First Presbyterian Church, Boulder

News Update:  Our Denomination and First Pres Boulder

Denomination Action:  On July 10, 2011, a majority of presbyteries in the Presbyterian Church (USA) voted yes on two controversial amendments to our Book of Order, forwarded to presbyteries by the General Assembly. One vote approved a change in standards for the ordination of church officers, allowing the potential for homosexual candidates to be considered for ordination.  The second vote approved a series of major and minor revisions to the Book of Order, revisions which significantly change the way our church is governed.  The previous Form of Government now includes the new Foundations of Presbyterian Polity and a new Form of Government.  A third vote on adding a new confession to our Book of Confessions was rejected.  With the majority of presbyteries approving the first two amendments, both are now the revised Constitution of our denomination.

First Pres Boulder’s Position: The Session of First Pres Boulder recommended last fall that FPC commissioners to our presbytery vote against all three issues when they came before our Presbytery of Plains and Peaks.  Despite our FPC position, the Plains and Peaks Presbytery voted to approve the Ordination Standards and did not approve Book of Order revisions or addition to Book of Confessions.

Next Step: The changes brought about by the PCUSA votes are creating controversy across the nation. Many churches, like FPC, are expressing dissatisfaction with the denominational mandates.  In response, a meeting of representatives from like-minded churches, called by a group of pastors now called the Fellowship Group, will meet in Bloomington, Minnesota, on August 25-26, 2011.  At this meeting, participants will explore options to the General Assembly’s actions and discuss the best direction to take for those churches and presbyteries that oppose the recent changes.  As reported earlier on this webpage, the FPC Session has recommended six elders and a pastor attend the Minnesota meeting and report their findings back to Session.

What You Can Do: For more information about the purpose of the Minnesota meeting, go to www.Fellowship-PCUSA.org/update-on-fellowship-goals-and-next-steps/ and read the Letter (dated June 28, 2011) to those churches that have shown interest in the ideas and direction of the Fellowship Group.  As we wait for the outcome of that meeting, we can all be in prayer for the discernment of FPC leaders during these challenging times.

Our Denomination

First Presbyterian Church of Boulder is a part of the Presbyterian Church (USA), the largest Presbyterian denomination in the country with approximately 2.3 million members. More information on the organization and activities of the PC(USA) may be found on the PC(USA) website. The denomination includes 173 different Presbyteries; we are a part of the Presbytery of Plains and Peaks, which includes 41 churches in northeastern Colorado and western Nebraska.

NOTICE: The Denominational Concerns Committee recommended to Session in October that the committee name be changed to Denominational Connections Committee.  This change describes our current responsibilities and Mission Statement that include more than concerns and issues within the PCUSA organizations.  The recommendation was approved.