The Second Presbytery of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian (ARP) church was founded in 1800, “formed by the division of the Associate Reformed Presbytery of the Carolinas and Georgia,” according to the denomination.
“The beginnings of Second Presbytery remain so interwoven into the history of the ARP Church,” the group’s website declares.
As of this writing, Second Presbytery – the oldest Presbytery in the entire denomination – includes congregations in “the state of Georgia and the Western South Carolina counties of Abbeville, Aiken, Allendale, Anderson, Barnwell, Edgefield, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Pickens, Saluda, Spartanburg and Union.”
Assuming nothing changes over the next two weeks, though, the Presbytery’s 224-year run will come to an abrupt end on September 1, 2024 – with its roughly three dozen churches being folded into two of the ARP church’s other Presbyteries (and its assets absorbed by those entities).
At stake? The future of dozens of congregations, thousands of worshippers… and millions of dollars.
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What prompted this schism? The ongoing intra-church drama traces its origins to June of 2022, when pastor Matt Miller of Greenville, S.C. leveled seismic charges against former ARP minister Charles Wilson related to the alleged physical and sexual abuse of his two daughters – both of whom are now adults.
Over the past two years, these allegations have mushroomed into a much broader battle between warring factions within the ARP – with some accusing the denomination’s leadership of opportunistically exploiting the situation to seize control of Second Presbytery, purportedly in contravention of the ARP’s governing constitution.
Meanwhile, ARP leaders have accused Second Presbytery of “a continued culture of intimidation and guile” and a “culture of intrigue” as its leaders allegedly attempted to cover up the allegations against Wilson.
Yeah… and you thought church soap operas in South Carolina were limited to those cults of personality on the coast?
According to official ARP documents (.pdf) posted online, Wilson was accused of engaging in a “pattern of verbally, physically, and sexually abusive behavior toward (his daughters) from the time of their early childhood and continuing into their teenage and young adult years.”
Addressing Wilson directly, the church accused him of “routinely exposing yourself or touching (his daughters) or requiring them to touch you in an inappropriate and sexual manner; and estrangement from them from their early adult years and continuing to the present,” per the documents.
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Wilson also allegedly subjected his daughters to “frequent and severe physical punishment, including hitting or beating them in anger in a severe and inappropriate manner” while also allegedly engaging in “denigration of their femininity and sexuality” by using profanity in relation to their genitalia and menstrual cycles, per the complaint.
Furthermore, Wilson was accused of engaging in “a pattern of verbally abusive and profane speech with female employees and members of Gold’s Gym in Clemson, South Carolina” as recently as 2021. In that case, he allegedly “routinely corner(ed) young female employees of the gym, from receptionists to trainers, telling profane jokes, even after being told to stop.”
Those jokes allegedly revolved around “female genitalia,” according to the church documents.
Rather than subject himself to the discipline of the ARP’s ruling body – its General Synod – Wilson effectively excommunicated himself from his own Presbytery at a church trial held on May 22, 2023.
“I withdraw from and renounce the authority of Second Presbytery to oversee me as a minister,” Wilson said during the trial.
Church officials told Wilson he was “putting himself outside of the church of Jesus Christ,” to which he allegedly responded “shut up and sit down!” prior to abruptly departing the proceedings.
Of interest? At the time of Wilson’s “self ex-communication,” the ARP Synod’s minutes noted the approval of a motion “seeking protection for (Wilson’s) daughters and their families due to documented and credible threats from other members of the Wilson family” in the aftermath of his withdrawal from the church.
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As of this writing, it is unknown whether any of these allegations – whether the physical and sexual abuse allegations against Wilson or the subsequent allegations of threats involving his family members – were (or are being) investigated criminally by the appropriate civil authorities.
If not, they should be…
What does any of this have to do with the dissolution of a 224-year-old Presbytery, though?
According to a May 2024 report (.pdf) commissioned by the ARP Synod, Second Presbytery’s alleged mishandling of the allegations against Wilson revealed the organization to be “irrevocably broken.”
“Their brokenness has led to a culture of intimidation, retribution, fear and inaction, based not on the actions of a few, but on the inaction of the whole,” the report concluded.
Based on these findings, a motion was approved on June 12, 2024 to dissolve the Second Presbytery on September 1, 2024 – moving its South Carolina churches into the neighboring Catawba Presbytery and its Georgia churches into the neighboring Tennessee-Alabama Presbytery. Not only that, the ARP will “oversee the transfer of assets” of the Presbytery and instruct its remaining Presbyteries to “use assets” of the dissolved organization as it deems appropriate.
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What kind of assets are we talking about? As of 2022, documents posted online revealed Second Presbytery had assets of more than $4.4 million – although that figure is said to be higher today.
Leaders of the organization are understandably upset with the impending dissolution.
Seth Yi – pastor at Newberry ARP Church in Newberry, S.C. – has been vocal in his opposition to what he refers to as the “unconstitutional nature” of the dissolution of his Presbytery and the “illegitimate nature” of the commission which recommended it.
According to Yi’s published account of the proceedings, “the dissolution of Second Presbytery was not only unprecedented but unconstitutional,” with the laws of the ARP Synod having been “egregiously violated.”
Other sources familiar with the denominational drama have accused the ARP Synod of using the Wilson investigation as a “pretext” to make a move on Second Presbytery.
Our media outlet is just beginning its own investigation into all of these allegations, and – as is the case with any story we cover – our microphone is open to anyone with an intelligent perspective on this developing situation.
Stay tuned…
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UPDATE |
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Will Folks is the owner and founding editor of FITSNews. Prior to founding his own news outlet, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina, bass guitarist in an alternative rock band and bouncer at a Columbia, S.C. dive bar. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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1 comment
If republicans and MAGA were serious about children being abused (spoiler alert: they are not) they would go after churches and other religious institutions.
Instead, it’s nonsense about trans people and pizza parlors.
Of course, republicans and MAGA are led by a documented sexual abuser, who bragged about looking at naked young girls at his pageants, while buddying around with Epstein, so ignoring and protecting perverts is their thing. Just ask Jim Jordan….