Theologically, Erskine exists as an instrument of the church for the church’s purposes. Its primary calling—the formation of ministers and the Christian education of our covenant community—is not a business function or an administrative one. It is a spiritual one.

Brothers and Fathers in the Lord,

I am not writing in an official capacity as a member of the Board of Trustees nor representing the Board but as a minister and member of Synod with concerns.

It has been a privilege to serve on the Board of Trustees of Erskine College and Erskine Theological Seminary for the past year. As one who came to this role from outside our denomination and now serves within it, I have approached the work with gratitude and a desire to listen and learn. Gaining a clear picture of the institution’s history, present realities, and future direction has not been easy and I have come to believe that greater openness and brotherly conversation among us would serve the peace and well-being of both the church and her institutions.

I have observed an atmosphere of caution and, at times, suspicion in the relationship between Erskine and the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. I have seen nothing that would justify such suspicion on the part of the Board, yet I also sense a culture in which important matters of planning and institutional health are not always freely discussed.

Many of us who are newer to the ARP were unaware of the difficulties of the past decade—lawsuits, accusations, board transitions, and painful infighting. These matters are not easy to research publicly, nor do institutions readily air their struggles. Nevertheless, as stewards of a work that has been sustained by the prayers, gifts, and labors of our people for more than two hundred years, we have a solemn responsibility to guard what has been entrusted to us.

With that in mind, and with a heart that desires the flourishing of Erskine as a faithful instrument in the hands of our Synod, I offer the following ten recommendations. These are offered not as criticisms, but as brotherly suggestions that I believe will strengthen our shared witness, protect our people and resources, and help Erskine more fully fulfill its historic calling.

1. Adopt Conflict of Interest Standards for All Board Members

No member of the Board should be in any pecuniary or ecclesial relationship that could create even the appearance of divided loyalty. This includes receiving gifts, trips, scholarships (for self, family, or friends), promises of future employment, or any financial benefit tied to the schools.

To strengthen this safeguard, those who have served on the Board should agree not to accept employment with the institutions in the future. Such provisions are ordinary and wise in any Christian institution and will help us serve with undivided hearts.

2. Adopt Conflict of Interest Standards for Officers of Synod

Officers of the church who hold administrative or ecclesial authority at Presbytery or Synod should not accept employment, compensation, or promises of future position from Erskine or its related entities.

This simple and ordinary safeguard ensures that those who help guide the Synod’s decisions regarding the schools do so without personal interest. If any such overlap exists, the brother involved would be wise to step away from one role or the other so that our oversight remains pure and above reproach.

3. Give Clarity to the Board and Officers Regarding the Purpose of Erskine College and Erskine Theological Seminary

Our college and seminary as instrumentalities of the church exist first and foremost to prepare ministers for the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church and, secondarily, to provide Christian education for the laity of our denomination. While other good fruits may flow from the schools, such as the training and edification of the community, these two purposes remain central.

At present we have roughly 840 students in the college, with only about one or two in ten coming from ARP congregations.

The seminary has 58 M.Div. students of whom only 12 are training to serve in the ARPC.

By the President’s own assessment 80% of the student body does not profess Christian faith, and the primary draw for most appears to be athletic programs rather than covenantal formation.

We recognize the desire to be missional, and the approach was described to me as the school moving toward “being a missional rather than a covenantal organism” yet we also believe in the historic self-understanding of Erskine is as a covenantal institution—shaped by and for the church.

Our prayer is that the schools would once again be known as places where ARP families gladly send their children and where the church finds a steady stream of well-prepared ministers.

A massive influx of students should bring us great joy—but it is very easy to increase numbers and income in exchange for purity and purpose.

Restoring the common Christian college rule of requiring a profession of faith or a testimony of Christian belief (as do most Christian colleges) might go a long way toward restoring the Christian ethos and atmosphere of the school.

4. Reforming Leadership to Realign with Our Historic Purpose

It would strengthen Erskine’s identity if the President, department Heads, Provost and Deans were to personally subscribe to our doctrinal standards as a condition of service.

