The Rick Appleton Indictment

Over the past week Reformed evangelicals on social media watched as the fallout from Rick Appleton, the former associate pastor of Providence Presbyterian Church in Robinson Township, Pennsylvania, was deposed from his position after a trial conducted by the Pittsburgh Presbytery on the weekend of July 18-19, 2026. While the written decision and full testimony has yet to be released, an indictment from June 13 was released that outlined what were likely important pieces of evidence used in the trial that ultimately convicted Appleton.

I do not wish to speculate on this case beyond what is known. It is unusual to me that senior pastor Dr. Ray Heiple who worked with Appleton for approximately seven years at Providence Presbyterian Church spearheaded the effort against Appleton by supporting the session’s referral for investigation. It is also unusual that the votes convicting Appleton were almost unanimous at 41-0 with one abstention. From what I could gather from PCA friends, the Pittsburgh Presbytery is not known for being liberal like the Metropolitan New York Presbytery where Tim Keller served or the Rio Grande Presbytery where Zach Garris was recently convicted of unwholesome speech.

The reason this issue is important for conservative Presbyterians and evangelicals more broadly is because of the indictment’s charges against Appleton. The indictment outlined two potential charges. first, a violation of BCO 21-5 regarding the requirement that a minister adorn the profession of the Gospel in his manner of life and walk with exemplary piety, citing social media posts; and second, a violation involving the misinterpretation and misapplication of God’s Word on the nature and calling of women.

The first count is more open to interpretation than the second. Suffice it to say, Appleton did publicly post some crass and confusing things which may speak to some imprudence or lack of self-awareness. Though much of the evidence in the indictment highlights nonchalant partisan hot takes about politics. One would think, under normal circumstances, this would be addressed by conversations about wise social media usage. But, this was not the lion’s share of what the indictment focused on.

Most of the indictment focused on the second charge which made advocates for biblical patriarchy especially concerned. I listened to one of Appleton’s sermons, which some of the charges came from on Titus 2:3-5. In it, Appleton seemed to elevate the role of a wife and mother. He said things like “the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world” and consoled women who wanted children but could not have them. Nothing about his content or attitude came across as domineering or unbalanced. Its obvious that Appleton is a dynamic speaker and skilled in teaching scripture.

When I looked through the specific charges they seemed like cheap shots. Appleton said that “Women because of their sex, have a specific temptation to exercise control over things that are not always their prerogative.” In context, I knew from listening to his sermon that this was not an ontological statement, but a conditional one resulting from the Fall. The indictment claimed Appleton taught “ontological inferiority of women” though. Appleton said in a Q and A that Wives should “submit to [an unbelieving husband], even if he doesn’t let you go to church.” This is a situation where the command to meet together (Heb 10:25) and the command to submit to one’s own husband, even if a non-believer (1 Peter 3:1), are in tension, a fact Appleton admitted and sought to navigate. Another accusation was that Appleton accused even of “being first in transgression” when it was Adam through which sin came into the world. This seems to confuse Federal Headship, as explained in passages like Romans 5:12 with who sinned first chronologically (1 Tim 2:14). The list goes on.

One X user reported that Lisa Boelcke, the Women’s Ministry Coordinator at Providence where Appleton taught, “submitted multiple letters which made it into evidence & served as a witness.” To Appleton’s credit, though he strongly disagreed with Boelcke, he did not lose his composure like many reacting to the story. If he has been unjustly accused and punished, this will be one of the battles he faces. The incentive structure on X in particular rewards transgression against authority, especially when that authority is perceived to be compromised, and it is not particularly concerned with preserving pastoral decorum or encouraging constructive language.

Rick Appleton@RickApplet0n

@mralangentry I believe that Mrs. Boelke has gossiped,falsely accused me, slandered me, and blasphemed the Word of God. I believe she should be corrected. However, I do ask that she be shown the mercy, gentleness, and compassion owed to an erring sister and member of the weaker sex.

6:28 PM · Jul 22, 2026 · 47.9K Views

22 Replies · 26 Reposts · 853 Likes

Rick Appleton was convicted and deposed last weekend and according to BCO 42-4 he has 30 days to appeal this decision to the Standing Judicial Commission. There is more light that needs to be publicly shed on why the conviction went the direction it did and whether these were, in fact, the specific charges. But, if this is about punishing people who believe in biblical patriarchy then the question inevitably becomes, “Which Presbyteries are safe for conservative PCA Teaching Elders?”

One thing I do know from my experience tracking these issues is that I do not put it past more progressive leaning members of the PCA to act any differently than their counterparts in the SBC, whom I have seen repeatedly try to tie patriarchy to figures they can portray as more odious because of other perceived baggage. Figures like Paige Patterson, David Sills, and Johnny Hunt were framed as compromised, or even as colorful characters, before their alleged indiscretions were linked to conservative teaching on gender roles.