Five of 10 California churches seeking departure from Los Ranchos Presbytery and the Presbyterian Church (USA) to ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians are under a stay of enforcement following remedial complaints filed by members of the presbytery despite meeting the requirements of the presbytery’s joint solution process.
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church (Newport Beach), Trinity United Presbyterian Church (Santa Ana), Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church (Los Alamitos), First Presbyterian Church of Westminster and Christ Presbyterian Church (Huntington Beach) all are under a stay of enforcement and will remain part of Los Ranchos Presbytery even though the congregations already have voted to accept terms of the joint solution agreements approved by the presbytery in late May and early June.
The complaints, which have been combined into one case by the Permanent Judicial Commission (PJC) from the Synod of Southern California and Hawaii, allege that the presbytery, although it followed its own Property Policy and Procedures when determining the joint solutions for dismissal, nonetheless failed “to protect the interests of the presbytery.”
Leadership of Los Ranchos Presbytery released the following statement in regard to the complaints: “While we support the right of our brothers and sisters in Christ to file a judicial complaint we earnestly hope and trust that that matter can be quickly resolved for the greater interest of the church.”
One presbyter said, “We tried to discuss mediation, but it is clear that the complainants do not want that. They want their day in PJC.”
The complaints were brought by a group known as the Kindred Spirits. While making up a small percentage of the presbytery, the group is being vocal about its opposition to the joint solutions that have been approved to grant dismissal to the churches.
“We all felt we were following the guidelines set up by the presbytery,” another presbyter said. “We don’t think this group is representative of everyone in our presbytery or the churches. We have no idea if there will be remedial cases brought against other churches (seeking dismissal).”
During a June 28 presbytery meeting, three more joint solution agreements were approved by the presbytery for Christ Presbyterian Church (Lakewood), Community Presbyterian Church (Long Beach) and Wintersburg Presbyterian Church (Santa Ana).
That means eight churches have had joint solutions approved by the presbytery in a month’s time. It is yet to be seen if additional charges will be filed against the presbytery for the latest dismissals, which were done in full accordance with the presbytery’s dismissal process.
Journey Evangelical Church in Westminster and St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church in Anaheim also are engaged in the joint solution agreement process. Readings for their dismissals are scheduled later this month.
Three more agreements
Even before the meeting on the second reading of joint solutions for Christ (Lakewood), Community and Wintersburg there was an attempt to quell their dismissals. The Council of Los Ranchos Presbytery voted June 25 to recommend that the presbytery suspend the property policy until it has been brought into compliance with the Synod PJC and not form any new joint discernment teams. It also recommended that presbytery postpone any further action on dismissing Christ, Community and Wintersburg until the complaint with the synod has been resolved.
After more than two hours of debate at the June 28 meeting, the recommendations were defeated, and the presbytery moved forward in agreement on three more joint solutions.
The joint solution for Christ (Lakewood)’s 136-member congregation requires a payment of $101,070, taking into consideration property value ($77,000), continued tiered mission giving over two and a half years ($13,500) and continued tiered per-capita giving ($10,570). If, within five years of dismissal, Christ fails to make the required payments, closes or ceases its affiliation with ECO, the presbytery may execute a power of termination, returning the property to Los Ranchos.
Community’s joint solution agreement allows it to leave with property but requires a lump sum payment of approximately $1,113,000 upon close of sale of that property. If the congregation desires to leave ECO within five years of dismissal, it can only transfer to another member of the World Council of Reformed Churches (WCRC) and shall do so as its own entity or as a party to a merger with Christ Presbyterian (Lakewood). The congregation has 84 members.
Wintersburg, a Japanese-American congregation of approximately 500 members, was asked to make a lump sum payment of $100,000 and agree to a similar five-year reverter clause. However, the presbytery waived that amount based on the Presbyterian Church’s silence during World War II when 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry were imprisoned. The denomination adopted a resolution in 1981 saying that it should have done more to help in that situation and drafted a letter of apology.