Membership in an Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church should be a minimum requirement.

The school is to be governed by the church because it is an instrumentality of the church. Only the church can educate and train ministers; only the church is authorized to do so. Colleges and seminaries should be distinctly religious in their purpose and practices.

(By analogy, in our standards the Minister and the Session have the final authority over the budget of the church so as to maintain the spiritual nature of the labors and dampen the tendency toward worldly interests. The college and seminary being subsidiary institutions of the church are also a business, and so financial interests can outweigh spiritual interests if the Synod does not work diligently to maintain her direction and well being.)

5. Enforce the Doctrinal and Ethical Requirements for Board Membership

Our bylaws already require that Board members affirm evangelical faith and practice consistent with the standards of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. We simply urge consistent and careful enforcement of this existing requirement.

The nominee currently holds ecclesial office as a Senior Warden within her Anglican congregation which, in our own ecclesiology, would be understood as analogous to that of a Ruling Elder. With that, she serves in the same Anglican church as the current Chair of the Board of Erskine creating an unfavorable bottleneck of Anglican and Methodist oversite over our institution with theology irreconcilable with our standards.

We raise this not to impugn the nominee’s character or to question her gifts. The concern is institutional and theological, not personal. A Board member who is formed by and accountable to a church body that has formally departed from the biblical and confessional standards we hold regarding ordination and church office is, by that very fact, unlikely to be well-positioned to guard and advance those standards at Erskine. The question before us is not whether she is a person of integrity, but whether her ecclesiastical commitments are consistent with the affirmations our bylaws require.

We therefore respectfully encourage the Synod to decline this nomination and, in doing so, to reaffirm that board membership at Erskine carries genuine theological weight. We further encourage the nominations process going forward to include explicit inquiry into the doctrinal standards and church commitments of all nominees, so that enforcement of our bylaws is not reactive but intentional.

Our responses have in the past been highly reactive to issues as they arise but an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.

6. Reject the Recent Creation of a Presidential Advisory Board

The recent creation of a Presidential Advisory Board that does not require members to be professing Christians appears to be in tension with our standards and could unintentionally create competing centers of influence. We respectfully suggest that this action be reconsidered so that all advisory and governing bodies remain clearly aligned with our Reformed and evangelical commitments.

7. Maintain the Proper Distinction Between College and Seminary Graduate Education

Our bylaws designate Erskine Theological Seminary as the graduate school of the denomination. This is not an arbitrary structural choice—it reflects a considered theological conviction that graduate-level instruction, particularly in disciplines that bear on the formation of ministers and Christian teachers, belongs under the direct spiritual oversight of the church.

It is therefore recommended that no new graduate programs be launched or further developed until the following steps have been completed.

The Synod’s legal counsel should review the proposed programs for consistency with our bylaws and any applicable regulatory requirements, with findings reported to the full Synod.

Second, the Synod should evaluate the theological, financial and institutional implications of each proposed program and give its formal approval before implementation proceeds.

Third, the academic and doctrinal qualifications of those proposed to lead these programs should be presented to the Synod with sufficient transparency for meaningful evaluation.

8. Revisit and Reverse the 2025 Changes to Synod Oversight of Erskine.

In 2025, the Synod approved changes to its relationship with Erskine that were understood at the time as a measured response to accreditation concerns raised by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). The intent was reasonable and the Synod acted in good faith. Having now served on the Board and observed how those changes function in practice, however, I have come to believe that they have been interpreted—and in some cases applied—in ways that were not anticipated and that the Synod would not have sanctioned had they been foreseen.

The 2025 changes have been read by some within the institution as conferring on the college and seminary a degree of practical autonomy from Synod oversight that extends across finances, curriculum, theological direction, and worship.

Whether or not that reading is legally sustainable, it has had a real effect on the culture of governance at Erskine. Decisions that would previously have been understood as requiring Synod awareness or approval are now treated as internal institutional matters. This is a significant shift, and it did not require a formal vote to take hold—it required only an environment in which the boundaries of oversight became ambiguous.

