June 20 Today in OPC History

On this day in 1944, the Rev. William James Agnew finished his earthly race and joined the church triumphant. Agnew was born on November 30, 1869. He studied at Poynette Presbyterian Academy in Poynette, Wisconsin. Upon graduation he attended McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. He was ordained by the Winnebago Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church USA in 1901, serving for several years as the pastor of a PCUSA congregation in the small town of Sherry, Wisconsin. From there he was the stated supply for a Presbyterian church in nearby Athens, Wisconsin. He taught at the Academy and became its administrator in 1907. In 1911 he was named President and was instrumental in moving the school to Sherry, where it was renamed the Northwest Collegiate Institute. This school was described as a Christian educational institution that combined academic instruction, religious formation and agricultural self-support. He served as President for fifteen years.

In the early 1930s he moved to Deerfield, Illinois to serve a congregation in that Chicago suburb. When the Orthodox Presbyterian Church was formed in 1936, Rev. Agnew was enrolled in the Presbytery of the Chicago Area. That Presbytery was led by J. Oliver Buswell, who served as their moderator. When the Presbytery voted to leave the new denomination and join with the Bible Presbyterian Synod in 1937, William Agnew was the lone negative vote. His views were reported in the August 1937 issue of the Presbyterian Guardian: “The Rev. William J. Agnew of Deerfield, Ill., who refused to concur in the action of the majority, discussed the question in a recent trenchant letter. ‘At the meeting of presbytery only six members were present,’ said Mr. Agnew. ‘Five voted to withdraw from The Presbyterian Church of America. I took my stand on the opposite side and remained in the Presbytery of the Chicago Area. This presbytery may be small but it is still in existence. It is not possible to leave the church as a presbytery. Individual members join the presbytery which has been constituted by the Assembly. Individual members may leave the presbytery and the Assembly may dissolve the presbytery. These brethren were at liberty to leave the church as individuals, but could not take the presbytery with them. I considered it was in the Providence of God that this presbytery came into existence and believed, even as a minority, it was my duty and privilege to do my part in perpetuating it. The presbytery is in its infancy but doubtless God has a work for it to do. The field is large, the harvest is white, and the true gospel and faithful laborers are urgently needed." Agnew continued his ministry in Deerfield and his credentials were transferred to the Presbytery of Wisconsin. Although he was not able to be very active in the Presbytery of Wisconsin, Agnew remained a member in good standing until his death in 1944.

Picture: Northwest Collegiate Institute