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May 24, 2012
Southern Presbyterians Lose Third of Members, But Amicably
(Updated) Mississippi and Tropical Florida presbyteries avoid acrimony often seen when conservative churches leave PC(USA) or other mainline denominations.
Update (April 10, 2013): A recent schism at Fremont Presbyterian Church in California isn't keeping the two congregations from sharing space. The Sacramento Bee reports that the congregation, which divided between 'traditionalists' and 'progressives' over the issue of gay clergy, "still [shares] sacred spaces at the church site near California State University, Sacramento."
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Two Presbyterian regional bodies recently lost one-third of their members with surprisingly little acrimony compared to many departures by conservative congregations from the Presbyterian Church (USA) and other mainline denominations.
The Presbytery of Mississippi has approved the dismissal of five churches--representing 1,400 people, or about one-third of its members--to the more-conservative Evangelical Presbyterian Church. The presbytery has maintained a hands-off policy toward the property and funds of departing churches since renouncing the denomination's property-trust clause in 2006, according to The Layman.
“It would cost everybody a lot less grief if more presbyteries would follow the example we have tried to set,” Mississippi stated clerk Michael Herrin told The Layman.
Meanwhile, the Presbytery of Tropical Florida last week approved the dismissal of nine churches--also representing about one-third of its members (3,800 people)--but has required compensation of $500,000 (reflecting three years of per-capita payments to the denomination and parting offerings).
“It would be devastating to our presbytery’s mission strategy to be a reproducing, not a reducing presbytery ... if we were to engage in a prolonged battle with congregations that have voted over 90 percent to request dismissal,” stated presbytery officials, according to The Layman.
Many PC(USA) departures have been marked by hard feelings or lawsuits over property and finances, but both presbyteries are conservative ones that share many of the departing churches' views on denominational debates.
Conservative churches have been leaving the PC(USA) for a decade, but the pace has increased following a denominational vote to ordain non-celibate gays and lesbians in July 2011. Since July, 63 churches have voted to leave the PC(USA), according to The Layman.
The PC(USA) declined 3.42 percent in 2010 to 2.7 million members, a rate of decline second only to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America among the nation's 10 largest denominations, according to the 2012 Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches.
Departing congregations are still a minority of the PC(USA)'s roughly 11,000 churches, but they often are the largest in their area, including 4,100-member First Presbyterian Church of Colorado Springs, Colorado; 3,950-member First Presbyterian Church of Orlando, Florida; 3,500-member First Presbyterian Church of Greenville, South Carolina; and 2,300-member Eastminster Presbyterian Church of Wichita, Kansas. The impending departure of the Colorado Springs church, the largest in Colorado's Pueblo presbytery, has prompted eight other churches representing half of the presbytery's members to consider following suit.
Conservative Presbyterians launched a new denomination in January, though most don't plan to leave their current one. Dissenting congregations can exclusively join the new Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians (ECO), but they can also affiliate with it while remaining in the PC(USA). A poll of the 2,100 representatives from 900 congregations who attended the ECO's founding conference in Florida indicated most churches would not leave the PC(USA). But the New Wineskins Association of Churches, which broke from the PC(UCA) in 2007, said it would "conclude its ministry" and merge with the ECO.
In an attempt to stem further defections, a PC(USA) commission has voted 15–5 to allow non-geographic presbyteries. The move, which would allow churches to choose their own groupings for “missional purposes,” awaits approval at the general assembly this June. A group of PC(USA) leaders also signed a letter seeking reconciliation with breakaway groups.
Christianity Today has extensively covered church fights over property, including whether the balance of power has shifted from denominations to churches.
Comments
The "lay of the land" changed significantly, as well, in early March, when the Board of Directors of the Board of Pensions (BOP) approved extension of medical and pension benefits to same sex couples.
This coverage is set to begin January 1, 2013.
Sadly, there is no provision for "Relief of Conscience" as there is in the case of BOP coverage of abortions. In this area, approval was given for Sessions to request that the portion of their dues which may have gone to abortions instead be re-directed for a fund aiding in adoptions for Minister members.
Of course, now even that provision for pro-life Presbyterians may be in jeopardy as, without a doubt, at some point a same-sex couple will seek such aid.
Every single PCUSA congregation pays into the Medical/Pension benefits plan. Thus, I believe that many more congregations will consider departure from the PCUSA as the January 1 date approaches.
I have served as a Minister in the PCUSA for nearly 29 years, and these days, though tragic, also carry with them God's great promise through His Prophet, Isaiah--"Behold, I am doing a new thing".
Posted By: David L. Bierschwale | May 25, 2012 11:16 AM
Sounds like PC(USA) has turned into the Church of Laodicea !
Posted By: Kelly | May 25, 2012 12:40 PM
When you leave GOD out of the picture and write your own by-laws instead of living by the Holy Bible, you get exactly what is due. Defection by the masses. is a great thing. People are finally come to their senses and understand that a homosexual life style, is a stench in the nose of GOD and he has to blow them away. He loves the person, but hates their sin...it is sin...however you color or code it. GOD hasn't changed, we the people have and finally, the masses are coming back to center mass of being a Christian again.
Posted By: Bob | May 25, 2012 2:09 PM
Sadly, the real problem us that we consider some sins bigger than others and forget that pride and hatred are also in the list.
