In South Carolina and Oregon…
As spring opens, more PCUSA dismissals bloom
By Jason P. Reagan, The Layman, March 27, 2012
Although congregations give a variety of reasons for leaving the Presbyterian Church (USA), most say the root of dissension rests with what they call an erosion of Scriptural authority following several controversial shifts within the PCUSA.
For most, the 2011 passage of Amendment 10A provided the breaking point that led to dismissal.
The amendment deleted the explicit “fidelity/chastity” requirement from the constitutional ordination standard, and now allows the PCUSA to ordain of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people as deacons, elders and pastors.
Due to the increasing number of dismissal request, The Layman will continue to feature an ongoing “dismissal roundup” featuring multiple churches as new information becomes available.
McBee (S.C.)
The denomination’s “failure to enforce ordination standards” led the session of McBee Presbyterian Church in McBee, S.C. to begin research on PCUSA issues in 2010 and culminated in the congregation’s unanimous vote in January to seek dismissal to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC).
On Feb. 29, the Presbytery of New Harmony agreed to dismiss McBee to the EPC’s Presbytery of Mid-Atlantic with the “blessings and prayers of the [presbytery] for McBee’s faithful service to the Lord.”
Other churches going through the dismissal process with New Harmony have commended the governing body for its efficiency and cooperative attitude. The presbytery voted against 10A by a vote of 28-72 in 2011.
According to the official terms of the separation, the church will keep its property and pay its 2012 per-capita allocation to New Harmony.
Oakville Presbyterian Church (Shedd, Ore.)
For Oakville Presbyterian Church, the road to dismissal began “in earnest when [PCUSA General Assembly] passed changes to the Book of Order, including [new Form of Government] and 10A,” according to the Rev. John Carpenter.
“While this was an important catalyst in seriously considering seeking dismissal from PCUSA, many other significant issues have troubled the conscience of Oakville over the years and have convinced the congregation that the PCUSA is not leading them in a direction they are willing to follow,” added Carpenter in a recent interview.
“The PCUSA has been straying from its Biblical moorings and even from its Reformed theology and heritage in many ways over many years,” he said.
Church members met informally in May of 2011 to discuss 10A and other concerns and agreed to establish an “Exploration Team” of eight congregational representatives.
Carpenter said the team met for five months to explore both the church’s status with the PCUSA as well as possible options with other denominations “that may align more closely with the fundamentals held by Oakville.”
The task force examined the PCUSA in depth as well as the EPC, Presbyterian Church of America (PCA), Fellowship of Presbyterians and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC); ultimately narrowing its choice down to the EPC.
Carpenter said Oakville has been a Presbyterian church for more than 160 years and that members didn’t want to leave that tradition.
“We feel the PCUSA left us long before we left the PCUSA,” he said, adding, “There is much that we deeply appreciate about the Presbyterian Church and we were delighted when we found those qualities in the EPC.”
“Once we began our exploration process we were no longer just running away from the PCUSA but we were running to the EPC,” he said.
The team visited several EPC church across the state as well as EPC denominational meetings, all the while studying the dismissal process of the Presbytery of the Cascades
After holding three informational meetings, the congregation unanimously voted to begin the dismissal process in November.
The church sent a document to the presbytery listing reasons for its decision.
“There are a number of people who have been very active in our congregation for years and yet never joined for reasons of conscience,” the letter stated, adding, “There are a number of active members who have left the church because of its affiliation with the PCUSA. There are some in the community that have never come to the church because of its affiliation with the PCUSA.”
The letter concludes that the PCUSA “is moving consistently further away from the traditional theology, Biblical understanding and core beliefs held by Oakville Church and is no longer an environment in which our church can grow and thrive.”
After meeting with the presbytery’s discernment team from December to February, the congregation voted unanimously on March 4 to transfer denominational affiliation to the EPC. One week later, Cascades agreed unanimously to dismiss Oakville as well as Carpenter to the EPC.
“We had 26 folks from our congregation of 90 active members, drive nearly two hours to be at the presbytery meeting in Portland,” Carpenter said.
“They were invited up front after the vote for a prayer and commissioning. That was impressive,” he added.
Under the terms of dismissal, Oakville must develop a Membership Care Plan that “provides a safe, confidential and orderly process for church members to declare their desire to remain in the PCUSA.”
The church will also give the presbytery $12,500. However, Oakville will also keep its property unless it fails to continue to be a part of a Reformed denomination for the next 10 years.
The dismissal will go into effect on March 31.
“We feel our dismissal process has been very gracious and give thanks and glory to God,” Carpenter said.