Ohio church votes to request dismissal from PCUSA despite threat of powerful administrative commission
By Patrick Jean, The Layman, June 4, 2008
A small Ohio church, despite facing the threat of an administrative commission with the power to remove its pastor and session, has voted to request dismissal from the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Vote to request dismissal
2 years in the making
College Corner Presbyterian Church (aka First United Presbyterian Church) in College Corner, Ohio, held congregational votes June 1 on a two-part recommendation from the church’s session:
- 1. The first part asked “that College Corner Presbyterian Church request dismissal from the PCUSA and seek admission into the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (into the New Wineskins Transitional Presbytery).”
- 2. The second part authorized the church’s session to proceed with disaffiliation from the PCUSA “if our congregation votes 66 percent or greater to be dismissed to the EPC and presbytery refuses dismissal.”
Slightly fewer than 100 of the church’s 130 members, or about 77 percent of the membership, took part in the vote, said the church’s pastor, the Rev. Jason Bantz. Of those, he said:
- 1. Eighty members, or 82 percent, voted to request dismissal and 17 members, or 18 percent, voted against the request.
- 2. Eighty members, or 86 percent, voted to authorize future disaffiliation proceedings and 13 members, or 14 percent, voted against the authorization.
The results were “a little bit better than expected,” Bantz said. “We’d never done an official straw poll. We had a lot of informal things. … We had hoped to get at least that 66 percent. A lot of us had been saying, ‘We really thought we had 75 percent,’ but we really had the 82.”
Bantz said he’ll share the results with Whitewater Valley Presbytery at its stated meeting June 4. Presbytery commissioners are scheduled to vote on a recommendation from the committee on ministry to form two administrative commissions: one for College Corner Church and one for Wallace Street Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis, Ind., which is also rethinking its future in the PCUSA.
According to the recommendation, the commissions’ functions would include two sweeping powers “to take effect when it should become evident to the commission that minister(s) or congregation members are moving toward expressing a desire for separation and the reconciliation is not likely”:
- 1. “Authority to dissolve the session and assume the full powers and jurisdiction of the session,” to occur when a church’s session “calls for a congregational meeting for the purpose of considering actions leading to separation from the PCUSA.” Also, if such a meeting “has occurred prior to this action of presbytery, the power shall be effective immediately.”
- 2. “Authority to dissolve the pastoral relationship upon evidence that the pastor has advocated separation from the denomination or upon renunciation of jurisdiction, fully observing the due process requirements of the [PCUSA] Constitution (G-9.0505b(2), G-6.0701, G-6.0702)”.
Bantz will propose an alternative: “They have a motion to form an administrative commission with that scope of powers to remove leadership. We’re going to provide a substitute motion to form an administrative commission not with those powers, but to work alongside of our session and work something out in terms of property.”
The substitute motion will be e-mailed to presbytery commissioners before the meeting. “We’re hoping that enough people stand up and say, ‘This is not appropriate right now,’ ” Bantz said.
College Corner Church has filed a property ownership lawsuit and obtained a temporary restraining order against the presbytery in advance of the June 4 meeting. “I think the session is well protected and the property [too],” Bantz said. “If they remove me, that’s an ecclesiastical court.”
Bantz cited four Biblical verses that have brought him and his church strength and comfort:
- “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” – Isaiah 41:10 (New International Version)
- Psalm 23 (“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want …”) ”
- “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” – Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
- “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.” – 2nd Thessalonians 2:15 (NIV)
“I’m not worried,” he said.