This year’s General Assembly in Orlando authorized the formation of a special committee to edit the EPC Position Paper on Homosexuality. The committee—appointed by Moderator Mike Moses—has the stated goal of a preliminary Position Paper on Human Sexuality, which will include the sanctity of marriage, homosexuality, and other relevant issues.
“The direction is to keep the same orthodox, biblical positions on such important matters, while updating the presentation and content,” said Moses, Pastor of Lake Forest Church in Huntersville, N.C. “God’s positive design for human sexuality will be the overwhelming emphasis of our work.”
The committee held its first meeting at Lake Forest Church on August 4. When finished, the new Position Paper will state that human sexuality finds its appropriate expression only within the context of marriage between one man and one woman for life—thereby ruling out all other sexual activity.
Sandy Willson, Pastor of Second Presbyterian Church in Memphis, is the committee chair.
“It is a pleasure to serve with such a highly qualified group of church leaders,” Willson said. “We would greatly appreciate the prayers of our fellow elders as we continue our work this fall and discuss how we as a denomination can lovingly communicate our views of biblical sexuality to a world that desperately needs ‘the truth in love.’”
A first draft is scheduled for completion by January 1, 2016, with comments and suggestions solicited from all EPC Teaching Elders and Ruling Elders during January. All feedback will be considered and a final draft should be released in April 2016. Further discussion and a potential vote for adoption is scheduled for the 36th General Assembly in June 2016 at Ward Church in Northville, Mich.
In the meantime, the current Position Paper on the Sanctity of Marriage is available in pdf format at www.epc.org/positionpapers and the current Position Paper on Homosexuality is available on request by emailing Brian Smith, EPC Director of Communications, at brian.smith@epc.org.
Members of the committee are:
- TE Sandy Willson, Pastor, Second Presbyterian Church, Memphis, Tenn. (Chair)
- TE Sharon Beekmann, Cherry Hills Community Church, Denver, Colo.
- TE Bart Garrett, Pastor, Christ Church East Bay, Berkley, Calif.
- TE Mike Glodo, Associate Professor of Biblical Studies, Reformed Seminary, Orlando, Fla.
- RE Don Graham, M.D., RiverOaks EPC, Winston-Salem, N.C.
- TE Doug Resler, Pastor, Parker EPC, Parker, Colo.
- TE Case Thorp, Senior Associate Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Orlando, Fla.
- TE Mike Moses, Pastor, Lake Forest Church, Huntersville, N.C. (Advisor)
- TE Ed McCallum, EPC Assistant Stated Clerk (Advisor)