It is worth noting what actually prompted the original SACSCOC concern. The accreditor’s own communications indicated that the problem was insufficient fiduciary oversight by the Board—that is, the Board was not exercising enough independent institutional judgment—rather than excessive involvement by the denomination. The remedy for that concern did not require, and should not have produced, a reduction in the Synod’s spiritual and ecclesiastical authority over its own institutions. Those are distinct categories, and conflating them has created the confusion we now face.

The good news is that the accreditation concerns that prompted the 2025 actions have since been resolved. There is therefore no accreditation obstacle to revisiting and clarifying what was approved. We respectfully and humbly ask the Synod to do exactly that—not to relitigate 2025, but to issue a clear and formal articulation of what Synod oversight of Erskine does and does not include, so that the boundaries are unambiguous to the Board, the administration, and the institution as a whole.

Erskine exists as an agency of the church. That is not merely a sentimental description—it is a constitutional and theological reality that shapes what the institution is for and who it ultimately answers to. Preserving that relationship in substance, and not merely in name, is among the most important responsibilities this Synod carries. We ask for the wisdom and the will to act on it.

9. Restoring and Strengthening ARP Ministerial Representation on the Board

Three years ago the Synod reduced the number of ARP ministers required on the Board of Trustees from five to three. Having now observed the Board’s inner workings firsthand, I believe that decision should be revisited—and that we should go further than simply restoring the previous number. I am recommending that the Synod increase ministerial representation to eight of the fifteen board seats.

Theologically, Erskine exists as an instrument of the church for the church’s purposes. Its primary calling—the formation of ministers and the Christian education of our covenant community—is not a business function or an administrative one. It is a spiritual one. Those who are ordained in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, who have subscribed to our standards, and who exercise the care of souls week by week are not simply one voice among many on a governing board. They are the representatives of the body that owns, sustains, and gives meaning to the institution. A board in which such men constitute a clear and confident presence is a board more likely to keep first things first.

We therefore ask the Synod to act now, while the opportunity is available to us, to amend the board composition requirements. Delay carries risk. An institution with this level of assets and this degree of operational autonomy can, if the present trajectory continues, seek to formalize its independence from denominational oversight—not out of hostility, but simply because institutions tend toward self-governance when the mechanisms of accountability are weak.

Restoring a strong ministerial majority on the Board is among the most important steps we can take to prevent that outcome and to preserve Erskine as what it has always been called to be: a faithful servant of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church and a gift to her people.

10. That you read the addendum below with links to issues of interest to the well-being of Erskine, our Board and the reputation of our Church.

I apologize that I have no other reasonable way to present the recent history of Erskine Seminary, Erskine College, its board, its relationship to the “Charter Institute at Erskine” CIE, the lawsuits, findings, outcomes and changes in the laws of the state of South Carolina than through a list of links, but the membership should be well informed and the link to relevant public articles are included below.

Brothers, these recommendations flow from a deep love for our denomination and a sincere desire to see Erskine flourish as a blessing to our churches for generations to come.

They are offered in a spirit of humility, recognizing that I am still relatively new among you. I welcome conversation, correction where I have misunderstood, and above all, united prayer that the Lord would guide our Synod with wisdom and grace as we seek His glory in the care of these institutions.

In the bonds of Christ and the fellowship of the ARP,

A Fellow Servant

Christopher Scott Neiswonger
Minister, Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church

ADDENDUM

Links to information for your analysis, wisdom and consideration:

Reference Links:

Erskine, Charter Institute, South Carolina Law & Denominational Disputes

The Charter Institute at Erskine—Public News Coverage

The State / Index Journal—Erskine College Sued for $1M Loan Default (2024)

The foundational story revealing Erskine’s loan to a for-profit charter school operator and the conflict of interest questions it raised.
https://www.indexjournal.com/news/erskine-college-stiffed-on-1m-loan-to-charter-school-operator-lawsuit-claims/article_b7fa983a-1f97-11ef-ae2d-fb39162ade49.html

The Post and Courier—Dueling SC Charter School Lawsuits Target Erskine (2025)

