Presbyterian Lay Committee Put out of Commission

The Presbytery of Western North Carolina voted to withdraw its validation of the ministry of the Rev. Parker Williamson CEO of the Presbyterian Lay Committee (PLC) and editor in chief of its publication, The Presbyterian Layman.

The Presbytery argued that "that the work of Parker T. Williamson not be validated as a ministry consonant with the mission of the presbytery in light of the character and conduct of the work" of the Presbyterian Lay Committee.

Williamson’s work for the PLC had been classified as “other validated ministry.” The presbytery’s Committee on Ministry had recommended that he be declared an “inactive” member, which eventually could have led to the loss of his ordination.

However, by a vote of 150-106, the Presbytery agreed upon an “oily compromise” in which the Presbyterian Lay Committee would be invalidated but Williamson be accepted as a “member at large.” Williamson would still maintain a fair voice and vote at the presbytery,

Williamson would be separated from the ministry of the Presbyterian Lay Committee, but would receive a fair voice and vote as a “member at large.”

After the balloting, Williamson objected that he had been rendered “a sort of a ‘man without a country,’” and immediately said he would seek a stay of enforcement and appeal the decision to a church court.