Major transitions at the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary drew significant attention during the 2005 Synod of the RPCNA.

This short Synod was scheduled last year in the belief that eliminating the need for delegates to be away over a weekend would better serve both pastors and congregations.

Held at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pa., on June 27-30, this was the 174th meeting of the RPCNA Synod. Some of the notable actions of Synod and items reported to the Synod are featured topically here. For the day-by-day reports, you may access news and photos on ReformedPresbyterian.org.

Synod Actions, Committees, and Speakers

• Rev. Jonathan Watt, a Bible professor at Geneva, was unanimously elected moderator of this Geneva-hosted Synod.

• Synod was asked to appoint a committee to create a new directory for worship. The recommendation passed, 73-41. Just last year, a major Synod committee on worship finished its work; but, prior to that, several attempts to draft a new directory for worship failed to pass a Synod vote. The new committee is comprised of Anthony Selvaggio, chairman, John Edgar, Matt Kingswood, Alan Noell, and Wayne Spear.

• Dr. Wayne Spear, retiring professor of systematic theology at the RP Seminary, led the morning devotional messages on “The Offices of Christ.”

• The Revitalization Committee of Synod announced it would begin a new phase following this Synod, turning its focus to congregations in the Western United States (previous areas have been the Midwest and East).

• A committee that has been working for many years to translate the Book of Psalms from the original Hebrew asked to be dismissed. They made their work available to the Psalter Revision Committee and others who could benefit from it.

• Pastor John McFarland spoke on behalf of the Reformation Translation Fellowship about his recent trip to China.

• The RPCNA welcomed the United Reformed Churches of North America into official fraternal relationship. 

• Synod sang a few new psalm arrangements from the Psalter Revision Committee, whose work on a revised psalter is to be finished around the end of the year. The new arrangements were met with praise and concern. The proposed new psalter will be submitted to a future Synod before being published.

• Synod referred a judicial case back to the Midwest Presbytery, asking the presbytery to report back to Synod next year for possible further action.

• An overture that would have eliminated certain congregational officers failed by just one vote. No change is made to the current practice of allowing any member of the congregation to be a congregational chairman, vice chairman, or secretary. The session vote on the overture was 47-24 in favor (narrowly failing to garner a two-thirds majority) and the elder vote was 191-89 in favor with one abstention. (For more on this, see Viewpoint, page 3.)

Agencies of Synod

Foreign Mission Board

• The largest delegation ever of board members recently visited Japan for an extended time. The purpose was to begin updating the agreement of how the board and the Japan Presbytery will best work together as the ministry continues to develop and as more and more of the strategic decisions come from the Japanese elders.

• Jim Pennington, who has served in Japan for the past five years, emphasized the need for a new missionary-pastor to fill the space he left there when he retired in April. Pastor Charles Leach will shortly leave for a short-term service in Japan.

• The Board is exercising considerable time and effort in the development of a new mission field in the Sudan. It plans to continue both in that nation and in “a Middle Eastern country” which cannot be specified due to dangers to Christians in that area of the world.

• The board was asked to consider placing more focus on China.

Home Mission Board

• Since 1988, 14 new RP congregations and continuing mission churches have been planted, as well as 5 developing church plants and several more in the early planning stages.

• The board expressed its conviction that the church needs to continue to focus on church planting. It unveiled a goal which envisions the planting of 17 new congregations by the year 2020, a goal entitled “2020 Vision,” building the denomination to 100 congregations and mission stations. 

• The statement of priority to be adopted was “that the RPCNA make evangelism and church planting our highest priority.” Due to a concern about how broadly it might be interpreted, the statement was sent back to committee. It now reads, “To work toward our goal of establishing healthy, growing, multiplying congregations, that the Synod make evangelism and church planting a renewed priority as expressed in the 2020 Vision.”

Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary

• This is a key transitional time in the life of the RP Seminary. Two professors retired this year: Professor Edward Robson, and Professor Wayne Spear. The two were honored at a retirement dinner immediately following Synod.

• Synod interviewed Dr. Richard Gamble, the nominee for the position of professor of systematic theology at RPTS, and later elected him. He will begin teaching in September. C. J. Williams, who was elected by last year’s Synod, will fill the other professor position.

• Four RPTS students were granted the degree Master of Divinity in May: Joel Butler, Richard Holdeman, Brian Hasenkopf, and Titus Martin.

Geneva College

• The Board of Corporators emphasized its commitment to the college’s being a decidedly Reformed Presbyterian institution, and “the Board concurs with the desire that the Church renew its vision for Geneva and its commitment to Geneva…A new pilot chapel program is being taken up for the coming academic year. Sabbath use, e.g. related to summer camps, is being reconsidered. As a Board, we have also repeatedly expressed the need for more Reformed Presbyterian professors and especially administrators on the staff as an expression of the church’s ownership of the college.”

• RP Students now receive a 20% tuition discount (previously 10%).

Reformed Presbyterian Home

• Faith Martin of the RP Woman’s Association spoke of the new Upper Rooms building project, which will feature 35 apartments adjacent to the existing Home building. Although about two-thirds of the apartments will be funded through government faith-based initiative monies, there are mo strings attached that would change the Christ-centered mission or environment of the Home, she said.

Education & Publication Board

• Lynne Gordon announced the sale of over 1,000 psalters to a Presbyterian congregation in Singapore.

• Production work on the revision of the RPCNA psalter has already begun, with a psalm booklet and CD to be released in the coming months.

• The size of the board was increased from 6 to 8, and terms were lengthened from 3 to 4 years, with the goal of bringing more continuity to the board.

Finance

• Synod’s Committee on Finance reported that RPM&M donations make up just 13% of income of RP agencies, and said they would like to see that percentage increase significantly.

• The RPM&M funding recommendation of the committee passed without much debate, but a recommendation related to setting long-range financial priorities for the denomination ran aground.

• A proposal that would have built an endowment for the Board of Education and Publication was rejected in favor of a year-by-year allocation.

Reporting by Drew Gordon, with contributions by Heidi Filbert and Bekah Troup