On Saturday, November 23rd, the Session and I met at 9:00 AM to make final preparations for our trial, which began at 1:00 PM. The Session and I were charged with contempt for refusing to comply with what we maintain have been unlawful orders by the Presbytery of the Alleghenies’ Administrative Commission (AC). The trial lasted until a little after 8:00 PM. The Judicial Commission (JC) eventually decided to recess the trial until January 11.
The Judicial Commission also encouraged both parties to pursue another attempt at negotiations during the recess, to try and agree on membership rolls, and to hold a vote for dismissal. If negotiations and a vote can take place before January 11, and Beverly Heights votes to leave the denomination, then there would be no need for the trial to continue.
If negotiations and/or a vote fail, then the prosecution and defense will return to the trial on January 11th to give their closing arguments and await a decision.
The Session stated on the record at the trial that we were willing to engage in negotiations. The AC agreed to consider the JC’s proposal and inform all parties of their decision by December 6th.
I can honestly say that of all the scenarios that I imagined could happen on Saturday, the possibility of negotiations was not one of them. The Session and I were encouraged about the possibility of negotiations and we were grateful to the Judicial Commission for their encouragement to return to the negotiating table.
The Session and I believed this turn of events was evidence of God’s merciful intervention and we were hopeful about the opportunity to work with the AC to reach an agreement and pursue a dismissal vote.
On December 2nd, the AC informed the JC and Session that they were willing to “enter into discussions with Beverly Heights’ Session toward the objective of an uncontested congregational vote on dismissal into independence (according to BOG 5-10).”
However, they also stated that they were “prepared to discuss what we can and cannot negotiate as well as requirements for further discussion.” Session met with the AC on Monday, December 9th at 7:00 PM via Zoom.
Unfortunately, the Session never got a chance to enter into negotiations because the AC’s “requirements for further discussion” included the reassertion of several prior orders and a refusal to engage in negotiations regarding our membership rolls.
Our Session sent a response letter to the Administrative Commission and Judicial Commission, which you can read below.
Three articles about the EPC and Beverly Heights in MinistryWatch.com
MinistryWatch.com has published three helpful articles about the EPC and Beverly Heights Church, specifically. To read the articles, click the pictures below.
The November 26th article mentions our trial and possible mediation but it also addresses a recent “encyclical” written by members of the EPC’s National Leadership Team. Critics of the encyclical state,
“This encyclical is further evidence of top-down leadership that has permeated the EPC: the desire to silence criticism and control the narrative. If the EPC is in turmoil, the blame does not lie with critics but with EPC leadership. Under this leadership, we have been plunged quite suddenly into discord and division. The peace and unity of the church have been recklessly squandered.”
The Presbyterian Plumbline
Finally, there is a new online resource called The Presbyterian Plumline, referenced in the MinistryWatch article. The Plumbline is a free-speech journal that exists to inform pastors, elders, and members of concerning developments in the EPC.
In their article Response to An Encyclical for the Purpose of Addressing Frequently Asked Questions in the 2024-2025 EPC Church Year I found this interesting message in the comment section:
“Anyone who has been keeping a watchful eye on the Beverly Heights situation in Pittsburgh knows there is a crisis of leadership in the EPC. Their open letter took my breath away. I long for what my denomination once was and grieve for what it has become.”
Advent Peace
Today is the twelfth day of Advent and on Sunday, I will preach on Luke 2:14 and the Angels who sang “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” I am reminded that biblical “peace” (shalom) is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of the whole.
Jesus came in the flesh so that we could have his presence with us and be made whole. Nothing can take that presence away, not commissions, not presbyteries, not denominations, not political parties, not world events, nothing. So we enjoy his peace, we rejoice, and we give glory to God.
Photo by Daniel Dan on Unsplash
The Parrhesians 