In recent years, as Christian denominations voted to allow openly gay and lesbian clergy, hundreds of congregations have broken away to affiliate with more theologically conservative bodies. It is a painful process, fraught often with acrimony, recriminations and lawsuits over property.
But a Presbyterian congregation in Sheboygan County and the Presbytery of Milwaukee are trying to forge a new way.
In what appears to be a first for the Presbyterian Church USA, the denomination’s 45 local congregations have been invited to take part in a prayerful and collaborative process aimed at negotiating a reconciliation or amicable divorce.
The First Presbyterian Church of Oostburg is the first congregation in southeastern Wisconsin to petition to leave the Presbyterian Church USA following a 2010 vote approving the ordination of openly gay and lesbian clergy in July 2011.
On Feb. 1, Milwaukee’s Zeidler Center for Public Discussion will mediate a church-wide conversation over that request in a process that will focus not just on money and property, but mission and what it means to be part of a faith community.
“We don’t have an end game; that’s the whole idea,” said the Rev. Craig Howard, executive presbyter of the 11-county Presbytery of Milwaukee.
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the newspaper article mentioned that Oostburg was in a conservative pocket. That’s not surprising because there’s a Dutch and Frisian presence there – the Sheboygan area “kolonie.” The Orthodox Presbyterian Churches has had a presence in both Oostburg and nearby Cedar Grove since secessions in 1936. Cedar Grove had a 2nd secession in 2006 and went to the E.P.C., now Oostburg is having a 2nd secession. Early and then later secessions have happened a few times at various PC(USA) congregations.