Members of Ad Interim Committee on Same Sex Attraction and Ordination (AIC) visited several fall presbytery meetings for “listening sessions” to receive further feedback on the August 27 edition of the AIC report. While this revised report was available to presbyteries in August for distribution, some presbyteries have yet to distribute this revision to their TEs and churches.
In some presbyteries, it is reported that AIC members simply made a pro-AIC presentation and provided little time for questions. In other presbyteries ample time was provided for multiple REs and TEs to voice their ongoing concerns and offer suggestions for positive modifications to the report which would make it more acceptable across the EPC.
One piece of AIC feedback, offered in several presbyteries, was an appeal for a Minority Report to be presented to the General Assembly that would provide a constitutional amendment similar to the one offered by New River Presbytery at the 44th General Assembly. The original New River Presbytery overture was an amendment to Book of Government (G.9-3C), which reads as follows: “Men and women who identify as homosexual, even those who identify as homosexual and claim to practice celibacy in that self-identification, are disqualified from holding office in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.”
TE Rufus Burton, a member of the AIC, made a presentation on the AIC revised report to the Presbytery of the Central Carolinas at its September 26, 2025, meeting. During the Q&A time, a number of REs and TEs spoke. TE Don Fortson made this statement:
“With the newly revised report now in hand, it is obvious that the committee is not inclined to offer such a Book of Order amendment which clarifies that only heterosexuals may serve in church office. Therefore, I appeal to the committee in fairness to provide a Minority Report which offers the elders of the EPC an opportunity to vote on such a constitutional amendment — an opportunity that was denied to them at the 2024 General Assembly.
This is a fair-minded request. Minority Reports are an important part of Presbyterian history, and our polity allows for them. Free speech and the right to present one’s views and vote your conscience is a fundamental value of Presbyterian government. A vote at General Assembly for either a Majority or a Minority Report will give the EPC a clear choice on where we want to stand as a denomination on same-sex attraction and ordination. If we don’t have the opportunity to vote on a Minority Report, the EPC will simply kick the can down the road, waiting to see which presbytery will be the first to accept or ordain a gay minister.
I implore the committee — in addition to the revised report we have, give us a Minority Report with a constitutional amendment that is consistent with the spirit of the New River Presbytery overture brought to the 2024 General Assembly. If the committee offers two full reports, it will remove ambiguity for commissioners at the 2026 General Assembly. Elders will be able to make an informed decision about the future of our denomination. Will we allow ordained same-sex attracted officers in the EPC or not? By adding a Minority Report, everyone will be able to vote on that specific question. A Majority Report says YES, a Minority Report says NO. Vote your conscience.
Please be reasonable with the brothers and sisters among us who do not think it is Biblical to have same-sex attracted ministers, elders, or deacons in our churches. Give us the chance to vote for a Minority Report. The EPC deserves a real choice. I’m asking for fairness to the host of us who do not believe persons with ongoing SSA are qualified for church office. Give us a chance to vote on this issue directly by having a minority report.
When TE Cameron Shaffer convened the AIC group, it was promised that there would be persons from both sides of the issue on the AIC. In other words, those supportive of the New River Presbytery overture would be represented on the AIC. Since the revised AIC report is quite obviously opposed to the New River Presbytery overture, one would think that there are committee members representing the other side who would be willing to support a minority report putting forward a constitutional amendment similar to the original New River Presbytery overture.
For this reason, some EPC TEs have drafted a Minority Report and presented it to members of the AIC on October 9 for their consideration. Will any member(s) of the AIC provide this option for REs and TEs who want to vote directly on the question of SSA and ordination in the EPC?
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