Third church in Heartland Presbytery seeks to leave PCUSA, join EPC
By Patrick Jean, The Layman Online, October 1, 2007
For the third time this year, a congregation is asking that Heartland Presbytery dismiss it from the Presbyterian Church (USA) so that it may join the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.
Gashland Presbyterian Church in Kansas City, Mo., cited “some deep theological differences with many in the denomination and their tolerance of some very radical beliefs that … cannot be called Biblical or Christian” in scheduling the Sept. 23 congregational vote on requesting dismissal with its property. The result was 333 voting in favor of the request and 22 voting against, a church source said. There were two abstentions and five ballots are being checked on, the source said.
Gashland Church has about 575 active members, the source said. Heartland Presbytery is comprised of 108 congregations representing 25,844 members in Kansas and Missouri.
The request now goes to the presbytery, which authorized an administrative commission for the Gashland church back in June, the source said. Commission members will meet with the church’s session and its senior pastor, the Rev. Ed Longabaugh, but there is no timetable for the commission to make a recommendation to the presbytery, the source said.
Earlier in September, another administrative commission established by Heartland Presbytery rejected the requests of two Kansas congregations to be dismissed from the PCUSA. Hillsdale Presbyterian Church in Hillsdale voted 77-5 on June 10 to seek to leave the PCUSA and join the New Wineskins-EPC Transitional Presbytery, while First Presbyterian Church in Paola voted 200-81 on June 24 to seek to leave the PCUSA with its property and join the EPC.
On June 21, presbytery commissioners approved a policy advocating harsh actions against congregations that are thinking about, but haven’t actually voted on, withdrawal from the PCUSA. Policy highlights include:
- The right to dissolve a church’s session and take over a church if its session recommends a congregational meeting to vote on seeking dismissal from the PCUSA.
- A threat to dissolve a church’s pastoral relationship if that minister “advocates” for separation from the denomination. Members of congregations “who are concerned that their church leadership is contemplating separation” are encouraged to inform the presbytery’s committee on ministry, the policy states.
- A listing of congregations considering withdrawal and ministers under scrutiny – including the Hillsdale and Paola churches and ministers. Other congregations may be added to the list “by vote of the committee on ministry or the presbytery council,” the policy states.
Heartland Presbytery’s executive presbyter, the Rev. Charles W. Spencer, did not respond to calls and e-mails seeking comment from The Layman Online. Longabaugh declined to comment, citing pending negotiations with the administrative commission on the dismissal request.
The Gashland church’s Web site includes a news release from Longabaugh about the vote to seek dismissal. It reads:
“By now you know that the congregation voted 333-22 (with two abstentions) to request Heartland Presbytery dismiss GPC with property to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. I was very pleased with both the turnout at the meeting, and the outcome of the vote. For those who inconvenienced themselves to vote – I heard a number of stories of people who had changed or cancelled plans to attend – I’m especially grateful.
“What’s the next step? Well, as the motion reads, we’ve requested presbytery to take this certain action. Now, they need to deliberate the request. Part of their deliberations will be to look at session minutes, presentations and other things that will give them an accurate sense for GPC. They will want to meet with the session and with me personally.
“A note on procedures: We have been placed under the authority of an administrative commission. This AC has been given power to act for presbytery.
“How long will this take? Heartland Presbytery did not say. I think they don’t yet have a grasp on the size of the job that’s now theirs. For what it’s worth, two other churches in the presbytery made similar requests for dismissal this past summer. It took about three months before the requests were answered (both were denied).
“I’ll keep you informed as events transpire. Separation may take longer than we might want, but our overriding desire is to honor the presbytery’s process with our compliance, and to keep relations amicable. If by chance you are contacted by a member of the AC, please cooperate fully!
“And as always, keep praying. We’ll be focusing on worship and our ministries as fully as if this were just a normal Fall in the life of the church. We’ve been called to minister, and by God’s grace, minister we will.”
The church’s Web site also features links to a monthly church newsletter. In the May and August editions of the newsletter, Longabaugh’s “From the Pastor” column delves into the reasons why his church is seeking to leave the PCUSA.
In his May column, Longabaugh writes:
“A few weeks ago, you received a letter from the session detailing some of the differences our church has with our denomination, the Presbyterian Church (USA). These included strong disagreements over theology, ordination standards and ethical practices.
“To follow up on that letter, I’ve begun a series of sermons outlining the reasons for those disagreements. I’m using the letters to the churches in the book of Revelation to give a Biblical basis to my messages.
“Session and I believe strongly that our disagreements with our denomination are serious enough to warrant calling your attention to them – and asking you to study them closely.
“This needs to be done before any response can be made by our church. While much talk has been made of possible responses, let me assure you that session has made no decision.
“In fact, no decision will be made by session until our entire congregation has finished a process of examining those disagreements. Each member will have a chance to weigh them and come to his or her own conclusions. Currently, a group of elders is putting together a series of educational events that will provide many opportunities to look at the issues.
“So, I encourage you to look long and hard at them when the time comes. Part of our Protestant identity is the priesthood of all believers – the right and responsibility of all who are in Christ to grasp the Bible’s teaching. Rather than relying on the authority of a church or its leadership, each believer must align his or her conscience with that teaching.
“This is a difficult process, but not beyond the means of any of us. My prayers are with you as you undertake it fearlessly!”
In his August column, Longabaugh writes:
“Many of you have been wondering and asking about our situation with our denomination and our presbytery. Here’s a brief update.
“First, a little background: At last year’s General Assembly, the denomination approved the Peace, Unity and Purity report. As you know, that potentially opened the door to ordain people with beliefs and lifestyles that many of us cannot call Biblical. As a result, some here at GPC have wondered out loud whether we could stay affiliated with such a denomination.
“Fast forward: During May, I preached a series of sermons outlining some of the differences and disagreements we have with our denomination, the Presbyterian Church (USA). At the heart of those disagreements are some deep theological differences with many in the denomination and their tolerance of some very radical beliefs that, again, cannot be called Biblical or Christian.
“And now, this summer: in June, the session passed a motion ‘to educate the congregation regarding denominational issues with the intent of future separation from PCUSA.’ In other words, we would begin a process of informing the congregation about denominational issues, but that the intent would be to lead the congregation out of the PCUSA and into the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (on the EPC, more later).
“We have now begun a dialogue with Heartland Presbytery. The presbytery has put in place an Administrative Review Committee (ARC), whose role is solely to talk with us; they have no other powers. As of this writing, the ARC has not yet been formed. When it is, both session and the congregation will engage fully in discussions.
“It’s hard to guess how long this process will take. But we will engage it fully and keep you informed along the way.”
Patrick Jean is a staff writer for The Layman and The Layman Online. He can be reached at pjean@layman.org.