 Church members' option: renounce PCUSA's rule By John H. Adams The Layman Online Wednesday, November 19, 2003 The Presbytery of St. Andrews in Mississippi is scheduled to decide Thursday whether members of First Presbyterian Church in Charleston, Miss., may leave the denomination and retain their property. Commissioners to the meeting will be asked to consider an administrative commission's two-part recommendation: first, to deny the congregation's request to be dismissed to another Reformed denomination; and, second, to dissolve the church if two-thirds of the members vote to renounce the jurisdiction of the Presbyterian Church (USA). If such a vote were taken and approved by a super majority of the membership of the Charleston congregation, the administrative commission proposes that it be authorized to sell the church property to a non-profit corporation comprised of former members of First Presbyterian for $75,000. The 102-member Charleston congregation has already voted – unanimously – to request dismissal from the PCUSA so that it might affiliate with another Reformed denomination. After that vote, the administrative commission surveyed the congregation, hoping to "identify some significant support for remaining in the denomination. When the surveys were returned, we found no evidence that this kind of support exists," according to a report to the presbytery. Leaders of the Charleston congregation, which is one of nearly 1,300 churches in the Confessing Church Movement within the PCUSA, say their concerns were the denomination's decisions and actions on a variety of issues, including an unwillingness to enforce church law prohibiting the ordination of practicing homosexuals. They also expressed concern over their inability – and the presbytery's insufficient assistance – to find a suitable evangelical pastor. The congregation has been without a designated minister during the two years of negotiation with the presbytery's administrative commission. The presbytery originally asked for $250,000 from the congregation as a condition for dismissal. The proposal to require members to renounce the jurisdiction of the PCUSA before they could acquire their property is unusual. While presbyteries have wide latitude in determining whether and/or how congregations may be dissolved or dismissed, they normally require the congregations to align with another Reformed denomination, such as the Presbyterian Church in America or the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, before a dismissal is approved. First Presbyterian first sought to be dismissed to another Reformed denomination. But the commission concluded that it "does not believe that disagreement with the denomination over its stands on particular issues is in itself sufficient reason for dismissal to another Reformed member," commission member Stuart G. Baskin wrote in a letter to presbytery. That letter was included in the packet distributed to commissioners scheduled to attend Thursday's meeting in Oxford. The packet also included the commission's motion:
Otey Sherman, an elder at First Presbyterian and a prominent Charleston banker, said the congregation's relationship with the presbytery – and its administrative commission – have been good but that he and others did not believe the congregation could move forward without a strong evangelical pastor and dissociation from a denomination that was becoming increasingly liberal. Sherman said the congregation is in agreement with the proposal by the administrative commission. But he thought it was unusual that members would be asked to vote to renounce the jurisdiction of the PCUSA – which he likened "to getting a divorce and still being in love." Organized in the 1800s as a combination Presbyterian-Methodist church, First Presbyterian is the oldest church in Charleston. But it doesn't fit the stereotypical mold of Presbyterian congregations throughout the denomination. At 58, Sherman says he is one of the oldest members and that there are many couples in their 30s and 40s with young children. Except in its search for a pastor, First Presbyterian has always had a good relationship with the presbytery, Sherman said. "The people in our presbytery are our friends and our neighbors. I've been real active in the church, denomination and presbytery all of my life." He said the $75,000 payment to the presbytery for the property won't be easy. That amount is almost equal to the congregation's annual budget – which was $83,000 in 2002. But First Presbyterian is a tight-knit congregation (about 75 percent of its members attend Sunday worship services) with a unified vision, Sherman said. Without the damaging effect of being PCUSA and with a strong evangelical pastor, he said the congregation could easily double in size. Sherman, who is president of the Tallahatchie County Economic Development Authority, said that if the congregation is dissolved and former members are permitted to acquire the property, church elders will begin attending meetings of presbyteries of the Presbyterian Church in America and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church to determine with which they might align. The Charleston congregation has had women elders. The PCA does not allow women to serve as elders, but the EPC does. So what happens if the leadership recommends aligning with the PCA? "I'd rather argue about that than gays," Sherman said. |
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