A Letter by Chad Winkler, written and sent to the Presbytery of the Alleghenies on September 19, 2024.

“The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.” (Proverbs 18:17)

Greetings fellow Elders in the Presbytery of the Alleghenies of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church:

Thank you in advance for reading and considering this letter in its entirety ahead of the Presbytery meeting this Saturday, September 21, 2024. I ask that you please share this with any commissioners you intend to send from your church.

“Hey Dad, can I go too?”

These were the words of my 14-year-old son, Hudson, the day before I and our legal counsel and other representatives from Beverly Heights Church returned to the Allegheny Civil Court this past Monday as part of our ongoing dispute with the POA.

Last fall, the Administrative Commission (AC) for the Presbytery blocked Hudson from voting on our dismissal from the EPC, claiming his membership process was “unusual” and rushed, essentially declaring it invalid. They told him he retained all other rights and privileges of membership but unilaterally denied him the right to vote. None of the AC members had the courage to deliver this decision to him face-to-face, and when Hudson wrote to them personally to protest, his email went unanswered.

Hudson attends Beverly Heights Christian Academy, the school that is in its third year of existence as a ministry of Beverly Heights Church . The school is thriving, and Hudson is a leader in the school. Hudson is also a member at Beverly Heights Church — he’s probably there 6 or 7 days each week, mostly because he has a deep affection for the church, but also because I’m a Ruling Elder, and his mom (my wife) Elissa is the Director of Music in Worship. We are raising him and his sister Selah (10) to love our church and labor for it, in any way possible. Hudson’s commitment to Beverly Heights runs deep.

He has scrubbed toilets, he’s washed windows, he has led his classmates in worship from the piano, he has befriended his younger classmates who look up to him, he’s the first in line to volunteer. Hudson has gone through confirmation class at our church, he’s well-read, he loves his Bible, and he sings full-throated during Sunday morning worship. By God’s grace, Hudson is a Christian.

Hudson has also dealt with extreme hurt in his life. His younger brother, my son Isaiah, died when Hudson was just 7 years old. But since Hudson is a Christian, he knows Jesus, Who welcomed Isaiah into Heaven.

Hudson’s eyes are wide open to what the AC is trying to do at Beverly Heights. That’s why Monday’s courtroom events were so striking for Hudson – he could verify his thoughts with an event that would forever be etched into his mind. In the courtroom, a member of the AC, claiming to be impartial and unbiased, was sitting on the opposite side of the courtroom from Beverly Heights’ representatives, as the POA counsel argued in opposition to the church Hudson and the other kids at Beverly Heights love dearly.

Frankly, I wouldn’t expect the AC to act any differently or be impartial. They represent the Presbytery, after all, backed by its full authority. But let’s be clear: I’m not objective either.

I love our church deeply. I love the people in it, my leadership role, and the privilege of serving. I cherish helping to lead worship on Sunday mornings — whether I’m playing trumpet (I am a member of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra), playing piano for the daily matins service at the Academy, or simply singing in the pews. My life and my family’s life revolve around what happens at Beverly Heights, and I couldn’t be more thankful for what the Lord is doing in our church.

The Lord has blessed our congregation mightily over the last two years. As a colleague of mine says, Beverly Heights Church is a strong church that is getting stronger. And, it’s true.

The POA’s communication this week lacked significant context to properly assess the last year in the life of Beverly Heights Church. I ask that you consider these few points (of dozens that I could share) of context below, which represent only a small part of the full story, to help formulate your opinion of our situation:

