Churches in Virginia, Florida begin dismissal process
The Layman, December 1, 2011
As the Christmas holiday approaches, an increasing number of Presbyterian churches have one thing at the top of their wish list – a gracious departure from the Presbyterian Church (USA).
At least two churches in Virginia and five in Florida have added their names to the growing roster of disaffected congregations fleeing the PCUSA due to sweeping changes in the beleaguered denomination’s constitution.
According to session and presbytery documents, several congregations have either reached agreements with their presbyteries to be dismissed from the PCUSA, or are in the process of dismissal or disaffiliation.
Most of the churches leaving the PCUSA have cited the recent approval of Amendment 10A and the passage of the new Form of Government (nFOG) as symptoms of a more serious underlying problem in the denomination: the authority of Scripture.
Amendment 10A deleted the explicit “fidelity/chastity” requirement from the ordination standard, and now allows the PCUSA to ordain of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people as deacons, elders and pastors. The new Form of Government has raised concerns of a more “top-down” PCUSA bureaucracy.
“Besides the specific contention over morality and doctrinal issues, there is a growing sense of weariness by people within the denomination,” said the Rev. Alan Hager, pastor of Spotsylvania Presbyterian Church (Fredericksburg, Va.).
In October, the church voted to seek dismissal from the Presbytery of the James to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC), a popular transition for many departing congregations.
“This is not simply a matter of growing tired of contending for Biblical truth,” Hager said in a letter to the church. “Rather, the weariness that has prompted people and congregations to depart is the feeling of not being able to have a fair debate and process to handle the challenges that every denomination and body of believers will face.”
In Virginia…
Spotsylvania is one of two congregations in the Presbytery of the James that have recently requested dismissal, giving the presbytery a chance to test out its recently approved policy on the issue of departure. Amendment 10A proved to be a hotly contested measure for James. The 113-church presbytery failed to pass the amendment in October by a vote of 152-152-3, failing to attract a majority in an even split.
After a year-long review by a designated study group, the presbytery passed a policy detailing the process for handling gracious dismissals in 2010.
According to Hager, the policy includes “an overall process for the format and sequence of meetings that need to occur as a congregation deliberates about leaving and then negotiates a departure.” He added that there are no “predetermined figures or formulas for financial arrangements that might be imposed on departing churches.”
According to the policy document, the process will include the following:
· “The presbytery, in this process of negotiating issues of conscience and property with the congregation, will seek to reflect the presbytery’s primary concern for the ongoing mission and vitality of Christian witness in the area impacted by ministry of that congregation.
· “In this regard the presbytery has an abiding interest in and responsibility for the location and facilities of the member churches, since they are an expression of the missions of the larger church.
· “Even so, the presbytery will recognize that ‘the church’ in a particular area is not its building or financial assets, but the members of the congregation.
· The presbytery will be mindful both of congregation members who, for reasons of conscience, desire that their congregation be dismissed to another denomination, and also those congregation members who wish to remain within the [PCUSA].”
For Spotsylvania, the decision to seek dismissal mirrors that of most departing churches: ordination standards.
“Removing the requirement that leaders of the church should live in either ‘fidelity in marriage or chastity in singleness’ reflects a view that is inconsistent with the teaching of the Bible,” church officials stated in a press release this past summer. “It also represents a departure from the witness of historic Christianity through the ages and separates the denomination from the vast majority of Christians around the world who do not support this view,” the release reads.
The church reported 714 members in 2010 with contributions of $613,644.
In addition to Spotsylvania, the session of Third Presbyterian Church of Richmond, a 1,332-member congregation, voted unanimously in October to seek dismissal.
In a recent letter to the congregation, Senior Pastor Steve Hartman informed congregants that the church’s session had unanimously voted to begin the dismissal process — also with Presbytery of the James.
“Some of us have a rich spiritual heritage in our denomination — we find ourselves saddened,” Hartman said. “This is a hard decision for us. It is also true that we have been troubled by many developments in the PCUSA over the years, but recent developments have caused us to reach a theological tipping point.”
Also citing the deletion of fidelity/chastity ordination standards, the session released a statement during a church “town-hall” meeting stating: “Churches like Third Presbyterian Church are continually called to explain that they are not like other parts of the denomination that embrace non-orthodox positions.”
“The voice of Scripture is clear about God’s judgment of homosexual practice,” the statement continued. “Note again that the Bible addresses behavior and lust but the Bible does not condemn a person who has homosexual desires, urges or orientation.”
The church has not yet stated where they will dismiss only listing that they will depart to “another Reformed body.”
In his most recent letter, Hartman quoted Dr. James Edwards, a professor at Whitworth College: “Amendment 10A throws open the gate of ordination for all to enter, regardless of theological or moral standards. This is a theological tipping point in the PCUSA for those who believe that Scripture is the final authority of the denomination’s faith and life and the final rule for the believer’s conscience.”
Pursuant to James’ dismissal policy, the presbytery will appoint a listening team to meet with the church’s elders about the decision.
“While we have communicated our desire to meet as soon as possible, it is not within our control to determine whether it will be soon or in early 2012,” Hartman said.
According to a recent Third bulletin, the church’s annual budget is $2.3 million.
In Florida…
Following a similar trend, the session of First Presbyterian Church in North Palm Beach, Fla., voted unanimously to begin the “Discernment Process of the Gracious Separation Agreement” with Tropical Florida Presbytery. According to PCUSA statistics, the church has 1,122 members.
The process, approved by the presbytery at its September meeting, requires the church to have two congregational meetings. The first was held Nov. 30, and a second congregational meeting will be held in at least three months.
According to the December issue of the church’s newsletter, at the meeting, representatives from the presbytery described the discernment process and session members discussed their concerns which “moved them to introduce the question of FPCNPB’s affiliation going forward.”
Senior Pastor the Rev. Walter B. “Lucky” Arnold III, wrote, “The session has two clear goals before it. The first goal is to keep the fellowship of FPC together as much as possible. The second goal is for the congregation to make an informed choice of a denominational home where we can serve the Lord in harmony with our theological understanding and mission priorities as established by decades of decisions by our local session. It is important that we all pray for the future of this congregation, for our relationships with each other and with our brethren in the presbytery.”
According to an article in the Palm Beach Post News, “Ken Kirby, one of the members that organized the meeting at the church, said that it would be oversimplifying to reduce the decision to the issue of gay clergy. He is part of a growing group of Presbyterians who feel that the Presbyterian Church (USA) has taken a radical step away from traditional beliefs.”
The news article continued by quoting Kirby as saying “that 10 of 58 churches in the regional group [presbytery] that includes First Presbyterian have begun the process that could lead to separation.”
A Nov. 19 report from the presbytery’s Coordinating Council lists five of those churches, including First, by name:
a. Faith, Pembroke Pines (188 members according to PCUSA statistics.)
b. Grace Community, Boca Raton (866 members according to PCUSA statistics.)
c. Central, Kendall (354 members according to PCUSA statistics.)
d. Kirk of the Keys, Marathon (72 members according to PCUSA statistics.)
e. First, North Palm Beach.