Due to the most recent pronouncement of the Presbyterian Church (USA) to redefine marriage, we in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church reaffirm our position on Christian marriage. We hold to the biblical standard of marriage, which is that it is a formal and sacred covenant between one man and one woman for life.
Further, to clarify our relationship among the diverse Presbyterian denominations, the EPC is a completely independent, separate, and unrelated denomination from the PC(USA) and shares no mutual identity, missions, or holdings.
Our unquestionable commitment to this biblical definition of marriage is undergirded by our belief that God ordained marriage for a number of purposes. These include His glory; intimate human companionship and mutual assistance; bearing, nurturing, and training of children; promoting societal stability; and affirming the proper context for human sexuality.
The EPC is firmly rooted in the Reformed tradition and orthodox theology. We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the infallible Word of God, the final authority on all issues to which it speaks. Therefore, our attitudes and behaviors are to be judged in the light of the Bible, rather than the Bible being reinterpreted, modified, or overturned by current cultural trends.
The PC(USA) announcement comes after its General Assembly and a majority of its presbyteries approved an amendment to their Book of Order. That amendment changes the definition of marriage to “a unique relationship between two people, traditionally a man and a woman” and permits its ministers to officiate same-sex unions in its churches.
We grieve for our brothers and sisters in the PC(USA) who have chosen to submit to culture rather than to abide by God’s Word. We stand with numerous other evangelical, conservative, and traditional Christians from many branches of the Christian faith tree in our belief in biblical marriage.