11844 Mandarin Road, Jacksonville, Florida 32223
Telephone (904) 680-9944 Fax (904) 268-4122
Dear Fellow MPC Member, November 2, 2012
We as the Session of Mandarin Presbyterian Church are writing to let you know about an action that was taken at our called Session meeting on Wednesday, October 24. That evening we, the twelve ruling elders, voted unanimously to ask the St. Augustine Presbytery to begin a time of discussion concerning the possibility of Mandarin Presbyterian Church peaceably leaving the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America [PC(USA)]. Our pastors have been involved in all our deliberations. This action was taken as a result of countless hours of discussion, prayer, and discernment.
We want all members of our church to know that there is no single reason or incident that has led to our concerns and want to share with you a number of observations:
· The PC(USA) seems to increasingly permit a wide range of beliefs about Jesus, including the idea that belief in Jesus Christ is not necessary for salvation and that the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is questionable.
· Officers of our church must pledge to receive and adopt “the essential tenets of the Reformed faith,” though the PC(USA) has never adopted any such written tenets. This only furthers our concern over a lack of unity and coherent vision for mission.
· In 1984 the Session voted to be exempt from a property trust clause imposing an ownership interest in favor of Presbytery. However, St. Augustine Presbytery takes the position that the action of the MPC Session did NOT exempt the church from the property trust clause and, therefore, MPC does not own its property free and clear of Presbytery’s asserted interest. The Session has become aware of the position of the Presbytery within the last two years and believes Presbytery’s position is incorrect.
· The General Assembly of the PC(USA), over the past 30 years or so, has increasingly become embroiled in controversy and conflict with no coherent vision for our mission. Time, energy, and expenses have been spent on overtures addressing secular concerns about actions of various corporations around the world and activities of the United Nations. In addition, the GA has spent time trying to re-define the definition of Biblical marriage and adopting an entirely new Form of Government (nFOG). The adoption of nFOG sweeps away years of decisional precedent so that the positions the GA or presbyteries might take on issues of governance are difficult to predict.
· Since the Southern and Northern Presbyterian Churches came together in 1983, statistics show that membership in the PC(USA) has lost over one million members.
The St. Augustine Presbytery has adopted a document entitled, “Dismissing Congregations to Other Reformed Bodies.” This document explains that a group of representatives from Presbytery, called the Crisis Response Team (CRT), will begin a time of discussion with our church. During this time opportunities will be made available for you to ask any questions you may have for the CRT.
After going through the discernment process with St. Augustine Presbytery, the MPC congregation may determine that it should leave the PC(USA). If that occurs, the Session has concluded that the wise choice moving forward would be to join the COVENANT ORDER OF EVANGELICAL PRESBYTERIANS (ECO). You may have read about The Fellowship of Presbyterians, which has assisted in the formation of ECO. ECO was recently recognized by St. Augustine Presbytery as a Reformed body to which a PC(USA) church can be dismissed.
Both the mission and core values of MPC parallel those of ECO. Some of the stated values of ECO include the belief that Jesus Christ must be the center of our lives; that making disciples of Jesus is at the core of our ministry; and that the Bible is the unique and authoritative Word of God that should have prominence in shaping our priorities. Also of considerable importance to MPC is the fact that ECO does not seek to have an interest in the church property that church members have financed, nurtured, and maintained throughout the years.
Over the past two years, the Session has investigated other existing Presbyterian denominations while also observing the new ECO denomination as it has come into existence. We have become excited about what we have observed through attendance at gatherings and study of ECO’s developing theology and polity. The results of our recent congregational survey would suggest that our membership agrees with the values our church shares with ECO. (For more information visit www.fellowship-pres.org/join-eco/).
We have recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of Mandarin Presbyterian Church. We have a heritage created and sustained by the prayers and individual ministries of so many. So we look back with great thanksgiving for God’s goodness to us and look ahead with much hope. Our desire in this decision and process is that God will be glorified, and that we will be able to more fully focus our time, money and attention to Loving People to Love Jesus. That focus will not change. We love our church and know that you do also, and we confidently step out with the knowledge that “He who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus,” (Philippians 1:6). Thank you for your support and for trusting us as your leaders as we move through this process in anticipation of a gracious separation. May God bless us and protect us as we seek God’s guidance for our future.
Session of Mandarin Presbyterian Church,
Bryan Benton Frances Berry John Crowell
Bob Gillander Vic Halbach Beverly Hawkins
Craig Henderson David Middleton Bill Murphy
Paul Niager Buffy Smith John Walker