Dr. Jeffrey J. Jeremiah, stated clerk of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, welcomed the news that the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) had voted to stop accusing the EPC of stealing the PCUSA’s sheep.

Those charges first began with former Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick, who denounced the EPC because PCUSA congregations left the mainline denomination to become part of the smaller, but growing evangelical group.

Since 2006, when PCUSA sheep started grazing in EPC pastures, the EPC membership has grown from 185 congregations to 287 currently. That includes a few new church developments and some closures, but Jeremiah said the EPC has received roughly 100 PCUSA congregations.

He was appreciative of the PCUSA’s General Assembly’s 604-29 vote to quit stalking the EPC.

“They found no evidence of wrongdoing because we hadn’t engaged in any wrongdoing,” Jeremiah told The Layman. “Obviously, I was pleased with what happened but not surprised.”

Jeremiah said the EPC policy is to respond to requests for information by congregations considering realignment but not to recruit. He added that those requests continue.

He said the EPC’s Fraternal Relationship Committee and Committee on Administration will soon be formatting a response to the PCUSA decision.

The PCUSA action came too late to win applause at the EPC’s recent General Assembly.

The EPC met June 23-26 at Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church in Englewood, Colorado. The assembly had 399 commissioners. Another 400 Presbyterians attended the meeting as well.

The commissioners approved two proposals addressing presbytery boundaries. Due to the increase in the number of churches in the EPC, the Assembly approved a study group that will investigate the possibility of creating new presbyteries. This group, appointed by newly elected Moderator Rob Liddon, will report to the 2011 and 2012 General Assemblies.

The leadership of Mid-America Presbytery also brought a request asking for a division of its presbytery. In response, the Assembly gave commission power to the Committee on Administration (COA) to consider approving the creation of two presbyteries in the current Mid-America Presbytery. The COA will work in conjunction with the moderator-appointed study group and Mid-America leadership to accomplish this task.