  1. In their initial investigation in summer 2023, the AC met with Beverly Heights Church staff as a whole for two hours, giving each staff member only three minutes to speak. Since then, there have been no follow-ups or additional contact with them from the AC. The AC has not attended any staff or Session meetings, leaving the AC uninformed about the church’s current leadership dynamics, daily operations, or decision-making processes. The AC has also heard from our Pastor’s wife for a total of three minutes.
  2. The AC has a pattern of uncritically accepting information from the opposition without verifying it with the Session. Despite spending extensive time with the opposition in August 2023, they have not sought to confirm the accuracy or validity of what they heard and ultimately considered. They refuse to share with us any of their minutes from those meetings. They also continue to withhold the identities of anonymous sources from the Session, leaving the Session unable to address or contextualize the claims effectively. This approach conflicts with biblical teachings that caution against considering anonymous allegations.
  3. In over 50 Sundays since the AC was formed, only one member has attended a Beverly Heights Lord’s Day service one time. They have also failed to attend any and all weekly events, including our Wednesday Night Heights program, men’s and women’s gatherings, and numerous other church activities. Despite their claims of understanding our church well enough to impose disciplinary (administrative) actions, the AC cannot say that they have engaged at all with the daily life and spirit of Beverly Heights Church and thus, they are incapable of knowing what administrative actions would be useful and necessary (if any). There are handfuls of great things happening at Beverly Heights, and the AC would have no idea about any of them.
  4. The AC’s main issue is reinstating disputed members, despite the Session providing ample documentation showing their removal was in line with the Book of Order. The AC has admitted that they considered the desires of the disputed members as part of their decision making process for reinstating them to active membership. The AC refused to share with the Session the individual survey results that helped formulate their opinion to reinstate these members. Many of these former members haven’t attended services or participated in church activities for over a year or more, with some even taking on leadership roles in other churches. So the question is: why is the AC, and by extension the POA, fighting so hard to reinstate people who don’t want to be part of our community? The POA is investing significant financial resources — funded by your churches — into a battle for the membership of individuals who have clearly moved on. Is this really the best use of the POA’s financial resources?
  5. As Fellow Elders, you all understand the immense responsibility of serving on Session, with its daily demands and the serious obligations it entails. Now, imagine trying to hold a church together while constantly having to refute and respond to the narrative of the AC to your congregation. These emails from the AC, written to our entire congregation, which come unannounced, present one-sided accounts of everything supposedly wrong with our leadership — while claiming to be objective. It’s frustrating and counterproductive. Worse, it diverts our attention away from our true responsibility: caring for our people. Each time the AC sends one of these emails, it ignites another fire within our congregation that we’re forced to put out, instead of focusing on the needs of those we love and lead. It’s a senseless and unnecessary drain on our time and resources.

This has been an ongoing, daily struggle since last September. Imagine being in our shoes, with a POA-appointed body overseeing, scrutinizing, and second-guessing every leadership decision you make. In fact, you might not have to imagine it for long. If the POA can come after our church, they can certainly come after yours. It only takes a few disgruntled elders filing charges against you or your pastor, and the POA will step in with its “help”, assuming the very worst about your leadership. Right now, the leadership at Beverly Heights is all that stands between that and your church being next.

Our message has been consistent from the beginning: we want to leave the EPC peacefully. We hold no ill will toward the good people of the POA or the EPC, but our church has become increasingly misaligned with the denomination’s ideals and polity. This isn’t about anyone being at fault — it’s simply that it’s time for us to go. Unfortunately, the AC is standing in the way, dragging us into these constitutional skirmishes. While our leadership remains steadfast and committed, we are weary of fighting these unnecessary battles with you, our brothers and sisters in Christ.

We respectfully request that you do not extend the AC’s oversight into February 2025. Please rescind their Actions and Recommendations. Removing these will allow us to move forward efficiently with a vote to dismiss from the EPC. This step is crucial for our church to start healing from the damage – damage that we never could have anticipated – that has been inflicted on our church over the past two years. My son Hudson is deeply aware of our struggles, and I hope you now have a clearer understanding as well.

I’ll be at the Presbytery meeting on Saturday afternoon to answer any questions you may have. Other representatives from Beverly Heights will be there too, and I encourage you to speak with them. We have yet to tell our side of the story on the Presbytery floor. You’re also welcome to email me any questions you have, and I’ll gladly provide any clarification you need.

I thank you in advance for your consideration, and I hope you prayerfully consider helping Beverly Heights Church be the church God wants it to be.

Grace and Peace to you all,

Chad Winkler
Ruling Elder, Beverly Heights Church