The Presbyterian Church (USA) recently gave final approval to an amendment to its Book of Order that will require clergy candidates to be questioned about their views on LGBT ideology.
Known as Amendment 24-C, it was part of a proposal known as the Olympia Overture, which sought to amend G-2.0104b of the Book of Order to require candidates to be asked about their views on issues including sexual orientation and gender identity.
The measure was approved for consideration last year at the 226th PCUSA General Assembly by a vote of 297-130. From there, the measure needed to get a simple majority of presbyteries, or regional bodies, to vote in favor of it.
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Last month, the amendment secured that majority and will take effect on July 4.
Additionally, a majority of presbyteries approved Amendment 24-A, which added sexual orientation and gender identity to the denomination’s anti-discrimination statement found in the Book of Order F-1.0403.
The theologically progressive Covenant Network of Presbyterians celebrated the passage of the amendment, believing that the measure will make the Mainline Protestant denomination more inclusive.
“This new language provides the church with a rich opportunity for deeper reflection, honest conversation, and authentic discernment,” said the Rev. Brian Ellison, executive director of CNP, in a statement.
“I’m genuinely excited to see the ways these more comprehensive examinations will benefit LGBTQIA+ people, as well as those from other marginalized groups, as they hear more where they stand with those who would serve among them.”
The overture was not without its critics, many of whom signed an open letter against the proposal in advance of last year’s General Assembly.
The Christian Post reached out to PCUSA clergy who supported the open letter against the amendment to get their views on it and ongoing concerns, and whether they believe it will lead to more people leaving the denomination.
‘Unnecessary and unwise’
The Rev. Tony Sundermeier, senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta, Georgia, was among the authors of the open letter. He and his wife, the Rev. Katie Sundermeier, who also serves at FPC Atlanta, were signatories of the petition.
In comments emailed to CP, the Sundermeiers expressed their ongoing concern about the newly approved amendment, calling it “unnecessary and unwise.”
“The core affirmation that LGBTQIA+ individuals cannot be discriminated against was already secured with Amendment 24-A, which we fully supported. That amendment reflected both justice and pastoral clarity,” they stated.
“24-C, on the other hand, introduces a layer of evaluative inquiry into a candidate’s theological, ecclesiastical, and relational dispositions as they specifically and discreetly relate to sexuality. In our view, that crosses a line.”
The Sundermeiers noted that while they themselves had officiated same-sex weddings and supported the ordination of LGBT-identified people, “we also believe inclusion loses its moral and spiritual power when it becomes an enforced orthodoxy rather than a gracious welcome.”
“It’s not about inclusion anymore. It’s about control and exclusion. It creates conditions that allow ordaining bodies to disqualify candidates based on theological convictions that are still well within the bounds of our Constitution,” they continued.
The pastor couple did not believe that “the final text sufficiently protects freedom of conscience,” adding that “the structure and tone of 24-C imply that some theological convictions — particularly those that dissent from progressive norms on sexuality and gender — may now be deemed unfit for ordination.”
“What concerns us is not the text on paper, but how it will be used. We’ve seen how polity can become policy, and policy can become exclusion,” they told CP.
There was a belief that the LGBT advocacy group CNP “now functions as the primary gatekeeping body in the denomination,” and holds considerable influence beyond just championing the Olympia Overture.
Tony Sundermeier specifically recounted a recent incident in which he was removed from a social media group centered on PCUSA church leaders after he gave “respectful dissent about the implications of these amendments.”
“When I reached out privately to a CNP board member to seek real conversation, I was rebuffed,” he explained to CP. “There was no room for dialogue. No interest in forbearance. The message was clear: dissent will be punished, even when it’s principled and pastoral.”
The Rev. Ferdi Brits of the Presbyterian Church of the Lakes of Orlando, Florida, told CP that he believed the newly approved amendment “completely removes my freedom of conscience.”
“My disagreement of a view that may not be biblical will exclude me from serving in a leadership role in the denomination and that is exclusion,” said Brits. “The argument is that it will open conversation about the sexual identity issues. It does not open conversation, for it was clearly said on the debate floor that it is now time for the Church to enforce previous decisions made on inclusiveness.”
The Rev. LaVera M. Parato of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Havelock, North Carolina, told CP that he was “saddened but completely unsurprised that this amendment passed.”
“Frankly, I’m happy it took so long,” Parato said. “I was also sad but happily surprised that in my presbytery, one that definitely leans Left, it only passed by 9 votes.”
