A South Carolina congregation received transitionally by the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) in March is now a formal member of the denomination.
Kershaw Presbyterian Church (KPC), located in upstate South Carolina, was dismissed from the Presbyterian Church (USA) March 13, 2014, by Providence Presbytery, less than a week after acceptance as an EPC transitional member. The 51-member congregation formally was received as a full member of the EPC on June 1.
The church, founded in 1891 in Lancaster County, started looking into the possibility of dismissal in July 2011, about two months after the PCUSA approved the ordination of gay pastors, elders and deacons with the passage of Amendment 10A, and sent a Resolution of Dissension informing the presbytery and all church session clerks of its intent to withhold all financial support to the denomination in November of that year.
That resolution read, “By adopting a new Form of Government (nFOG) and removing the fidelity and chastity standard through Amendment 10A, the Presbyterian Church (USA) has chosen a destructive path which fundamentally changes both the theology and polity of the denomination in a manner which betrays the foundational beliefs and tenets held and followed by this congregation; and these changes represent a warped world view, a significant departure from traditional Christian doctrine, including Presbyterian belief and governance, and a major disregard of Biblical standards and principles; and we believe these changes are not only detrimental to the Presbyterian Church (USA) as a whole but are also adverse to the best interests of each individual in this congregation and therefore adverse to the congregation as a body … .”
The Kershaw session began studying options for dismissal from the PCUSA after coming to its determination that the PCUSA had abandoned the teachings of the Bible. In August 2012 it requested a Presbytery Response Team (PRT) be formed to work through the dismissal process, and meetings between the PRT and session began in May 2013.
A June 27, 2013, straw poll showed 90 percent of church members in favor of leaving the PCUSA for another Reformed body, which turned out to be the EPC.
In December 2013, the session and PRT met and agreed that the congregation would pay $1,200 of unpaid per capita and $3,250 toward the presbytery’s mission budget to satisfy terms of dismissal.
On Jan. 12, 2014, nearly 80 percent of the congregation turned out for a vote on the terms (surpassing the 50 percent needed), and more than 84 percent (more than the 75 percent affirmative vote required) voted in favor of accepting the agreement to depart for ECO, leading to dismissal with property two months later.
According to information provided to The Layman by the session of KPC, the congregation was dismissed “with sadness” to the EPC by an overwhelming majority voice vote.
The EPC was selected as the congregation’s new denominational home after several members of the session attended a meeting of the Presbytery of Mid-Atlantic in September 2013 as invited guests and determined they felt they “had found a home.”
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Now this is how a gracious dismissal is done!
I predict this 51 member congregation will begin to grow.