The familiar passage found in Jeremiah 29:11 sums up the mantra of Church of the Valley in California these days.
That passage reads, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV)
It’s that promise of hope for a better future that Pastor Mike Clark and his congregants are leaning on as they seek to continue their ministry in Apple Valley following Church of the Valley’s dismissal from the Presbyterian Church (USA) to become part of ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians.
“That hope of a promise for a future brings a lot of excitement for us to see what Christ can do in this area,” Clark said following his church’s Nov. 16, 2013, dismissal from the PCUSA by Riverside Presbytery. “We feel like a burden has been lifted from our shoulders. We’re free from political wrangling and theological division. We have re-affirmed the essential tenets of the Reformed faith as we strive to reach out to this area and share Christ.”
A mind for missions
Located in San Bernardino County in the “high desert” of Apple Valley northeast of Los Angeles en route to Las Vegas, Church of the Valley is the only Reformed Presbyterian congregation in an area with a population of approximately 400,000 people, Clark said.
Founded in 1949, the church of 400 members has seen its attendance fluctuate over the years, growing from 100 in its founding days to more than 1,000 at one time. Even with such increases and decreases, the call has remained the same: to reach people of the high desert area with the Gospel of Christ.
“We have a huge area we want to reach through Christ; there is a great opportunity for ministry here,” Clark said. “At the forefront of our missional work is the ministry of caring for a lot of people, and we try to reach those in need with our outreach programs.”
Focusing its efforts in an economically-depressed area, Church of the Valley offers a food bank and clothes to families and individuals, many of them homeless and impoverished.
“We see ourselves being evangelical, following Biblical authority, seeking a fresh movement of the Holy Spirit and being missional by reaching out with the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Clark said.
Finding the right fit
Like many other congregations in California, Church of the Valley found that the PCUSA was no longer the denomination that fit its calling to evangelize and approach ministry with a missional emphasis. There was a strong sense of accountability and encouragement offered by ECO, which made an impact in Church of the Valley’s decision to join the new denomination.
“There are many churches in our situation. Quite a few have made the move, and many more are in the process,” Clark said. “We have a kinship with our sister churches in ECO. We are encouraged to expand our discipleship, not only to bring people to Christ but also to affirm and strengthen our own disciples here in the church.”
Clark said ECO offers a firm adherence to Biblical authority found to be lacking in the PCUSA, as well as more authority given to local congregations and an emphasis on missions and affinity groups. ECO also allows a church to maintain the title to its property rather than having it held in trust as is the case with the PCUSA.
Citing ECO’s motto of “baptizing more than we bury,” Clark pointed out that was happening at Church of the Valley where there have been 40 baptisms and the addition of 160 members in the last five years.
“There is a feeling that God is doing great things here in the High Valley,” he said. “There is such a need here, and it is an exciting time to be focused on such a mission together.”
Time to make a move
Church of the Valley really began to take a serious look at denominational issues in the summer of 2010. During a session retreat in July of that year, issues such as sexual orientation, abortion and a lack of authority of Scripture were discussed, and there was exploration regarding the congregation’s stance on such issues.
“We felt we were being shackled by division and the type of discussion going on in the PCUSA,” Clark said. “It felt (the national denomination) was becoming a hindrance to our mission in the valley. We require an adherence to Biblical authority, and we were not finding that in the PCUSA. We were spending too much time dealing with the internal struggles of the PCUSA, and what the denomination wanted to do with property became a concern when we found out that use of our facilities may be jeopardized.”
When Amendment 10A (allowing the ordination of homosexuals as deacons, elders and pastors) was passed in May of 2011, it caused great concern within Church of the Valley and showed a breakdown in Biblical authority by the PCUSA. Following additional session meetings and town hall forums with the congregation as well as attendance at the August 2011 gathering of Fellowship of Presbyterians, session members voted 16-0 in February 2012 to seek dismissal. A non-binding straw poll of the congregation yielded a 202-2 margin of support for such a move, and the session sent a letter of notification to Riverside Presbytery.
The presbytery adopted its dismissal policy in June 2012, and Church of the Valley followed the necessary steps to come to an agreement that led to departure from the PCUSA, reaching a financial settlement in October 2013. Seventy-five percent of the active members voted during an Oct. 27 meeting to approve terms of dismissal by a margin of 285-12 with three abstentions.
Holding on to property
To leave the denomination with its property, including 10 acres of land and a number of buildings, Church of the Valley agreed to make a one-time payment of $351,865 to Riverside Presbytery within 30 days of dismissal (by Dec. 15).
Included in that payment was unpaid per capita from 2011-2013 and per capita for 2014-2016, all totaling $93,342, as well as a one-time contribution of $21,381 to the presbytery for missions.
Using the October 2012 Permanent Judicial Commission ruling from Wilber Tom, David Hawbecker and Thomas Conrad vs. the Presbytery of San Francisco, the presbytery determined an amount of $237,142 was to be paid for the property.
“When it came right down to it for us to have control of the property for about $360,000 made sense,” Clark said. “In looking at our alternatives, it would have cost us a lot more to start over, probably millions of dollars. And we could not pursue legal action in the courts because we could not challenge (the trust clause). We would have liked to use that money for local missions, but we did what we needed to do.”
Church of the Valley is the beneficiary of two trust endowments held by the Presbyterian Foundation, and interest from those accrue to the benefit of the presbytery upon departure of a congregation. Upon departure from the PCUSA, Church of the Valley will lose $1,721.25 annually. In consideration of that income to the presbytery and loss of revenue to the congregation, Riverside gave Church of the Valley credit for eight years of future interest, reducing its total payment by $13,770.
Time to go to work
Clark said the process was frustrating because it took a while to complete, but the congregation looks to move forward with its ministry and witness.
“It was a process that lasted longer than anyone wanted, but it was one taken so that both the church and presbytery would feel due process had been carried out,” he explained. “It turned out that it was important there were a lot of meetings so there wouldn’t be any misunderstandings.”
The final result proved to be an agreement both sides could abide by in moving forward, independent of each other.
“We went through all the hoops and hurdles so that an agreement could be reached,” Clark said. “In the end it turned out to be a process that worked well for both sides.”
But the work is far from over for Church of the Valley.
“There is a sense of relief as well as a sense of grief and loss from the time and effort we put into the PCUSA, but we are looking forward to what we can do now,” Clark said. “It’s time to get our boots on and do ministry the way God has called us to do it. All this doesn’t mean much unless we get to work and serve Christ.”
Clark sees that happening with a congregation that seeks to share Jesus.
“This process has defined who we are and unified us even more in following the Holy Spirit,” he said. “We should be about Jesus first and foremost in everything we say and do. We’re excited about doing everything in a Christ-centered way that is Bible-led and energized by the Holy Spirit. This church is unified in what we want to do together and that’s to serve Christ in this community.”