The Layman – Winter 2008 Volume 41, Number 1 – Posted January 29, 2008

Lack of trust and ‘The Louisville Papers’ Presbyterian Church (USA) officials are fighting an ongoing battle of trust – a battle decades in the making that has been exacerbated by actions questioning the Lordship of Christ, sanctioning abortion, permitting local option on ordination standards, funding Biblically questionable activities and turning a blind eye to violations of the denomination’s constitution. The most egregious example of these actions – and one that, in many minds, was the tipping point for no longer trusting the denomination – was the development and promulgation by denominational officials of “The Louisville Papers.” These aggressive legal strategies advised presbyteries to use punitive measures against congregations seeking to leave the PCUSA – as they are permitted to request under the constitution – even to the extent of taking over congregations and suing their ministers and lay leadership. Encouraged by denominational officials, presbytery leaders – in particular those in Heartland, Mississippi, Greater Atlanta and St. Andrews – have used the extra-constitutional measures outlined in “The Louisville Papers” to crack down on those Presbyterians seeking to bear faithful witness to the Word and Spirit of the Lord. As a result, in the months since “The Louisville Papers” were first disclosed by The Layman, the exodus of churches from the PCUSA, or those seeking to leave or seeking to obtain their property rights through the civil courts, has increased. Instead of recognizing that their tactics are non-Biblical, denominational officials cite cultural and demographic changes for the massive membership losses, the ongoing drying up of donations and congregational flight. Once again, they don’t get it. A first step in trying to repair the damage caused by the widespread erosion of trust would be for denominational officials – namely Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick and General Assembly Council Executive Director Linda Valentine – to repudiate “The Louisville Papers” and to renounce the tactics now being used against dissenting congregations. Such a step, taken honestly and publicly, would go a long way toward persuading the people in the pews that these PCUSA officials are not consumed with institutional preservation at any cost but, instead, truly are seeking to glorify God. Scripture tells us to “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5) and “how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the Kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:24). That is the Word of the Lord that faithful congregations, whether they are staying in or leaving the PCUSA, are following. Perhaps it’s time for PCUSA officials to do the same.

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