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Christianity Today, July, 2010

Sheep Stealing Studied

Presbyterians weigh guidelines for reformists.

Ken Walker | posted 7/01/2010 09:00AM

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A yearlong Presbyterian Church (USA) investigation found no evidence to support accusations that the conservative Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) actively solicited PC(USA) congregations. However, the April report expressed concerns over "inappropriate interference" by the EPC's New Wineskins Presbytery, which works with disaffected PC(USA) churches.

Neither denomination will comment until the PC(USA) General Assembly meets this July in Minneapolis, where delegates will consider asking the World Alliance of Reformed Churches to create guidelines for interactions between member denominations.

"There is going to be tension between the two groups, as there is between other Presbyterian and Reformed groups in the country," said Jeff Jeremiah, stated clerk for the EPC.

A renewal group leader doubts the potential guidelines will do much to stem an exodus, which in recent years has claimed more than 100 churches from the denomination.

"I think this is an attempt by a dying denomination to corral whatever churches it has left, rather than to be reformed and change its policies," said Parker Williamson, editor emeritus of The Presbyterian Layman.

The strains between the EPC (100,000 members) and the much larger PC(USA) (2.1 million) were likely exacerbated by mid-May events: a cutback of 49 positions at PC(USA) headquarters just days after First Presbyterian of Aurora, Illinois, left the denomination and an Arizona church announced its intention to do likewise.

Some say the divide mirrors conflicts between more than 35 renewal groups and other mainline denominations.

David Runnion-Bareford, president and CEO of the Association for Church Renewal umbrella group, said some renewal groups are critical and others try to work within the system.

Presently, he sees a third set of groups emerging: "lifeboat groups," such as the Anglican Church in North America, which is distancing itself from the Episcopal Church. "They are more associative and draw people together … encouraging each other, finding qualified pastors, and keeping churches healthy," he said.

Another is the North American Lutheran Church, which plans to form this August in Columbus, Ohio, one year after the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) approved same-sex unions and noncelibate gay clergy.

Already, more churches have left the ELCA over the past year than the PC(USA) over the past four years, according to reformists' estimates. By early May, 351 congregations (out of more than 10,000) had voted to leave since August, although only 122 successfully completed the process.

Whether this could prompt a Presbyterian-like dialogue is unclear. However, Alan Wisdom, director of Presbyterian Action for Faith and Freedom, hopes all denominations remember the need for civility, lest non-Christians think such disputes are primarily about church property. "I would hope church officials dealing with these questions would put people first," Wisdom said. "Christ came to die for people, not denominations."

Related Elsewhere:

Previous Christianity Today articles on the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) include:

Ready to Implode? | PCUSA congregations prepare shift to Evangelical Presbyterian Church. (March 15, 2007)

Official Presbyterian Publisher Issues 9/11 Conspiracy Book | Process theologian David Ray Griffin is among the most prominent proponents of theory that Bush administration, not Al Qaeda, was behind attacks. (July 31, 2006)

'Assault on the Jewish People' | New Presbyterian policy on Israel raises hackles. (December 1, 2004)

Talk of Presbyterian Split Grows | Homosexual ordination, lordship of Christ are ongoing issues for conservatives. (December 3, 2001)

PCUSA Opens Door to Gay Ordination and Other Ways to Salvation | The real big news out of the denomination's General Assembly may not be its revoking of its ban on gay ministers. (June 1, 2001)

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July 2010, Vol. 54, No. 7

Comments (11)

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Displaying 1–5 of 11 comments

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j jerome

July 07, 2010 12:41pm

It is sad that perversion and immorality are being advocated by pastors and leaders in the name of promoting equality and justice. The current state of the church is similary to the walk-through the temple that God showed the Prophet Ezekiel. We can only pray over the degeneration of these churches which one time send missionaries to the far corners of the globe and brought the gospel to many people.

Bill Payne

July 06, 2010 10:05pm

These are tumultuous times for mainline denominations. Some liberal denominations attempt to grow by uniting with other dying denominations (UCC). This approach prolongs the inevitable. It is better to be small and healthy than large and chronically ill. Such actions always compromise the heritage of the churches. For example, there is almost no Methodist presence left in Canada thanks to its uniting conference. If the UMC votes to ordain homosexuals and permit them to live in sin, I will be on the first wagon out of Dodge. There are other issues that are important. However, this one encompasses and points to the others. As Dean Kelly pointed out, mainline denominations die because they do not attract new members (think evangelism) and hold on to the ones they have. A lot of churches are chasing after the homosexual crowd without trying to disciple them. By in large, liberals do not have a high value for church and are not as committed when they do attend.

George Hill

July 03, 2010 2:32pm

The PCUSA lost 63,000 members in 2009. This is typical of the ongoing exodus of members from the denomination. It is wrong, however, to characterize the loss as sheep-stealing. Members are leaving because of what they regard as apostasy in the denomination. The Episcopal Church in the USA, the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have one thing in common. They all have embraced homosexuality and all are hemorrhaging members. Certainly, the sheep are leaving, not because they are being stolen, but because of their disgust with the un-Biblical, non-Christian polices of the above mentioned denominations.

Paul Becker

July 02, 2010 9:38pm

The PCUSA is a closed system as it does not allow congregations to be transferred at will to other denominations or become independent. As a result, members of congregations have been exiting through the doors of church sanctuaries, never to return. If congregations do take action to leave the PCUSA, it often requires a legal process that treats them as adulterers. To a closed system, add the fact that tensions within the PCUSA are driven by those on the poles of various issues. If the PCUSA permitted churches to be transferred at will, the voting dynamics of presbyteries and General Assemblies would change, as would the decisions of church courts. When the viability of the denomination is linked to the results of decision-making and free-will association of congregations to the denomination, the PCUSA will find new life. Church bureaucrats would reject my thoughts as it would require a willingness for the church to lose its life. I believe that by doing so, it will gain its life.

Dan H.

July 02, 2010 2:40pm

PBJ.com: Wow! Well written. Articulate, simple and direct. (Pay attention here, GP) And best of all: biblical!

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