A Pennsylvania congregation that severed ties with the Presbyterian Church (USA) in the fall of 2012 has affiliated with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC).
Fairview Presbyterian Church, located in rural Chester County west of Philadelphia, was accepted into the EPC in February after being dismissed from the Presbytery of Donegal in September.
Following a path similar to other churches, the congregation of approximately 180 members opted to flee the PCUSA because of theological shifts within the denomination. And, like other churches before them, Fairview’s members took exception with the May 2011 approval of Amendment 10A, which deleted the explicit “fidelity/chastity” requirement from the constitutional ordination standard, and now allows the PCUSA to ordain gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people as deacons, elders and pastors.
“Fairview has been unhappy with the denominational drift of the PCUSA for many, many years,” said the Rev. Dr. Mark Atkinson, who has been pastor of the church for seven years. “The dissatisfaction has been growing for a very long time. The vote for 10A was not the exact cause, but it was a symptom.”
Atkinson said Fairview’s membership was in hopes that the General Assembly (GA) would declare that Jesus Christ was the only way to salvation, a stance the GA was unwilling to take. As a result of that and the approval of Amendment 10A, a number of people left the Fairview congregation because it did not immediately disassociate itself from the PCUSA.
There were a number of internal discussions that took place in the church, and the session submitted its formal request to enter the discernment process in November 2011 following a unanimous vote.
The congregation voted 95-6 to seek dismissal and join the EPC, a request that was upheld by the presbytery without any objection.
Atkinson said Fairview agreed to pay three years of per capita that totaled approximately $15,000 as terms of dismissal agreed to by both sides. He said the parting was on friendly terms, though the process was tedious at times, noting that his congregation was not interested in burning bridges.
Atkinson said Fairview had been reducing its per-capita payments because of its frustration over the GA’s endorsement of partial-birth abortions. He said members also were disturbed that the presbytery often silenced its voice of opposition against such actions. The church tried to communicate its reason for withholding per capita with the Office of the General Assembly (OGA), but Donegal paid the portion if there were sufficient funds available, thus muting the protest of the church to the GA.
“We felt we had no voice with the national denomination,” Atkinson said.
Fairview also considered the Presbyterian Church America (PCA) and ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians before opting to seek the EPC as its new denominational home.
“Once we made the decision to seek dismissal, we knew a number of churches that already had left (the PCUSA) for the EPC and others were in the process of leaving,” Atkinson said. “We had built allegiances with those churches through the years and were all friends, so it seemed like a natural fit for us.
“God made it clear that the EPC was where He was leading us.”
Atkinson said it was a difficult decision for him to leave the PCUSA for the EPC – until he attended a presbytery meeting for his congregation’s new denomination.
“My wife and I were the last to come on board with the decision to join EPC,” he said. “When I attended a presbytery meeting it was quite the revelation. When I walked in the room, I learned they shared my theology and sense of how God is at work in the Presbyterian Church. It was such a delight. I thought, ‘Wow! Why didn’t we do this sooner?’”
Atkinson said the EPC’s theology is in line with that of Fairview along with a true sense of community within the church and presbytery.
“It was like going into battle in a (Donegal) presbytery meeting or at GA,” Atkinson. “It’s nice not to be fighting anymore.”
Atkinson said his congregation was glad to have the dismissal process finished.
“Without a doubt, there is a sense of relief,” he said. “The last two years we have dealt with denominational matters, but now we can get back to God’s call. This is a whole different experience, something we can embrace and be enthusiastic about. We’re very much looking forward to our future and what God has in store for us. We can concentrate on the business at hand, which is doing the Lord’s work.”