Largest US Presbyterian Denomination to Ordain First Non-Binary Person as Minister

Posted on November 7, 2019.

CBN News.com  06-26-2019  by Steve Warren,                                                                                                                         The Presbytery of the James, a governing body of the Presbyterian Church (USA) will ordain its first pastoral candidate who identifies as gender non-binary (not exclusively masculine or feminine) this weekend.   Cook becomes the first non-binary person to complete the PCUSA's ordination process, according to a news release. More Light Presbyterians, an LGBT advocacy group founded 27 years ago to influence the inclusion of LGBTQ people into the PCUSA, also issued a statement celebrating Cook's achievement. "We rejoice that Jess' visibility as a non-binary faith leader has already made room for LGBTQIA+ people to see themselves as image-bearers of the divine," the release said.  In a press release, Cook claimed the recognition of other genders is important, stating "if worship is only 'brothers and sisters' — youth will simply opt out of church."   PCUSA  is the most liberal, but also the largest, Presbyterian denomination in the country.  Over the last decade, the denomination has embraced the LGBT community which has led hundreds of churches to break with the PCUSA over scriptural and doctrinal issues. The Presbyterian Church (USA) lost over 140 congregations and nearly five percent of its active membership in 2018, according to recently released statistics by the denomination’s Office of the General   Assembly.                                                                                                                                                                                          The Apostle Paul warns about this situation when he writes to Timothy and says:                                                     “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead,   to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”                                                                            2 Timothy 4:3