First Presbyterian Church (FPC) of Milford has been dismissed from the Presbyterian Church (USA), but a final written agreement with Lehigh Presbytery has not been reached.
Doug Jacobs, an elder with FPC-Milford, said the church of about 200 members located east of Scranton in Pennsylvania near the New York and New Jersey borders has been dismissed to join the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC).
Jacobs said the church membership became very frustrated with things being done by the PCUSA at the General Assembly about 10 years ago. He indicated that church leaders voiced their displeasure and on at least two occasions withheld its per capita.
“We got the impression the church was trying to be all-inclusive but not doing so in a Biblical fashion,” Jacobs said. “We felt it was not being true to Scripture with groups being brought into the church. Biblically, there was no truth in a lot of decisions. The Bible was almost like a good handbook but not necessarily the authoritative Word of God. People were leading lives as unrepentant sinners, and that was alright with the PCUSA.”
The Milford session began to research a possible move to the EPC about three years ago, what it was about and had to offer to determine if it would be a comfortable and fulfilling move to make.
Jacobs said Milford was drawn to the EPC because of its approach to bringing people to the Lord and its acceptance of the Bible as God’s infallible Word.
“It’s a much more conservative denomination that makes it very clear that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God,” Jacobs said. “That’s where it begins, where it is and where it ends. We’re all together in our evangelism and trying to bring people to the Lord, things that are important to all of us in our faith.
“We’re on the same page.”
Milford leaders even attended several EPC meetings to make sure they “knew what they were running to instead of what they were running from.”
In the fall of 2011, Milford leaders contacted Lehigh Presbytery about the church’s intent to leave the PCUSA for the EPC. The presbytery formed a committee to meet with Milford, and in April 2012 terms of dismissal were negotiated.
In June of last year, the presbytery voted to dismiss Milford subject to its acceptance as part of the EPC, which was granted in September 2012.
Under terms of dismissal, Milford will provide approximately $16,000 to Lehigh Presbytery as descending payments of per capita over a four-year period and make a contribution of $1,550 annually for four years to the Presbyterian Mission Budget.
Milford also will be allowed to keep its property.
“Overall, it’s been fairly amicable,” Jacobs said of the dismissal process. “(The presbytery) adopted a dismissal policy, and we followed it. The frustration is trying to finalize what we agreed upon.”
Jacobs noted that finalization of the agreement reached between the parties is pending and is hopeful that will be resolved soon to complete the process.
“We’re all Christians trying to make the best of the situation,” he said. “We need to do something pleasing to the Lord in the way we resolve our differences.”