‘Let my people go’
Texas presbytery expels pastors from Hispanic churches
By Jason P. Reagan, The Layman, March 2, 2012
A Texas presbytery kicked pastors out of three church buildings last week, following the Hispanic congregations’ decision to leave the denomination.
On Friday, Feb. 17, officials with Mission Presbytery ordered the pastors of El Principe de Paz Church in Mercedes, Iglesia Presbyteriana Getsemani in San Benito and Iglesia Presbyteriana San Pablo in Brownsville to immediately vacate church premises.
The presbytery moved quickly after the churches’ pastors and clerks sent the presbytery a letter announcing that all three congregations had voted to be dismissed to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) and that the churches’ pastors had renounced jurisdiction in the PCUSA.
Proclaiming their strong opposition to theological shifts within the Presbyterian Church (USA), the trio said the denomination had departed from “Christian Reformed Presbyterian doctrine” and that the presbytery harbored hostility “toward those that hold to the orthodox faith of the church.”
The letter also raised opposition to the presbytery’s latest dismissal policy and what it called the “historic decline of Hispanic ministries in Mission Presbytery.”
The group’s shared statement of theology within the letter states that recent denominational changes “demote the authority of Scripture,” singling out Amendment 10A.
Approved in May 2011, the amendment deleted the explicit “fidelity/chastity” requirement from the PCUSA constitutional ordination standard, and now allows the PCUSA to ordain gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people as deacons, elders and pastors.
On Feb. 13, Mission Stated Clerk Karen Stocks sent notice that, since all three pastors had renounced jurisdiction, they would be forced to leave church property by Feb. 17 – giving the pastors and churches about three days to prepare for the transition.
“The building was held in trust for the PCUSA and we all knew that,” said the Rev. Hector Reynoso of El Principe de Paz. “We had stated repeatedly that we were willing to walk away from it all if presbytery asked. Yet one day we were suddenly and violently asked to leave. The pastors were ordered to leave the buildings immediately,” he added.
Reynoso said that the three congregations, sessions and pastors previously agreed to leave as a united group. “We had agreed to stand as one as a testimony to our faith in Christ,” he said.
But leaving behind their building meant abandoning a century of ministry and memories. El Principe de Paz has met in its building for 45 years and will celebrate its 100th anniversary in November. Getsemani celebrated its centennial in 2011.
“Our congregations are mostly family congregations,” Reynoso said. He added, “The majority of the members are descendants of the founding members. The buildings belong to God. These buildings were provided to our congregations by God Himself. They were home to our people — they were a haven, a sanctuary.”
Compared to an average PCUSA church, the trio of congregations are small. Principe recorded 67 members in 2010 –Getsemani and San Pablo reported 123 and 30, respectively. None of the churches reported annual offerings higher than six figures – ranging from $28,000 to $88,000. The churches mostly minister to Hispanic families in an area already hit hard by economic distress.
Reynoso said that, while the churches remain united and plan to meet in other places, memories of the building are embedded deeply in the church community.
“Every single bench was donated by a family, so was the communion table and the baptistery,” he said. “Every ornament and banner was made by someone in the congregation.”
Nevertheless, Reynoso says the churches would rather be free of the PCUSA without a building.
“We are having a higher attendance now that we do not have the building — this has only made us stronger in the Lord,” he said, adding, “As far as I am concerned, do not give us the buildings back.”
Following the order to vacate, Reynoso said he promptly handed over the building keys, bank accounts, personal baptismal and wedding records.
Although not making specific allegations or naming names, Reynoso said it has been implied that not all items had been returned to the presbytery. “The word theft has been thrown around for a situation that [Mission] created. As far as I am concerned all missing items have been returned,” he said.
“We have no building, no assets, no finances and you dare imply we are thieves,” he added, in a letter to the presbytery.
Messages sent to officials at Mission Presbytery were not returned as of Friday, leaving open questions about the future of three empty buildings and about how the presbytery will fill the need for Presbyterian Hispanic churches in those towns.
The presbytery has already cut out some Hispanic-ministry resources including an onsite Hispanic ministry office, an associate executive presbyter position for Hispanic ministries and a former Hispanic Ministries Council.
Regardless of the future for the three EPC churches, Reynoso made it clear in a letter to Mission that the presbytery’s methods severely damaged any possible future relationships between them.
“Without a thought of the consequences, Mission moved merciless to cut off the head of each congregation,” he said.
“You treated us like animals, when we were willing to hand [the buildings] all over peacefully,” he added in the letter.
The pastor also said that e-mails were being circulated around Mission referring to him as a “Pharisee and a Sadducee.”
“You and I definitely do not serve the same God,” he told Mission officials in his recent letter.
Reaction to Mission’s actions have drawn strong criticism from other PCUSA churches.
In an open letter, the session of Community Presbyterian Church (CPC) of Ventura, Calif. called the measures “draconian” and stated that Mission officials could only “exacerbate the traumas tearing the PCUSA apart” with their decision.
“They have deepened our divisions and the distrust that expands with each day,” the session said.
Presbytery officials “understood their actions to be just and faithful,” the letter nonetheless states but accused Mission’s decision of being more about politics and less about spiritual matters.
“It appears the initial and continuing actions against the leaders and people of these three churches have been determined more by the pursuit of power, control and retribution than either pastoral concern for these congregations or desire to reflect God’s grace and goodness to them or the world.”
The CPC session also questioned an apparent lack of due process – that the decisions were not made by a committee on ministry or the presbytery as a body but by “a smaller group of persons working independently of proper structures.”
“This is not only contrary to Mission Presbytery’s own standards set forth in [the presbytery’s gracious dismissal policy], it usurps the authority and responsibility of the presbytery as set forth in the [PCUSA] Constitution,” the session said.
CPC called on Mission to return the property, materials and assets back to the churches and to grant them gracious dismissal to the EPC. The letter also urges the presbytery to investigate the dismissal process and policy to ensure they are “consistent with Scripture, the [PCUSA] constitution, and the p
resbytery’s own policies.”
Mission’s dismissal policy comprised at least one reason for the trio’s departure.
The churches stated the policy “does not allow a session or congregation to freely discuss the option of leaving” … [and] … has forced sessions and congregations to meet and hold conversations secretly in order for presbytery not to intervene.”
Mission’s dismissal policy states:
“When the leadership of the presbytery becomes aware that there is conversation in the session or congregation about leaving the denomination, visitation will be offered to the session of a listening team appointed by the moderator of presbytery, the executive presbyter, and the stated clerk…Should the congregation or its leadership refuse visits and discussion with the listening team and/or the resolution team, the council shall immediately recommend to the presbytery the formation of an administrative commission with authority to act for the presbytery in matters delegated to the administrative commission.”
According to churches, amendments to the policy were prohibited during deliberations.
The group pointed out that the dismissal policy grants “full power to the moderator of presbytery, the executive presbyter and the stated clerk to appoint a visiting team which will then become the resolution team in the process of dismissal.”
Reynoso said the plight of the three churches should sound a warning bell throughout the denomination.
“To the PCUSA … I say on behalf of the Lord; “Let my people go, so that they may [worship and serve the Lord],” he said. “PCUSA, you are holding people hostage with a property clause,” he warned.
“I wipe the dust off my feet and move on to worship and serve the Lord Jesus Christ.”