A permanent committee of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) issued a statement earlier this week amid multiple politically and racially charged controversies arising from its North American missions arm, known as Mission to North America (MNA).
The MNA publicly repented after facing media scrutiny for posting guidance on its website that advised illegal immigrants on how to evade U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainment; this guidance has since been removed.
The links on the website directed users to left-leaning resources for illegal immigrants, including the American Civil Liberties Union, which raised concerns among some PCA members about a leftist political agenda infiltrating the denomination.
Shortly after the MNA's apology regarding its immigration guidance, Daily Wire reporter Megan Basham highlighted a “Black Fellowship Dinner” at Resurrection Oakland Church, a PCA congregation in Oakland, California, which was open only to “Black worshippers.”
The dinner, held to commemorate Black History Month, sparked further debate among those concerned that it exemplified racial segregation and DEI-like initiatives infiltrating the denomination under the guise of “affinity groups.”
Basham questioned whether affinity groups for minorities within the PCA would be welcomed if the minority in question were white.
Drawing a parallel to the early church, she posed, “If it had been the Gentiles in Galatians 2 separating from the Jews because as minorities in a majority culture derived from Jewishness they needed an 'affinity group' to reflect their unique background and interests, do you think the Apostle Paul would have been okay with that? Or would he rebuke that too?"
Despite the controversy surrounding the illegal immigration guidance, which led to MNA's backtracking and repentance, the recent statement from the MNA Permanent Committee condemned racism while affirming “fellowship gatherings or events that center on the shared cultural experiences of ethnic minority brothers and sisters.”
The committee clarified that the organizers of ResOak's Black Fellowship Dinner, which required attendees to register, “did not prohibit or turn away anyone from attending.”
They asserted, “Affinity ministries equip and encourage minority members who worship in so many of our churches. These ministries support shared cultural experiences for the edification of the whole body. We affirm affinity gatherings as a part of rejoicing in our unity and diversity.”
MNA also highlighted its specific ministries for various ethnic minorities, including one for Hispanics, which claims that recent demographic changes in the U.S., amid “loosened” immigration policies, were “orchestrated by God Himself” to provide “an unprecedented opportunity” to fulfill the Great Commission.
The focus of MNA's statement was on Irwyn Ince, elected by the MNA Permanent Committee to serve as coordinator in 2021. As the head of the MNA, Ince authored the public apology regarding the immigration guidance and was the featured speaker at the contentious ResOak dinner.
He called for “spaces and times where you just don't have to work so hard,” arguing that black people may be subject to “trauma” in predominantly white situations and advocating for “some places of affinity space.”
