East African churches sever ties with PCUSA presbytery
By John H. Adams, The Layman Online, April 29, 2004
The unwillingness of Presbyterian Church (USA) leaders to rein in presbyteries and sessions that are violating the PCUSA’s constitutional prohibition against ordaining practicing homosexuals has begun to have global consequences.
Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick called them “ramifications” and called for “dialogue.”
The Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) has ordered one of its presbyteries immediately to discontinue its partnership with National Capital Presbytery and has informed the PCUSA that it will not continue fellowship with any church that supports homosexuality.
National Capital is the home presbytery of Susan R. Andrews, the moderator of the 215th General Assembly. In her travels as moderator, which included a trip to East Africa, she has frequently used her office to promote homosexual ordination.
In an interview with Presbyterians Today, the denomination’s official monthly magazine, Andrews described the African Christians: “They are kind of in their adolescence/young-adult stage of moving out into their own independence, yet still figuring out how to be in relationship with us as their parent church.”
The Presbyterian News Service quoted the Rev. Samuel Muriguh, the executive secretary of the PCEA, as saying, “The idea of lesbianism or gay-ism … those are very new concepts to us. We’ve not even thought about it [as an issue] here. It is unbiblical.”
National Capital is one of 10 allied presbyteries that have submitted or concurred with a number of overtures to repeal the constitutional “fidelity/chastity” ordination standard and the denomination’s 26-year old authoritative interpretation that says homosexual behavior is sinful.
The presbytery’s opposition to the ordination standard is believed to have precipitated the reaction of the PCEA. The PCUSA News Service reported that:
- “the PCEA has been stewing about the PCUSA’s ongoing debate on ordination standards for more than two years but has been unable to decide how to respond. That changed at the 400-member General Administrative Committee’s meeting earlier this month, he [Muriguh] said.
- “A harder line was articulated there, Muriguh continued, in which the PCEA wants to ‘cut ties’ with presbyteries or churches where people are advocating for acceptance of gay and lesbian relationships ‘because we believe … we have our integrity to uphold.’
- He said the PCEA has made this decision without regard to finances. “It is better to go without the money,” he said.
The PCEA’s willingness to forfeit the financial benefits of partnering with the PCUSA parallels the action of African Anglicans who have broken communion with the Episcopal Church USA because of its ordination of a bishop who left his wife and family to live in a homosexual relationship.
“If we suffer for a while to gain our independence and our freedom and to build ourselves up, I think it will be a good thing for the church in Africa,” Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria, chairman of the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa, said. “And we will not, on the altar of money, mortgage our conscience, mortgage our faith, mortgage our salvation.”
In 2003, the PCEA received more than $300,000 from the PCUSA.
The PCEA, a 4-million-member denomination, currently has partnerships with 10 PCUSA presbyteries. The PCUSA is a rapidly shrinking denomination with 2.45 million members, down from a high of 4.2 million in 1967.
The PCUSA news release was based on a letter that Muriguh sent to the denomination on April 21. He said the PCEA “cannot have fellowship with any Church which advocates for homosexuality/lesbianism” and reported that it has instructed its Presbytery of Elburgon to “discontinue” its partnership with National Capital Presbytery “with immediate effect.”
The PCEA has also told Elburgon Presbytery to cancel a planned trip to the United States.
Harold Kurtz, who ran unsuccessfully for moderator of General Assembly in 2003, repeatedly warned the denomination not to open the door to ordaining practicing homosexuals. By doing so, Kurtz, a former missionary to Ethiopia, said the PCUSA would isolate itself from the burgeoning Christian communities in the Two-Thirds World.
On paper, the PCUSA still prohibits the ordination of practicing homosexuals. In practice, numerous sessions and presbyteries continue to ignore the denomination’s law without any intervention from Kirkpatrick and, currently, with the support of Andrews. They are the two highest-elected officials in the PCUSA.
Kirkpatrick responded to Muriguh’s month-old letter by “inviting dialogue,” according to the news release. He was quoted as saying, “It is abundantly clear that there will be ramifications resulting from this action. Because we cannot now tell what all of those ramifications may be, it is my hope that there will be opportunity for dialogue, sharing and learning from each other regarding this important subject.”
The dramatic growth in Africa has been fueled largely by Western missionaries, including Kurtz and others from the Presbyterian Church (USA). But the Worldwide Ministries Division cut its budget by 10 percent in 2001 by eliminating 34 foreign missionaries.
And, as Andrews said in her interview with Presbyterians Today, the PCUSA has changed its mission focus and funding. “We’re changing funding patterns; we’re changing the role of our mission personnel; we’re changing the focus of where we put our money, which needs to be in leadership development and community development. And we’re having some struggles with what is the role of the missionary.”
Those struggles may be reflected in contributions to the $40-million Mission Initiative Campaign, which was begun in 2001 and, according to the latest financial report, had raised in cash about $600,000 less than the campaign expenses. The campaign’s goal is to raise $20 million for new church development and $20 million for world mission – about 50 percent each.
But the March 31 financial statement showed that, of the $8.1 million in cash and pledges, only $330,871.73 – 4.1 percent – was designed for world missions. Most was targeted at new church development.
“We feel sorry and we are praying to God that our Brothers and Sisters in National Capital will rescind their decision of voting for these unbiblical acts,” Muriguh said. “We are also praying that the 216th General Assembly of the PC(USA) will come out clear about these issues.”
In spite of Muriguh’s letter, the PCUSA reported, the National Capital Presbytery is still trying to work out a visit from a PCEA delegation.
The action by the PCEA is the second news development this week that demonstrates a growing discontent with presbyteries and denominational leaders who continue relentlessly to advocate for ordaining practicing homosexuals and conducting same-sex marriages.
Earlier, the session of Beverly Heights Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh released a statement declaring that it had severed communion with the 10 allied presbyteries that are seeking to change church law.
The Daily Nation of Kenya published the initial story about the PCEA’s decision on April 17, as follows:
- More than 400 commissioners at a Presbyterian Church of East Africa meeting yesterday unanimously rejected any association with partner churches supporting same-sex unions.
- The commissioners, led by the moderator, Dr David Githii and secretary-general Rev Samuel Murigu, said they would not be compromised by US churches which have been funding PCEA.
- Rev Murigu told the Sunday Nation at Naaro Secondary School that the partnership must end immediately.
- “We better stay without money rather than being compromised in our faith,” he said.
- The commissioners debated at length the issue and cancelled a trip schedule for May by a PCEA church to a US presbytery.
- Also present were past moderators, the Rev John Gatu, Dr Jesse Kamau and the Very Rev Bernard Muindi. The conference ends today.