PCA accepts retirement, apology of leader in Post-it note controversy

A group of administrators for the Presbyterian Church in America on Thursday accepted the resignation of a top leader who was recently embroiled in controversy over a Post-it note. The PCA Administrative Committee approved the request of Teaching Elder Bryan Chappell to retire as stated clerk effective immediately, according to a report from byFaith, a publication of the PCA. The committee also chose to accept Chappell's apology for his role in the controversy, according to the report. The group went on to unanimously choose Ruling Elder John Bise as an interim replacement for Chappell until a nominee for stated clerk can be brought forward at the church's 53rd General Assembly in Louisville next year, byFaith reported.

What was the controversy about? Chapell last month held up a slip of paper during an interview on The Gospel Coalition’s Gospelbound podcast. The individuals whose names were on the list were “scandalizers” who had all left their families, left the faith, or taken their own lives, Chapell said. Many individuals on the list are still living with their families and remain involved in the local church.

Pastor Andy Webb’s name was on the list. He is no longer with the PCA but serves instead with the Associated Reformed Presbyterian Church. He said in a public statement that Chapell called him after the interview to apologize and that Webb forgave him. Carl Trueman, who writes for WORLD Opinions and whose name was also on the list, likewise received an apology from Chapell. Following calls for an investigation into his behavior on the grounds that he violated the 9th Commandment’s prohibition on bearing false witness against one’s neighbor, Chapell has also issued a public apology for his behavior and offered to resign from his position as the PCA’s stated clerk.

Others in the denomination have claimed, publicly, that Chapell did not lie and that the individuals who took screenshots of the list and spread them around the internet are more in the wrong than Chapell. They called on Chapell not to resign.

What happened in the meeting? The office of the PCA’s Administrative Committee did not provide WORLD with a statement about what occurred in the meeting, despite several requests for comment. WORLD contacted the clerk of the committee, but he declined to comment on the nature of the discussion. WORLD was unable to reach the chairman of the committee.

Dig deeper: Read Zoe Miller’s report in Relations about the controversy surrounding Chapell’s choice to hold up the Post-it note.