Keeping Our Vows: A Pledge of Presbyterian Officers

An overture to this year’s PC(USA) General Assembly intends to force those of us who are officers in the church to affirm what we do not believe.

To find out more about our stance on this overture, please refer to “Shall the Fundamentalists win?” and “Live Not By Lies”.

Dear Officers of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.):

For thirty years, Theology Matters has sought to provide theological insight and reflection on the faith and life of Reformed and Presbyterian Churches around the world. Today, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) faces what might be its greatest challenge yet.

An overture to this year’s PC(USA) General Assembly intends to force those of us who are officers in the church to affirm what we do not believe, thus violating our constitutionally protected freedom of conscience as well as the historic doctrines of creation and redemption well articulated in our confessions.

In response to that, we have committed ourselves to “Keeping Our Vows: A Pledge of Presbyterian Officers.”

We hope and pray that many of you will join us in a public affirmation of, and commitment to, this pledge so that we may all stand together against what the overture seeks to do and for the historic faith and teachings of the Christian church.

Grace and Peace,

Dr. Randal C. Working, President

Dr. James C. Goodloe IV, Vice President

Dr. Richard E. Burnett, Executive Director


Signing the Pledge

If you are a minister, elder, or deacon and also a member of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and would like to join us in this pledge, please complete the form below and you will be included in this letter.

If you believe your name has been added to this letter fraudulently, please contact us and we will remove it.

Are you an active member of the PC(U.S.A.)?

Keeping Our Vows:

Pledge of Presbyterian Officers

1. I pledge to keep my ordination vows and to exercise my office as a minister, elder, or deacon under the authority of Holy Scripture and guided by the confessions adopted by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

2. I pledge to resist all efforts to hinder the exercise of my office as a minister, elder, or deacon under the authority of Holy Scripture and guided by the confessions adopted by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

3. I pledge to stand with those who suffer as a consequence of exercising their office as a minister, elder, or deacon under the authority of Holy Scripture and guided by the confessions adopted by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

4. Under the authority of Holy Scripture and guided by the confessions adopted by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), I regard the requirement to endorse gender identity and all sexual orientations to be a denial of Christian liberty, a contradiction of the doctrines of creation and redemption, and, therefore, a violation of my ordination vows.

