In August of 2023, the Presbytery of the Alleghenies formed an Administrative Commission to “help” our church. According to the presbytery, we were a church in crisis and the AC’s goal was to help secure the peace, unity, and purity of the congregation.  But instead of help, our congregation endured conflict, lawfare, and abuse of power at the hands of EPC leadership.  

This, coupled with the theological and progressive drift of the denomination, confirmed for the elders that it was time to leave the denomination. This decision, however, was resisted by the presbytery, sparking a showdown with the POA in both the ecclesial and civil courts.

After almost 18 months of resistance by the presbytery, the Session of Beverly Heights Presbyterian Church called a congregational meeting, which was held on Sunday, January 26, 2025, to vote on disaffiliation with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. The vote passed 106 in favor, and 13 opposed, with 89% approval.

On Monday, January 27, 2025, this Session was informed by a Judicial Commission of the Presbytery of the Alleghenies that it took action to remove the Elders of this Session and me from office in the EPC.

Finally, on Saturday, February 15, 2025, at its stated meeting, the Presbytery of the Alleghenies voted to approve a recommendation to formally acknowledge the departure of Beverly Heights Presbyterian Church from the EPC.     

So today, Beverly Heights Presbyterian Church is no longer a member of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church and is for now an independent congregation.

In this two-part special edition of the Parrhesian Podcast, Peter, Kyle and I chronicle our departure from the denomination over the last several months, why this conflict with the EPC may have happened and how it finally ended.