The first line of defense for David Hall’s session is retaliation against anyone who disagrees.
Here is a short summary of the session’s recent history of retaliatory actions:
- A deacon tries to inform the session that their nomination process violates PCA constitution after improperly blocking him from running for office of elder, filing a formal complaint after session stonewalls:
- Session’s response: Removes deacon from running for re-election.
- Church’s highest court, the Standing Judicial Commission (SJC), finds deacon to be correct (SJC 2019-03, 19-3 vote).
- No apology from Session.
- No announcement to the congregation that elder elections had been unconstitutional for years (SJC later said congregation had a right to know about their decision).
- An elder sends an email to the congregation asking them to prayerfully consider postponing a congregational meeting until the pandemic subsided while informing them of the recent SJC decision against Midway session:
- 18 months later, the Standing Judicial Commission votes unanimously that charges were unbiblical, unconstitutional, and untrue, restoring elder to office (SJC 2021-13, 19-0 vote).
- The SJC found an unprecedented 22 errors made by the session and presbytery in the trial and appeal, nearly four times more than any decision in recent PCA history.
- No apology from session or Presbytery.
- No announcement to congregation about exonerated elder after final decision.
- Elder is not fully restored by session in defiance of SJC.
- Two brothers file complaints against Midway session for improperly handling a congregational meeting:
- Presbytery judicial commission agrees with brothers.
- Session representatives commit numerous violations of the BCO in order to quash commission report.
- Session action: Discontinues Christian youth scouting ministries at church in which brothers were actively involved, and in the process, displaces 100+ children that participated.
- Thirteen concerned ordained members of congregation file a BCO 40-5 report with Stated Clerk of the PCA outlining the numerous violations of BCO by the presbytery in handling the brothers’ complaint and unconstitutional installation of elected associate pastors:
- Session response: Indict and suspend the three sitting elders that exercised their constitutional right to sign a 40-5 report.
- General Assembly response: RPR committee of the GA finds report credible and cites presbytery to appear before SJC (47-0 vote).
- No apology from Session or Presbytery.
- Session action: Continue to drag out trials of elders for months (and possibly years) to block duly elected elders from serving or even appealing to the higher courts.
- Concerned members of the congregation exercise their right (BCO 25) to file a petition to call a congregation meeting to discuss these issues and potentially dismiss David Hall as Senior Pastor:
- Session’s response: Condemn members of the congregation that signed petition as deceived, having succumbed to the “lies of the devil”.
- Session’s action: Create enemies list out of petition and berate members for signing.
The Standing Judicial Commission stated “Few things disturb the peace and unity of a church more than a Session putting an elder on trial for actions related to disagreements with the Session. Not many things divide a church more quickly.” David Hall’s session has now done that four times.
Midway needs a pastor that unites and not divides. It’s time for the congregation to end the culture of retaliation at Midway Presbyterian Church.