The Assembly completed the amendment process to clarify how presbyteries deal with transitional pastors ordained in other denominations, entered into a fraternal partnership with the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, amended its Rules of Assembly to clarify how business is to be received by the General Assembly, and instructed the Permanent Committee on Theology to review the EPC’s Position Paper on Divorce and Remarriage.

This week my denomination, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, held its 45^th stated General Assembly in Detroit, Michigan. 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. This was a quiet assembly, and in many ways an archetype of EPC gatherings. Lots of things went on at the assembly, but below is a summary of its official actions.

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 to clarify how presbyteries deal with transitional pastors (interim pastors) who are ordained in other denominations, want to maintain their ordination in their home denominations, but still want to temporarily serve an EPC congregation in a transitional role.

The EPC’s formal ecumenical relationships are called “fraternal partnerships” and are aimed at increasing cooperation on mission, church planting, theology, and education. The GA voted to terminate our fraternal partnership with The Church of Jesus Christ of Madagascar with the rationale that no real partnership exists and attempts to rekindle them had been unsuccessful. The EPC entered into a fraternal partnership with the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, which is a wonderful development. We also updated our connection to St Andrew’s Presbytery of Argentina, a longstanding fraternal partner of the EPC. The Evangelical Church of Egypt (Synod of the Nile) sent its leadership as delegates to our GA and it looks like a fraternal partnership with them will be formalized in the near future.

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