Signed,

The Rev. Dr. Randal C. Working, Lancaster and Acton CA

The Rev. Dr. James C. Goodloe IV, Richmond VA

The Rev. Dr. Richard E. Burnett, Due West SC

The Rev. Sara Jane Nixon, Cincinnati OH

Elder Kate Keep, Hilton Head Island SC

The Rev. Justin Marple, Niagara Falls NY

The Rev. Robert Larson, Lancaster PA

The Rev. John Elam, Holden Beach NC

The Rev. Sanders Read, Union SC

The Rev. David Rodriguez, Washington PA

The Rev. Clayton LaPosta, Washington PA

The Rev. Bryan Burton, Lakeland FL

The Rev. Emmanuel Orendain, Wilmington CA

Edler Jeffery Weber, Glenshaw PA

The Rev. Chris Enoch, Canyon TX

The Rev. Blair Cash, Portland OR

The Rev. Kenneth Davis, Clarksville VA

The Rev. Owar Ojulu, Lower Burrell PA

The Rev. Jeff Myers, San Deigo CA

The Rev. Amy Kosari, Rochester MN

Elder Camela Bryan, Pensacola FL

Elder Jenette McEntire, Tulsa OK

Elder Robert Crabtree, Tallahassee FL

The Rev. Dr. Murray Thompson, Dallas PA

The Rev. Ronald Fritts, Lexington VA

The Rev. Samuel W. Hale, Sylva NC

Elder Dr. Patricia Lee June, Moultrie GA

Elder Ann Felten, Benton City WA

Elder Pete Allen, Mesquite TX

The Rev. James Emig, Elbert CO

The Rev. Dr. Ginger H. Conley, Southlake TX

The Rev. Christine G. Callison, Duhok Iraq

The Rev. Jonathan Berosek, Bridgeport NE

Elder Ann R. Stewart, Georgetown TX

Elder Dr. Robert James, Fayetteville NC

Elder Tamra Bird, Tulsa OK

The Rev. Dr. Ronald Smith, Jacksonville Beach FL

Elder Louis Buckner, Savannah GA

Elder Sue Rutter, Glendale AZ

The Rev. Darren Pollock, Panorama City CA

Elder Stephen Bower, Columbia SC

Elder Dr. Samuel Frost, New Castle IN

Elder Linda Moon, Mountain City TN

Elder Kevin Kuhner, Mountain City TN

The Rev. Jesse Hegler, Kershaw SC

Elder Robert E. Padfield, Elmhurst Township PA

Elder Juli Dandurand, Mountain City TN

Elder Kenneth Ference, Pittsburgh PA

Elder Pete Sizemore, Richmond VA

The Rev. Dr. Mike Andrews, Apopka FL

Elder Ruth De La Rosa, Fort Worth TX

Elder Keenan Bowman, Richlands VA

The Rev. James Craig, Evans City PA

Elder Marion M. Moir, Charlotte NC

The Rev. Dr. William Younger, Washington PA

The Rev. Donald A Wright, Dearborn MI

Deacon Beth Daly, Hilton Head Island SC

The Rev. Karl McDonald, McKees Rock PA

The Rev. Linda Kaufman, Plymouth OH

Elder Mary Webster, Montgomery OH

The Rev. Dr. Theodore H. Martin, Gibsonia PA

Elder Dr. Andrew Hinton, Pensacola FL

Elder Mary Catherine Hinton, Pensacola FL

The Rev. Martha Frizlanger, Huntingburg IN

The Rev. Clark Remsburg, Orangeburg SC

The Rev. Dr. Randal Bremer, Pamplin VA

Elder Sylvia Dooling, Loveland CO

Elder Robert Ramsey, Coraopolis PA

The Rev. Murray Phillips, Whiteside MO

The Rev. Dr. Christopher Edwards, Perkasie PA

Elder Dr. John Van Zytveld, Washougal WA

Elder William McGuire, Farmville VA

Elder Eileen Mignerey, Pensacola FL

Elder Dr. Thomas Mignerey, Pensacola FL

Elder Robert Schmidt, Allison Park PA

Elder Richard Welch, Spokane WA

Elder George Jacob Savage III, Richmond VA

The Rev. Patrick Southam, Bristow OK

The Rev. Ben Ray, Derby KS

The Rev. Stephen Playl, Mt City TN

Deacon Sue Owen, Bloomfield Hills MI

The Rev. Madeline Mercer, West End NC

The Rev. Jeffrey Mercer, West End NC

The Rev. John King, Glen Mills PA

The Rev. Lorenzo Small, Battle Creek MI

Elder Boyd Lyons, Atlanta GA

The Rev. Gary Cecil, Salem NJ

The Rev. Dr. James R. M. Young, Staunton VA

The Rev. Brendan Ashley, St. Clair Shores MI

Elder Cindy Rouse-Baird, Westfield IN

The Rev. Eric Lohe, Westfield IN

The Rev. Dr. Herbert Codington, Clinton SC

The Rev. Jeffrey Newlin, McCormick SC

The Rev. Robert Dooling, Loveland CO

The Rev. Dr. Jim Gunn, Dubuque IA

The Rev. William Upchurch, Kings Mtn NC

Deacon Janellyn Bush, Versailles KY

Elder Ruth Azar, Detroit MI

The Rev. Christopher Romig, Venice FL

The Rev. Ross Slaughter, Mount Vernon OH

The Rev. James Witherow, Fort Worth TX

Elder Ashley Avent Scholer, Richmond VA

The Rev. Dr. John Mitchell Scholer, Richmond VA

The Rev. Dr. Clark Cowden, Hollywood CA

Elder Alan Stadler, Richmond VA

Elder Jerry Witt, Athens AL

Elder Charlie Appich, Richmond VA

