God is a God of relational intimacy through proximity. He walked in the cool of the garden with Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:8). Jesus ministered through proximity with his disciples. The first-century church was marked by communal living day by day (Acts 2:42–46; 4:32–35). Not all regions lend themselves to living within walking distance from where a church gathers, but in all situations, we must pastor our churches to fight the cultural bent toward isolation. 

Peter commands pastors to shepherd the flock that is among them (1 Pet. 5:2). Therefore, actually living among them—and your flock living among one another—is invaluable.
When we planted a church in the outskirts of New Orleans, one of the most significant decisions my family made was to move into the neighborhood. Many of our core team members moved as well.
I, along with more than ten other families, now live on the same avenue as our church. Out of 160 covenant members, more than half live within a couple miles of the church building. Here are three reasons why I would encourage every pastor to teach his congregation the value of proximity.
For Your Church’s Affection
Salvation is a community-creating event. The abundant life Christ offers is lived out in a family of brothers and sisters, living in harmony with one another (Rom. 15:5). Church is not an event you attend but a household you join (1 Tim. 3:15).
Many Americans leave worship on Sunday, return home, close the garage door, and are content not to re-engage their church until next Sunday.
Proximity combats this instinct. By reducing our distance, it increases our opportunities for the one-another commanded throughout the Bible. Organic relationships develop more easily and create a culture that affects the whole.
Pastors can lead the charge by prioritizing proximity themselves, modeling hospitality, and encouraging members to do the same. The community cultivated through this effort will then draw in the lost and lonely to hear the gospel preached and see the gospel lived out in the life of the church.
For Your Neighbors’ Salvation
Paige, Kelsi, and Carly all worked at the po-boy shop at the end of the street our church sits on. They were young adults with little religious background who also lived near our church.
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Following the preaching, eleven first time delegates were introduced to the court, six of whom serve as pastors and the remaining 5 as ruling elders. Nominations were then open for moderator. Much to his surprise, Rev. Dr. Pete Smith of Covenant Fellowship RP Church was elected. He was an excellent moderator.

The Psalmist says, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him” (Ps. 128:5-6).
The 191st Synod of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) commenced on Tuesday, June 20, 2023. Following several years of ongoing discipline matters and formal complaints, the Lord gave us a year of both weeping and rejoicing. The meeting opened with a devotional message from the retiring moderator, Rev. Harry Metzger. He preached from I Corinthians 15, and three others preaching through the week would bring sermons from the same text: Revs. Ma and Blocki from North Hills (Pittsburgh, PA) and Rev. Dr. Ben Glaser from Bethany Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARP). Following the preaching, eleven first time delegates were introduced to the court, six of whom serve as pastors and the remaining 5 as ruling elders. Nominations were then open for moderator. Much to his surprise, Rev. Dr. Pete Smith of Covenant Fellowship RP Church was elected. He was an excellent moderator.
Most of Tuesday was spent working through a Business of Synod report that made recommendations on how various papers, communications, and complaints ought to be handled. Eleven communications needed to be processed by the court. Most of the complaints were returned to their authors with the court choosing not to speak to them. One complaint, which argued against the Pacific Coast Presbytery sustaining a pastoral examination following the complainant being dissatisfied with the answers of an examinee. This complaint resulted in a study committee which will seek to give counsel to pastors and elders who find themselves in worship contexts where the Psalms are not being sung exclusively.
The one complaint that was heard (and did not result in a study committee) was from Rev. Adam Keuhner against the Great Lakes Gulf Presbytery (GLG). Keuhner argued that when presbytery rebuked two elders for administering the sacrament to a disciplined minister, it was not a sufficient censure. After hearing both sides of this complaint, the synod sustained the complaint 50-40 against the GLG (GLG delegates were not allowed to vote in this matter).
Three other communications resulted in actions from the synod: A paper that came through the Midwest Presbytery (MWP) sought to change the language of our current Testimony regarding abortion. As it reads currently abortion is murder “except possibly” in the case where a mother’s life is at risk. The proposal is seeking to bring equal dignity to the life of the mother and the child. This was sent to a study committee to report back next year.
The Orlando Session petitioned the synod to admonish the Reformed Presbyterian Women’s Association (RPWA) for suing a retired minister who lived at the RP Home. The petition sought to urge the RPWA to seek forgiveness from the minister and to take actions to seek a session’s aid in matters that would otherwise go to court (I Cor. 6). The Synod upheld the petition, admonishing the RPWA and urging them to facilitate change in their practice.
The Presbytery of the Alleghenies (POA) submitted a paper on the RPCNA’s practice of women serving in the diaconate. (The RPCNA has had women serving as deacons since 1888.) A five-man study committee was established to study the biblical practice of women serving in the diaconate as well as the nature and purpose of ordination. They will report their findings at next year’s Synod.
Several study committees as well as judicial commissions also reported. Over the last year, two commissions have been working with the former leadership of a congregation that was, sadly, caught in the middle of a minor-on-minor sexual abuse scandal. The pastor was deposed and suspended from communion, and the elders were suspended from office in 2022. These commissions have been working to the end of repentance and reconciliation. The former ruling elders told their commission that they were no longer able to work with them, violating the agreement reached when they pled guilty in 2022. Synod elevated their discipline and deposed them from office by an 88-32 vote. The former pastor, who rejected the authority and discipline of the RPCNA, was excommunicated by a 99-24 vote. The former moderator called him on the phone to inform him and then the pronouncement of excommunication was read.
It was a sober and dreadful experience and you could feel the heaviness of the room and see the tears streaming down men’s faces.
