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In The Beginning
Presbyterians come in many varieties with
new branches being formed in every generation. The EPC began in the fall
of 1980 and spring of 1981 when a group of pastors and elders held
meetings in St. Louis, Missouri for planning and prayer. They came from
mainline Presbyterian denominations like the United Presbyterian (northern
churches) and the Presbyterian Church in the United States (southern
churches). These leaders had become increasingly distressed by liberalism
within their denominations. They wanted to form a church that took
seriously the works of Scripture, the theology of the historic confessions
of the faith, and the evangelical fervor of Presbyterian founders. They
envisioned a denomination that was truly evangelical and truly
Presbyterian; hence the name.
In Essentials Unity
Six months later, the first General
Assembly of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church met at Ward Presbyterian
Church near Detroit, Michigan. To ensure that the ideals of faith would
remain foundational to the new denomination, the Assembly drafted an
intentionally brief list of essential beliefs. The Essentials listed below
define a church that is Presbyterian in theology and church government, as
well as evangelical in sharing the good news of salvation through Jesus
Christ.
In Non-essentials, Liberty
Even though the founders of the EPC valued
purity of faith, they wisely saw the danger of division over non-essential
issues. To protect the new denomination from needless strife, the founders
promoted an understanding of freedom in which less essential matters were
left to the conscience of individual churches and believers. This
understanding included such matters as the freedom of a local church to
elect its own officers, to exercise spiritual gifts, and to own and keep
property. So EPC churches study the Scripture and make their own decisions
about issues like worship style and the ordination of women. At regional
and national meetings, church leaders take for granted that they will work
and worship with other leaders who differ with them on these and other
non-essential matters.
In All Things, Charity: Truth in Love
The final statement of our motto speaks of
love. We are fellow pilgrims, walking together with our Lord. We have,
individually, received his charity toward us, so we extend that charity to
each other. We speak the truth to define our faith and to extend it to
others. But we speak it out of love for our brothers and sisters, and for
our Savior.
A Present and Future Hope
In 1981, the 1st General Assembly convened
with 75 delegates representing 12 churches. When the Second General
Assembly met nine months later, more than 120 elders and ministers
registered as commissioners. Before the decade of the 80’s ended, an
impressive growth in member congregations took place. Churches in
Argentina formed a presbytery and joined us in 1987. By the mid-90’s, 56
missionaries represented the EPC throughout the world. Because we believe
that God uses a variety of ways to draw people to himself, many of these
missionaries serve through missions agencies other than our own with EPC
support. Our global mission plan focuses on planting, developing, and
nurturing the Church.
We believe that God created the Evangelical
Presbyterian Church to be a significant part of his plan for the renewal
of believers and for witness to those outside the faith. It is our
conviction that, like the ancient Queen Esther, God has brought us
together for such a time as this.
Today, the EPC has over 80,000 active
members in some 200 congregations. The EPC is made up of eight regional
presbyteries as well as a non-regional transitional presbytery for
receiving churches from other reformed denominations.
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