Elder Cheryl Jacobs, Richmond VA

Elder James Jacobs, Richmond VA

The Rev. Kenneth Bolt, Saint Clair Shore MI

The Rev. Deborah Hollifield, Raleigh VA

Elder Caroline Haddon Leith, Richmond VA

The Rev. Martha Cartmell, N. Cambria PA

The Rev. Dr. Brian Jannsen, Bridgeville PA

The Rev. Donald Muncie II, Columbia SC

Elder Gregg Hammann, Ladue MO

Elder Jesse Corti, Los Angeles CA

The Rev. Karen Lynn Woo, Diamond Bar CA

Elder Joseph Calhoun, Camp Hill PA

The Rev. W. Kirwin Stewart, Holdrege NE

Elder Carter Mathews, Tulsa OK

The Rev. Kenneth Davis, Clarksville VA

Elder Richard Nitzsche, Westchester IL

The Rev. Emily McColl, San Deigo CA

The Rev. Joseph “Bo” Welch, Bluffton SC

Elder Joseph Patton, Hilton Head Island SC

The Rev. James Miller, Tulsa OK

Elder Chris Dandurand, Mountain City TN

The Rev. David Vandenheuvel, McAlester OK

The Rev. Dr. Raymond Hylton, Washington DC

The Rev. Ted Buck, Vancouver WA

Elder Jack Hardgrave, Hollywood CA

Elder Janet Iovino, Los Angeles CA

Elder Jonathan Kim, Los Angeles CA

The Rev. Robert Cely, Gilbert SC

Elder Kenneth Highley, St. Paul MN

Elder Bradley Pokosh, Mount Vernon OH

The Rev. J. Ross Slaughter, Mount Vernon OH

The Rev. Dr. Donald Marshall, Greenwood SC

The Rev. James F. Cubie, Mattituck NY

Elder Corinne Page, Moncks Corner SC

The Rev. Matt Pooley, California MD

The Rev. Dr. Jim Edwards, Battle Creek IA

Elder John Halase, Cincinnati OH

The Rev. Jesse Hegler, Kershaw SC

The Rev. Parker Williamson, Annapolis MD

The Rev. Clifford Horton, Lees Summit MO

The Rev. Nelson Steinert, Virginia Beach VA

The Rev. Keith Cornfield, Tecumseh MI

The Rev. George Erlandson, Edison NJ

The Rev. Loy Mershimer, Okeechobee FL

Elder John Blitch, Austin TX

Elder Richard Graule, Charleston SC

The Rev. Dorothy Densmore, Nelson PA

Elder Donna Bossman, Sturgis SD

The Rev. Wendell Kirwin Stewart, Holdrege NE

Elder Gary Smith, Valentine NE

Elder Ruth Smith, Kearney NE

The Rev. LaVera Parato, Havelock NC

Elder Mary Davis, Clarksville VA

Elder Wayne Owens, Atkinson NE

Elder Marshall Worden, Tucson AZ

Elder Wendy Johnson, Salem NJ

The Rev. Dr. Clinton Cottrell, Ocala FL

The Rev. Dr. James Miller, Tulsa OK

Elder Marilyn Bonaguro, Boerne TX

The Rev. Michael Birbeck, Wellsboro PA

The Rev. Jeff Francis, Tulsa OK

The Rev. David Bierschwale, Billings MT

Elder Dan Lott, Columbia SC

The Rev. Denzel Nonhof, Minden NE

The Rev. Robert M. Jack, Charlotte NC

The Rev. Jeff Butler, Hopewell VA

Elder Roberts Brokaw III, Wilmington DE

The Rev. Noel Anderson, Upland CA

Elder Paul Van Dyke Jr., Bedford VA

Elder Jodi Logan, Blackwood NJ

Elder Jennifer Mears, Vancouver WA

Elder James Kozlowski, Pittsburgh PA

Elder Sonya Smith, Bedford VA

Elder Alison Meredith, Bristol TN

Elder Dorothy Swope Clark, Lexington KY

Deacon Thomas Meredith, Bristol TN

Elder George Ferguson, Abbeville SC

Elder Pamela Frost, Pittsburgh PA

The Rev. Gary Smith, Valentine NE

The Rev. Dr. Suzanne Ebel, Albuquerque NM

Elder William Ebel, Albuquerque NM

Elder Tony Reynolds, Onalaska WA

Elder David Yensan, Aberdeen MD

The Rev. Charles Gillett, Woodbridge NJ

Elder Perry Allen Bennett, Cranesville PA

Elder Corinne Page, Moncks Corner SC

The Rev. Dr. Charles Bartow, Ramsey NJ

Elder Paula Bartow, Ramsey NJ

The Rev. Don Lee, Somerset NJ

The Rev. Gordon Tubbs, Abbeville SC

Dr. Paul Merchak, Loveland OH

The Rev. Banu Moore, Union Springs NY

The Rev. James Moore, Union Springs NY

Elder Cathleen Perry, Indianapolis IN

Elder Patsy Soliday, Reardan WA

Elder Ann Weller, Indianapolis IN

Elder Greg Tadlock, Concord NC

Elder Dr. William G. Talbott, Charlottesville VA

Elder William Purves, Springfield IL

The Rev. Marvin Barney, Warren OH

Elder Chris Feury, Renick WV

Elder Dr. Richard Boles, Cranberry Township PA

Elder Dr. Mark Rouleau, Rockford IL

The Rev. Lawrence (Larry) Langer, Huntingburg IL

The Board of Theology Matters
The Board of Theology Matters
Theology Matters is a publication that aims to provide clear and coherent articulation of theology that is reformed according to God’s Word.

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