Division of ‘great congregation’ saddens official ahead of Thursday meeting on dismissal request; pastor to ask that ‘will of the majority’ be honored
By Patrick Jean, The Layman Online, February 12, 2008
With its general presbyter expressing sorrow that a “great congregation” has been divided, Peace River Presbytery will meet Feb. 14 to address the request of a large southwest Florida church to be dismissed from the Presbyterian Church (USA) with its property.
About the parties
Covenant Presbyterian Church in Fort Myers, Fla., was founded in 1962. It has 1,340 members. The Rev. Dr. Bill Stephens has been senior pastor and head of staff since October 2005.
Peace River Presbytery had 38 congregations with almost 21,000 members in 2006, the most recent year for which PCUSA statistics are available. Its headquarters is in North Port, Fla. The presbytery intends to appoint an administrative commission “and give them the power to come … and take over” Covenant Presbyterian Church in Fort Myers, Fla., the church’s senior pastor and head of staff, the Rev. Dr. Bill Stephens, said in a letter to church members. “We will be present and plan to ask them before the entire presbytery to honor their process and the will of the majority of this congregation,” he said.
Of Covenant Church’s 1,340 members, 1,032 participated in the Feb. 3 vote on the dismissal request, Stephens said. Of those, 787 or 76 percent voted in favor of the request and 237 or 24 percent voted against it, he said.
Covenant Church is seeking to join the transitional, non-geographic New Wineskins Presbytery of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.
Peace River Presbytery’s special called meeting on the dismissal request begins at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 14 at St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church in North Port, Fla.
Here is the full text of statements by Stephens and the Rev. Graham Hart, general presbyter of Peace River Presbytery, regarding the church’s dismissal request and the presbytery’s special called meeting.
Hart’s statements
Peace River Presbytery sends a weekly pastoral letter by e-mail. Hart’s comments, titled “An Informational and Pastoral Letter from the General Presbyter of Peace River Presbytery regarding Covenant Presbyterian’s February 3 congregational meeting,” were in the Feb. 6 edition, a copy of which was obtained by The Layman Online:
“Peace River Presbytery’s committee on ministry, the board of trustees and an appointed task force, prescribed by the presbytery’s guidelines, have been working with Covenant Presbyterian Church of Fort Myers related to the session’s and pastors’ desire and decision to request a congregational vote on the question of whether to leave our denomination. The presbytery and Covenant have been following the presbytery’s guidelines and Book of Order requirements in these matters. The congregational vote was this past Sunday, Feb. 3.
“At the time of the congregational meeting, Covenant had 1,340 members. Of the 1,032 who attended the congregational meeting, 76 percent (787) voted to seek dismissal, and 24 percent (237) voted that they do not wish to leave the PCUSA. The organized group of members who wish to remain a part of Peace River Presbytery and the Presbyterian Church (USA) believe they can best fulfill the mission of the church in that way. The pastors, Bill Stephens and Stu Austin, the majority of the session, and the 787 who voted for dismissal believe that affiliating with the New Wineskins Presbytery of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church is how they can best express their faith convictions.
“As a presbytery, we are aware and saddened that the results of this vote on Feb. 3 will divide this great congregation. A presbytery meeting has been called for Feb. 14 at 1:30 (p.m.) to hear the recommendations of the presbytery’s task force. The Rev. Doug Pratt has been the convener of that task force, and it has been served by Bill Witney, Bruce Owens, David Uhl and Kathleen Weller (all members of COM [the committee on ministry]), Bob Kimbrough and Don Cady (members of the trustees). The general presbyter and the stated clerk of the presbytery have served in an advisory capacity. The trustees have appointed Robin Doyle and Bob Kimbrough, both practicing attorneys active in the presbytery, to advise the presbytery on legal and property issues.
“Currently, the task force has begun a conversation related to all tangible and implied implications of this congregational vote, including but not limited to dismissing members and clergy to the EPC, addressing financial and property matters, and safeguarding the rights, as per the Book of Order in G-8.0600, of the significant and sizable group of loyal PCUSA members who wish to remain as Covenant Presbyterian Church, PCUSA.
