More churches dismissed from the PCUSA
By Paula R. Kincaid, The Layman, October 23, 2012
New Covenant Presbytery in Texas dismissed three churches from the Presbyterian Church (USA) at its meeting on Saturday (Oct. 20). Other presbyteries around the country have also been dismissing congregations from the PCUSA.
First Presbyterian in Lake Jackson, Memorial Presbyterian in San Augustine and Advent Presbyterian in Spring – all of Texas – were dismissed following the recommendation of the presbytery’s discernment team.
According to New Covenant’s Dismissal and Reconciliation Procedure, congregations wishing to be dismissed from the PCUSA must go through a discernment process that takes six months and includes at least five meetings of the discernment team. After that, a congregational meeting — with a quorum of at least 30 percent of the active members – may be held, and a secret ballot vote taken. At least 2/3 of those present must vote to request dismissal to another Reformed body. If that happens, the presbytery shall agree to the dismissal and allow the congregation to leave with its property.
First Presbyterian, Lake Jackson, Texas
At Saturday’s presbytery meeting, commissioners voted to dismiss the congregation from the PCUSA and into the Presbytery of the Central South of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC). The congregation will pay the presbytery $53,000 over the next five years as a continuation of mission support.
Dr. Alan Trafford, senior pastor, said that the money was “something we probably would have done anyway, since we have an excellent relationship with many Presbyterian mission partners, such as Itasca Children’s Home. We have no intention of breaking with these partners.”
He continued in his email to The Layman, “Our problems have never really been at presbytery level. There are some good people in New Covenant Presbytery and we will miss working with them. They exhibited nothing but grace during the process. Having heard horror stories from other presbyteries, I have nothing but praise for Mike Cole and the staff. The Gracious Dismissal process we followed was not perfect; it had too many loose ends. But it succeeded in being gracious and for that we are thankful.”
In its report to the congregation, the discernment team stated that the team members from the Lake Jackson Church had “expressed their dissatisfaction with the changes that have been taking place in the PCUSA and described how these issues have affected their congregation adversely. During the discussion, presbytery representatives of the team offered alternative ways of looking at the issues of concern in the hope of reconciliation. However, the team recognizes that the representatives of the Lake Jackson church wish to proceed toward dismissal from the PCUSA. This decision is not a hasty one, but comes after their study of the issues, investigation of other Reformed bodies and faithful participation in the discernment process.”
The 496-member congregation notified the presbytery in April that it wished to enter into the discernment process, and it voted 240-6 on October 14 to request dismissal.
Memorial Presbyterian, San Augustine, Texas
Presbytery commissioners voted to dismiss the 65-member congregation to the Presbytery of the Central South of the EPC. The congregation will make a contribution of $9,000 to finalize all dismissal requirements and be dismissed with its property.
The congregation voted 31-0 on Oct. 14 to seek dismissal from the PCUSA.
The report of the discernment team to the congregation stated that, “The members of the discernment team will agree that in most areas of our faith and practice we are of one mind; however, the four members of the team who represented Memorial Presbyterian Church have expressed the general concern of the congregation over changes in the Book of Order that has opened the way for someone living in a same-sex relationship to be ordained in the PCUSA. There was also concern expressed over issues that may or may not become part of our polity, that relate to same-sex couples. Within the PCUSA there are many who welcome these changes, many who see this as allowing our culture to dictate what is accepted in the church rather than turning to teaching of Scripture. There is much disagreement on how to interpret what Scripture says about these issues.”
“The church feels it is a matter of conscience and dedication to our Lord and Savior that we have come to this decision, and to work for peace and purity in the church,” Martha R. Pay wrote in an email to The Layman.
Advent Presbyterian, Spring, Texas
The presbytery also voted on Saturday to dismiss the congregation from the PCUSA and into ECO: A Covenant Order of Presbyterians. A monetary contribution was made by the congregation to the presbytery as part of the dismissal procedure.
The session of the 66-member congregation sent a letter to presbytery on March 18, asking to begin the presbytery’s Gracious Reconciliation and Dismissal Procedure, giving seven reasons for the request.
In the discernment team’s report, the team wrote that it “discovered that we share many areas of common theological and ecclesiastical ground and concern”,’ but that the “dividing area of disagreement is in how the denomination interprets Scripture and how to proceed toward the Great End, the preservation of Truth.”
According to Pastor Jon Kotchavar, “For us, the process was conducted as you would expect Christians to deal with one another when there is disagreement. It was long and included much prayer and many discussions but it was done in love and sought the best for the body of Christ.”
Westminster Presbyterian, Lubbock, Texas
At the Oct. 12-13 meeting, the Palo Duro Presbytery voted to sever the relationship between the church and the PCUSA by “dismissing them with their name and property to EPC, at such a time as Pal Duro Presbytery has received a 10 percent tithe of the church’s assets” and the church is received into its new denomination.
The report and recommendations [beginning on page 17 of pdf file] from the presbytery’s Administrative Commission (AC) included findings and observations, a summary, options and recommendations.
The presbytery formed the AC to consult with Westminster on May 5. A congregational vote held prior to that date showed that of 200 ballots cast, 80 percent voted in favor of leaving the PCUSA and 13 percent voted against leaving.
On Aug. 24, the AC mailed advisory vote packets to each member’s household. The deadline for returning the ballots was Sept. 7. According to the AC report, 319 (55 percent) of the 580 ballots mailed where returned. Of those, 268 (84 percent) voted to leave the PCUSA; 47 (15 percent) voted not to leave and four were undecided.
A financial agreement between the presbytery and congregation was reached on Sept. 24. The report stated that “It was agreed that a 10 percent tithe be assessed against the assets of WPC. … This assessed amount was determined to b in the range of 350,000-370,000. This range was agreeable to both parties.”
