St. Andrew’s Chapel, which was founded by the late theologian R.C. Sproul in 1997, overwhelmingly voted earlier this week to leave the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) after just two years in the denomination.
The Sanford, Florida, congregation, which has more than 1,100 members and was one of the largest in the PCA, voted 669-108 Sunday in favor of “[dissolving] its ecclesiastical connection with the Central Florida Presbytery,” according to a letter the stated clerk of session sent to the PCA’s Central Florida Presbytery.
The elders of St. Andrew’s Chapel, which joined the PCA in 2023, issued a statement to byFaith, the PCA’s flagship online magazine, about the congregation’s decision.
“On December 14, 2025, Saint Andrew’s Chapel held a congregational meeting in accordance with BCO 25-2 and 25-11 to decide whether to withdraw from the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA),” they said.
“After the Session provided an update and recommendation, the congregation voted by paper ballot to withdraw, with 669 in favor and 108 against. As a result, Saint Andrew’s Chapel is no longer affiliated with the PCA, and the Central Florida Presbytery has been duly informed.”
The elders expressed gratitude for their time within the PCA.
“We gratefully acknowledge the support from many within the PCA and value the faithful members of the denomination who have contributed to our shared commitment to Reformed theology. We recognize the range of emotions during this significant transition and remain committed to shepherding with care, maintaining the peace and purity of the Church, and proclaiming the Gospel.”
“We trust Jesus Christ, as King and Head of the church, to guide, lead, and protect His flock as we live each day coram Deo [before the face of God],” the elders added.
The church’s withdrawal follows its senior pastor, Rev. Burk Parsons, being suspended from the pulpit earlier this year after a church judicial commission found him guilty of three charges that included exhibiting a “a harsh, ungentle, and unkind” attitude toward those under his care, being “autocratic” and “pugnacious” in his leadership style and slandering “other servants and churches of our Lord.”
Parsons subsequently appealed the decision.
According to a Dec. 5 letter obtained by MinistryWatch that was sent to members announcing the congregational meeting during which they voted to leave, the session of St. Andrew’s Chapel cited “significant and sobering developments” in the Central Florida Presbytery that moved them to push forward the meeting, which was originally planned for January following the outcome of Parsons’ appeal.
They claimed leaks to the media by “an unknown [Central Florida Presbytery] teaching elder” about the allegations brought against the church “before any judicial review could occur” allegedly “inflicted pastoral and reputational injury on our church and leadership.”
The church said they intend to remain independent “while studying potential future fraternal relationships with other churches for mutual accountability and encouragement, rooted in the Westminster Standards and open to cooperation with other confessional Reformed bodies,” according to MinistryWatch.
St. Andrew’s Chapel did not respond to a request for comment earlier this week from The Christian Post.
Sproul, who died in 2017, was an influential theologian and pastor from Pennsylvania who founded Ligonier Ministries in 1971, which became a major teaching outreach that popularized Reformed theology through books, conferences and the daily radio program “Renewing Your Mind.”
