Editor’s note: The duly-elected session of Central Presbyterian Church called a congregational meeting in January for the purpose of voting on the following question “Shall Central Presbyterian Church ask Northeast Georgia Presbytery to dismiss it, with its property, to the Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians, according to conditions acceptable to the Session and Church Treasurer?” Subsequently, the presbytery’s Administrative Commission asserted original jurisdiction, replaced the session with itself, and changed the question. At the congregational meeting, through the appropriate use of Robert’s Rules and the PCUSA Book of Order, the question was restored and answered in the affirmative by an 82 percent majority.
By Lee Shearer, Online Athens (Georgia).
Dissident members of Athens’ Central Presbyterian Church voted by a wide margin Sunday to leave the mainstream Presbyterian Church (USA) denomination and affiliate with a more conservative branch — and to take the church’s property with them.
Whether they will ultimately succeed remains to be seen.
About 300 men, women and children packed the church sanctuary for Sunday afternoon’s special meeting, and more than 200 of them filed to the front of the church to be certified as active members and cast a simple ballot — yes or no to the question of leaving the Presbyterian Church in the USA and affiliate instead with the ECO branch of Presbyterianism.
Fewer than 1 in 5 wanted to stay in the Presbyterian Church (USA), also called PCUSA, which sanctions same-sex marriage and the ordination of women.
When Pastor Bob Bohler announced the ballot results at the end of the two-hour meeting, 159 voted to be “dismissed with property,” 36 to stay. Eleven ballots were tossed into a “provisional” pile — names of members who were not on the church’s active roll — but a majority of them also voted to leave and at any rate were not enough to change the decisive majority in favor of disaffiliation from the Presbyterian Church (USA) and join ECO, or An Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians.
Read the AC’s Jan. 24, 2016 letter to Central Presbyterian Church
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The session refused to pledge allegiance to the PCUSA, so the Administrative Committee (AC) dissolved the session. They have promised that a new session will be elected.
A vote was held that indicates that about 80 percent of the congregation wants to leave the PCUSA for the ECO. One wonders how a session acceptable to the AC can be elected with a congregation so intent on leaving the PCUSA.
Although Paul wrote:
“Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.” (2 Cor. 13:11)
One wonders how one can be encouraged by the actions of this AC. Certainly, the AC and the congregation are not of “one mind”, nor does there seem be any love and peace in this mess.
I have been following this church, and others that are also, trying to leave the PCUSA organization. PCUSA and many liberals want people to believe that this is all about same sex marriage but conservative Presbyterians are more alienated by the bigger issue that PCUSA is not following the Word of God, probably in an attempt to draw in new blood to an organization that is floundering! I have been to NE Georgia Presbytery meetings to see how they would handle these matters and I can tell you that they have been heavy handed and unfair to these churches. In every instance within our area that a church has asked to leave the Presbytery it has immediately given the AC Original Jurisdiction, which gives the AC the authority to dismiss the Session that the church body has chosen to represent them and replace them with a new Session. In NONE of these cases was Original Jurisdiction requested by the AC nor was it warranted by actions of a “loose cannon” Session that needed to be dismissed. The Presbytery granted OJ in these cases to show everyone who is in charge and to ensure that they got their way. Beginning “discussions” by slapping OJ on the table is tantamount to walking into a “discussion” and laying an axe handle on the table just to show everyone who is in charge. Northeast Georgia Presbytery is scared that they will go the way of the dinosaur and are wielding a big stick out of fear and desperation! This is not how Christians should be treating other Christians, or anyone else for that matter.
Being of one mind requires giving alliegiance to JESUS CHRIST
not the PC( USA).
Yes, indeed!
In fact it would be a good idea if every person in the Presbytery leadership, Synod, and OGA, PMB would be asked if they give their alliegance to Jesus Christ alone. I hope they would put that above anything else.
This incident at Central would not have happened if they put Chirst first
above any denomination.
Every person who is a member of Central Presbyterian Church joined that church and the Presbyterian Church USA. It is fine to want to change one’s church affiliation, but it is not fine to want to take the property, as well. We should hope for a reasonable resolution which will allow all to choose, once again, where and how they would like to worship and to maintain their membership. To expect anything else is unreasonable.
Most of the people joined this denomination under the Old Book of Order.
Most members do not know they are now under this new FOG.
Since the GA ignores the Book of Confessions, the covenant is broken
because that is part of our agreement when we join. No, the PCUSA has broken covenant by thieir actions (and orchestration of votes at Presbytery
over the way discernment works as Presbyterian). The session should
have more say in how the church and property goes and to which group
because they are voted on by the people and majority reflects God’s will.
But with the new NFOG it is hierarchial and top down with counsels over
the will of the majority. If only the PCUSA loved the church like Christ loved
the church (not the building) things would be peaceful.
That’s the church my dad grew up in and they send him and his two brothers to seminary. My grandmother and grandfather were members pretty much their entire lives. I wouldn’t presume to suggest how they’d have voted, but I am certain they would not like the direction taken by the PC(USA) over the last 30 years. I was able to transfer my ordination to ECO a year ago, and would love to see Central in ECO, too.