PCA leader apologizes, plans to retire

Bryan Chapell said Thursday he will step down from his role as the chief administrative officer of the Presbyterian Church in America. Chapell sparked widespread criticism last week when he revealed a Post-it note with a handwritten list of names he identified as social media “scandalizers” in the denomination. The video recording of the podcast only briefly showed him waving the paper, but viewers who paused the footage said they could make out the names on it. In the interview, Chapell said that the so-called scandalizers had either left the faith, lost their families, or committed suicide since publicly criticizing other Christian leaders. Before taking the position as stated clerk of the PCA in 2021, Chapell served as senior pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church in Peoria, Ill., and as the chancellor of Covenant Theological Seminary.

What did he say in his apology? He said that he wrongly stated that every name on his list belonged to a social media scandalizer. He brought “unwarranted disrepute” to the people identified, he said, and he asked forgiveness from those he harmed and acknowledged the seriousness of the errors. Chapell said he plans to ask the PCA Administrative Committee for its approval to retire. The chairman of the committee said in a statement that the group will consider Chapell’s request when it meets next week.

Dig deeper: Read Zoe Miller’s report for WORLD about how Presbyterians felt about Chapell’s actions.