The New Wineskins Association began approximately 10 years ago, when a group of pastors and leaders began discussing a different way to be the Church in the 21st century. It now includes 180 congregations in both the PCUSA and the more conservative Evangelical Church in American (EPC).

According to a letter written by the leadership team of the New Wineskins Association of Churches, the group stands “ready to assist any congregation as they wrestle with what it means to be faithful in the midst of these changing denominational realities.”

The “changing denominational realities” in the Presbyterian Church (USA) include the current national referendums taking place in PCUSA presbyteries on the fidelity-chastity ordination standards in the Book of Order (Amendment 10A); the replacement of the Form of Government and the addition of the Belhar Confession into The Book of Confessions.

“The current voting on constitutional matters by presbyteries within the PCUSA represents the potential for a serious departure from Biblical standards that are very troubling to us and many others,” the letter reads. The Association is receiving calls from “numerous concerned congregations” inquiring about The New Wineskins.

The New Wineskins Association began approximately 10 years ago, when a group of pastors and leaders began discussing a different way to be the Church in the 21st century. It now includes 180 congregations in both the PCUSA and the more conservative Evangelical Church in American (EPC).

The Association has a constitution, a vision statement, a “Declaration of ethical imperatives” and a list of “Essential tenets of our Reformed faith.”

To join the association, a congregation must affirm the vision statement, the declaration and the essentials.

A New Wineskins Transitional Presbytery was formed by the EPC in 2008 to receive New Wineskins churches that were leaving the PCUSA to join the EPC. The transitional presbytery will cease to exist in June of 2012 as the churches move into EPC geographic presbyteries.

Read More: http://www.layman.org/News.aspx?article=28324

[Editor’s note: Some of the original URLs (links) referenced in this article are no longer valid, so the links have been removed.]