Administrative commissions with chilling powers eyed for 2 small churches weighing future in PCUSA
By Patrick Jean, The Layman, June 2, 2008
A regional governing body of the Presbyterian Church (USA) in Indiana is considering harsh action against two small congregations that are rethinking their future in the denomination.
“The only problem is they don’t agree with us. That bothers us that they said one thing and are doing another.”
Rev. Jason Banz, pastor of College Corner Presbyterian Church, College Corner, Ohio At their stated meeting June 4, Whitewater Valley Presbytery commissioners are scheduled to vote on a recommendation from the presbytery’s committee on ministry to form two administrative commissions: one for First United Presbyterian Church (aka College Corner Presbyterian Church) in College Corner, Ohio, and one for Wallace Street Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis, Ind.
According to the recommendation, the commissions’ powers would include two chilling functions “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.” This would 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)”.
The committee on ministry also offers a frosty conclusion in its background information supporting the recommendations: “The COM sincerely hopes that no other churches will seek separation.”
“They’ve certainly asked for powers that we don’t think are justified,” said the Rev. Jason Bantz, College Corner Church’s pastor of 11 years. “We think – this session, the elders and myself – are not leading a church in schism, even though there’s disagreement amongst the minority group of the church. We’re able to lead, spiritually and physically, and provide for what the church needs in decency and order.
“I think what really bothered us is that in the [presbytery’s] guidelines for the advisory task forces, it says that in consultation, in the guiding principles, it acknowledges that a local congregation ‘may question whether, if in good conscience, it may continue to participate as a part of this unity,’ ” Bantz said. ” ‘If the presbytery and congregation together conclude that a substantial majority of the congregation are determined to separate from the Presbyterian Church (USA), the presbytery shall commit itself to a faithful and equitable process through which the congregation may be dismissed to another denomination.’
“Well, it is a substantial majority,” he said. “The only problem is they don’t agree with us. That bothers us that they said one thing and are doing another.”
Bantz thinks his church’s relationship with Whitewater Valley Presbytery worsened after presbytery representatives “really got to hear the passions of people” at meetings with church members in February and March. When church and presbytery officials met in March, “it didn’t really seem like they were hearing us there,” he said.
Then came a recommendation from presbytery officials, at a May 14 meeting with church officials, that those in College Corner Church who wanted to leave the PCUSA should do so individually and start their own EPC congregation, Bantz said. “There was, in their mind, 30 people that would form a core here and God could begin anew in another renewing work,” he said. “And we were just really incredibly surprised at their recommendation.”
Bantz said his church has filed a property ownership lawsuit and obtained a temporary restraining order against the presbytery in advance of the June 4 meeting. “Beyond that, with disaffiliation, we’ve been thinking and praying about it,” he said of his 130-member church. “It doesn’t look like they’re going to dismiss us, and we’ve been thinking and praying about that as an option.” Bantz said he has been searching for the “right balance between the way to speak graciously toward the denomination, because there’s many good things going on, but we want to have firmness too in standing up for what we really believe we need to as Christians. We don’t want to disparage anybody, but we do think it’s time for our church to go a different way, and we’re not sure there’s been a lot of fairness in how that’s been handled.”
The Rev. Robert “Bob” Anderson, Whitewater Valley’s interim executive presbyter, declined to comment beyond the following statement:
“What you saw on the [presbytery’s] Web site is the content of the administrative commissions for now, and that’s there for you to see. They’re the typical powers that an AC has.
“We’ve been working with both congregations – College Corner and Wallace Street – with advisory teams that have no powers, guiding them through a discernment process with prayer, worship and conservation. They’ve been done very well. We’ve met with the congregations. We’ve had conversations with both churches and their members and their pastors and their sessions, and we intend to continue those conversations into the future as we negotiate how they will exit.
“In order to make a recommendation to the presbytery, we need to become an administrative commission. Hence, the administrative commission. We’ve been working with both churches for six months, and we are at those points where we can begin to make those recommendations and hence, the vote for the administrative commission.”
A message left by The Layman for Martha McDonald, moderator of the presbytery’s committee on ministry, was not returned.
The Rev. Douglas Barnes, pastor of Wallace Street Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis, also could not be reached for comment. His church had 160 members in 2006, the most recent year for which PCUSA congregational statistics are available.