.”
Jeremiah’s second observation begs a question asked across all branches of the Presbyterian family: how many churches currently affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) will seek to realign in the coming months and years? The Presbyterian Outlook recently reported that executive presbyters in the PCUSA know of 800 churches in the discernment or dismissal process. ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians says that 600 of those churches are headed their way. That would leave some 200 currently en route to the EPC. But those numbers do not include congregations for whom a proposed redefinition of marriage by the PCUSA would be the proverbial last straw.
Jeremiah ultimately envisions 1,000 churches in the EPC. According to his comments to the assembly, that number includes church planting through the EPC’s Engage 2025 international commitments and increased commitment to church planting in the U.S.
In a very candid disclosure to the assembly, Jeremiah shared that a couple of weeks ago he was asked by the leadership of a recently received congregation, “what’s the future of the EPC?” Jeremiah recalls, “I was not happy with my answers.” He continued, “That night I unloaded all this on a very dear and trusted friend … and when I finished, Luder Whitlock looked me in the eye and said, ‘the only question is this: how big is your God?'”
Putting his hand to his heart, Jeremiah said, “The answer I heard in here was ‘not very big.'” And then the stated clerk assured his people, “But then the Lord spoke into my heart, ‘That is enough of that!'”
Beaming, Jeremiah declared to the assembly, “So, you got yourself a new stated clerk on June 10, 2012 because our God is big enough and this is what He has for the EPC.” He continued, “We will shine the light of His salvation in this place and to this country and to ends of the earth. As a result there will be 1,000 EPC churches in the U.S. and throughout the world – wherever God takes us through Engage 2025 and World Outreach. The 364 churches of this day, empowered by the Holy Spirit will be mobilized for mission and the EPC will be a church of Jesus Christ that is on mission.”
To a crowd that was already rising to its feet in affirmative agreement, Jeremiah acknowledged, “I do not have a plan,” and indicating the larger GA staff, “we do not have a strategy,” and then he proclaimed, “but we have an infinite almighty God who is more than big enough to do this for His mission, for His kingdom and for His glory. As He leads and provides and blesses, I am under conviction that it will happen. He is big enough.”
Jeremiah concluded affectionately, “I love you and I treasure the opportunity to serve Christ and to serve you as the Stated Clerk of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.”
The EPC GA hashtag on Twitter is #epc32.