“The task force has entered into negotiations with the session in good faith, with the hope that we will avoid any protracted legal entanglements. There are people of strong conviction on both sides of the issue, and it is our hope that we can work together in resolving our differences without public dispute for the good of God’s kingdom. To this end, the task force will make recommendations to the presbytery on all matters pertaining to Covenant Presbyterian Church.
“I invite you to join with me in praying:
- “That the presbytery act with wisdom and discernment as we fulfill our Book of Order responsibilities related to these matters.
- “For those whose conscience leads them to request dismissal, as well as for those who wish to remain as members of the PCUSA.
- “For all members of Covenant as the hard and painful realities of this action are experienced, and for the healing of all who have been hurt and grieved by this process.
- “That the work of the kingdom can be honored.
- “That at the end of the day, all 38 churches in Peace River can focus on the presbytery’s core mission: ‘… to advance the mission of Jesus Christ both near and far.'”
The presbytery also e-mailed a statement from Hart to The Layman Online on Feb. 1, two days before Covenant Church’s vote. Here is that statement:
“Peace River Presbytery (made up of 38 Presbyterian Church (USA) congregations from Palmetto/Bradenton to Naples) has been working with Covenant Presbyterian Church of Fort Myers for the past 18 months as members of the church have struggled with the question of whether to leave our denomination. The presbytery and Covenant Presbyterian have been following church rules and guidelines for a congregation seeking dismissal.
“… As a presbytery, we are aware and saddened that the vote on Feb. 3 could divide this great congregation. We know that some members are in favor of the request of their pastor and session to seek dismissal. We also know that there is a strong organized group of members who wish to remain a part of Peace River Presbytery and the Presbyterian Church (USA), believing they can best fulfill the mission of the church in that way.
“The presbytery has followed its guidelines and created a task force to work with the congregation during this time. Knowing that there are people of strong conviction on both sides of the issue, it is our hope that we can work together in resolving our differences without public dispute for the good of the church. To this end, the task force will make recommendations to the presbytery, on all matters pertaining to Covenant Presbyterian Church. As a presbytery, we will continue to work with and pray for the healing and peace of this church so that, in the end, all 38 churches in Peace River can focus on the presbytery’s core mission: ‘… to advance the mission of Jesus Christ both near and far.'”
Stephens’ statement
Stephens’ letter to the congregation, dated Feb. 6, was mailed to church mem
bers and posted on the church’s Web site:
“Dear church family,
“Last Sunday, 1,032 ‘active members’ came to the Covenant campus in order to vote. I am so proud of you for caring enough to come and participate in this important process! As Jake [Faasse, the church’s clerk of session] announced from the front, 76 percent or 787 people voted to request dismissal, while 24 percent or 237 voted against dismissal. As you will remember, we have followed the presbytery guidelines throughout this entire process. They required that we have two-thirds of our active membership present on site for the vote to count, and we had 76 percent of our active membership here! They required that we have three-fourths of those voting to request dismissal, and we had 76 percent request dismissal.
“On Monday the 4th at 2 p.m., a task force from the Peace River Presbytery met with Pastor Stu [Austin, associate pastor for missions and outreach], myself, our trustees and elders. They are asking the 76 percent to leave quickly and quietly, but your leadership feels like we owe it to all of you who worked diligently and faithfully to meet their requirements, to stand before them and request that they honor their process.
“They have called a ‘special presbytery meeting’ on Feb. 14th at 1:30 up in North Port to hear the recommendation of their task force which met with us Monday, and to appoint an administrative commission and give them the power to come to Covenant and take over. We will be present and plan to ask them before the entire presbytery to honor their process and the will of the majority of this congregation. You are invited to join us at this meeting, where we will stand up for what is faithful and fair.
“This Sunday in worship, at our normal times, I will be explaining in more detail where we are, what our options are and what this all might cost! I am honestly excited about the possibilities before us to be faithful witnesses for Jesus Christ. The leadership is confident that our best days are still ahead! We are currently exploring a wide variety of options and when the time is right, will share these with all of you. Until then, thanks for all of your support this past Sunday and keep praying!”
Patrick Jean is a staff writer for The Layman and The Layman Online. He can be reached at pjean@www.layman.org.