Evangelical Presbyterian Church clarifies stance on same-sex attracted clergy

The Evangelical Presbyterian Church voted on Thursday to approve revisions to a pastoral letter that provides guidance for ordaining pastors with ongoing same-sex attraction who remain celibate.

The General Assembly in Denver, Colo., approved changes to the “Pastoral Letter on Human Sexuality” by a 516-386 vote. The 19-page advisory letter differentiates between the umbrella terms “gay” and “homosexual” and individuals who experience same-sex attraction—described as a “latent propensity” towards homosexual temptations—“who are repentant of all their homosexual lusts.” The letter counsels examining elders to confirm that ordination candidates “have a long record of living chaste sexual lives in their identity, behavior, desires, and attitudes” and calls for discernment as to whether habitual or unresolved sin persists.

Along with the letter, voting members approved the committee’s recommendations on revisions to a position paper on human sexuality and proposed changes to the EPC’s Book of Governance for presbyteries to vote on at next year’s General Assembly.

In a statement released Friday, the EPC said the recommendations provide “a firm foundation on the Scriptures and the Westminster Confession of Faith” and affirm Reformed doctrine that “disordered sexual desires, including those that arise from same-sex attraction, are in fact sinful.”

What prompted the changes?

In 2022, Greg Johnson, pastor of Memorial Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, Mo., formerly a part of the Presbyterian Church in America, inquired about his church joining the EPC, according to Presbyterian Plumbline, an online journal run by EPC pastors. Johnson self-identifies as a homosexual who is celibate and committed to the Christian sexual ethic, a view often referred to as “Side B Christianity.” Johnson and Memorial have ties to the controversial Revoice Conference, the leading advocate for Side B.

The EPC formed an Ad Interim Committee in 2024 to clarify its stance on same-sex attraction in its existing human sexuality documents. The denomination formed in 1981 with a cooperative ministry model that emphasizes freedom in what it characterized as nonessentials. The committee’s FAQ states their recommendations diverge from Side B by insisting homosexuality and same-sex attraction are “a moral and sinful condition that demands repentance and mortification.”

But critics argue the committee’s pastoral letter is cloudy and leaves room for presbyteries to determine whether individuals who experience ongoing same-sex attraction should be considered qualified candidates for EPC ordination.

Dig deeper: Read my report on Johnson and the Revoice conference here.