 Montreat Presbyterian Church Presbytery dismisses congregation to EPC and creates 'continuing' PCUSA church; property issue unresolved By Patrick Jean Staff Writer The Layman Online Thursday, April 26, 2007 The fight by Montreat Presbyterian Church to leave the Presbyterian Church (USA) is over, with the Presbytery of Western North Carolina voting to dismiss the congregation so that it may join the smaller, more conservative Evangelical Presbyterian Church. And just to muddy the waters further, the dismissal vote created a "continuing" Montreat Presbyterian Church that will keep the church name and is designated "the true church within the PCUSA." Between 300 and 400 people attended the presbytery's meeting April 24 at the Montreat Conference Center. The approximately 100 visitors witnessed often contentious debate lasting more than three hours on the dismissal question and about one hour on the property question. In the end, commissioners voted 185-69 to dismiss the church's congregation to the EPC and 174-35, with one abstention and one ballot voided as "faulty," to take possession of the church property pending further study. The congregation worships in Gaither Chapel at Montreat College, while its offices and classrooms are in the Henry Building. Morning sets tone Visitors who arrived for the morning session got a preview of the emotional discussion to follow that afternoon. Discussion of the rules for debating the dismissal and property votes ran more than 40 minutes into the meeting's allotted lunch time. Sam Hope, a member of the steering committee that sought to keep the Montreat Presbyterian Church name within the PCUSA, offered to submit a paper containing the names of 317 people who he said wanted a "continuing church" in the denomination. But others questioned the validity of the names since only 27 Montreat Presbyterian Church members voted to stay in the PCUSA on Jan. 21, while 311 voted to go. In the end, the paper was not submitted. The Rev. Don Scofield, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Rutherfordton and head of the presbytery task force that wrote the recommendations on Montreat Presbyterian Church's dismissal request, told commissioners his panel took four factors into consideration:
Adam Boyd, an elder at Montreat Presbyterian Church, told commissioners there is no division in his congregation. "Of the 27 people we know who voted to remain in the PCUSA," he said, "everyone that we are aware of said that while they would choose to remain in the PCUSA individually, they would not leave our church." Boyd disagreed with those who likened it to a divorce. "We are brothers and sisters, and brothers and sisters never divorce," he said. "We are your brothers and sisters who are called to serve our Father in the EPC." Boyd also told commissioners that regardless of their vote, there would be an Evangelical Presbyterian Church congregation in Montreat. "Our children are going to grow up serving together in these two churches ... and telling the story of what this body decides to do today," he said. "And it's going to be one of two stories: "They're either going to tell a story of strife and ugliness, Christians arguing with each other, Christians being judged by one another. It's a story the world loves to tell, a story of Christians fighting, of Christians proving that we don't love each other the way we say we do. They're either going to tell that story, or they're going to tell the story of the Presbytery of Western North Carolina leaving a sister church in charity. They're going to tell a story of Christians proving their love for one another in their actions and deeds." Dozens of commissioners followed, speaking for and against dismissal:
The Rev. Lynn Webber, stated supply for Westminster Presbyterian Church in Asheville, proposed a substitute motion not to dismiss the Montreat Presbyterian Church. She likened the vote for dismissal to a vote for apostasy in the PCUSA – the same argument made by the Rev. Albert G. "Pete" Peery Jr., pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Asheville, in a letter mailed to commissioners. Webber's substitute motion was defeated. The Rev. Dr. Brad Long, executive director of Presbyterian Reformed Ministries International, proposed removing three sections from the presbytery task force's recommendation on the church's dismissal request:
