Well, as we posted not that long ago that Rock Presbyterian Church (Greenwood, SC) had voted unanimously on June 22 to join the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Well, the cake has risen and all we need icing. The Church Development Team of the Mid-Atlantic Presbytery voted unanimously to receive Rock Church into the denomination July 31. The EPC is the third largest presbyterian body in the USA. Rock Church used to be PCA until 1998. We voted to leave for a variety of reasons, one of which was the sorry job the shepherding committee did to shepherd the church, despite all of her difficulties at the time. Rock was courted by the ARP church, but the presbytery would have wanted the property deeded over to them, as presbyteries are prone to do–witness the property wars in the PCUSA right now over churches leaving the denomination (ironically for the EPC). One of the reasons we went with the EPC was precisely the fact that the Book of Order states clearly that the property of the church belongs to the church trustees.
No really, going back to the PCA thing for a minute. One thing I was very impressed with about the EPC was their intense desire from their incpetion (1981) to keep the Gospel the main thing. They have dilenated 10 “Essentials” which they believe are an evangelical summary of the Westminster Confession. This is what they focus on; they are more concerned about bing a missional church to a post-Christian America than they are about heresy trials, e.g. the Federal Vision “controversy.” Me like it very much. i have to agree with a recent post by Anglican, Fr. Michael J. Pauls wrote recently:
It is also quite fair to note that the OPC/WTS/NAPARC agenda is misguided and quite probably quixotic. If we have learned anything from the Norm Shepherd affair, the creation days debate, paedocommunion, Auburn Avenue/ Federal Vision, the New Perspective on Paul, and now the Enns dismissal from WTS, it is that a 17th Century White European confession cannot possibly be employed to speak with unequivocal force to define a 21st Century, multi-ethnic, and globalized Christian body. Such a refusal to engage in the hard work of communal introspection, continuing reformation, and renewed self-definition (John XXIII’s ressourcement and aggiornamento) impedes the all the [super]natural linguistic, spiritual, theological, and ecclesial developments of faith communities. This strikes me as an effort to close the barn door after the departure of the horses. The result will only be continued “group think” and increased irrelevance in a globalized Christian context. Barring accord on these issues, it would be my hope that we could at least be clear with regard to our own ideological commitments and charitable with regard to those who do not share them.
Very much where I believe the leadership of the EPC is headed and where Rock Church needs to be after all these years. We are in a post-Christian context and sadly enough for this fellar, Christendom is dead in the West. The “OPC/WTS/NAPARC” bunch (as Pahls calls them) produce book minth after month that broader culture cares nothing about; this crowd will do like Muggeridge said and educate itself into imbecility. Soon they will be writing books to hear themselves talk and pat themselves on the back, saluting their deep scholasticism and their proud devotion to an era gone by.
Well, I’m a postmillennialist, so I believe Christendom will be recovered, but only after generations in this country have been chastised and disciplined by our covenant-keeping Lord. And I have to watch it happen. However, it gives me great hope to belong to a denomination that is deeply concerned that America be our primary mission-field, and our presbytery is spear-heading this move at the forefront. May God be gracious to us and empower us for the task . . . Amen . . .
