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Three rogue elders walk into a Session meeting and slap a folder down. “We have concerns.” They leave it to Session to deal with it.

Time passes, and they grow impatient. They escalate their “concerns” to a higher authority and call in reinforcements.

They enlist the Presbytery to do something about it. The Presbytery nominates a few guys with good “intentions.”

Those intentions take on a life of their own. They grow an ill-will, and the next thing you know, those intentions birth bullies.

It all goes nuclear.

What do you do with bullies who call you a bully? What do you do with abusers who claim you’re the abuser?

According to Joe Rigney, you fight them. Tooth and nail. Like a real elder.

Elders aren’t fragile.

Elders aren’t afraid of drama.

Elders are quick to point out that “I’m hurt, therefore, you sinned” isn’t a syllogism.

Elders brush the progressive gaze off their shoulder and put up “no admittance” signs.

Elders redirect the soft hearted who are afraid to lose people and tell them to not be like Lot’s wife.

Elders are not afraid to drive a bus with only a few passengers on it if it keeps the church on mission.

Listen to our Session’s conversation with Joe Rigney on what it takes to be a church and lead in Negative World (Recorded in Spring 2024).

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You can’t claim to be a Christian if you don't go to church. Likewise, you can't claim to be a member of Christ's Body if you don't read your Bible. Just call yourself a "pagan," have a coke, and smile.

In this episode, Peter, Pastor Nate, and Kyle discuss the political importance of the local church. Specifically, we dive into the topic of membership and what it has to become in Negative World.

The bar for membership has gotten so low it’s like we’re playing Limbo. Anyone and everyone can become a member. All you have to do is say “Jesus” a couple of times and read your Bible once a quarter.

We say “no.”

You wouldn’t sip kerosene or eat wood chips, would you? You wouldn’t willingly put something in your body that is poisonous or harmful, would you? The same goes with the church.

We have to raise the bar of membership. We have to rescue it from its plummet. For the sake of the Body. In the same way that we fence the table, we have to vet our members more rigorously.

For starters, members have to be Christians. They have to believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, not just a ghost. They have to believe that babies are sinners and need to be baptized in Christ.

Stuff like that.

Welcome to Season Two of The Parrhesians Podcast!

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It's been 18 months since the Presbytery of the Alleghenies formed an Administrative Commission to "help" our church secure the peace, unity, and purity of the congregation. But instead of help, our congregation experienced conflict, lawfare, and abuse of power at the hands of EPC leadership.

On Sunday, January 26, 2025, the church voted to disaffiliate with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. The vote passed 106 in favor, 13 opposed, with 89% approval. The conflict is over.

Join Nate, Peter, and Kyle in Part Two of this special edition of The Parrhesian Podcast, as they share how it all ended.

Remember, the truth is bold!

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