Many weighty issues were brought to the 2002 Synod, and delegates labored long hours to complete the docket. Despite many official challenges, very little changed in the doctrine and government of the RPCNA.

The 171st Synod of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America met July 6–12 on the campus of Park University in Parkville, Mo. Synod is the denomination’s highest judicial body, but it also serves to help unite the presbyteries and to facilitate the work and fellowship of the denomination.

Last year an unusually high number of papers, or communications, came to the Synod requesting significant changes in doctrine or practice. Most of those papers wound up in committees that reported this year. Along with the normal business of Synod, these carryover issues created some weighty matters to be considered.

The committees working on these issues proposed a variety of solutions; in the end, whether the committee recommended pro or con, the Synod voted nearly every time to hold to its current doctrine and practice. The following are some of the significant issues.

Re-mapping the Presbyteries—A committee was appointed last year to study whether certain presbyteries’ boundaries might beneficially be changed. The committee proposed no realignment. Instead, the committee encouraged presbyteries to do more thinking on this matter as they organize congregations in new areas. Several delegates expressed their opinion that this committee or another committee should come up with actual geographical boundaries to aid further home mission decisions, but a motion proposing such work failed.

Congregational Officers—A year ago a Synod committee was charged with studying the scriptural warrant for requiring officers in a congregation—chairman, secretary, and treasurer, for example—particularly the warrant for their leading the congregational meetings. A communication had come to the Synod arguing that it was the session’s responsibility to call and to conduct congregational meetings.

The committee identified three options—to maintain the present position calling for congregational officers; to allow each session to decide whether to have such officers; or to discontinue congregational officers.

Each of the three groups seemed to have support in the Synod as several recommendations, amendments, and alternate motions failed to gain the two-thirds majority necessary to make a constitutional change. The committee favored allowing individual sessions to decide, but there were enough votes on either side of their position to defeat the proposal.

Ed Blackwood, chairman of the presbytery committee that had studied the matter previously, questioned whether the Synod committee had addressed the original concerns about congregational officers. He moved that the committee be dismissed and that the issue be given to a new committee. That motion failed, but later in the morning a similar motion passed, closing the matter at least until next year.

Election of the Moderator—Should the moderator of Synod be elected a year in advance to allow him preparation? The Business of Synod Committee brought such a recommendation after two previous Synods had expressed informal support for the idea. In more distant Synods, such a recommendation had failed. Most of those who spoke on the floor this year were firmly against the idea, believing that each Synod should elect its own officers and that the current system worked well. The proposed change was soundly defeated.

Ordained Women Deacons—The RPCNA ordains both men and women as deacons, a practice that puts it in the minority among similar denominations. While outsiders sometimes suspect the influence of feminism, the practice actually goes back a century in the RPCNA and, apparently, back even to the early Christian church.

Of course, there is debate about exactly what deaconesses did, whether they were ordained in the same sense that men were ordained as elders, and what sort of authority they had. Pastor Phil Pockras said he believed the RPCNA Constitution created confusion by declaring that the office of deacon is not a teaching or ruling office, and yet saying that deacons may teach and counsel regarding finances, the mercy of ministry, and so on.

Pastor Swartz, chairman of the committee studying this matter, answered by saying that that sort of teaching is in the context of not being a teaching office; that “there is a teaching that may compel compliance”—the teaching of the elders.

The first recommendation of the committee, which affirmed current constitutional statements about the office of deacon (rather than who could be a deacon), passed easily by voice vote. It was clear from the discussion of the key second recommendation that some delegates favored a third office—an unordained order of deaconess.

The second recommendation, asking Synod to affirm its current position, which does not restrict the office of deacon by gender, passed, 71–41.

Creation—The Committee to Study the Midwest Presbytery Report on Creation answered a long paper with a one­page response. Midwest Presbytery had asked Synod to agree that the subordinate standards of the RPCNA teach that macroevolution is unbiblical and to be rejected. The portion of the paper that proved controversial was the assertion that “the days of creation were six sequential days of ordinary length.”

Interestingly, the committee agreed that “the Midwest Presbytery declaration does express what was almost certainly the original intent of the Confession of Faith, but we also recognize that a measure of diversity exists within the church and believe that the best answer to this situation is for us to resolve, in the Confession’s own language, to let ‘the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture’ be the supreme judge of any controversy in this matter.”

It was pointed out that the RP Testimony, while speaking to issues of Creation, had avoided further clarifying the length of the Creation days.

The committee recommendation—that the petition of Midwest Presbytery not be granted—passed, 58–42. In effect, Synod chose not to clarify the standards on the length of creation days, yet did not rule on the merits of the paper itself.

Wine in Communion—Three papers had been forwarded to the Judicial Committee this year that took three different positions on one issue—the use of wine in communion. Three members of a congregation in Great Lakes-Gulf Presbytery had appealed to the Synod, asking whether wine being required in communion was a scriptural practice. It was reported that wine was served in that congregation, but that grape juice was permitted for those expressing a conscience on the matter (a “split-cup” practice). Four elders appealed to the Synod to rule that only non-alcoholic wine could be used in communion services. A church member in the Presbytery of the Alleghenies had asserted that only wine could be used in communion, and his paper was forwarded by the presbytery to the judicial committee.

The Judicial Committee recommendations gave pastoral counsel to the sessions and members involved, and stated that the standards do not forbid the use of wine in communion, but neither could the use of wine be required. The committee asked elders to be sensitive to the history of RP temperance positions on this matter. Despite some of the most spirited debate of this Synod, all the recommendations passed easily by voice vote.

Covenant of Church Membership—A revision of the Covenant of Church Membership has been in committee for several years, and proposals have been brought to several Synods. Once again, however, there were objections to the wording.

