‘Darkness and malaise’ seen by some
More churches see dismissal from PCUSA as the next step
By Jason P. Reagan, The Layman, September 10, 2012
On the heels of the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s 220th General Assembly, an increasing number of congregations have announced plans to either consider or directly seek dismissal from the beleaguered denomination due to a growing theological divide.
Although congregations give a variety of reasons for leaving, most say the root of dissension rests with what they call an erosion of Scriptural authority following several controversial shifts within the PCUSA.
For many, the recently concluded GA represented yet another division along a Scriptural fault line, evidenced by recent reports from commissioners.
Due to the increasing number of dismissal requests, The Layman will continue to feature an ongoing “dismissal roundup” featuring multiple churches as new information becomes available.
Unity Presbyterian Church – Mercer, Pa.
Unlike some churches which have experienced a high degree of strife from their presbyteries, Unity Presbyterian Church of Mercer, Pa. has witnessed an even higher measure of graciousness from the “gracious dismissal” policy of the Presbytery of Shenango.
The church has pursued a dismissal process with the like-minded presbytery and is now considering whether to seek dismissal to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) or ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians.
“Upon arriving in Shenango Presbytery it seemed to [my wife] Ruth and I that we were among like-minded folks who believed in the authority of Scripture,” said Unity Pastor Wayne Hunt.
On July 22, the 88-member congregation voted by an 82-percent margin to leave the PCUSA, continuing a decades-long tradition of disagreement with the denomination’s direction.
“Scripture is no longer the final authority of faith and life in the PCUSA, the mind of fallible human beings has retaken that ground,” said Hunt.
Since the 1970s, the church has withheld per-capita funds from the GA due to dissension over several key issues and the session has passed a few opposing resolutions against PCUSA actions.
“The passage of 10A was in some ways the ‘last straw’ in a bail of straw that has been sliding off of the left end of the scale for nearly 40 years in the PCUSA,” Hunt said, referring to the 2011 passage of Amendment 10A. 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.
Hunt added that New Form of Government (nFOG) – also passed in 2011 – was “as troubling as the implications of 10A.”
The new Form of Government has raised concerns that the PCUSA may become more hierarchical and less connectional as well as becoming more universalistic in theology.
Hunt notes in an e-mail: “nFOG speaks of the authority of the councils and reviews to be administered, from above, (emphasis [Hunt’s]) to ensure obedience to the ruling of higher governing councils. Basically, nFOG repealed the Great Reformation.”
In May of 2011, Shenango voted against Amendment 10A and has since been viewed by many churches as being sympathetic toward departing congregations.
“The churches of Shenango Presbytery have every reason to be distraught about how the situation in the PCUSA has changed,” presbytery leadership stated in a recent statement titled “What Do We Do Now? Reflections on Our Situation in the Presbyterian Church (USA).”
Unity’s session will next bring a recommendation to the congregation as to which Reformed body it plans to join. After that, the church is expected to be dismissed by Shenango without any obstacles.
“We are not obligated to part with our properties and we are under no obligation to submit set monetary remunerations,” Hunt said of Shenango’s dismissal policy.
“We were assigned a dismissal team which met with our session, which came to our first congregational vote to observe our process, and has approved of our efforts to be fair to all members of the congregation regardless of their comfort level with departing PCUSA,” he added.
First Presbyterian Church – Hillsboro, Ill.
On Aug. 26, the session of First Presbyterian Church of Hillsboro, Ill. sent a letter to members and friends announcing its unanimous decision that “the course the PCUSA denomination is taking is no longer compatible with the ministry and mission” of the 266-member church.
After months of research, Hillsboro’s leadership reached many of the same conclusions as did Unity.
Citing 10a, nFOG, denominational judicial rulings and the recently concluded 220th GA, the session said, “we believe the PCUSA has made changes contrary to God’s teachings in the Bible.”
“Although we have love and loyalty toward the PCUSA, our love and loyalty to Jesus Christ must come first – far above all else,” sessions members added.
Echoing a phrase that has been broadcast as almost a battle cry across disaffected PCUSA churches, the session document also states: “We have not left the PCUSA. Rather, we believe the PCUSA has left us.”
Beneath much of the conflict and controversy in the PCUSA, the underlying issue is the authority of Scripture, including the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission ruling in the Parnell case and the debate on marriage, stated the session. When unanimous and clear statements on sexuality in Scripture (Genesis 19, Leviticus 20:13, 1 Corinthians 6:9, 1 Timothy 1:10, Romans 1:27, 2 Peter 2:6-7, etc.) that are clearly supported in the PCUSA’s confession (see 4.087 and 7.249) can be set aside because some claim to have new and different interpretations, then any meaningful authority of Scripture on any topic is lost, they said.
If the standard is “Are there any alternative interpretations one may consider?”, then no confession of faith, no matter how foundational, is outside the bounds of being set aside. This would include the incarnation, atonement or salvatio n by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ.
At First Presbyterian, all people are loved and welcome, however the church must uphold Scriptural standards of faith and behavior and “we believe PCUSA has departed from these standards. It is not unloving to uphold and apply God’s Word as God is the most loving Being of all,” the session stated.
As the numbers of orthodox Christians who uphold traditional Christian beliefs shrink within the denomination the session felt that the church has increasingly little or no voice in decision making. “Little purpose would be served by our staying,” they said. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, “If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the opposite direction.”
College Hill Presbyterian Church – Cincinnati, Ohio
A Cincinnati-based church is joining a growing number of congregations within the Presbytery of Cincinnati to seek discernment about future membership with the PCUSA.
College Hill Presbyterian Church (CHPC), a 455-member congregation, has posted a list of resources titled “What denominational affiliation do we believe is best for us to fulfill God’s mission for CHPC?”
In June, the church voted 191-14 to begin the discernment process with Cincinnati — a presbytery that has sparked church-relations controversy in years past after banning a struggling church’s choice of minister in 2009.
In May, three churches — Russellville Presbyterian Church (Russellville, Ohio), the Church By The Woods (Sharonville, Ohio) and Holtsinger Memorial Presbyterian Church (Cincinnati, Ohio) – voted to disaffiliate from the presbytery.
“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,” a joint statement by the trio of churches read.
Cincinnati was one of many presbyteries to support 10A in 2011 and, for many churches, this represented a point-of-no-return in what is being seen as an increasingly treacherous battlefield in a theological culture war.
In the case of CHPC, the General Assembly’s failure to address same-sex marriage in July widened the divide.
“[The final vote] locked us into two more years of open defiance by pro-gay pastors and churches, and déjà vu at the Detroit General Assembly in 2014,” the session stated.
The church has not announced any congregational votes and stated the process may last up to a year.