The Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) has resigned its 39-year membership in the Reformed Ecumenical Synod (RES). The action followed the refusal of that body to request the resignation of a member denomination that accepts homosexuals as in good standing and eligible for office in the church. The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (GKN) have held steadfastly to their homosexual position since 1980 when it first came to the attention of the RES. Although the RES protested the church’s position at its quadrennial meetings in 1980 and 1984, it failed to take definitive action at its recently-concluded 1988 meeting after the GKN had refused to rescind their policy. Three other denominations, from the Netherlands, New Zealand, and South Africa, also announced their intention to withdraw. That will bring to nine the number of churches that have withdrawn from the RES in the past 10 years.

The RES is an international body of churches that are committed to maintaining the Reformed creeds, including the Westminster Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Belgic Confession, based on the infallible Scriptures. It was founded in 1946 and is composed of some 30 denominations in all the continents.

The Orthodox Presbyterian Church was one of its early members, joining at the second assembly, 1949. There are now two other North American denominations remaining in the RES.

The withdrawal of the OPC was taken at the RES’s meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe, May 30-June 10, 1988, after years of struggle to bring about the reform of the Netherlands church or its expulsion. During that time the Netherlands church had been allowed to remain in the RES, even though it differed with the RES not only on the homosexual question, but also on such other matters as joining the World Council of Churches, starting to ordain women as ministers and elders, retaining ministers who had held heretical views on basic doctrines and, more recently, a doctrine of Scripture that resulted in their stating that “we know better than (the apostle) Paul.”

The withdrawal of the OPC came on the final day of the meetings, after the previous day’s decision to retain the Reformed Churches as a member. The quick response was due to the fruitlessness of the many years of seeking reform. It was made possible by the General Assembly giving full authority to its four-man delegation to withdraw the denomination from the RES. In their resignation statement the delegation said that “until yesterday we could not leave the RES because of conscience; today we cannot remain because of conscience.”

The statement also asked the RES to recognize what it called “the enormity of what it has done and is doing to churches seeking to be faithful to the Word of God,” as the RES “has forced” such churches to withdraw. The statement also claimed that those decisions are keeping other churches from joining. The delegates also pleaded with the RES “to keep the disease that infects the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands from spreading to other member churches.”

The OPC has long had fellowship with other Reformed denominations both in the U.S. and abroad and will seek other fellowship to replace that of the RES. Orthodox Presbyterian Church, John P. Galbraith, Stated Clerk 2345 Willow Brook Dr. Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006

Statement of Resignation of the OPC from the RES June 10, 1988

Mr. Moderator,

The General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church has given its delegation to thisSynod full authority to act on behalf of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church at this meeting of the RES. We therefore speak on behalf of our denomination.

F’irst of all, we wish to express our deep appreciation for the blessings that God has given us over a period of nearly 40 years, as members of the RES. We have experienced a wonderfully enriching fellowship with believers from all parts of the world. Our horizon has been increased, and we have learned much. Relationships have been established over these years, and we hope that we may continue some of them in the years ahead. So much have we valued this fellowship that nothing could bring us to relinquish it but the strong conviction that we must do so in order to be faithful to the Word of God.

We leave because of the persistence of the GKN in holding positions well known to the RES over a period of 25 years, that the RES has judged to be out of accord with Scripture and because the RES is unwilling to enforce its own qualifications for membership. We leave also because for us to remain in an organization that harbors a church in such a condition as the GKN so implicates our church in its sin that we have no choice but to separate ourselves from it.

We now have become another church that feels itself forced out of the RES by the Synod’s decision to continue the Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland (GKN) in the RES membership, and we hereby resign the membership of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church from the RES, effective immediately. Until yesterday we could not leave the RES because of conscience; today we cannot remain because of conscience.

But we assure you, Mr. Moderator, that we do not leave this organization in pride or bitterness. We are too sinful ourselves to be proud, and because God is sovereign we cannot be bitter. We are all losers because of the decision yesterday. The Orthodox Presbyterian Church loses because we shall not have the benefit of the close fellowship with many of you who want to be faithful to the gospel and the Reformed Confessions. The GKN loses because it has been deprived of the blessing of much needed correction. And the RES loses because it has again demonstrated its unwillingness to maintain the Basis which requires member churches to “profess and maintain” the Reformed faith, has lost its credibility as a Reformed body, and thus becomes more akin to such organizations as the WARC and the WCC. Yet we know that though we lose, Christ the king of the church, will triumph.

We wish you to know that we do not depart with an inward-looking focus. Our zeal for international ecumenicity among Reformed churches worthy of the name is stronger than ever. And we can assure you that we will seek, now, in some other way to have such fellowship. If the RES should, in future days, return to a credible maintenance of its Basis we would certainly feel obliged to consider returning.

We close with some pastoral advice which we hope the RES will be willing to receive. The RES must face up to the enormity of what it has done and is doing to churches seeking to be faithful to the Word of God as the RES by its decisions, not the GK.N, has forced nine or ten churches, so far, out of the RES and has kept other faithful churches from joining. And you must face up to your responsibility to member churches to keep the disease that infects the GKN from spreading to those churches. Some of them live in fear of that spread, and we plead with you to help protect them from it.

Mr. Moderator, we shall continue to pray for all the churches that remain with sincere love in our hearts. We hope that you willunderstand that we cannot participate further in the schedule of this Assembly. As others have already said, we bid you farewell, may God help you—and us.