In August, the National Presbyterian Church of Mexico voted to end its 139-year partnership in mission with the PC(USA). The Presbyterian Church of Ghana decided at its recent General Assembly “to sever relationship with any partner church that ordained homosexuals as ministers and allowed for same-sex marriages” – although that does not necessarily mean severing its relationship with the PC(USA).
These international partners are responding to the PC(USA)’s decision earlier this year to pass Amendment 10-A, which removed from the denomination’s constitution a requirement that those being ordained practice fidelity if they are married or chastity if they are single.
Hunter Farrell, director of World Mission for the PC(USA), said some international partners have felt compelled to act out of their strong belief that homosexuality is inherently sinful. But there also have been, in some of the responses, nuances and history worth considering, he told the Evangelism Committee of the General Assembly Mission Council on Sept. 22.
Ethiopian Christians, for example, told Roger Dermody when he visited recently they were grateful that the PC(USA) did not use language of “you shall” ordain gays and lesbians – but more that “you may” do it, which is language they found slightly more acceptable.
Dermody, the PC(USA)’s deputy executive director for mission, said the Ethiopians “expressed real concern about where we might go next” – in other words, whether the PC(USA) will soon allow its clergy to perform same-gender marriages. They also asked him “How come you didn’t talk to us more” about the gay ordination issue? “If we’re truly partners,” they asked, “how come we weren’t partners in this conversation?”
In Ghana, church leaders felt it was important to make a public statement proclaiming homosexuality to be sinful – but they haven’t formally cut off mission relations with the PC(USA), Farrell said. Seven PC(USA) presbyteries and synods have partnerships in Ghana.
“Other churches have formally expressed concern” as well, Farrell said, and the PC(USA) has sent mission co-workers or staff members to talk with them, in Ethiopia, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt. There is concern about possible “next steps,” he said – whether the PC(USA) will signal support of same-gender marriage or move towards some sort of requirement that qualified gay or lesbian candidates must be ordained.
In the wake of the Mexican church’s decision to end its mission partnership with the PC(USA), conversations have been ongoing about what the impact will be – including on grassroots partnerships and what will happen to 11 mission co-workers who serve in Mexico, many of them working along the U.S.-Mexican border.
After the Mexican church’s vote, leaders of both the PC(USA) and the Mexican church met together on Sept. 8 in El Paso to discuss mission needs and the future.
Farrell explained in that consultation that the PC(USA)’s decision regarding ordaining gays and lesbians had been decades in the making, and asked his Mexican colleagues “Could we have done anything more to provide more information?” and “Were you surprised?”
The Mexican representatives said no to both. The Latin American churches have a strong bent towards non-intervention, Farrell said, and were willing to tolerate differences in views on the ordination of women. But when 10-A was approved “that tipped the scales” and the Mexican church felt it needed to speak publicly and to break off the relationship.
The Mexican church acted at a specially-called General Assembly in August for the purpose of discussing women’s ordination. It voted overwhelmingly to sustain its policy of not ordaining women, and to revoke immediately the ordination of any women who had been ordained.
Immediately after that, the assembly voted to sever relations with the PC(USA), stating that it would not renew that mission relationship until the PC(USA) disavows Amendment 10-A.
When the PC(USA) began ordaining women 50 years ago, that became “a point of tension” in the relationship, Farrell said. “They have said, `Please do not send us ordained women’ ” as mission co-workers. “That has been a difficult thing.”
The PC(USA) has honored that request, Farrell said, either not sending women or doing so only after consultation with Mexican church leaders. PC(USA) mission workers also have refrained from publicly advocating for women’s ordination in Mexico.
In the U.S., “some have criticized us from one side saying we should have pushed harder,” Farrell said. Others contended “you should have backed off, you shouldn’t have brought it up.”
Farrell said the Mexican Presbyterians have explained that “it’s not a sin to be a woman, but we don’t believe women are called to ordained ministry.” They do think homosexuality is a sin, and “they felt required by the gospel to break off the relationship.”
Conversations are underway about whether it might be possible for the PC(USA) to continue some ministry work in the border regions, where there are what Farrell described as “massive issues,” particularly involving violence, the root causes of poverty among women and children, and a desire for evangelism.
Representatives of the PC(USA) and National Presbyterian Church of Mexico reached an agreement at the Sept. 8 meeting in El Paso regarding a transitional period for joint ministry projects along the U.S.-Mexican border.
