During a break-out session later in the day, Andrews said that “we believe that, some day, the confessional statements of ECO and PCUSA will not be the same and that will be a good thing — but not now.”

“We are convinced that theological matters needed to be attended to early and well,” the Rev. Jerry Andrews told the more than 2,100 people at the Convenanting Conference of the Fellowship of Presbyterians (FOP).

The “we” Andrews referred to were the three principal writers of the FOP’s theological document: Laura Smit, associate professor of theology, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Mich.; Joe Small, former director of Theology, Worship and Education for the Presbyterian Church (USA); and Andrews, pastor of First Presbyterian Church, San Diego, Calif.

A draft of the theological document was released in early December. Comments were received by the writing group until January, and those comments were used to produce the final version given to participants. The theology document includes the confessional standards, the essential tenets and a theological project that will clarify the theological identity of the FOP and new Reformed body, now called the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians (ECO).

The theological document states that the PCUSA’s Book of Confessions – containing 11 confessions – will be the confessional standards of the FOP/ECO. A list of essential tenets drawn from those confessions by the writing team is not only in the theological document but also in ECO’s polity document, where is says in 2.0101 that “ordaining bodies must ensure that all officers must adhere to the essential tenets of the ECO. Failure of officers to continue to adhere to these standards is grounds for a session or presbytery to remove an officer from service according to the Rules of Discipline in this constitution.”

Andrews and Smit presented the final version of the theology paper during a plenary session on Thursday afternoon. They spoke in greater detail about the paper during a break-out session held later in the day.

Andrews spoke of the many comments the team received once the draft was made public – like those that argued for seven to 10 pages that the draft was too long. Many of the comments, he said, “clearly helped us to strengthen the documents before you … along the way we became more hopeful for the life in our common life.”

“Truth leads to duty, faith leads to practice,” Andrews said. “We want you to see this project in that context.”

The forward of the theology paper stated that the work group had three tasks:

1. “to identify the statements of our confessional heritage that will connect us with the one holy catholic apostolic church and express our distinctively Reformed convictions within that church.

2. “to identify and articulate the essentials of the Reformed Faith as expressed in these documents.

3. “to identify the theological practices that will sustain us for the next generation and which we must, therefore, commit to and sustain.”

Andrews said that the team did “all of this with the prayer. ‘God help us.’”

The confessions

Andrews said that evangelicals have been accused of saying the “creeds with a wink and a nod,” Andrews said. “We think it is important that we keep this covenant while we make a new covenant. … Within these confessions we hear from the churches around the world and through time,” he said. “They challenge us when we do not know how to challenge ourselves.”

Andrews said that evangelicals have been guilty of neglecting the confessions. “We have not made our full investment so we can be good stewards of what was handed to us,” he said. “These confessional standards are a cautious move on our part. They will serve us well now, because it is a move we can make with integrity and yet it still challenges us to grow more deeply and widely into the confessional heritage that has been given us.”

During a break-out session later in the day, Andrews said that “we believe that, some day, the confessional statements of ECO and PCUSA will not be the same and that will be a good thing — but not now.”

In answering a question about the “problematic” Confession of 1967 and the Brief Statement of Faith, both included in the Book of Confessions, Andrews said the writing team did not think that “now is the moment to pick and choose,” between confessions, but that he did not think that C67 would “make the final cut” of confessions for the ECO. “It won’t even make the playoffs. It cannot get a fair hearing before evangelicals and even if given a fair hearing it still won’t make it for good reason.”

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