Covers the Charter Schools USA federal lawsuit alleging tortious interference and misuse of sponsor authority.
https://www.postandcourier.com/education-lab/sc-charter-school-lawsuit-erskine-berkeley/article_abf956be-0053-11f0-834c-570433b106fc.html

The Post and Courier—Editorial: Erskine’s Charter Institute in Heated Legal Battle (2024)

The editorial covers the counterclaims calling the Charter Institute a criminal enterprise and accusing it of public corruption, blackmail, criminal coercion, breach of contract, and defamation, and raises the underlying governance question of why Erskine was lending money to entities it was also supposed to be regulating.
https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/editorials/erskine-charter-institute-legal-battle/article_ce3c3aca-4b8b-11ef-b057-532542924cae.html Post and Courier

MinistryWatch—Erskine College Sues for Loan Repayment, Faces Own Financial Issues (2024)

Connects the charter school controversy to broader ARP denominational tensions and Erskine’s financial condition. https://ministrywatch.com/erskine-college-in-sc-sues-for-repayment-of-loan-faces-own-financial-issues/

Legislative Audit and New State Law

SC Legislative Audit Council—Full 74-Page Audit Report (November 2025)

The official government audit examining the Charter Institute’s relationships with EMOs, use of state funds, fundraising practices, and ties to Erskine College. https://lac.sc.gov/sites/lac/files/Documents/Legislative%20Audit%20Council/Reports/A-K/CIE-2025.pdf

SC Legislative Audit Council—Audit Summary (November 2025)

The summary notes that the Institute sponsored 28 public charter schools for the 2025–2026 school year, serving more than 25,000 students, and examines whether state funding was used exclusively for lawful sponsor obligations.
https://lac.sc.gov/node/291 sc

SC Daily Gazette—Senate Passes Charter School Oversight Bill (February 2026)

Reports the unanimous Senate vote and the same-day House hearing in which legislators questioned whether institute leaders needed to take international trips with their families and whether a principal should earn more than most state superintendents.
https://scdailygazette.com/2026/02/10/sc-senate-passes-bill-creating-more-oversight-for-charter-schools/ News From The States

SC Daily Gazette—Charter School Accountability Bill Finalized (May 2026)

Reports the final passage of the accountability legislation, noting the Legislative Audit Council’s finding of potential misspending and conflicts of interest at the Charter Institute, while acknowledging that in many cases no law was broken because existing law was “vague or silent” on authorizer conduct.
https://scdailygazette.com/2026/05/13/sc-charter-schools-to-face-more-scrutiny-under-finalized-accountability-bill/ SC Daily Gazette

SC Legislature—Bill 454: Charter School Accountability Act (Full Text)

The actual legislation, introduced March 2025 and passed 2026, incorporating LAC audit recommendations.
https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/bills/454.htm

Go Laurens—Proposed Bill Targets Charter School Accountability (2026)

Reports that the audit found the Charter Institute spent $820,000 on travel between 2023 and 2025, nearly $478,000 of which was classified as professional development—far beyond comparable spending by the SC Public Charter School District—and that none of the district’s professional development travel involved international destinations.
https://www.golaurens.com/news/south-carolina-charter-school-bill/article_1e545deb-454f-4da5-8f73-5b6360f4c470.html Golaurens

Primary Government Documents

SC Legislative Audit Council—Full CIE Audit (PDF, November 2025)

https://lac.sc.gov/sites/lac/files/Documents/Legislative%20Audit%20Council/Reports/A-K/CIE-2025.pdf

SC Legislative Audit Council—CIE Audit Summary (PDF)

https://lac.sc.gov/sites/lac/files/Documents/Legislative%20Audit%20Council/Reports/A-K/CIE-2025_SUMMARY.pdf

SC Legislature—Bill 454 Full Text

https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/bills/454.htm

Erskine and the ARP Church—Historical Denominational Conflict

The Aquila Report—Understanding the ARP Church and Its Relation to Erskine (2011)

