Quick Facts

Location: Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, Ind. Total delegates: 175 New delegates: 20

Synod Officers

Moderator: Jerry Milroy

Clerk: John McFarland

Assistant clerk: Charles Brown

Devotional Messages

Theme: The Magnificence of God Speakers: Pastor J. Bruce Martin (retiring moderator), Pastor Keith Evans, and Pastor Kyle Sims (ARP Church). Audio recordings are available at ReformedVoice.com/TopekaRP

For additional coverage of the Synod, including highlights from the presbyteries as well as Synod’s boards and committees, go to RPWitness.org.

Communications

The Business of Synod Committee presented several new “communications” to the court that had been transferred from lower courts:

Communication 2017-1a—The collection of tithes and offerings is typically done in worship, but is it a required element of weekly congregational worship? This communication from Presbytery of the Alleghenies (as a result of its study committee) takes the position that Scripture allows but does not require the collection during the worship service, and therefore the Directory for Worship should be written to allow for both. One Synod delegate pointed out that this would also require a change in the RP Testimony. This communication was referred to a study committee to report next year.

Communication 2017-1b–This communication came from a different study committee of Presbytery of the Alleghenies and suggested clarification for determining the number of ruling elders necessary for a quorum in a meeting of presbytery or Synod. A version of the paper was adopted.

Communication 2017-2–Atlantic Presbytery submitted this communication to ask for an interpretation of the RP Testimony with regard to the definition of desertion as an allowance for divorce. Synod passed the recommendation to form a five-man study committee to report to Synod 2018.

Communication 2017-3 regards the financial situation of a congregation in the St. Lawrence Presbytery. The communication was returned to that presbytery for further consideration and action.

Communication 2017-4—In past years there have been efforts to have session rather than congregational officers oversee regular congregational meetings—efforts that narrowly failed. This communication seeks to strike a balance by allowing for such meetings to be overseen either by congregational officers or by sessions. In the former case, the election of the congregational officers would occur under the oversight of the session but the meetings would be conducted by the elected officers. This paper was approved, and the changes to the Directory for Church Government will be sent down in overture to the congregations.

Judicial Actions

A judicial complaint against Pacific Coast Presbytery originated with some members of the Las Vegas RP Fellowship regarding how the Lord’s supper was administered, particularly in regard to the contents of the communion cup and the shepherding of those who have convictions about the use of grape juice or wine. The Synod committee tasked with reviewing this complaint reported to the Synod this year. The following points in their report sought to summarize Synod’s previous work:

Synod has ruled that the contents of the cup may be either non-alcoholic or alcoholic in nature, and even that a split-cup is permissible.

Synod has ruled that the responsibility and authority for specifying the contents of the cup in each congregation lies primarily with the session of that congregation.

When making that decision, the session should seek the unity and full participation of the people as being of the utmost importance, even when the singularity of the cup must be sacrificed.

However, Synod does not require a session to utilize an alternative in order to satisfy the conscience of a member. It may, for pastoral reasons unique to the congregation, choose to do otherwise.

The committee underscored that “it is against the law and order of the RPCNA to teach that the denomination requires any particular contents of the cup.” Later, the committee introduced a special resolution that all parties in the case had agreed on: “All members of the RPCNA maintain liberty of conscience, whatever fruit of the vine is administered by local sessions.” The moderator was then notified that, in light of the passage of the special resolution, the complainants had withdrawn their complaint. With this issue thus graciously resolved, the committee was dismissed with thanks.

The Judicial Committee to Review 2016-4 concerned an appeal by retired pastor Bruce Hemphill of his convictions on two charges by Presbytery of the Alleghenies following his submission of a paper to the church courts. Dr. Hemphill’s paper had requested a Synod study committee to consider changing the RPCNA position of men only in the eldership. A crux of the issue is whether Dr. Hemphill “believes and accepts” this teaching, as convicted by presbytery, or, as he has contended, submitted the issue for study.

