Mexican Presbyterian denomination to continue
mission work with those who disavow 10A
By Paula R. Kincaid, The Layman, September 2, 2011
The World Mission ministry area of the Presbyterian Church (USA) conducted a webinar Sept. 1 giving its response to the National Presbyterian Church of Mexico (INPM) ending its 139-year-old relationship with the denomination.
On Aug. 19 the INPM voted 116-22 to break off relations with the PCUSA and to not re-enter a relationship with the denomination until Amendment 10A is rescinded.
In a letter sent to Gradye Parsons, stated clerk of the PCUSA, Pbro. Amador López Hernández said that after the General Assembly analyzed the PCUSA’s recent actions, it voted to “break off relations immediately, denouncing the sin and disobedience explicit to the Word of God that tells us that we must not be partakers of the same. ‘And I heard a voice from heaven saying: Go ye forth from her, my people, for you aren’t involved in his sins …’ (Revelation 18:4).”
The panelists in the World Mission’s webinar – “The changing Landscape of God’s mission in Mexico” – were Hunter Farrell, director of Presbyterian World Mission, Maria Arroyo, World Mission Area Coordinator, Latin America and the Caribbean; Dave Thomas, World Mission Regional Liaison for Mexico; Joanie Lukins, Yucatan Network Coordinating Team Moderator and Lead Instructor, Living Waters for the World; and Sarah Ott, convener, Mexico Mission Network.
Arroyo said the INPM was “cancelling all of our work together … all joint mission immediately.”
“They mentioned they would rather miss relationships and resources than mix with people who don’t share their views,” Arroyo said.
She said the INPM did say they would continue to be in relationship with the presbyteries that voted against Amendment 10A and those that would be willing to sign a statement declaring they were against 10A and would conform to the principles of the Mexican church.
Much stress and strain over 10A
Farrell spoke of the “remarkable polarization in our own church with or without the Mexican denomination. … There’s much stress and strain in our own denomination about the passage of 10A … This is a minefield in our own families.”
“Our colleagues in Mexico,” Farrell said, “have done their best to discern what is the mind of Christ for their church … That is what their vote expresses. … We have to honor their intention of discerning and honoring God’s will.”
Farrell said that the INPM “is clear about their deep rejection, theologically speak, of homosexuality … that being the case it puts us in an awkward and untenable situation.”
For a Presbyterian Church to continue in relationship with Mexico, Farrell said that it would have to “disavow an action of our own GA.”
PCUSA warned
As early as 2001, the late Harold Kurtz, a long-time missionary to Ethiopia and former director of Presbyterian Frontier Fellowship, warned the Presbyterian Church (USA) against repealing or diluting its constitutional “fidelity/chastity” ordination requirement. During a July 30 Presbyterian Coalition meeting, Kurtz said “I’m concerned about what this General Assembly has done to our ordination standards. You have heard a lot from others about a split in the church. The split I worry about is between ourselves and the world church. There are 35,000 denominations in the world. Only four have approved homosexual behavior. We have not seriously engaged the world church on this issue. Our General Assembly acted without consulting the world church.”
He called the most “regrettable piece” of this is that the Mexican assembly has reduced the PCUSA to one question on a particular issue.
“The result is that we are reduced to a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on one particular question and that is what our church was trying to move away from in approving 10A”said Farrell.
The initial reaction and the INPM vote
Earlier in the webinar, Thomas said that when the PCUSA approved Amendment 10A on May 10 – deleting the fidelity in marriage between one man and one women and chastity in singleness standard and inserting language calling for the ordaining body to “submit joyfully to the Lordship of JC in all aspects of life,” – it “created a lot of reaction in Mexico.”
He said that many Mexican Presbyterians were “keeping close track of what was happening on 10A.”
A letter was sent from PCUSA leadership in early May “to our partners around the world in anticipation that 10A would be ratified,” Thomas said, and a meeting was held May 6 with INPM leaders.
“They expressed deep concern theologically,” he said. “The Mexican Presbyterian Church has a strong tradition of conservative theology. … They were very upset about the potential that 10A might pass.”
A few days after that meeting the vote needed to pass amendment 10A was cast by Twin Cities Presbytery, 10A was ratified and became a part of the Book of Order.
“We began to hear lots of grumblings about a possible break in relationship,” Thomas said. He, Arroyo and Farrell talked about how they could dialogue with INPM and “stave off a break in relations.”
On Aug. 16, one day before the INPM consultation and legislative meeting, Thomas said that he, PCUSA Stated Clerk Gradye Parsons, Farrell and Arroyo met with the four elected officers of Mexican church and the leaders of the four ministries of the church –education, evangelism, resources and relations.
“I have to say the meeting was perhaps less dialogue than inquisition,” he said, with the Mexican delegation expressing their deep concern over the PCUSA’s actions.
At the INPM’s Aug. 19 legislative meeting, Thomas said that the elected officer of the church presented a statement in which they detailed the progressive steps of the PCUSA and told of their reactions to the meeting they had with PCUSA leaders.
Their recommendation of suspending relations with the PCUSA until the 2012 General Assembly “never got anywhere,” he said.
The motion that did pass, Thomas said was to “immediately terminate relationships with the PCUSA … and to insist they are open to resume relationship with the denomination if and when we take steps backward: that means the rescinding of amendment 10A.”
He said it was a very emotional meeting and that the decision was probably made in less than an hour.
“This has brought all of us a great deal of sadness,” he said. Of the 11 mission co-workers in Mexico, Thomas said, “We are in a period of great sadness … We are in the five stages of grief.”
First came denial and then anger, he said, “how can this happen, it’s not fair, whose fault is it?” The third stage is bargaining, he said. “I’ll do anything if I can stay any longer.” Depression followed, and “some of us have reached fifth level – acceptance,” Thomas said.
“The overriding feeling we have had is one of frustration and great sadness,” he said. “We have felt a distinct call from God to be here.”
Thomas said that it is “ironic to think here is a church in Mexico with almost 2 million members … but 116 men voting on Friday afternoon changed things in spite of the fact that thousands of people on both sides of the border have been impacted and transformed by God’s grace through our work.”
For more information on the relati
onship between the INPM and the PCUSA visit http://gamc.pcusa.org/ministries/global/mexico/