In an article published in the June 28, 2012 “Chimes,” th
e church’s newsletter, several reasons were given by the session as to why they were considering leaving the PCUSA. They include:
· “A creeping tolerance of theological pluralism. … Of particular concern is the diversity of thought on the necessity of Christ for salvation and wide diversity of thought regarding the authority and interpretation of scripture within the pastoral leadership of the PCUSA.
· “A conflicted witness to the world. WPC is continually called to explain how we are not like other parts of our denomination. …
· “Matters of conscience. Over the years, we have felt forced to limit our financial support of the PCUSA to the maintenance of basic church structures. No additional WPC dollars go toward general mission support because of the expectation that funds would be used for efforts counter to WPC’s values. …
· “Our passion and energy have been diverted. For years we have been dedicating time, talent, and resources to internal PCUSA struggles. We would like to be released to focus our full attention on effective ministry and mission.”
While four reasons were listed, only one was called non-negotiable: “Biblical authority is the primary issue. Over the years, increasingly unique interpretations of Scripture have had a ripple effect and have called into question foundational Christian beliefs such as the Lordship of Christ, the place of Scripture in church discipline, Jesus Christ as the only means of salvation, and Biblical teaching on marriage. As an example, the most recent release of our denomination’s version of a census reports that 65 percent of our pastors are not sure or disagree that Jesus Christ is necessary for salvation. Biblical authority and interpretation lies at the heart of that statistic,” the article read.
First Presbyterian, Hanford, Calif.
On Oct. 11, the pastor and congregation were officially received into the EPC’s Presbytery of the Pacific. An installation service, during which the pastor and elders of the congregation will be installed as officers in the EPC will be held on Oct. 28.
“These are exciting times within our congregation, as we look forward to a bright future in partnership with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church! Please continue to pray as we progress through these final steps together,” wrote Pastor Tony Winterowd.
According to the church’s June 2012 newsletter, the presbytery’s transition team “interacted with both members and regular attendees of the church, totaling 193 people. Seventy percent of those who participated agreed with the decision to leave PCUSA, 29 percent disagreed with that decision and 1 percent were undecided.”
The Presbytery of San Joaquin voted on June 9 to dismiss the 233-member congregation. It requested that the congregation pay the per-capita funds withheld from previous years, as well as current per capita obligations; and reimburse the transition team for expenses they incurred.
In its July 2012 newsletter, a letter from the pastor and session read, “The San Joaquin Presbytery has been more than gracious in their dismissal of us. We are greatly appreciative. As we have said previously, our difficulty is not with the presbytery. Instead, it is with the current theological trajectory of the PCUSA which is a much larger issue than the presenting issue of ordination standards. This larger issue is concerning how the denomination has come to view and interpret Scripture. It is clear the PCUSA has veered sharply away from our orthodox, Reformed, historical, confessional, and (more importantly) Biblical standards.”
Bethany Grace Community (formerly Bethany United), Bridgeton, N.J.
At its June 2012 meeting, West Jersey Presbytery voted to dissolve Bethany United Presbyterian Church, “therefore concluding its life as a congregation” of the PCUSA, according to the “Presbytery Highlights” posted June 19, 2012. A settlement agreement between the presbytery and congregation also was reached.
Members of the congregation met with representatives of the presbytery during the 2011 summer to communicate their unanimous desire to sever the relationship between the church and the PCUSA.
The congregation now has a new name – Bethany Grace Community Church – and is an independent, nondenominational, evangelical church
In an article posted on NJ.com, Pastor Dr. Robin Weinstein said that “Bethany has changed over the years, and the members believed that becoming a nondenominational church best reflected the characteristics of the congregation.”
He said that the 100-member church is “committed to evangelical principles and advancing the kingdom of Jesus by being salt and light.”
“We were committed to a process of separation which honored God, celebrated the church’s history and respected our brothers and sisters in the PCUSA,” Weinstein told NJ.com. “The church is grateful for the opportunity to pursue this new venture, thankful to the PCUSA for working with us and excited about what God will continue to do through this church.”
“The message of our church is simple, relevant and true. It is all about Jesus, not us,” Weinstein said. “We are not about frills, but authentic worship grounded in spirit and truth.”
Westminster Community Presbyterian, Canton, Ohio
On March 10, 2012, Muskingum Valley Presbytery voted to transfer the congregation – with all of its assets and property — into the EPC’s Presbytery of the Allegheny.
According to the Administrative Committee’s (AC) recommendation to the presbytery, the 111-member congregation agreed to make a $5,000 (to be paid out in not more than 5 years at a minimum rate of $1000/year) to one or more mutually agreed upon local ministries in the name of both the church and presbytery.
A statement to the presbytery signed by the Rev. William R. Pawson, moderator of session and Elder Allan R. Brown, clerk of session, read in part, “With a consistent and long-standing commitment to belief in the full inspiration, inerrancy and infallibility of the Holy Scriptures as the sole authority for faith and practice on the part of Westminster Community Presbyterian Church, Canton, Ohio, and our perception of the institutional abandonment of such a commitment on the part of the PCUSA upon adoption of the New Form of Government, we found we had no Biblically based moral standards left in common to bind us to one another. So it was with deep regret that the congregation of Westminster Church felt compelled to vote on the question of separation from the PCUSA. … The vote for separation was made overwhelmingly in the affirmative.”
In a news article posted on the CantonRep.com, Pawson said that the congregation decided to affiliate with the EPC, because it wish to remain Presbyterian, and because the denomination supports women in ministry.
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The Evangelical Presbyterian Church is in tune with where the (PCUSA) was 25 years ago,” he told the CantonRep. “In a sense, it’s like going home.”