A Summary of Actions Taken by the 46th General Assembly of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church

This week my denomination, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, held its 46th stated General Assembly in Denver, Colorado. This is the annual meeting and council (synod) of my church, and every pastor has a right to attend and every congregation may send elder representatives. Due to the subject of same-sex attraction and ordination, this was the most intense and contentious assembly in recent EPC history, if not its most divided assembly ever. More on that towards the bottom. But there was quite a lot of other things going on at the assembly, and below is a summary of the official actions taken.

To amend the EPC’s constitution requires a majority vote of one assembly, a majority vote of three-fourths of the presbyteries over the next year, and then a majority vote of the subsequent assembly. The GA completed that amendment process in four areas that essentially cleaned up and standardized language related to the ordination process.

The EPC’s formal ecumenical relationships are called “fraternal partnerships” and are aimed at increasing cooperation on mission, church planting, theology, and education. The EPC entered into a fraternal partnership with the The Evangelical Church of Egypt (Synod of the Nile), which is a wonderful development….