The committee chairman, Rev. Kenneth G. Smith, observed that some members seemed to want “everything” in the COCM but that was not its purpose.

Truly, there was disagreement about its purpose, with some delegates wanting to take up the issue of how much RPCNA doctrine one should be able to assent to before taking a covenant of church membership.

The recommendation to accept the entire revision failed. The committee was prepared with another recommendation to change only question 4 of the covenant, the longest part, dealing with submission to the church. This recommendation was accepted by the Synod, but only by a single vote above the 2/3 majority necessary, 63–31. As with other changes to the “fundamental law” of the RPCNA, this revision must now be approved by sessions “in overture.” The committee was dismissed and given an ovation for their work.

Doctrine of Worship—The Committee to Study the Doctrine of Worship, though reporting on significant issues, was primarily giving an update to this year’s Synod; so discussion did not take long. The committee’s paper submitted this year, “On the Regulative Principle of Worship,” was approved for study by the denomination. The committee expects to submit position papers on worship next year.

Other News and Actions

While there were few changes in doctrine and practice, it could hardly be said that there isn’t much going on in the denomination.

The Foreign Mission Board reported significant exploratory work in four countries: the Philippines, China, Yemen, and Sudan. Several RPs have been sent to the Philippines to communicate with churches there and give training. Support for work in Yemen, a country where mission work is dangerous, is ongoing. Reformed Presbyterians have been sent to China as well; there is hope that one day a missionary team consisting of a veteran and a younger missionary would be sent. The Ottawa, Ont., RPC and St. Lawrence Presbytery have seen significant progress with contacts in Sudan, and the FMB is considering further support.

The Foreign Mission Board gave thanks that Jim and Ruth Pennington decided to extend their term as missionaries to Japan for another year. There was thanks for an increase in membership in the Japanese church.

A revitalization program will be coming to Midwest Presbytery, similar to the one completed in Presbytery of the Alleghenies last year. That program, recommended by the Committee on Church Revitalization, will occur in 2003. In addition, more funds for church revitalization will made available to congregations through presbyteries, but requests must meet specific criteria.

Membership in the RPCNA decreased for the second year in a row—just slightly. It was the second decline after several years of increases. Total membership is now 6,156. Worship attendance and total number of congregations also decreased slightly.

Synod concurred with the action of the North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council (NA PARC) to terminate the membership of the Christian Reformed Church in NAPARC. Synod also cut off fraternal relations with the CRC. This follows many years of discussion between the CRC and other denominations about the CRC decision to permit women in the office of elder.

In recognition of the health of the Greek Evangelical Church of Cyprus, the Synod established fraternal relations with the GECC. Reformed Presbyterians had a hand in establishing that church decades ago, so the renewed ties were cause for celebration. There are also closer ties between the Trinity Christian Community Fellowship and the GECC. Elder Adam Mastris of TCCF attended this Synod and addressed the court.

For the RP Woman’s Association, RP Home Administrator Margaret Hemphill reported on progress one year after some major changes in personnel structure. She noted the very successful conclusion to a 2-1/2 year search for a Home chaplain, and the blessings and challenges of having three new ministries grow up under the Woman’s Association in the past Io years.

Geneva College President Jack White shared about elders’ testimonies of how the college has helped their children’s growth in grace. He noted that the college’s financial picture has improved. He asked the denomination to send young people to the college, to support the college, and to pray for the college. The Geneva Board of Corporators report expressed their desire to hire more Reformed Presbyterians in the Bible department.

Pastor Robert Hemphill (Westminster, Colo., RPC) has agreed to be program coordinator for the 2004 RP International Conference at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich.

There is a need to recognize that our young people are like gold, said Pastor Andy McCracken, chairman of the Youth Ministries Committee, as he shared accounts of the caliber of RP youth. He encouraged participation of young people in youth leadership training activities being offered. He also mentioned that nine of ten retired missionaries who were asked recently said that a conference was the place where they first made a decision for missionary service.

The Board of Education & Publication reported its fourth consecutive record year for publication sales, and also reported the recent printing of over 10,000 complete psalters. The board has expanded the denominational presence on the World Wide Web, and has updated copyright policies to account for realities of the internet.

The Board of Trustees of the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary board expressed extreme satisfaction with the seven years of service of Seminary president Jerry O’Neill. President O’Neill mentioned a set of guidelines the faculty have available to help congregations prepare for and call a pastor, and he announced an updated web site at www.rpts.edu.

All the recommendations of Synod’s Finance Committee were passed. One more unusual set of recommendations amounted to a response to a communication on encouraging RP couples who seek to be adoptive parents or foster parents. The Synod did not provide funds, but endorsed the concept of the paper and encouraged localized action by all those interested, listing denominational and other resources available.

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Several Things Did Change

§ There was a sense of accomplishment in the Synod with the passage of the final sections of a thoroughly revised Book of Discipline. A committee has been working on the constitutional document for eight years, with each year’s Synod scrutinizing, debating, voting, and often returning chapters for further work. All the chapters now approved, they will now be sent down “in overture,” where sessions will have a year to decide whether to ratify the new book.

§ The way that financial decisions have been made by the Synod has undergone an evolution for more than a decade. A committee charged with bringing some conclusions to Synod proposed that the Finance Committee exist year-round rather than only during the week of Synod. The plan was approved.

§ Other changes have been noted elsewhere in this Synod section, including the lengthy fourth query in the Covenant of Church Membership. Another significant development was the approval of the Home Mission Board’s recommendation to transfer $100,000 of its endowment to the Revitalization Committee, in order that this newer committee would have some annual income to assist the renewal of established congregations.