By Kim Roberts - Posted at MinistryWatch:
Published December 16, 2025
The church still claims authority over members under discipline.
St. Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Florida, voted on Sunday (Dec. 14) to leave the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) by a vote of 669 to 108.The church, originally led by Dr. R.C. Sproul, joined the PCA in 2023. It first considered a vote to leave this summer, but delayed the vote while referring the matter to the church’s board of elders, also known as its session, to study the situation and return with a recommendation.
Its lead pastor, Burk Parsons, was suspended from his role as a teaching elder in the PCA in June after being found guilty by a church judicial commission of three charges related to, among other things, a “domineering” and “intimidating” leadership style, which included accusations of bullying and slander. He is currently appealing the decision to the denomination’s Standing Judicial Commission. Parsons is also the chief editorial officer for Ligonier Ministries.
A letter to the St. Andrew’s congregation dated December 5 said the elders originally planned to wait until Parsons’ appeal to the commission was resolved, but that “recent developments” prompted it to act sooner.
Those “recent developments” refer to actions by the Central Florida Presbytery, a regional body of elders that has authority over the churches in its area, who issued the guilty verdict against Burk Parsons.
In June, the presbytery instructed St. Andrew’s to share its financial information with members who request it. The church had refused to do so leading up to that point.
The presbytery wrote, “In Presbyterianism, transparency is central to its governance, which is built on a representative system of elders, called and elected by congregations…The PCA Book of Order mandates that church proceedings—such as session meetings or general assemblies—be conducted openly, with minutes recorded and accessible to members. Transparency reflects the Reformed theological belief that the church discerns God’s will collectively, requiring access to information for all involved.”
St. Andrew’s leadership complained that the Central Florida Presbytery acted in ways that were more “disciplinary” and not as “pastoral.” It also cited the release of a complaint to the media — MinistryWatch — that it says “inflicted pastoral and reputational injury on our church and leadership.”