The Impact of Declaring ourselves a Peace Church
Proposed Resolution Summary
First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto, after careful consideration of the scriptures, our long faith tradition and
commitment to social justice as well as our commitment to the love and teachings of Jesus, does hereby affirm
our commitment to the cause of peace by rejecting war and violence in all its forms and declares itself a "Peace
Church."
A Peace Church is defined as a church embracing nonviolence as the fundamental response to the
challenges of violence, terror and war. It is an expressed commitment to nonviolence as a solution to
international conflicts and a statement of full support for anyone electing to be a conscientious objector to
military service.
We affirm and encourage all our members and friends to prayerfully read, study and consider the full text of the
resolution so that we, as the scriptures say, may "not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of [our] minds, so that [we] may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and
perfect." (Rom 12:2) We encourage all our members and friends to discern how God may be speaking to them
and to follow their own conscience because we know that "God alone is Lord of the conscience." (Book of
Confessions 6.109) Jesus has called us to a life of love that extends to our enemies as in Matthew 5: 43 “You
have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your
enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he
makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. 46 For if
you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?”
I believe that all human life, innocent or guilty, is precious, no matter whether the law deems
someone “worthy of death” or not. I know that no matter how many times a person has broken
the law, caused terror, or even killed other humans, my personal standards prohibit me from
taking direct part in ending another person’s life.
From the Statement of Conscientious Objection by Chris Iyer
How will the Proposal Affect Our Church?




As a Peace Church we welcome all people, including those who are serving or have served in the
military, and invite everyone to walk with us as we explore together the practice and meaning of peace
in the world and in our lives.
We will be intentional about incorporating nonviolence history and practice, and the history of
conscientious objection, into educational curricula and programs for all ages.
Our church leaders will incorporate subjects related to our role and responsibility as a Peace Church in
worship and other opportunities for our community to engage in conversations, learning and spiritual
renewal.
Just as we describe ourselves as a More Light Congregation, we will explain what it means to be a Peace
Church in promotional materials, on our website, and in other public communications, including
stewardship materials.

We will be intentional about educating and informing ourselves about the growing militarism of our
country’s policies and culture that often exacerbate tensions and violence.
How Did We Arrive at this “Peace Church” Proposal?
“Peace discernment” is the name given to a 6-yr. process of updating the peacemaking vision of the
Presbyterian Church (USA).
2010: The process was initiated by seven presbytery overtures on the 30th anniversary of Peacemaking: The
Believers’ Calling (1980). A Steering Team was charged with a twofold mandate to “seek clarity as to God’s
call to the church regarding nonviolence as our fundamental response to the challenges of violence, terror, and
war,” and to examine “ministries of peacemaking and justice seeking that honor the Gospel, the history of the
church, and the movement of the Holy Spirit…” to develop recommendations for new policy and action
(Minutes, 2010, p. 69).
2012: The study document, Encountering the Gospel of Peace Anew, contained questions to explore not simply
the effectiveness of the church’s peacemaking work and its threefold offering, but the basic nature and scope of
the Gospel’s mandate for peacemaking. You can learn more at this link:
http://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/peacemaking/peace-discernment/
As part of this discernment, we at First Pres devoted four weeks in the fall of 2012 in adult study to
discuss these issues in small groups. Those groups were thoughtful, prayerful, and honest with many people
expressing very diverse opinions. Following those sessions and recognizing the biblical, spiritual and social
witness implications of this discernment, the Social Justice Ministry Committee continued to reflect on this
subject.
The legacy of First Presbyterian Church reveals a long and courageous commitment to social justice and
personal discipleship as we seek to follow the life and ministry of Jesus. From the "Freedom Rides" in the
South to becoming a "More Light" church in the 80s, from working for the Opportunity Center to Hotel de Zink
for the unhoused, from Gay Pride Parades to marching against the war in Iraq and leading a national effort to
respond to climate change, to name just a few examples, First Presbyterian has been committed not just to the
gospel of peace, reconciliation and social justice, but to discipleship, Bible study and prayer. Because of this
legacy, the SJMC thought it would be appropriate to consider formally declaring ourselves a “Peace Church.”
For more than 2 years we have been discussing, writing, editing and haggling about the details of this
proposal. And then in November of 2014, the SJMC unanimously approved this proposal for consideration by
the session and our congregation.