Posted By: sarah | May 25, 2012 8:37 PM
Pride and hatred are usually hard to discern, unlike homosexuality, especially unrepentent homosexuality which is blatently now in our face, everybody's face and out in the open. You can't hide it from children or adults. Other sins until someone catches those in adultery, rape, killing, lying, theft, leaving their families in poverty, etc., etc. now-a-days are handled in courts and prisons through lawyers and judges instead of through churches. Even pornography is handled by courts now. Homosexuality is being promoted by courts, politicians, media, school teachers, and churches are now accepting it and promoting it. I'm waiting to see what the next sexual sin will be supported and promoted by mainline churches. A dozen wives?, Islam holds it to four wives. Marriage redefined as between little girls and boys as young as three with adult men as Islam allows it. Christianity is going to have to say no sometime or the definition of Christianity will be changed to paganism. Words just don't mean the same any more. Sin is okay, not sining is awful, something is obviously wrong with not sining.
Posted By: Original Anna | May 25, 2012 10:53 PM
Anna wrote:
"Christianity is going to have to say no sometime or the definition of Christianity will be changed to paganism".
I would just like to thank you for plainly stating the condition of the Church in America. Your words need to be repeated often, the Church needs to be thus shamed.
Unfortunately I don't don't think it will work, Americans (even so called Christians) have acquired an appetite for perversity and will not cease until they hit absolute bottom.
Posted By: Charitas | May 26, 2012 11:59 AM
What happens when the salt is no longer salty?
Posted By: Bob Beeman | May 28, 2012 9:13 PM
Let us hear from the enlightened theologians, so those who love the Lord and His Bible can be taught.
Please show us where the Bible is favorable or sanctions homosexuality. Just once. That should be easy since so many Christians are okay with homosexuality.
Or is it that many Christians have a problem with the Bible?
Posted By: David Patton | May 28, 2012 10:12 PM
At the end, sadly, there will be many goats.
Posted By: Ken S | May 30, 2012 10:27 AM
The PC(USA) may retain the buidlings and old denominational structure, but they are the ones who have departed from the autority of Scripture and have left the church of God. The remnant of the faithful, as they have always had to do through the centuries, joyfully move forward - without those who will not stand for "the truth as it is in Jesus" - kicking the dust off their feet as they go. Praise God!
Posted By: Bob Brooke | May 30, 2012 2:03 PM
While Christian liberalism attempts to save the faith by making it more palatable to the world, it actually abandons it. I find it sad and ironic that a denomination built on the belief of a sovereign God feels the need to bend God’s rules to remain relevant and non-offensive to a totally depraved world.
That said, I agree with a previous comment that homosexuality is not a more terrible sin that any other. The issue is accepting the unrepentant sin because repentance is still part of salvation and sanctification was preached by Christ and the Apostles. One cannot claim to be struggling with a particular sin when you take vows to remain in that sinful state as is done in a same sex marriage.
Posted By: Ed B | May 30, 2012 4:08 PM
Have we seen an expository article on "why" these Presbyterians are leaving the "modernist" PCUSA? Modernism proposes that the Bible is not a collection of factual statements, but an anthology that documents the writers beliefs and feelings about God at the time of its writing within a historical or cultural context. Liberal Christian theologians do not claim to discover truth, but truth for antiquity, but not for today. Liberal Christianity looks upon the Bible as stories that symbolize significance of accepted Christian understanding (plurality). Most liberal Christians do not regard the Bible as inerrant, but believe Scripture to be "inspired" in the same way a poem is said to be "inspired" and passed down by humans. So couldn't the CT editorial board consider this separation to be God's desire?
Posted By: Glen | May 31, 2012 11:53 AM
The Bible clearly teaches that homosexual behavior is a sin. In the Old testament it violates the Hebrew purity code that made Israel a distinct nation. In Romans 1 Paul clearly sees homosexual behavior as a part of the slipply slope of depravity engaged in by the Roman ruling class elite. I Corinthians clearly lists the behavior as something that transformed Christians no longer engage in.
But as the Belgic Confession teaches God has provided us with two books. Scripture and Nature, which I inaterpret as science and the scientific evidence leads to the conclusion that Paul was wrong. So what do you do when Scripture and Science conflict? Paul was also wrong about the second coming of Jesus occuring within his generation.
Posted By: Patrick Shetler | May 31, 2012 1:04 PM
I have some strategies for you. If your presbytery wants to leave, quickly vote to relinquish all claims to property to the respective churches, then vote to leave the denomination as a Presbytery. When the Synod comes in with an administrative commission to remove the Presbytery leaders, it will be too late.
For an individual church: give all your endowments away to valid missions and ministries, indebt your buildings, and then see if the presbytery still wants them. Walk away if they do. Start from scratch with an uncompromised people who will follow God no matter what the cost. Then you will have agreement on righteousness and truth, morals and faith, and your prayers will be those of agreement, not of compromise. Your conscience will be clear and you will be able to look to your God with hope and faith.
Posted By: jefferis | November 3, 2012 4:14 PM
My grandfather was the Reverend Chester Hubbard Williamson, DD.
This was endowed upon him after study at Edinbourgh, Scotland, about 1912. My youth was a part of the First Presbyterian Church of Charleston, WV. The minister was the Reverend Wallace Alston, DD
It is my thought that there is a concerted effort to destroy the Christian Faith. It is slow and subtle and eating at the underpinnings much as salt and worms ingest that which they find available with no covering protection.I remember my Father talking about his Father's friends, the Reverend Billy Sunday and William Jennings Bryan and saying there is a war on Christ and we must over come this in all its ways.
Posted By: charles a williamson, jr | March 16, 2013 12:30 AM
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