Ohio churches split after presbytery supports ordination standards change

Ohio churches split after presbytery
supports ordination standards change

By Jason P. Reagan, The Layman, May 27, 2011

A group of Ohio congregations delivered another blow to the Presbyterian Church (USA) in what is becoming growing fallout following major changes in ordination standards.

 

On May 22, three churches of the Presbytery of Cincinnati voted to disaffiliate from the PCUSA in nearly unanimous balloting in response to the recent passage of Amendment 10A — which will allow for the ordination of non-celibate single heterosexuals, those who commit adultery, lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender individuals to positions as deacons, elders and ministers in PCUSA churches.

 

The presbytery adopted the amendment on May 10 and the 99-72 vote, according to the three churches, was the last straw in what they see as an increasingly treacherous battlefield in a theological culture war.

 

“When churches within a denomination cease to hold to the same basic beliefs concerning the faith, it no longer makes sense to be joined under one name,” read a statement issued by Russellville Presbyterian Church (Russellville, Ohio), the Church By The Woods (Sharonville, Ohio) and Holtsinger Memorial Presbyterian Church (Cincinnati, Ohio).

 

“We believe that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God, and that people are called to try and live in accordance with the standards set forth in the Bible,” the churches stated, adding, “we reject the pluralism that has crept into mainline denominations such as the PCUSA.”

Russellville Presbyterian Church, like the other two, is a small congregation with a long history. Established in 1817, the church has seen its numbers dwindle from 124 members 10 years ago to 41 today, according to elder Dallas Hurt, who blames the theological drift in the PCUSA for the loss.

 

“We’ve lost drastically over these issues,” he said. “The people that we’ve lost, they were impatient.”

 

“It’s not that we are leaving Presbyterianism — we’re just trying to re-find its footing,” he added.

 

Hurt said the Presbytery of Cincinnati had been “conservative on these issues” for the past 25 years as the controversies began simmering within the General Assembly.

 

“At this point in time, we have lost those votes [in the presbytery].  We’ve lost the General Assembly,” he said, adding “there is no common ground left.”

 

The churches now believe, according to their recent statement, that the presbytery is a “frequent proponent of liberal theological change within the PCUSA.”

 

A request for comment by the Presbytery of Cincinnati had not been returned at this posting.

 

Holtsinger Memorial Presbyterian Church’s experience mirrors that of Russellville. The small congregation was founded in 1907. The 38-member church is described by lay pastor Bill Lewis as “country-style.”

 

“We just find ourselves in a position where our historical Christian beliefs are no longer consistent with the way the denomination is going,” Lewis said. “We just decided it’s not the right place for us anymore. The important thing is — we didn’t change; the denomination changed,” he added.

 

According to its website, The Church By The Woods was organized in 1836 as Sharon Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Phone calls to the church seeking comment were not returned at this posting.

 

Neither Russellville nor Holtsinger expect any problems in defending property rights, although some churches in similar circumstances have lost such legal battles across the U.S., losing all real and personal property.

 

According to A Guide to Church Property Law, Ohio considers church property cases under “strict-neutral principles” of law in which courts may rely on local property deeds, church incorporation documents and state property law rather than judging cases solely on denominational trust clauses.

 

“We don’t recognize the influence of the PCUSA trust clause,” Hurt said, adding that Russellville’s deed is much older than the denomination and that the church will stand on state legal precedent.

 

 “The issue is settled in Ohio,” he said.

 

At issue

“This move signifies our churches’ commitment to the same standards and beliefs we have always held as Presbyterian Christians in the Reformed tradition,” the churches stated in a release. The trio predicts hundreds of churches will follow suit.

 

The churches also mentioned the current New Form of Government proposal currently being considered by the PCUSA’s 173 presbyteries as another reason for the split, claiming the denomination is “attempting to restructure governing authority from the bottom to the top as in some other denominations.”

 

In addition, the trio’s “talking points” mentioned the PCUSA’s sponsorship of conferences that sought to “re-imagine God,” as well as a denominational service the churches say worshiped the “goddess Sophia,” and the 2010 General Assembly procession in which animal figures led the opening procession.

 

The churches also objected to the PCUSA’s past support of militant Muslim group Hezbollah and said the denomination’s actions were “indicative of the contempt which the administrative level officers of the PCUSA have shown for our nation and our religious and moral relationship to our creator God.”

 

“The list goes on and on,” the churches stated.

 

The trio said the recent change in ordination standards represents a warped worldview and a departure from traditional Christian doctrines.

 

“When their beliefs changed, they should have left the denomination; instead, they engaged in a 30-year campaign to change the denomination politically,” they said.

 

All three churches said they sought to uphold Biblical standards.

 

As far as seeking affiliation elsewhere, the churches haven’t made any specific plans, although Hurt said Russellville has contacted two unnamed denominational groups.

 

“Although emotional because of historic ties and contending over what the term Presbyterian really means, this was not a difficult or painful decision,” the trio stated.

 

The Presbytery of Cincinnati is currently comprised of 82 congregations spanning counties in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.