One pastor, two churches and two decisions to leave the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Muddy Creek Presbyterian Church and Unionville United Presbyterian Church, both located north of Pittsburgh in western Pennsylvania, informed the Beaver-Butler Presbytery of their intent to be dismissed from the PCUSA, and one of them has been released from the national denomination.
Muddy Creek was dismissed during an April 3 presbytery meeting to join the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC), while Unionville’s congregational vote June 2 puts the church in line to be dismissed to the EPC, possibly at the July 30 gathering of the presbytery, according to the Rev. Matthew Kail.
Kail serves as the pastor for both churches, found just three miles apart in Butler County. He said actions by the General Assembly as far back as 2008 started talk of possible dismissal at the yolked parishes he serves. Decisions made again in 2010 and 2012 further emphasized the desire of the congregations to separate themselves from the PCUSA.
“There were irregularities with decisions made by the General Assembly that made us realize that ship has sailed,” Kail said. “The reluctance to define marriage and changes to the Book of Order led us to believe that it was time to pursue separation from the denomination. We decided it clearly was time for us to go.”
Kail indicated that if previous language in the Book of Order had been restored (primarily that regarding ordination standards), the churches probably would have terminated their requests to dismiss. Since that did not happen, Muddy Creek and Unionville both moved forward with their intentions.
Presbytery representatives spoke to both congregations in early December 2012, sharing reasons to remain affiliated with the PCUSA, but the members for both remained firm in their decisions to leave.
Muddy Creek’s membership, which totals 111, voted by a 60-0 margin to seek dismissal to the EPC. Unionville, with 123 members, voted June 2 to seek dismissal to the EPC by a 72-3 margin.
“The memberships’ desire is to be aligned with the will of God,” Kail explained. “The standard both churches want to pursue is the Bible, the Word of God. We feel more comfortable sharing a common faith and understanding of the Christian Gospel rather than watering it down by worldly effects.”
Kail used the ark as example, referring to it as a symbol of the church. He noted that the ark was able to survive in its environment without being consumed by the flood waters. He said God’s will also is often surrounded by the world’s opposing view, but the congregations he serves have taken their stand to align themselves with His will rather than that of the world.
“These United States have continued to drift away from God and His authority,” Kail said. “The Bible is the Word of God, something we have been called upon to obey. There are other interpretations that the Bible is a book that can be debated, that you can pick and choose what you want to believe. In light of that, it becomes much more important that churches stand up for Jesus. He is that truth. He’s the way, the truth, the life, and we should pursue the will of God for our lives.”
To be dismissed from Beaver-Butler Presbytery, Muddy Creek – established in 1804 – paid $13,000, the equivalent of 10 percent of its property value. Unionville, which also has a manse, has received its terms of dismissal and will be required to pay 10 percent of its property value as well, a total that comes to $18,000, Kail said.
“Some people didn’t think we should have to pay at all, but given that it is a requirement, we bit the bullet and did it (at Muddy Creek),” Kail said, also referencing the GA Permanent Judicial Commission ruling from October 2012 that requires presbyteries to consider property values when negotiating terms of dismissal. “We’re willing to accept them.”
Kail said the EPC appealed to both congregations because it allows the ordination of women, and its polity was congruent with that of Muddy Creek and Unionville, started in the 1880s. He added that ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians was still in its formative stages when the churches started down their paths of dismissal, and they wanted to align with a more established denomination.