“We did find instances of persons,” she noted, “who, when invited by PCUSA congregations, put the PCUSA in a negative light and the EPC in a positive light.”

Without a word from commissioners, the Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly quickly approved a set of recommendations for handling the delicate topic of ecumenical relations with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC). Ninety-four percent of voting commissioners favored the recommendations.

This issue that began with hot-under-the-collar accusations of sheep stealing against the EPC thus ended with a broadly accepted paper. The Assembly approved it by a vote of 604-29.

“We could find no proof of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church as a group to have a strategy [to lure PC(USA) congregations into the EPC],” testified the Rev. Joy Kaufmann of Huntingdon Presbytery, chair of the committee that investigated the alleged misdeeds.

“We did find instances of persons,” she noted, “who, when invited by PCUSA congregations, put the PCUSA in a negative light and the EPC in a positive light.”

Who were these individuals with the temerity to voice apparently frowned-upon opinions as individuals? “They were largely leaders who wanted to depart, usually because of theological disagreement,” she informed the Assembly.

It was found that the understanding of church and church practices differs within the EPC and PCUSA corporate cultures. Kaufmann appeared surprised when she was told by an EPC pastor that “We have churches coming and going all the time!”

“It was an affront to our sensibilities,” Kaufmann admitted.

The revised recommendations certainly turn down the heat generated by the accusations two years ago.

The recommendations are to:

“Request the World Alliance of Reformed Churches to create guidelines offering basic protocols for interactions and behaviors between its member denominations.”

“Call the Presbyterian Church (USA) to confess to the rich tradition of freedom of conscience that we claim as Reformed, Presbyterian Christians, and to recognize that this same tradition causes us to be prone to separation, demonization of those with whom we disagree, and a captivity to insistence on our own rightness.”

An amended section calls the PCUSA to “acknowledge the unique complexity of the relationship between the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, given the fact that the ecclesial roots of many churches, members, and ministers are historically interwoven between these congregations.”

And in good Presbyterian fashion, the two denominations are invited “to engage in bilateral dialogue concerning various dimensions of the relationships between the two denominations and its member churches, members and ministers.”

In a previous version, the Office of the General Assembly was directed to “develop resources to support presbyteries with congregations and/or ministers engaged in a process of discernment or undergoing the process of dismissal.” The final version did not have this section, “because we were informed that this has already been accomplished.”

What was not said is that the first such “resource to support presbyteries” resource already developed was the now-notorious “Louisville Papers,” which directed presbyteries to vigorously pursue legal action to secure church property as denominational assets.

Still up for GA consideration is San Francisco Presbytery’s recommendation for a “gracious” dismissal policy for the entire denomination. Even though some presbyteries have specific policies on dismissal, there’s not a denomination-wide standard.