The five under a stay
Joint solutions for St. Andrew’s, FPC-Westminster and Trinity were approved on May 31, and the presbytery gave its OK to dismissal terms for Good Shepherd and Christ-Huntington Beach on June 7. All five churches have had congregational votes that resulted in acceptance of the agreements.
Ninety-six percent of the 926 members attending the congregational vote on June 8 at St. Andrew’s cast ballots to accept the joint solution of Los Ranchos and transfer to ECO from the PCUSA. In doing so, the congregation of more than 3,200 members agreed to pay $1.7 million plus interest over a maximum of nine years.
The First Presbyterian Church of Westminster congregation agreed to the terms of the joint solution by a vote of 133-2 on June 8. The Westminster congregation of 235 members will be required to pay $98,786 in a lump sum within 90 days of acceptance of the terms of dismissal and also agreed to a five-year reverter clause that allows Los Ranchos Presbytery to take the property if the church leaves ECO or becomes an independent congregation within five years of dismissal.
The congregation of Trinity United Presbyterian Church accepted terms of the joint solution on June 15, two weeks after the presbytery gave its approval. Seven hundred thirty-five of Trinity’s 1,458 members turned out for the vote, and 81 percent (597 for, 134 against) cast ballots in favor of accepting terms to leave the PCUSA. Trinity will pay the presbytery $982,250 over five years with an interest rate of 5 percent annually on the unpaid balance. The congregation also agreed to a reversion clause that allows its property to revert back to Los Ranchos Presbytery if Trinity leaves ECO to join a denomination outside the Reformed tradition within five years of the dismissal date.
The Good Shepherd congregation agreed to accept the joint solution on June 15, eight days after the presbytery gave its approval. Approximately 250 active members turned out for the vote, with 97.7 percent of them casting ballots in favor of accepting the joint solution. The terms of the joint solution for dismissal to ECO for Good Shepherd, a congregation of 607 members, include payment of a lump sum of $240,000 and acceptance of a five-year reverter clause that allows the presbytery to reclaim the property if the congregation leaves ECO or fails to be part of a Reformed body.
Christ-Huntington Beach, which has 462 members, voted by a 190-2 margin on Sunday, June 29 to accept the agreement, and the session followed with a 12-0 vote to do so. Terms of Christ’s joint solution to leave the PCUSA were not available.
18 Comments. Leave new
Again, departure in the PCUSA is no more, no less, than a process of price discovery. And that by nature is a civil, legal process. The arc and trend though is clear, as witnessed by the hate demonstrated by Tropical Presbytery. The denomination is desperate, and such resorting to a more Episcopal, confrontational, conflicted time of this process. “Gracious Separation”, as a season is dead. The hope is that only organizations in their last throws of existence, tend to resort to such adviseriarial means. Max Weber made the same points well over 100 years ago of institutions under stress and pressure. They may gain a property, here and there. They they prevail in civil courts, here and there. But even if they win every case, every time, 100%, their spirits and souls are lost. And they will meet an end consistent with God’s justice.
I’m sure that the “Kindred Spirits” are fine people, however this is the kind of crap that needs to stop, We all have our views, and I’m convinced that God will work it out at the end of the day when the dust settles. I’m not leaving the PCUSA, but to my fellow progressives’ knock this crap off, it make the rest of us look bad. They went through the process that was agreed to on both sides. Move on!!
What we see going on is a modern day reinactment of the last part of Exodus 14:5, which i expected to happen once the powers that be saw how much wealth they had allowed to escape out the door.
For my take on “Kindred Spirits” google recent book by Aaron James, philosophy professor at UCI
Pastor Bob, I did google Aaron James, I couldn’t stop laughing.
These desperate actions are indeed the mark of an institution in its death throws. The nFoG is more episcopal in nature than it is presbyterial in nature regardless of what words are used. A means to centralize power and control is all nFoG represents. My suspicion is that membership losses reported for 2013 were far understated.
Look at the details of the so called 234 new worshipping communities. Some are older than 2011 when this initiative started. Most church planting experts say it takes 150-200 members for a church plant to become self sufficient financially. Is there any reliable data forthcoming on the viability and growth of these communities? Or are we to expect more smoke & mirrors and double talk and excuses?
