More than a dozen churches have
left PCUSA with their property this year
By Patrick Jean, The Layman, July 14, 2008
Since 2005, more than 50 Presbyterian Church (USA) congregations have voted to leave the denomination.
This year, in addition to Woodland Presbyterian Church in New Orleans, more than a dozen PCUSA congregations have left with their property from the denomination, or are seeking dismissal. These include:
- Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church, Fair Oaks, Calif., and First Presbyterian Church, Roseville, Calif.: Churches voted June 8 to disaffiliate from the PCUSA and affiliate with the New Wineskins/EPC presbytery. Judge had ruled in favor of summary judgments sought by the churches, which have been seeking quiet title to their properties, as well as declaratory and injunctive relief, since March 2007. Sacramento Presbytery had said it would not appeal the rulings, but the Synod of the Pacific was allowed to intervene in the cases, and it ordered the presbytery to file an appeal, which is pending.
- Hillsdale Presbyterian Church, Hillsdale, Kan.: Joined the New Wineskins/EPC presbytery in April after agreeing to pay $90,000 to Heartland Presbytery in exchange for being dismissed with its property from the PCUSA. The payment settled a property ownership lawsuit that the church filed against Heartland after an administrative commission for the presbytery rejected the church’s dismissal request.
- Stow Presbyterian Church, Stow, Ohio: Eastminster Presbytery agreed in May to accept $40,000 from the congregation in exchange for dismissing them with their property from the PCUSA. Church voted in October 2006 to disassociate from the denomination, then entered two months later into negotiations with the presbytery. Church is affiliated with the New Wineskins Association of Churches, but will remain independent for now.
- First Presbyterian Church, Corinth, Miss.: St. Andrew Presbytery agreed in February to accept $150,000 from the congregation in exchange for dismissing them with their property from the PCUSA. Accord resulted in dismissal of property ownership lawsuit that the church filed against the presbytery a year earlier. Church joined the EPC.
- Covenant Presbyterian Church, Omaha, Neb.: Congregation paid $125,000 to the Presbytery of Missouri Valley and will pay them $30,000 a year for the next seven years, in exchange for being dismissed with its property from the PCUSA. Agreement ended property ownership lawsuit that the church filed against the presbytery. Church joined the EPC.
- St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church, Somerset, Pa.: Redstone Presbytery agreed in March to the congregation’s dismissal request. St. Paul’s was allowed to leave with all of its property from the PCUSA without paying any money to the presbytery. Church joined the EPC.
- Memorial Park Presbyterian Church, McCandless, Pa.: Pittsburgh Presbytery approved a $575,000 settlement with the congregation in April. The accord let Memorial Park leave with its property from the PCUSA and join the EPC. It also settled a property ownership lawsuit that the church filed against the presbytery in January.
- First Presbyterian Church, Thibodaux, La.: Congregation voted May 4 to disaffiliate from the PCUSA and was accepted into the New Wineskins/EPC presbytery the next day. Church had sought South Louisiana Presbytery’s approval of a dismissal request, but the Synod of the Sun’s appointment of an administrative commission for the presbytery prompted the disaffiliation vote.
- Hudson Presbyterian Church, Hudson, Ohio: A judge in May upheld a 2007 ruling that the church property belongs to the portion of the congregation that voted for disaffiliation in November 2006 and joined the New Wineskins/EPC presbytery, not to those who voted against disaffiliation and now worship at a separate site under a different pastor. Eastminster Presbytery intends to appeal.
- College Corner Presbyterian Church (a.k.a. First United Presbyterian Church), College Corner, Ohio: Congregation voted June 1 to request dismissal from the PCUSA and seek admission into the New Wineskins/EPC presbytery. Three days later, Whitewater Valley Presbytery approved an administrative commission for the church with the power to dissolve the session and remove the pastor “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.” Church has filed a property ownership lawsuit and obtained a temporary restraining order against the presbytery.
- Oreland Presbyterian Church, Oreland, Pa.: Philadelphia Presbytery agreed May 20 to the congregation’s request to be dismissed with its property from the PCUSA. In exchange for its dismissal, church agreed to pay presbytery $440,000, equal to value of church’s property, over 10 years as mission-oriented “tithe of support.” Church waiting to join the EPC’s Presbytery of the East.
- Hope Presbyterian Church, Rogue River, Ore.: A judge ruled May 15 in favor of a summary judgment sought by the congregation, which filed a property ownership lawsuit around the same time it voted in July 2007 to request dismissal from the PCUSA and join the EPC. Cascades Presbytery is waiting to see if a general judgment paper will explain the ruling in greater detail before filing an appeal. Meanwhile, an administrative commission continues to work with the church on the presbytery’s behalf.
- Millbrook Presbyterian Church, Fresno, Calif.: San Joaquin Presbytery agreed June 7 to the congregation’s dismissal request. Millbrook was allowed to leave with its property from the PCUSA without paying any money to the presbytery. Church joined the EPC.
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