The Synod discussion centered on whether the committee had properly processed the appeal for this year, and thus the advisability of using the committee report in some fashion this year versus delaying to give the matter to a commission or to Synod next year for judgment. A motion passed that the appeal be forwarded to the full Synod of 2018 to be adjudicated next year. A committee was created to outline the process and articulate the steps needed for Synod to try the appeal as a whole. The judicial committee was dismissed with thanks. Then Synod passed a motion to ask forgiveness of the parties involved for not doing its work in a timely way, with this apology going to Bruce Hemphill, Presbytery of the Alleghenies, and the Judicial Committee.

Two years ago Synod appointed the Special Committee on Vocalized Prayer in Public Worship “to articulate the biblical doctrine and practice of prayer in public worship as it pertains to [the Directory of Public Worship] 2.11 especially with respect to who should vocalize prayer, and to recommend changes to the Directory of Public Worship if needed.” The RPCNA Directory for Worship says about public prayer: “Although led by an elder, it becomes the prayer of the whole assembly as the Lord’s people participate by giving earnest attention to the content of the prayer and adding, 
by an audible or inaudible ‘Amen,’ their enthusiastic concurrence with its petitions” (2.11).

In the committee, “all agree that the elders are called to lead in public prayer, in one form or another. All agree that every member of the congregation may vocalize prayer in worship.” But the committee could not agree on more detailed applications of these principles. The committee believes that “it would be unwise at this time to seek to agree on one particular position and impose a uniform practice on all of the congregations.”

Concluding its study, the committee recommended “that the church continue to recognize the Directory for Public Worship as a guide for public worship and that local sessions be faithful to visibly lead prayer in worship while arranging for the vocalization of prayer that is most fitting for their congregation in accordance with Scripture.” With little discussion, the recommendation passed overwhelmingly.

Synod again took up the report of the Special Committee on Ruling Elder Participation in Synod. This is the final report of a committee convened in 2013 to address concerns about the relatively low rate of participation of ruling elders in the Synod. Most of the recommendations of the committee did not pass, including one that a Synod quorum be comprised of at least 35% ruling elders rather than the current 25%. However, the concern of Synod to have better ruling elder participation was mentioned during nearly every session that week, including in discussions about how long synods should be. One recommendation that passed was to establish a fund to grant up to 10 stipends each year to ruling elders for whom Synod participation would create a significant negative economic impact.

The 2016 Synod formed a committee to study transgenderism. The resulting paper “seeks to break down the language, philosophy, and scientific theories undergirding transgenderism and to provide a biblical response and pastoral guidance in ministering to those entangled in this mindset.” Says the paper, “We will argue that gender is a calling the individual receives in his or her anatomical constitution; gender should not be viewed as an identity rooted on one’s psyche (or brain).” The paper was adopted, without dissent, as an official position paper of the RPCNA. It will be published by Crown & Covenant and also distributed for information to other denominations in NAPARC.

Other actions

The ARP Church in early June accepted the invitation of the RPCNA for a concurrent Synod in 2019. In 2015 the two synods met concurrently in North Carolina. This time the location is to be Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pa., so ARP delegates can have the opportunity to see the RPCNA college and seminary. A pre-Synod conference on worship is planned for that week.

The RPCNA’s CASA (Central & South America) Committee continues to communicate with believers in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, El Salvador, Mexico, and Venezuela. The receiving of Chilean pastor Marcelo Sanchez by Alleghenies Presbytery means that an RP work there is underway—believed to be the first RP work in South America. There is a congregation of 15 meeting in the Santiago area. RPGM also requests prayer for a licentiate from Argentina to be granted a visa so he too can be examined and received into the RPCNA. Edgar Ibarra and Drew McKelvy are regularly leading services in Spanish via Skype, hosted by Trinity RPC in Burtonsville, Md. CASA is overseeing the work of translating RP standards into Spanish.