There are wonderful things happening, but we in the ARP need to be watchful and careful in how we approach leadership and the leading of the Synod.…We would be wise as a denomination to repair relationships, encourage one another in love, and to see that all the oars on the ship are rowing in the right direction.

These after-action reports of Synod are a sort of cathartic attempt for me to work through everything that took place in the past week. There was a lot of good, a lot of “we’ll see”, and some disconcerting actions towards the end of the meeting that left a somewhat lukewarm taste in my mouth. To be sure, it was a great meeting. Let no one ever say that the ARP is not a deliberative court. We spent almost as much energy and conversation on what to do with the ill-gotten gains of the former Second Presbytery as we did in the dissolution discussion a few years ago. Hard conversations were had on the relationship between our missions agency and the Sahiwal Hospital. As we walk through the events of June 9-11 there is much to be thankful for as well as much to be prayerful about for the short-term and long-term future of our dear church.

First, one of the matters that I would like to say up front about is the worship and the preaching we heard this week. It was warm, confessional, evangelical, gospel-centered, and contained much of what makes the free offer of the good news of Jesus Christ such an attractive distinctive of our denomination. I am grateful for the clear note of God’s glory we were blessed with in our times of devotion. A nice addition to these moments were Moderator Beard McAulay’s wise move to have us read and respond to questions from the Shorter and Larger Catechism. Likewise the piano and organ accompaniment were divine. I always enjoy it when those playing know how to encourage congregational singing, including when not to play and allow the YAB to be filled with the deep voices of God’s covenant people. It was sublime. And I cannot leave off this portion of my review without noting how wonderful it was again to have our brothers and sisters from Camp Joy be with us on Wednesday afternoon. They always strike the right tone and remind all of us of the beauty of Jesus Christ.

Now on to the meeting itself.

As noted we were ably and powerfully led by our Moderator Beard McAulay. An elder at our Huntersville ARP Church his grasp of our Form of Government, Manual of Authorities and Duties, and Robert’s Rules was a sight to behold. Very little input was needed from the clerks as the week went on. We were also blessed by having our new executive director, Charles Hammond. We recognized with a special gift the sacrificial labors of Susan Tanner and the Central Services staff in the interim period of the last year. After a retiring address from our outgoing moderator David Walkup we were treated with a report from Gillian Brickey, president of the ARP Women’s Ministry. The first order of actual business was the reception of Index 10, the paper from the Moderator’s Committee on Kinism and Race Realism. While the Synod was very complimentary of the content and the work that the committee had done, and there was a desire to adopt it as a position statement. However, it was after discussion sent back to the committee in order to provide a glossary for lay members to get a better hold on the errors. Likewise a section on familial amor and the general idea of an order of loves will be added. The two-page executive summary was adopted and will be made available. The Synod then paused to pray, led by Rev. Mark James, for those promoting and who are caught up in this soul destroying movement against the people of God.

Two questions dominated the Synod meeting, both in their own way centering around the nature of authority and action when it comes to commissions and agencies of the denomination. On Tuesday evening a motion was made after the World Witness report to have the Moderator appoint a committee to examine the way World Witness relates to the work of the ARP mission in Pakistan and the work of Christian Hospital, Ltd and the NFHS. The scope of this examination will include, but is not limited to, the oversight and accountability of World Witness representatives, NFHS, and mission society employees, accounting for funds and financial protocols, and issues related to the titles, ownership, and management of mission property, including all hospital facilities and equipment, and the facilities associated with the Christian Hospital Nursing School. Upon completion of the examination, this committee is charged with making any recommendations it deems necessary or helpful regarding personnel, authority, structure, and property. The committee will report and bring any recommendations in a report to the 2027 meeting of the General Synod. This was to portend a number of moderator’s committees that arose from the week.

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