A series of developments over the past year has drawn growing attention to the institutional network historically associated with the late theologian R. C. Sproul. Events involving Saint Andrew’s Chapel, Ligonier Ministries, and Reformation Bible College have raised questions in Reformed circles following a denominational discipline case, the chapel’s withdrawal from the Presbyterian Church in America, and the recent excommunication of a prominent ministry leader.
The developments center on senior pastor Burk Parsons and Stephen Nichols, two figures closely connected to the institutions Sproul founded.
Ligonier Ministries was established in 1971 as a teaching ministry devoted to advancing historic Reformed theology through conferences, publications, and media outreach. In 1997, Sproul founded Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Florida, which became closely associated with the ministry’s teaching work. In 2011, Sproul also launched Reformation Bible College, an undergraduate institution dedicated to theological education and located adjacent to Ligonier’s headquarters. Because of overlapping leadership, faculty, and physical proximity, developments affecting one of these institutions often draw attention across the entire network.
In early 2025, the Central Florida Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in America initiated a judicial process against Parsons. The case reportedly involved more than forty-five hours of proceedings and testimony from fifty-five witnesses. According to reporting from several outlets, the presbytery’s judicial commission unanimously found Parsons guilty on several charges related to leadership conduct. Those findings included allegations that he had been harsh and unkind in interactions with others, that his leadership style had been domineering or autocratic, and that he had slandered or demeaned other servants or churches. The commission indefinitely suspended Parsons from the office of teaching elder within the PCA pending evidence of repentance and pastoral reflection. Reports emphasized that the charges did not involve criminal conduct or moral scandals such as sexual or financial wrongdoing.
Parsons announced plans to appeal the decision through the denomination’s judicial process. In the months that followed, the case became a source of tension within Saint Andrew’s Chapel. In December 2025, members of the congregation voted by a reported margin of 669 to 108 to withdraw from the PCA. The decision returned the church to the independent status it had held for most of its history prior to joining the denomination in 2023. Because Presbyterian polity places congregations under the authority of regional presbyteries, leaving the PCA ended the denomination’s jurisdiction over the church and its leadership.
The situation escalated in March 2026 when the session of Saint Andrew’s Chapel announced the excommunication of Dr. Stephen Nichols and his wife, Dr. Heidi Nichols. Nichols serves as president of Reformation Bible College and as chief academic officer and teaching fellow at Ligonier Ministries. In a letter distributed to members of the congregation, the church stated that the Nichols had been formally indicted on unspecified charges in 2025 and summoned to appear before the session. According to the letter, the Nichols initially did not respond to the indictments or appear for the proceedings. Church leadership later met with the Nichols, as the letter described, in what it called a final pastoral effort to address the situation. According to the session’s account, that meeting “did not produce repentance.” Because of the continued refusal to submit to the disciplinary process, a condition described in Presbyterian polity as contumacy, the session proceeded with excommunication. The letter emphasized that the action was not a judgment on the underlying accusations, which were not publicly disclosed, although the Nichols and the family of David Zima reportedly resigned from the church following its vote to leave the PCA.
The day after the church announced the Nichols’ excommunication, Reformation Bible College announced that Nichols would step down from the presidency after twelve years of leadership during what the school described as a season of transition. The announcement thanked Nichols for his years of service and stated that the leadership change will take effect in May. The statement did not reference the recent disciplinary action taken by the session of Saint Andrew’s Chapel.
It is important to note that Ligonier Ministries and Reformation Bible College are separate nonprofit organizations from Saint Andrew’s Chapel. Although the three institutions share historical roots in Sproul’s ministry and have long maintained close relationships in leadership and location, the church operates as an independent congregation responsible for its own membership and disciplinary decisions. Neither Ligonier Ministries nor Reformation Bible College has publicly addressed the recent church discipline involving Stephen and Heidi Nichols.
For decades, the institutions founded by Sproul have been widely respected across the evangelical and Reformed world for their commitment to confessional theology and biblical teaching. The events of the past year, however, have introduced a period of uncertainty within that institutional network. With several key developments still unfolding and many details remaining unclear, observers across Reformed circles continue to watch closely as the situation develops.
Note: As the recent letter to the church has been leaked on the internet and confirmed authentic, we have included it below in the interest of transparency and context.
Text of March 12th, 2026 letter:
Statement to the Members of Saint Andrew’s Chapel
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We write to inform you of a solemn and grievous action taken by the Session of Saint Andrew’s Chapel regarding Dr. Stephen Nichols and Dr. Heidi Nichols. After a prolonged process of pastoral engagement and ecclesiastical discipline, the Session has determined that excommunication is necessary due to their contumacy, that is, their willful refusal to submit to the authority of Christ exercised through His church.
In 2025, the Session issued formal indictments against Dr. Stephen Nichols and Dr. Heidi Nichols. These indictments required them to appear before the Session, the court of original jurisdiction, to answer the charges brought against them. Despite repeated attempts to secure their participation in this process, they did not appear nor respond to the citations issued by the Session.
In January 2026, due to their refusal to appear and answer the indictments, the Session suspended Dr. Stephen Nichols and Dr. Heidi Nichols from the Lord’s Table and the fellowship of the church. At that time they were admonished and urged to repent and submit to the lawful authority of the church.
In February 2026, a committee of elders met with Dr. Stephen Nichols and Dr. Heidi Nichols in a final pastoral effort to address the matter and seek reconciliation. According to the Session, this meeting did not produce repentance.
Because Dr. Stephen Nichols and Dr. Heidi Nichols have persisted in their refusal to submit to the authority of the church and have not repented of their contumacy, the Session has determined that the next step of discipline prescribed in Scripture must be taken.
On March 10, 2026, the Session of Saint Andrew’s Chapel therefore pronounced the sentence of excommunication against Dr. Stephen Nichols and Dr. Heidi Nichols. This action removes them from the sacraments and from the fellowship of the church.
This action is taken in obedience to the commands of Christ as given in Matthew 18:17–18 and in accordance with the teaching of 1 Timothy 5:20 and 2 Corinthians 2:5–11. The Westminster Confession of Faith teaches that church discipline is necessary for the reclaiming and gaining of offending brethren, for deterring others from the like offenses, for purging out that leaven which might infect the whole lump, for vindicating the honor of Christ, and for preventing the wrath of God from falling upon the church (WCF 30.3).
We take no pleasure in this action. The purpose of church discipline is always restorative. Our earnest prayer is that Dr. Stephen Nichols and Dr. Heidi Nichols will repent and be restored to fellowship with Christ and His church.
As members of Christ’s body at Saint Andrew’s Chapel, we urge you to receive this announcement with sobriety and humility. Please pray for the Nichols family, for the elders of this church, and for the peace and purity of Christ’s church.
This communication is for the members of Saint Andrew’s Chapel alone.
In Christ,
The Session
Saint Andrew’s Chapel
