Dear friends,
I am writing out of love for the Evangelical Presbyterian Church and deep concern for the future of our denomination.
As many of you know, I served for 25 years as a missionary in Turkey, planting churches. In 2016, I was arrested on false charges of espionage and terrorism and spent two years in Turkish prisons. During that time, the EPC prayed faithfully for me and labored tirelessly to secure my freedom, for which I remain profoundly grateful.
I am specifically concerned that our witness and fidelity to Scripture are in danger of being compromised. The EPC is currently considering whether individuals who identify as homosexual and experience ongoing same-sex attraction may be ordained to leadership in the church. In June 2024, the General Assembly appointed an Ad-Interim Committee on Same Sex Attraction to address this question. Unfortunately, the current draft of the AIC report does not resolve the issue. Rather than providing clarity, it introduces ambiguity and confusion. Compromise formulations have too frequently led to a drift away from orthodoxy, with irreversible consequences.
Although my greatest concern is for the theological integrity of the EPC, I am also troubled by the way this issue threatens to divide us. Sadly, some churches have already left the EPC over this matter. If the AIC report is approved by the General Assembly in its current form, there is little doubt that others will follow. If we cannot provide a clear and acceptable answer to this question, the peace, unity and purity of the church will fracture over the issue of homosexuality, following the path taken by the mainline denominations.
I am not alone in this concern. A number of former General Assembly moderators, along with our former Stated Clerk, Jeff Jeremiah, have expressed serious reservations about the AIC report and the consequences if it is approved at the 2026 General Assembly. In addition, many EPC elders have signed a Red Line Statement declaring their opposition to the AIC report as currently written. These warnings come from leaders who have seen similar developments before and recognize where this path leads. Truly, we stand at a defining moment in the history of the EPC.
As a missionary, I understand the difficulty of sharing the gospel with a culture that does not share our values. Yet in our desire to be missional, we must not forsake the truth of Scripture or abandon the unchanging commands of God. The Bible clearly teaches that homosexuality is an unnatural desire and contrary to God’s design for his creation. Those who struggle with same-sex attraction deserve our compassion and pastoral care, but they must not be ordained to leadership in the church.
In the coming months, I urge you to read the AIC report for yourself, particularly the section titled “Our Counsel to Sessions and Presbyteries.” If you share our concerns, I also encourage you to sign the Red Line Statement, declaring your opposition to the AIC report as currently written. Finally, I urge you to support the overture that will be presented in many presbyteries in the months ahead, calling for a constitutional amendment that would forbid the ordination of those who identify as homosexual. As Christians, same-sex attraction is not an identity to be embraced; we find our identity in Christ, not in our sinful desires.
I encourage you to pray for the AIC, that they would amend their report in a way that clearly resolves this issue, honors God’s Word, and preserves the historic testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ. Absent such clarity, we are setting the stage for significant conflict and division in the years ahead.
Your brother in Christ,
Andrew Brunson
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