Parato believes that the text of the amendment was “ambiguous and will need an authoritative interpretation or court case,” including a clarification on what is meant by “discrimination.”
‘I must obey God rather than man’
While it’s the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States, PCUSA has experienced a substantial decline in membership over the past few decades.
According to their statistics, PCUSA went from having over 2.5 million members in 2000 to around 1.045 million members last year. The denomination itself expects to dip below the 1 million mark by the end of this year.
Some of this decline has come as a result of the progressive theological direction of PCUSA. For example, when the PCUSA voted to allow regional bodies to ordain non-celibate homosexuals in 2010, hundreds of congregations left the denomination in protest.
The Sundermeiers believed that the newly approved amendment could lead to more people and even member congregations deciding to leave the denomination.
“Yes, we do believe some individuals and congregations may leave and not necessarily because they reject the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ persons, which many have come to affirm and support,” they stated. “Rather, it will be because they no longer recognize the PCUSA as a place where theological diversity is genuinely welcomed or protected.”
“I fear that some will begin to self-select out of this community. Not out of bitterness, but out of fatigue. Not because they’ve given up on the Gospel, but because they no longer believe there is room at the table for voices like theirs.”
Brits told CP that while he believed “some clergy and or congregations” may leave PCUSA, “the reality is that the bulk of pastors and congregations who had enough of the un-biblical agendas within the PCUSA have already left.”
“The problem will come when biblical conservative congregations within the PCUSA need to call a new pastor and the overseeing presbytery will not accept a candidate with a different view on these issues,” he speculated.
At least one signatory of the protest letter has already decided to cut ties with the denomination.
The Rev. Bruce Sexton of Faith Presbyterian Church in Hermiston, Oregon, provided CP with a copy of the letter he sent to his congregation in January outlining his decision to leave the denomination that he had served as a minister since 1991.
Sexton, who has long been troubled by the liberal direction of the denomination, cited the approval of the amendment at last year’s General Assembly as the breaking point.
“Now, as one who follows biblical standards, the PCUSA is identifying me as outside the Christian faith because of my biblical understanding of the covenant of marriage,” he wrote.
“I see this decision as a symptom of the disease within the PCUSA. As a denomination, they have turned away from the authority of Scripture, the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and the orthodox heritage of the Church. In the end, ‘I must obey God rather than man.’ (Acts 5:29).”
Sexton went on to explain that he was transferring his ordination to ECO: The Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians, a theologically conservative denomination that allows female ordination.
Despite the transfer, Sexton remains the pastor at Faith Presbyterian, as the congregation itself is considering a process of discernment for possibly seeking dismissal from the PCUSA.
‘Our mission field’
Although some are already considering a departure from the PCUSA over the new amendment, Tony and Katie Sundermeier are planning to stay with the Mainline denomination.
“While we believe Amendment 24-C is a step in the wrong direction, our congregation is deeply rooted in the PCUSA, and we are committed to staying and contributing to its renewal,” they told CP. “Walking away would be too easy and, in some ways, it would be a betrayal of the very idea of mutual forbearance that we believe this denomination still holds at its core.”
Pastor Alan Dyer of First Presbyterian Church in Spartanburg, South Carolina, another author of the open letter, told CP that he did not have any intentions of leaving the PCUSA.
“The bottom line is that though disappointed by the formal passage of this measure, our congregations remain deeply committed to the PCUSA,” Dyer said, adding that he “will continue working from within to ensure that the denomination as a whole remains a ‘big tent’ that honors and protects mutual forbearance as a foundational principle of the Church.”
Parato told CP that his congregation was “not seeking dismissal right now for many reasons,” noting that “we have more crucial things to get through right now.” He is a member of The Fellowship Community, which is a network of Evangelicals within the Mainline Protestant denomination, and hopes to see his congregation join the group.
“My church hasn’t been ready to identify as such in the past although they hired me knowing full well that I am a member of the Fellowship Community and hold to those doctrinal standards,” he said.
Brits and his congregation also intend to remain with PC(USA), with him telling CP that “the only reason I and our congregation are still part of the PCUSA is because” they “see it as our mission field.”
“The best way to still stand for the truth of the Gospel in the PCUSA is to be on the inside of the denomination,” he continued.
“All the reformers started their work of sharing the truth of God’s Word inside the church where they were serving. So, we do not currently consider leaving, but the option may be on the table in the future.”