A detailed historical account documenting the decades-long cycle in which Synod would direct Erskine to follow its standards, Erskine would ignore the directives, a committee would investigate, and the cycle would begin again.
https://theaquilareport.com/understanding-the-associate-reformed-presbyterian-church-a-its-relation-to-erskine-college-and-seminary/ The Aquila Report

Christian Post—Presbyterian Denomination Enjoined from Dismissing College’s Trustees (2010)

Reports the court injunction blocking the ARP General Synod from removing 14 of Erskine’s 30 trustees after the Synod voted to replace the board with members more aligned with the denomination’s conservative stance.
https://www.christianpost.com/news/presbyterian-denomination-enjoined-from-dismissing-school-s-trustees.html Christian Post

The Presbyterian Outlook—New Erskine Lawsuit Filed; Original Lawsuit Dropped (2010)

Covers the second lawsuit, which asked the court to declare that the ARP General Synod has no ownership of Erskine’s property and assets—a legally significant position that mirrors current concerns about institutional independence. https://pres-outlook.org/2010/03/new-erskine-lawsuit-filed-original-lawsuit-dropped/ The Presbyterian Outlook

The Presbyterian Outlook—ARP Pastor Seeks Way Out of Erskine Lawsuit Minefield (2010)

Commentary from within the denomination on the injunction and the legal and ecclesiastical confusion it created.
https://pres-outlook.org/2010/04/arp-pastor-seeks-way-out-of-erskine-lawsuit-minefield/

The Aquila Report—Settlement Agreement Between Erskine Alumni and ARP Synod (2010)

Full text of the settlement that resolved the 2010 board removal lawsuit.
https://theaquilareport.com/breaking-news-settlement-agreement-has-been-reached-in-the-erskine-alumniarp-synod-dispute-full-text-of-settlement-included/

Inside Higher Ed—Erskine to Explore Splitting Off Seminary (2016)

Reports the ARP General Synod’s vote to support exploring the creation of two separate legal institutions, describing the push as driven primarily by financial opportunity and the difficulty of serving two very different student populations under one governing structure.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/06/10/erskine-explore-splitting-seminary Inside Higher Ed

Change.org—Petition Supporting Seminary Separation (2016)

The unanimous faculty petition requesting the Board and ARP Synod to establish mechanisms for separating the college and seminary and effecting an equitable division of assets including real estate, endowed funds, and library holdings. https://www.change.org/p/the-erskine-college-board-of-trustees-support-for-the-separation-of-erskine-theological-seminary-from-erskine-college Change.org

Comparable Cases—College/Seminary Separation from Denominational Control

Inside Higher Ed—Methodist Church Suit Against SMU Reaches Texas Supreme Court (January 2025)

Reports the six-year legal battle in which the United Methodist Church sued SMU after the university revised its bylaws to sever ties with the denomination, with the stated motivation being to send a public message that “no outside entity was going to influence our policy or practice.”
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/institutions/religious-colleges/2025/01/15/methodist-church-suit-against-smu-reaches-texas Inside Higher Ed

Texas Tribune—United Methodist Church Can Fight to Prevent Split with SMU (June 2025)

Reports the Texas Supreme Court ruling allowing the UMC to proceed with its lawsuit, with SMU simultaneously affirming its Methodist heritage while insisting its board has the right to act in the university’s best interests—the precise tension visible in the Erskine situation.
https://www.texastribune.org/2025/06/27/texas-supreme-court-smu-united-methodist-church-2/ The Texas Tribune

The State (South Carolina)—SC Churches Go to Supreme Court to Break Away from Denomination

Reports the lawsuit by South Carolina Methodist congregations seeking to leave the UMC while retaining property, raising the same fundamental question of whether a denomination or its institutions can hold legal control over assets built by local communities.
https://www.aol.com/sc-churches-supreme-court-try-090000795.html aol

Dalton and Tomich—Church Property Disputes and Denominational Splits (Archive)

A legal firm’s running archive of cases involving denominational property disputes, trust clauses, and separation litigation—useful background legal context.
https://daltontomich.com/category/church-property-disputes-denominational-splits/“

Source