“There are 35,000 denominations in the world. Only four have approved homosexual behavior. We have not seriously engaged the world church on this issue. Our General Assembly acted without consulting the world church.”

The World Mission ministry area of the Presbyterian Church (USA) conducted a webinar Sept. 1 giving its response to the National Presbyterian Church of Mexico (INPM) ending its 139-year-old relationship with the denomination.

On Aug. 19 the INPM voted 116-22 to break off relations with the PCUSA and to not re-enter a relationship with the denomination until Amendment 10A is rescinded.

In a letter sent to Gradye Parsons, stated clerk of the PCUSA, Pbro. Amador López Hernández said that after the General Assembly analyzed the PCUSA’s recent actions, it voted to “break off relations immediately, denouncing the sin and disobedience explicit to the Word of God that tells us that we must not be partakers of the same. ‘And I heard a voice from heaven saying: Go ye forth from her, my people, for you aren’t involved in his sins …’ (Revelation 18:4).”

The panelists in the World Mission’s webinar – “The changing Landscape of God’s mission in Mexico” – were Hunter Farrell, director of Presbyterian World Mission, Maria Arroyo, World Mission Area Coordinator, Latin America and the Caribbean; Dave Thomas,World Mission Regional Liaison for Mexico; Joanie Lukins, Yucatan Network Coordinating Team Moderator and Lead Instructor, Living Waters for the World; and Sarah Ott, convener, Mexico Mission Network.

Arroyo said the INPM was “cancelling all of our work together … all joint mission immediately.”

“They mentioned they would rather miss relationships and resources than mix with people who don’t share their views,” Arroyo said.

She said the INPM did say they would continue to be in relationship with the presbyteries that voted against Amendment 10A and those that would be willing to sign a statement declaring they were against 10A and would conform to the principles of the Mexican church.

Much stress and strain over 10A
Farrell spoke of the “remarkable polarization in our own church with or without the Mexican denomination. … There’s much stress and strain in our own denomination about the passage of 10A … This is a minefield in our own families.”

“Our colleagues in Mexico,” Farrell said, “have done their best to discern what is the mind of Christ for their church … That is what their vote expresses. … We have to honor their intention of discerning and honoring God’s will.”

Farrell said that the INPM “is clear about their deep rejection, theologically speak, of homosexuality … that being the case it puts us in an awkward and untenable situation.”

For a Presbyterian Church to continue in relationship with Mexico, Farrell said that it would have to “disavow an action of our own GA.”

PCUSA warned
As early as 2001, the late Harold Kurtz, a long-time missionary to Ethiopia and former director of Presbyterian Frontier Fellowship, warned the Presbyterian Church (USA) against repealing or diluting its constitutional “fidelity/chastity” ordination requirement.