The vote in favor of the dismissal request came about 5 p.m., more than three hours after the debate began. The recommended decision included one key change from what was reported April 16 by The Layman Online: The original recommendation said the presbytery would "dismiss (pursuant to Book of Order [clause] 11.0103i) the EPC Congregation to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, upon a request from the EPC presbytery stated clerk, with the blessings and prayers of the presbytery for its faithful and fruitful service to the Lord." The revised recommendation said the presbytery would "dismiss (pursuant to BO: 11.0103i) the EPC Congregation without the property (since this matter is dealt with Part II) to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church ..." Property debate begins With the Montreat Presbyterian Church congregation dismissed as the "EPC Congregation," commissioners turned their attention to what to do about the church's property. Scofield laid out the task force's recommendations and said the panel felt a six-month waiting period to determine the church property's ownership was best. The Rev. Richard White, pastor of Montreat Presbyterian Church, told commissioners that the "EPC Congregation" never asked to be dismissed with its property, but that it owns the property under state law. North Carolina General Statute 61-2 covers church property. Titled "Trustees may hold property," it states: "The trustees and their successors have power to receive donations, and to purchase, take and hold property, real and personal, in trust for such church or denomination, religious society or congregation; and they may sue or be sued in all proper actions, for or on account of the donations and property so held or claimed by them, and for and on account of any matters relating thereto. They shall be accountable to the churches, denominations, societies and congregations for the use and management of such property, and shall surrender it to any person authorized to demand it." Williamson cited the Ten Commandments in arguing against the property recommendation. "You shall not covet your neighbor's house," he said. "You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or his maidservant or his ox or his ass or anything that is your neighbor's. The property is entitled to the trustees of Montreat Presbyterian Church. They own it, they've worked for it, they gave sacrificially for it, it is theirs. I pray that this presbytery will not covet its neighbor's property." The Rev. Lamar Williamson, a retired pastor in Montreat and a member of the task force, said the task force doesn't want to claim the property. "What we do want is the time ... for some serious, open negotiation" to reach a "least-objectionable, most-acceptable" settlement, he said. Some of the other commissioners who spoke offered opinions for or against the property recommendation, but others had questions about the language in the recommendation or wanted to know what was in the Book of Order that gave the presbytery the right to the property – or what was in the Bible that gave the "EPC Congregation" claim to the property. The Rev. Lee Kruse proposed an amendment that the property automatically go to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church if the presbytery or any of its members sues the "EPC Congregation." Her proposal was defeated. The vote in favor of the property recommendation came at about 6:15 p.m., about an hour after the debate began. Twelve commissioners, including Parker Williamson, requested that their dissenting votes on the dismissal and property recommendations be officially included in the presbytery's meeting minutes. Months in the making Here is a brief background of the Montreat Presbyterian Church congregation's action to leave the PCUSA:
The dismissal vote authorized the chairs of the presbytery's committee on ministry and coordinating council, along with the general presbyter, to appoint an administrative commission to act as the session for the "continuing Montreat Presbyterian Church." The vote also voids the dismissal if the "EPC Congregation" or any of its members brings a civil lawsuit against the presbytery. The task force then would become an administrative commission with original jurisdiction over the congregation and the powers and responsibilities of a session. The property vote lets the presbytery "hold and manage" the church property in trust for the mission of the presbytery and the PCUSA while the task force studies the issue. The task force is to hold meetings for up to six months to reach a settlement concerning the property. Two representatives from each of the following parties are invited to take part in the meetings:
Until then, the Henry Building is to be shared by the "EPC Congregation," which gets 90 percent of the space, and the "continuing Montreat Presbyterian Church," which gets 10 percent. Both congregations are officially in the presbytery's prayers. The Rev. George Gunn, stated supply of Fletcher Presbyterian Church in Newland, proposed a resolution saying the churches "share a common mission" and that the presbytery should continue to pray for both. It passed shortly before the meeting adjourned after nine hours. "I just pray that Jesus Christ is honored in all of this, and that our process doesn't become blocked in the language," White said after the meeting. Patrick Jean is a staff writer for The Layman and The Layman Online. He can be reached at pjean@layman.org. |
|
Respond to this article |
|
| Home
· Archives
· The
Layman ·
PLC
Publications Presbyterian Lay Committee · Feedback · Links |
|