If we can believe believe the numbers that are reported the mean size of a PCUSA congregation is in the upper 60s. That’s not large enough in most cases to afford a full time minister and maintain and operate a facility. One crisis away from closure. The median age of a PCUSA member is probably around 65. Demographics and shrinking size do not lay out an encouraging future for most PCUSA congregations.
The Grandees in Louisville, in the Snynods and in the Presbyteries are all likely aware of the real facts and trends whether they admit it openly or not. Hence we see the desperate acts of a dying dysfunctional institution. Bitterly blaming everyone and everything else for the harvest their leadership has brought forth.
This is ecclesiastical terrorism, designed to demoralize congregations considering departure.
Is this complaint online somewhere? I would like to read it.
You can take our money Kindred Spirits, but you can’t take our commitment to scripture. We’ll see what matters in the end.
I wonder whether God might be allowing this as a test of these congregations’ willingness to forsake all to follow Christ.
I would urge those churches in Los Ranchos Presbytery Just Leave, leave the abomination that will be desolation of the PCUSA. The PCUSA is a condemned organization, no longer a church with those Apostates in charge. Just leave, the PCUSA lost its authority when the same rejected the Holy Bible, thus, a bunch of gangsters are in charge of the Presbyterian condemned church of the USA.
Is this an example of “Justice-Love”? Has the PCUSA adopted apartheid as an official policy, subjecting Evangelical congregations to officially sanctioned harassment and terrorism? No matter, as many people have pointed out, they can reap where they did not sow and take our property, but they will never own me. I can’t be bought, threatened, blackmailed, or kidnapped. These boots were made for walking…
As i understand the Kindred group” (Complantants) think the “Presbyteries’ Interests” were not well served. I interpret this to mean the Presbytery is not getting enough money in the settlements. What a sorry situation. The Joint Discernment Teams worked with the Prebytery teams over a two year period and followed to the letter the Presbytery’s dismissal procedure. These groups spent much time in prayer seeking God’s direction. All the team members had a common mission-seeking God’s will. The spirit in these meeting was wonderful. No animosity was present. The Holy Spirit was the leader.
Shame, shame on the complaintants.Where is Christian love?
Barry Evans
D.L. – those who are being stripped of assets are actually being cleansed. there are many of us going through the same thing, obviously the details are unique to the individual. the majority will end up siding with the beast, probably just to protect their assets. it’s the opposite of how it appears. almost no one here believes in the Bible, even those who say they do. if they did they wouldn’t be wasting so much time on RE, making financial commitments into the future, and talking about the unfairness of it all.
Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Heretics will always be a problem in Christendom. Within 30 years they will probably be on the inside of ECO.
Hello Web Admin, I noticed that your On-Page SEO is is missing a few factors, for one you do not use all three H tags in your post, also I notice that you are not using bold or italics properly in your SEO optimization. On-Page SEO means more now than ever since the new Google update: Panda. No longer are backlinks and simply pinging or sending out a RSS feed the key to getting Google PageRank or Alexa Rankings, You now NEED On-Page SEO. So what is good On-Page SEO?First your keyword must appear in the title.Then it must appear in the URL.You have to optimize your keyword and make sure that it has a nice keyword density of 3-5% in your article with relevant LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing). Then you should spread all H1,H2,H3 tags in your article.Your Keyword should appear in your first paragraph and in the last sentence of the page. You should have relevant usage of Bold and italics of your keyword.There should be one internal link to a page on your blog and you should have one image with an alt tag that has your keyword….wait there’s even more Now what if i told you there was a simple WordPress plugin that does all the On-Page SEO, and automatically for you? That’s right AUTOMATICALLY, just watch this 4minute video for more information at. Seo Plugin
Astringent is the best greentea, witchhazel and lavender ‘s since the
merchandise is more delicate around the encounter rather than alcohol.
they could be extremely cool, though the supports happen to be extended through putting them on and so Seriously primary endured them all for around Two months. Equally, the leading with the actual smart balance wheel http://betterscooter.en.alibaba.com/ are beginning to become slots in the and so are my buddies. The lady in addition has typically the bailey control buttons.