“We wanted to be part of a denomination led by Scripture, Reformed in its doctrine and Presbyterian in polity. With the changes that have occurred in the (national) church, we don’t think the PCUSA is any longer any of those three,” said Horner, adding that the new Form of Government (nFOG) touts universalism that is... Continue Reading

Jeremiah’s letter goes on to address the widely disparate experiences of congregations seeking to realign from PCUSA presbyteries to the EPC. He notes that although some presbyteries take the action of the 2008 General Assembly calling for gracious dismissal seriously, many presbyteries make denominational realignment almost impossible. Jeremiah notes that the route of disaffiliation is... Continue Reading

Eric Rassbach is an attorney with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a public interest legal group that defends the free expression rights of all faiths. He said it is unlikely the government would try to force a pastor to perform a same-sex marriage, but churches that rent out their facilities to the general public... Continue Reading

For the unsuspecting churchgoer, the service’s liturgical program printed by the gay Lutheran groups hosting the worship,ReconcilingWorks and Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries, was jarring.  The service’s “Thanksgiving for Baptism,” for example, invokes the “triune God” not under the formulation given by Jesus in the Gospels of “Father, Son, and Holy Ghost/Spirit,” but rather “Creator, Christ, and Holy Spirit.”... Continue Reading

“We haven’t been able to leave,” said Proschold, who started as the parish associate in 2002 and has been New Life’s stated supply pastor since 2006. “The presbytery won’t even recognize our new name. We’re supposed to be brothers and sisters in Christ, and they don’t seem inclined to show us that respect.”   A... Continue Reading

Notice I do not say that they leave churches because they don’t love God, but that they leave the Church for that reason. Sometimes there are legitimate reasons for leaving a local church and, though this is not the place to discuss the subject in detail, I readily admit it may be a necessary step... Continue Reading

Contemporary worship leader, please know that I’ll benefit from some of your songs and won’t complain to any member of the church. But, please know that it’s not easy for me. I know I’ll never be able to play in the worship band again. And, no matter what you say, in my heart I know... Continue Reading

Gradye Parsons, stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church (USA), sat down with ruling elders from across the country to answer questions regarding the state of the church and the denomination. The question-and-answer session was part of the PCUSA’s Big Tent National Elders Conference workshop that took place Aug. 3 at the Kentucky International Convention Center... Continue Reading

That action by the Permanent Judicial Commission (PJC) for the Synod of Southern California and Hawaii took place July 11, paving the way for Glenkirk and FPC-Covina to part ways with the Presbyterian Church (USA) as new members of ECO. The order from the PJC indicated that the stay of enforcement was removed in Anderson... Continue Reading

Bates called the presbytery’s interpretation of Wolf “nonsensical,” and said that the presbytery erected a “‘Stalingrad-type’ defense intended to financially force capitulation or to make victory by the small, 20-member Carrollton church as costly as possible.” Sanctions have been imposed on a Presbyterian Church (USA) presbytery in the amount of $390,000 after the court “unavoidably”... Continue Reading