A Wyoming congregation celebrating its centennial anniversary this year is doing so as a member of a different denomination.
First Presbyterian Church of Casper, founded in 1913, was dismissed from the Presbyterian Church (USA) during the Sept. 14 stated meeting of the Presbytery of Wyoming. The 108-member congregation is the first to be dismissed by the presbytery and has joined the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC).
FPC-Casper’s selection of the EPC as its new home was predicated on the denomination’s seriousness regarding the authority of Scripture. Allowing the ordination of women to positions of leadership within the church, the fact that EPC was more established than ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians and a fondness for unity in the essential tenets also were areas of focus in choosing a new denominational affiliation.
Reversing a trend
Pastor Paul Kuhn, who has been at FPC-Casper for four years, said the church once was home to a membership of about 1,500 in the 1970s, but the numbers have dwindled considerably since then, making it difficult to fill up what he called a “magnificent building” with three levels.
There is hope that the change in denominational affiliation may reverse that trend and bring people to the church, located in Natrona County of south-central Wyoming along Interstate 25.
“We have an older population (three members are 100 or older), and there has been a real challenge to get people in and fill up our sanctuary,” Kuhn said. “We think moving to the EPC will help that.”
Kuhn said the congregation’s focus is on Reformed theology and Biblical teachings, placing an emphasis on Scripture and putting it at the center of everything the church is associated with as it seeks to reach out to people and share God’s Word with them.
A lack of regard for Scriptural authority was a driving force in FPC-Casper’s decision to seek a new denominational tie.
The passage of Amendment 10A, allowing the ordination of homosexuals as pastors, elders and deacons, in May 2011, and approval of the new Form of Government (nFOG), heightened the need for leadership at FPC-Casper to give more serious consideration to the future of a congregation committed to Scripture.
“The most fundamental point that was a problem with the PCUSA was that we had an entirely different view of what it means to hold the Scripture as authoritative,” Kuhn explained. “The PCUSA says a lot of right things about Scripture, but the standards of the church don’t tell us the PCUSA understands Scripture the same way we do. It’s a different understanding.”
Kuhn continued, “There was just so much dismay with what was happening in the PCUSA. We could stay in the PCUSA or be faithful and go somewhere else. We talked about it and prayed about it. There was a sense we really had to do something. We could no longer support the programs, policies and direction of the PCUSA. There was a sense we were in foreign territory. The church most of us grew up in was no longer there, giving a sense we weren’t fully welcome any longer.”
After the FPC-Casper congregation celebrated its centennial anniversary in March, its session voted unanimously to recommend seeking dismissal from the PCUSA and sent a letter informing the presbytery of its intent in May.
Kuhn indicated that more than 90 percent of the active voting members were in favor of dismissal and affiliation with the EPC.
That initiated work with a Presbytery Engagement Team (PET) and the formation of a congregational committee that hammered out details of a separation agreement in a timely manner that led to the September dismissal.
“I give the presbytery credit for a willingness to work with us to get (the dismissal) done quickly,” Kuhn said. “I think they understood our urgency. With some older members, it was upsetting to them to be in such a state of uncertainty.”
It didn’t hurt that the presbytery office was located just across the street from the church.
“We knew each other and had some history together, so that certainly helped the process go more quickly,” Kuhn surmised. “There were differing attitudes about the process, but everyone was willing to work with the church and move the process along, even though some members of presbytery were upset we were leaving.”
The presbytery did not respond to an email about the dismissal sent by The Layman.
Talking terms
According to the separation terms to keep the church property, FPC-Casper had to change its name and now is known as First Presbyterian Church, EPC-Casper. Additionally, the church was required to pay a total of $118,000 to the presbytery.
Ninety-four percent of active voting members agreed to accept the terms, though there were varying views on the amount required by the presbytery.
“The predominant view was that it was an awful lot, but this really is about us moving forward,” Kuhn said. “It’s pretty clear the congregation is united in saying it’s time to move on. We just have to trust in God to provide.”
Looking ahead
Even though the process has wrapped up and the congregation is beginning a new chapter in its history as part of a different denomination, some concern and uncertainty remains, Kuhn admitted, though he said those feelings seem to be outweighed by relief to be heading in a different direction.
“There is a great sense of relief on the part of many members because we no longer have to fight those (denominational) battles,” he said. “We can focus on the Great Commission, the direction our session has conscientiously tried to move the church in. We need to be about that. We’re looking to bring in people now that we are aligned with a more conservative denomination.”