An evangelical Washington congregation steeped in traditional orthodoxy made its move to split from the Presbyterian Church (USA) and found a home with the newest Presbyterian denomination.
Ellensburg Presbyterian Church, a 260-member congregation founded in 1879, was dismissed from Central Washington Presbytery at the end of June and finalized its exit process from the PCUSA a month later to become part of ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians.
Formerly known as First Presbyterian Church of Ellensburg, the congregation is located in Kittitas County, about 100 miles east of Seattle.
“A lot of churches (in the presbytery) have been in contact for years about leaving the PCUSA or remaining faithful and fighting the battles. We had been talking about the issues going on in the PCUSA for a number of years,” said Al Sandalow, pastor of Ellensburg for the last 13 years. “We had to determine how we would know when that would be.”
The answer came when Amendment 10A, which deleted the explicit “fidelity/chastity” requirement from the constitutional ordination standard, and allowed the PCUSA to ordain gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people as deacons, elders and pastors, was approved in the spring of 2011.
“We knew then we had to do something or we would have people who would feel the need to find another congregation,” said Sandalow, adding that the PCUSA’s inability to articulate its beliefs also was a driving force in the decision to depart the denomination.
“Frankly, one of the final nails in the coffin was a statement of no need to consult the confessions when taking action,” he continued. “It was a lack of denominational standards, being unable to come to a conclusion of what it believes. If the church cannot define its beliefs, what is the use in being part of a group like that?”
Sandalow said that was not the case with ECO, and Ellensburg came to the conclusion that the new denomination was the appropriate choice for the congregation’s future after several representatives attended the ECO gathering in Orlando, Fla.
“When we sat down with ECO (officials), there was a clear definition of what they believe, and they are unashamed of the Gospel they cling to,” Sandalow offered. “The PCUSA could not broadly define what we ought to be about, and it was nice to have a church that can tell you what it’s all about like we found in ECO.”
Sandalow said there is a recognition by ECO that the Presbyterian church is changing, and ECO’s calling is one to offer something different through covenantal relationships, accountability, affinity groups and a missional focus, all centered on a strong and stated belief system.
Ellensburg also was inspired by the fact that a number of other congregations from Central Washington Presbytery planned to depart for the new denomination. Since the start of 2012, at least 14 congregations have left or are in the process of leaving the presbytery and PCUSA.
Of those departing, eight have or will align with ECO, five have joined the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) and one became part of the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC).
“We’re glad that a lot of other churches from our presbytery are joining with us,” Sandalow said. “The PCUSA does not function on a model we think works anymore, and it was time to make a move.”
Gaining dismissal
Ellensburg started seriously discerning its denominational affiliation in the fall of 2011 and by the summer of 2012 had initiated the dismissal process with the presbytery.
In early 2013, an Administrative Commission (AC) was formed by the presbytery to begin negotiations for dismissal.
Once an agreement was in place, the congregation was dismissed during the June 30 presbytery meeting, and the process was finalized on July 30 when a quitclaim deed was presented for the church following its payment to Central Washington.
Ellensburg was required to pay three years of per capita, AC costs and property transfer fees, all totaling approximately $30,000. In addition, the church name had to be changed from First Presbyterian Church of Ellensburg to Ellensburg Presbyterian Church, a name previously held in 1885.
“The presbytery is going to go through a time of transition, so we thought that was a fair amount to give some cushion,” Sandalow said of the payment made for dismissal.
Leaving with good feelings
Noting that Central Washington is an evangelical, conservative presbytery, Sandalow said he and his congregants were pleased with the way the dismissal process was handled.
“I can’t say enough good things about how the presbytery handled this – fairly, generously and intelligently,” he said. “It was not about acrimony or because we were angry. Things just were not working for us. There was sadness about being brought to this point within our presbytery, but there also was an understanding of why. We left on good terms because the presbytery folks did a very good job. We still feel like we can work together with the presbytery. This was not about them but the PCUSA.”
Sandalow said the move from the PCUSA to ECO has served as a calming influence in many ways.
“We lost some people because of things going on in the PCUSA, and many people were not taking a chance to get to know us as a congregation because of the PCUSA, what they knew about the denomination and did not trust,” he said. “We believe the changes in the PCUSA not only will continue but accelerate, and we had to differentiate ourselves.”
There is a feeling that a future in ECO has been embraced by members of the Ellensburg congregation who seem to share a positive attitude about the direction the church is headed now.
“There is a positive attitude among our people,” Sandalow said. “In some ways, nothing has changed. We’re not much different from who we were. But, there is a lot of excitement about being out of the PCUSA and where we are headed now that we are in ECO. That’s encouraging.”
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I just moved to Ellensburg to re-enter the University from Grace Pres. in Yakima. I read about the ECO because i noticed the name change and the links on the web page, but until i read this article i had no idea what was behind the changes. Thank you for your outstanding leadership and decision making.