Indiana church must pay
$42,500 to leave the PCUSA
The Layman, March 26, 2009
Doug Barnes, the pastor of Wallace Street Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis, says his congregation must pay the Presbytery of Whitewater Valley $42,500 to leave the Presbyterian Church (USA) and affiliate with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.
That negotiated settlement is roughly 10 percent of the value of the church’s property, which was recently appraised at $427,000. The payment is due on June 30, when the congregation will be officially dismissed.
All things considered, Barnes told The Layman, the amount was fair. The Wallace Street session had previously withheld $19,000 in per capita requests by higher governing bodies because of the congregation’s concerns about the direction of the PCUSA
“This is a one-time payment,” Barnes said. “We were happy when the commission was willing to forgive us for not paying the per capita.”
The Rev. T. Alan Thanes, executive presbyter, said the 13 months leading to the presbytery’s dismissal vote on March 9 was “certainly a hard process involving good people, brothers and sisters in Christ.”
Barnes agreed with that assessment and expressed his appreciation for the work of the administrative commission.