A few study committees will continue into another year, either not reporting or needing to rework some of the ideas presented: Kingship of Christ (did not report); Recusals (sent back to committee); and Vows and Queries (did not report). A study paper seeking to define the previous acts of synod (191 years’ worth) encouraged the synod to maintain the written understanding of previous synodical acts: they are the “law and order of the church” rather than merely suggestive or informative. This committee’s work began in 2018 or 2019 and came to synod through the GLG. The synod voted overwhelmingly in favor of previous acts remaining as law and order.
A major work that was sent back to the committee was a paper seeking to set up a task force to response to claims of abuse. The paper sought a standing committee of thirteen made up of pastors, elders and professionals in various fields (medical, social work, police, etc.) that would serve a resource for those with questions as to whether certain cases in the church would qualify as abuse. The synod debated this extensively before returning the paper that it may be improved.
We sowed in tears. We also reaped in joy. Several boards and agencies of the church reported on their work in the past year. Crown and Covenant reported on their book sales and some of the things in the works (including posthumously published works by Rev. Gordon Keddie). Geneva College reported, and we heard from president, Dr. Troup. Dr. Troup presented a brief presentation on how Geneva instructs from biblical literacy and confessional fidelity. We also heard from Dr. Barry York on the ministry of the RP Seminary, which seeks to be biblical, confessional, pastoral, and devotional.
The RPWA’s representative spoke on the RP Home and disability ministries. Reformation Translation Fellowship is expanding beyond the Chinese language for the first time since the 1940s and the Chinese Education Fund seeks to help Chinese families who do not want their children in state-run (Communist) public schools.
The court also heard fraternal greetings from three denominations with whom we have relationships: Dr. Ben Glaser of the ARP was already mentioned and we also heard Rev. Ian Wright of the OPC and Rev. Bartel Elshout from the Heritage Reformed Churches. Each presbytery of the RPCNA also reported on the highlights of their ministries in the past year.
Various missionary arms of the church shared exciting news. Global Missions reported on their several fields and some of the challenges that their teams face. From South Sudan to unpublishable locations, the RP Church is laboring faithfully in fields ripe for harvest. RP Global also presented a revised set of bylaws that were returned to them failing to be approved by the synod. We heard from two commissions that plant churches and train pastors in nations I am not allowed to write about. The Central and South America (CASA) committee reported on their labors in seeking to facilitate relationships with existing congregations in CASA. A commission of Global Missions was set up to ordain men and plant churches in CASA. Another missionary commission reported on the number of worshipers in three presbyteries in yet another nation I cannot publicly mention: 16,400 Reformed Presbyterian worshipers meet from Lord’s Day to Lord’s Day in this unmentioned nation. The numbers of amazing!
Some of the other numbers and dates-discussions were of interest. We have grown slightly in membership and attendance although last year we closed five congregations. Besides these five congregations, a dozen Canadian congregations departed this year to form the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Canada. This is a good thing! The Synod is also very interested in boards reporting salaries of employees in the name of greater transparency. Following several motions, these salaries will now be published in the Minutes of Synod. The salary of every pastor is already published annually. Other number discussions include an increase in ruling elders in the denomination and the fact that we have almost twice as many pastors on our rolls as we have congregations (many are not active, not serving, or retired). Giving has increased in our church and the denominational arm for giving (RPM&M) has increased significantly—of course there are more boards, committees, and agencies that are seeking financial assistance as well. June 11-14, 2024 is our next synod. RP International is June 25-July 1, 2024.
After several long days of difficulty, joy, fellowship, suffering, and labor—we adjourned on Friday just before noon. Many prayers were prayed. Many Psalms were sung. Many tears were shed. As brothers we looked to Jesus together to establish the work of our hands and to bring forth sheaves with rejoicing. In the words of the Puritan Jeremiah Burroughs, “grace teaches us how to make a mixture of sorrow and a mixture of joy together.”
Nathan Eshelman is a Minister in the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America and Pastor of the Orlando RPCNA in Orlando, Fla.
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(Lookout Mountain, GA) – Today [3/31/23], the Covenant College Board of Trustees announced that they have appointed Dr. Brad Voyles as interim president beginning July 1st, 2023. He will serve as interim president until President Halvorson’s successor has been selected to assume office, which is expected to occur on or before July 1, 2024.
Having served for 18 years at Covenant as vice president for student development and dean of students, Dr. Voyles brings a deep understanding of the operations of the college and a clear view with regard to Covenant’s distinctive mission in the landscape of higher education.
Dean Voyles received his B.A. from DePauw University where he majored in Biological Sciences and minored in Psychology.  After earning an MS Ed. in Higher Education Administration from Southern Illinois University, Voyles completed his Master of Divinity degree from Reformed Theological Seminary while working as Dean of Students at Belhaven University.  In 2014, he earned his doctorate in Education Leadership and Policy from Vanderbilt University.
While serving as vice president of student development, Voyles has also played key roles in strategic planning, leading crisis response efforts including the college’s COVID-19 response, supervising key areas during times of transition, and building strong teams in his areas of oversight. He has served on the cabinet of two of the college’s presidents and is excited to continue serving with the support of a gifted and experienced cabinet.
In an announcement to the community, Chair of the Board of Trustees R. Craig Wood stated, “I am delighted with this decision. Brad’s contributions and service to the college over the past 18 years have prepared him well to bridge the gap as interim president, and to begin immediate work on the college’s short-term and longer term strategic planning with the gifted cabinet that is already in place and approved by the Board.”
Dean Voyles shared in the announcement to the community that he is “grateful for the trust extended to me by the Board and for the gifted colleagues I have the privilege of serving with across campus.  The faculty and staff who serve at Covenant are our greatest resource and through whom the Lord accomplishes our mission of maturing students in the areas of identity in Christ, biblical frame of reference, and service that is Christ-like.”
The Board of Trustees has launched the presidential search committee, made up of trustees, trustee advisers, faculty, and staff.
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