After a couple of holdups in the process, San Gabriel Presbyterian Church (SGPC) is finally a member of ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians.
San Gabriel was dismissed from the Presbyterian Church (USA) during the March 11 meeting of San Gabriel Presbytery, and the move to ECO became official on June 9 following a 90-day period to allow any complaints to be filed regarding the dismissal.
The 165-member congregation, located 20 miles east of Los Angeles near Pasadena, was founded in 1949 as a church plant and originally known as St. James Presbyterian Church. A dwindling membership led to the movement of 100 members from True Life Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles. The merger of members from the two congregations led to the formation of San Gabriel Presbyterian Church in 1992.
“We consider ourselves evangelical and conservative in our theological underpinnings,” said Pastor Benjamin Yu, who has been at San Gabriel since 2003. “We have seen over the years the slow degradation of evangelical and conservative voices in the PCUSA. We had been thinking for a while if this was the right place for us. That all came to a head in 2011.”
A need to leave
The passage of Amendment 10A to allow the ordination of practicing homosexuals in the spring 2011 served as the catalyst that moved San Gabriel in the direction of dismissal.
In regard to those sexual standards, Yu said, “It became such a time-consuming proposition, something we had to battle every couple of years. We got tired of having to fight that battle all the time, enough so that we wanted to make sure we had clear lines drawn about what we believed and why.”
But the issue of sexuality was just one of the major issues that played a role in the church’s departure from the PCUSA.
Yu noted that the PCUSA’s unwillingness to uphold the authority of Scripture and acknowledgement of the exclusivity of Jesus Christ as the only way to salvation also were critical components that factored into the decision to leave the national denomination.
Following the path of others
There was talk of forming non-geographical presbyteries in southern California in 2011, and the session of San Gabriel voted to seek a movement to join San Diego Presbytery, which seemed to be a group of more conservative congregations.
But there was no additional action on the establishment of non-geographical presbyteries, and ECO was formed in 2012. When that happened, San Gabriel shifted gears and opted to pursue dismissal from the PCUSA to join the newly-formed denomination.
“When ECO came on board we considered that our best option once the idea of non-geographical presbyteries lost steam,” Yu recalled.
The SGPC session voted in August 2012 to seek dismissal, just two months before First Presbyterian Church of Covina and Glenkirk Presbyterian Church were dismissed by San Gabriel Presbytery.
However, a remedial complaint filed to render those dismissals null and void on the basis that ECO was not an acceptable Reformed body to receive dismissed churches from the presbytery halted the Covina and Glenkirk dismissals until July 2013, effectively stalling San Gabriel’s process as well.
“The whole process stopped while the presbytery recognized ECO as a Reformed denomination,” Yu said. “It wasn’t until July (2013) that it moved forward again.”
Details finally were hammered out for dismissal, and the SGPC congregation voted 105-10 on Jan. 12, 2014, in favor of leaving the PCUSA to align with ECO.
Agreeing to terms
Yu indicated that SGPC had been supportive of San Gabriel Presbytery and the PCUSA through the years, never withholding any funds. That was taken into consideration when dismissal terms were determined.
To leave the PCUSA, San Gabriel agreed to pay $39,060 in recognition of its property value and another $10,000 for ongoing missions of the PCUSA. That payment was made within 60 days of the dismissal agreement in March.
“For a congregation our size, that is nothing to sneeze at, and there were some who did not agree with the amount,” You said. “But our members all felt strongly that we need to take this step to approach our ministry and mission in a new denomination.”
SGPC also agreed to a reverter clause that gives the property back to San Gabriel Presbytery if the congregation leaves an approved Reformed denomination within 10 years. If that happens the only way for the congregation to terminate the reversionary interest of the presbytery would be to make a payment based on the property value of $530,000 that would be reduced by $53,000 each year during the specified 10-year period.
Part of a new group with friends
In joining ECO, San Gabriel becomes part of a newer organization that continues in its formation and also reunites with the Covina and Glenkirk congregations.
“There is room for us to grow and be involved in the process of forming ECO,” Yu said. “So many other churches in southern California are joining ECO, and we wanted to be part of that movement. We wanted to land where we are going to have other sister churches and be part of a group with similar beliefs.”
Yu added that ECO’s emphasis on women as elders and pastors and the accountability offered through missional affinity groups were draws to the new denomination as well.
A good relationship
While there were a couple of delays that slowed the dismissal process, Yu acknowledged that the overall spirit shown by his congregation and session in working with the presbytery was encouraging.
“We were surprised that we had such a good working relationship,” he said. “There were no major disagreements, and negotiations went well. The PET (Presbytery Engagement Team) made it a very smooth process, very cordial. It was a good process for us. I am very grateful for the PET that worked with us.
“It was a time of graciousness for the church and the presbytery.”
Yu noted that it was not a joyous occasion leaving the presbytery but also not one that had any bitterness associated with it.
“There was sadness, yes, but it was nothing personal. It’s more a theological issue,” he said. “Those people are still our friends. We just see things from different points of view.”
Looking ahead
With the dismissal process a thing of the past, Yu said San Gabriel’s focus now is seeking a clear missional framework geared toward evangelism and the Great Commission – making disciples.
“We can be focused on fulfilling our calling. We need to be serving and reaching out to those in need,” Yu said. “We no longer have to be worried about what is coming down the pike in terms of a liberal agenda from the PCUSA. Our focus now can be on how we get the Gospel out to people.
“We need to focus on what Jesus did and calls us to do. He spread the Gospel, and that’s what we want to put our efforts into. We’re not looking back. We’re just determining where we are headed and how we can reach people for Christ.”