Loss of five churches, two splits in 2012
Dissolutions, dismissals and division run rampant in Georgia presbytery
By Jason P. Reagan, The Layman, August 31, 2012
A beleaguered Georgia presbytery has lost five churches this year and managed to keep two established congregations despite both churches losing most of their members to another Reformed body.
At its August 28 meeting, Cherokee Presbytery approved a plan that will allow a super-majority of current members of First Presbyterian Church of Dalton to form a new congregation with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) and retain property rights as well as one of two trust funds.
The price tag? A payment of $3.2 million to the estimated 50 members who will remain in the Presbyterian Church (USA) as well as distributions from another trust. The minority membership will also keep the First Presbyterian name.
The presbytery also heard from an administrative commission that presided over a split of Silver Creek Presbyterian Church in which two-thirds of the 136-year-old church left to form an EPC congregation in May. Silver Creek will remain in the presbytery and retain its name and property but will continue with a much smaller membership.
Cherokee also approved the creation of administrative commissions to dissolve two churches – Summerville and Sixes – and noted that an earlier dissolution of Euharlee Presbyterian Church had been made official by the state.
The meeting also saw the dismissal of a 350-member congregation – Mars Hill Presbyterian Church of Acworth.
Perhaps most damaging to the financially strapped presbytery was the recent transfer of its second-largest church.
In July, the PCUSA’s 220th General Assembly approved the transfer of six Korean churches to Atlantic Korean-American Presbytery, a non-geographic body. The transfer included Bethany Presbyterian Church of Marietta, Ga. – a growing congregation with approximately 700 in attendance.
Cherokee’s losses represent a growing trend among PCUSA congregations. Many disaffected churches have cited the 2011 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: variant views of the authority of Scripture.
Amendment 10A 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. The new Form of Government (nFOG) has raised concerns that the PCUSA may become more hierarchical and less connectional as well as becoming more universalistic in theology.
Cherokee voted down both proposals – 49-62 on 10A and 17-69 on nFOG.
With the conclusion of the 220th General Assembly, congregations have found new reasons to seek a fresh denominational home after the body failed to grant relief of conscience from mandatory participation in the Board of Pensions new plan to add same-sex partners to the PCUSA health plan.
For Cherokee Presbytery, the growing exodus means shrinking coffers and red ink. According to the presbytery’s semi-annual budget report (page 42), Cherokee was operating at a loss of -$35,646 as of July 31.
Back to Dalton
Rapid changes began for First Presbyterian Church of Dalton (FPCD) in May when the session of the 573-member congregation voted to seek separation from the PCUSA and join the EPC. Cherokee Presbytery quickly convened a response team which met with the church’s pastoral staff and members.
According to the response team’s report to the presbytery (page 12), the group identified 50 people in a meeting of those who wished to remain in the PCUSA. The team claimed that, in at least one listening session, around 35-percent of 90-100 people in attendance opposed dismissal.
The team concluded from this that “a viable group of members desire to continue as a PCUSA church.”
On July 12, the response team reported to Cherokee’s coordinating team (an equivalent to a presbytery council) that “FPCD should not be dismissed and should continue as a PCUSA congregation.” However, the team also stated that “two churches could be created (one being a continuation of FPCD and the other being a new EPC congregation) which could each provide an important Christian witness in the Dalton area.”
On August 15, the two sides agreed in principle to a mediation settlement in which the PCUSA minority receives $3.2 million and the distribution from a trust as well as the First name while the EPC group will, upon being incorporated as an official church, retain all property, and other funds, including any endowment deposits administered by third parties.
According to the Whitfield County Tax Assessor’s office, the church owns four parcels of land valued at $4.6 million.
The presbytery agreed to form an administrative commission to “settle the difficulties in the FPCD” and to administer the division of assets.
FPCD leaders and Cherokee Executive Presbyter Rebecca Blackwell both declined to comment about the division.
Shades of Silver Creek
The presbytery dismissed the administrative commission tasked with resolving a split at Silver Creek Presbyterian Church.
Around 65 former members of Silver Creek — including its pastor and most of the elders – were accepted as the area’s newest transitional congregation in the EPC in May shortly after Cherokee formed an administrative commission to govern the church.
Like many other churches leaving the PCUSA, the departing members say the denomination no longer submits to the authority of Scripture on issues like marriage, ordination standards and the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
In a letter to the presbytery in February, the session stated the denomination’s new Form of Government – adopted in 2011 – appeared to be “in conflict with the deeply held beliefs of this congregation.” In the letter, the session informed Cherokee that it had unanimously passed a motion to formally request dismissal from the PCUSA to the EPC.
Later, a group calling itself “The Silver Creek Moderates” opposed the dismissal request and sought to retain the “name, property, title and all assets” of Silver Creek.
Former Silver Creek pastor Jack Foley, who along with the church’s active elders renounced PCUSA jurisdiction when they left, said he believed the moderate group represented about 24 members.
On Thursday, Foley said the former Silver Creek members have formed Covenant Presbyterian Church in Rome, Ga. and are meeting in a former Baptist church.
At Cherokee’s Aug. 28 meeting, the administrative commission reported that Silver Creek sees an average of 35 in Sunday worship.
“Ultimately, original jurisdiction has given the commission the ability to keep people accountable for actions that may damage
the future of the existing PCUSA church,” the report states.
Mars Hill dismissal
For Mars Hill Presbyterian Church, the dismissal process proved to be without the perils experienced by Dalton and Silver Creek.
Cherokee Presbytery voted to dismiss the church to the EPC pending examination by the Southeast Presbytery. Mars Hill will retain its property with no apparent financial settlement – the church opted out of the PCUSA trust clause during the 1983 merger of the Presbyterian Church in the United States with the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America.
The church began to question its future in the spring of 2011 following passage of both nFOG and Amendment 10A.
“As with many other churches leaving the denomination, the departure of Mars Hill Church revolved around the issues of Biblical authority and ordination standards,” Mars Hill Pastor Bryant Harris said. “The move to the EPC was one that was made in an effort to belong to a denomination that more closely shares our beliefs and values,” he added.
“This was a prayerful, thought out, considered process, and the decision to request dismissal was not made hastily or lightly,” the presbytery’s response team stated in its report, adding that Mars Hill’s session is “unified and no counter-faction has come forward to speak with the listening team.”
Smaller churches dissolve
In addition to losing one church and large portions of members from two existing churches to the EPC, Cherokee Presbytery has witnessed the dissolution of three small churches this year.
In February, the presbytery, citing low membership numbers, began to dissolve Euharlee Presbyterian Church (78 members in 2010) with the building and property going to a cemetery trust.
Due to decreases in membership and financial support, the presbytery agreed to appoint an administrative commission to dissolve Summerville Presbyterian Church (18 members), as well. The ailing church asked the presbytery to transfer most of its property and assets to nearby Beersheba Presbyterian Church, as well as a small tract to SonRise Community Church in the Cartersville area.
Earlier this month, the session of Sixes Presbyterian Church (94 members) requested dissolution. The future of the 10-year-old church in Canton, including disposition of its assets, will be decided based on the recommendation of the commission.
Cherokee’s website currently shows 41 member churches. With the removal of Bethany, Mars Hill, Summerville and Sixes, the count stands at 37 with two churches, Silver Creek and FPC-Dalton, more than halved in membership.
Using 2010 membership figures (page 41), Cherokee claims 9,650 members. Following dissolutions and dismissals currently underway, that figure would drop to 8,276 – not counting whatever membership loss occurs from the Dalton and Silver Creek split. Eleven churches have not contributed per capita so far this year.