By John Carpenter
TE, Pacific Northwest Presbytery
Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation,
I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith
that was once for all delivered to the saints.
Jude 1:3
Many of us left the 46th General Assembly discouraged by the votes that allow for those experiencing ongoing SSA to be in ordained positions. I know many of you feel that the clock has run out, the game is over, and we have suffered a difficult defeat.
Perhaps you feel we gave it our best effort, and now it is time to shake the dust from our feet and move on. You may be battle-weary and reluctant to invest any more time and energy in this fight. You may even believe that continuing the struggle is futile and that our efforts would be better spent building something new or seeking another denomination.
I understand those sentiments. Yet I see our current situation differently.
Rather than viewing this as the end of the game, I see it as halftime — or perhaps the beginning of the fourth quarter. We have taken some hard hits, and the scoreboard is not in our favor. But this is not the time to leave the field. Instead, it is time to regroup, reassess, and return with renewed resolve. Or to mix metaphors, we may have lost a battle, but we have not yet lost the war.
I spent more than 22 years in the PC(USA) seeking to help turn the “mother ship” back toward a Biblical course. We won many significant battles along the way. Yet there came a point when it was clear that the denomination had fundamentally changed. For me, that moment came in 2011 when the Book of Order was amended to permit the ordination of practicing homosexuals. At that point, it was time to abandon ship.
However, I feel the EPC is not completely off course as the PC(USA) was/is. There remains much in the EPC that is on course and much for which we should be grateful. We have been engaged in this particular struggle for only two years. And at this General Assembly, 43 percent voted against the AIC amendment to the Pastoral Letter. That is not an insignificant minority, nor is it a decisive defeat. Our work is not finished. New overtures can be presented. Minds can be persuaded. A course correction can still be made.
Most importantly, I believe that leaving now risks abandoning the wider flock to the culture. While each of us is responsible for shepherding our own congregation, we also have an opportunity — and I believe a responsibility — to help protect the broader flock within the EPC. If those committed to the historic Biblical position depart now, we risk accelerating the denomination’s further decline by surrendering our votes, our influence, and our witness.
I still believe there is an opportunity to help turn the mother ship back on course. Though we may be battle-weary, I do not believe this is the time to give up or leave the sheep unprotected.
“Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)
Please know that I don’t see this as a battle against those who voted in favor of the AIC amendments. I see this as a struggle against the influence of a culture that has brought these issues to our doorstep — and against which the church must remain faithful to the truth entrusted to her. Our disagreement is serious, but those with whom we disagree are not the enemy. I love these brothers and sisters in Christ, and I grieve the division this has brought.
My plea is that we remain together through the next General Assembly. We can continue building “lifeboats” if necessary, while also continuing the work of course correction. Sessions that believe dismissal may ultimately become necessary can communicate that intention to their presbyteries while postponing congregational meetings and final votes on dismissal.
In the meantime, let us continue faithfully serving our congregations. Let us work together, strengthen our networks, engage the Office of the General Assembly and the National Leadership Team, and pray earnestly that God would grant wisdom, repentance where needed, and renewal within the EPC.
I am not asking anyone to abandon plans they believe may ultimately be necessary. I am simply asking that, for a little while longer, we continue to fulfill the vows we have taken — to labor for the peace, purity, and unity of the EPC.
If, after the next General Assembly, God makes it clear that it is time to leave the EPC and move on to another work, then we can do so knowing we stayed faithful to our calling until every reasonable opportunity had been exhausted. We can depart with a clear conscience, knowing we did not leave the field prematurely or abandon the flock while there was still meaningful work to be done.
May God bless you, guide you, and bring you peace.
“What, then, shall we say in response to these things?
If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Romans 8:31
“The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?”
Psalm 118:6
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:10
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