Presbytery reports are thoughtful and weighty treatises on important matters but they are not constitutional documents. The views expressed do not necessarily represent the official views of the Presbytery of Ohio or the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Only the Confession of Faith and Catechisms, the Form of Government, the Book of Discipline, and the Directory for the Public Worship of God of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church express the church’s official understanding of what the Word of God teaches.
Report of the Special Committee to Study WCF 24:6 and “Willful Desertion”
Posted March 2018
This committee was tasked with studying “the question of divorce as it relates to the use of willful desertion in WCF 24.6.”
The first document begins with the committee’s original report from the spring of 2016, including historical and linguistic analysis of WCF 24.6 (pp 1-24; up to line 800). All four of the members of the committee (Messrs. Lauer, Scipione, Jackson, Graves) approved that, excepting Lauer’s opinion on several points, as expressed in the second document; his minority report, which has been updated to match the final form of the first document. The remainder of the first document was fully approved only by Mr. Lauer. Mr.Scipione has filed what we are calling an alternate exegetical report taking exception with portions of the exegetical section of the first document.
- Final Report of the Committee
- Minority Report on the Historical Background of Willful Desertion (Lauer)
- Alternate Exegetical Report (Scipione)
Report on Lay Baptisms
Posted March 2022
This committee was tasked with studying “Scripture and the Standards of our church on whether ‘baptisms’ performed by those who are not lawfully ordained ministers of the Gospel are to be recognized as valid baptisms.”
Report on Handling Accusations Arising from Outside the OPC
Posted March 2024
The judicial committee was tasked with “generating recommendations for the best practice to follow for handling accusations of a member within the presbytery arising from one who is not a member of the church.”