Greater Atlanta Presbytery Congregation votes to immediately disaffiliate from PCUSA; administrative commission appointed By Patrick Jean Staff Writer The Layman Online Friday, November 30, 2007 The Presbytery of Greater Atlanta has approved appointing an administrative commission for a church that went to court over its property rights, but softened language that would have let the panel investigate whether the pastor has attended any New Wineskins Association of Churches "events or conferences." About the parties Timberridge Presbyterian Church was founded in 1829. It has 350 members and is located in McDonough, Ga. Greater Atlanta Presbytery is comprised of 110 congregations. It has more than 46,000 members, the most of any presbytery in the PCUSA. Meanwhile, the congregation – Timberridge Presbyterian Church in McDonough, Ga. – has voted to immediately disaffiliate from the Presbyterian Church (USA), now considers itself an independent Presbyterian church and will not cooperate with the administrative commission, The Layman Online has learned. The church's pastor, the Rev. Matt Allison, also has renounced the jurisdiction of the PCUSA. The recommendation for an administrative commission targeted both Timberridge Church and Allison. The recommendation, which came from the presbytery's committee on ministry, was approved at the presbytery's stated meeting Nov. 27. The recommendation stated that the administrative commission would "investigate the role of the ordained leadership in living out their ordination vows and their role in working with the church to prevent/promote schism." It also was to grant the panel the following powers: "Obtain and review the minutes of session, the trustees, as well as the minutes of congregational meetings. "Obtain and review any correspondence from the session, the trustees, and the pastor to the congregation. "Obtain and review any correspondence between any of the above-mentioned bodies. "Investigate any contact by the pastor or church with the movement called 'New Wineskins.' This would include investigating any attendance at New Wineskins events or conferences. "Obtain an accurate record of the membership rolls of the church. "The power to remove the pastor and any other ordained leadership, if deemed appropriate, with special attention to following the guidelines as outlined in G-9.0505(b). "Communicate with members of the congregation in whatever fashion that the commission deems appropriate. Examples are: hearings, focus groups, subcommittee meetings. "Grant the authority to call for congregational meetings and session meetings." The Rev. Ed Albright, executive presbyter of Greater Atlanta Presbytery, said presbytery commissioners changed the wording of the power to "investigate any contact by the pastor or church with the movement called 'New Wineskins.' This would include investigating any attendance at New Wineskins events or conferences." That was changed to, "Grant the powers to determine the issues and causes contributing to the decision of the Timberridge Church to disaffiliate." The wording of two other powers also was slightly changed: "Obtain an accurate record of the membership rolls of the church" was changed to, "Obtain or develop an accurate record of the membership rolls of the church." "Grant the authority to call for congregational meetings and session meetings" was changed to, "Grant the authority to call for congregational meetings, session meetings, conduct worship and extend pastoral care." The approved recommendation also appointed seven people to serve on the administrative commission: the Rev. Dr. Lane Alderman, senior pastor of Roswell Presbyterian Church in Roswell; the Rev. Joel Alvis, interim pastor of Alpharetta Presbyterian Church in Alpharetta; the Rev. Tim Dalstrom, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Griffin; the Rev. Shannon Dill, associate pastor of St. Luke's Presbyterian Church in Dunwoody; Willis Hinton, an elder of Hillside Presbyterian Church in Decatur; Camille Josey, an elder of Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta; and Louise Reaves, an elder of Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church in Stone Mountain. Albright said he didn't want hundreds of presbytery commissioners trying to deal with Timberridge Church, "but seven people can. … Those seven people can try their best to do something together, not do something separate – not to be dealt with in a secular way, but to be dealt with in the context of the church." Timeline to disaffiliation In the background report to its recommendation, the committee on ministry stated that the presbytery was notified Sept. 7 that it was being sued by the Timberridge congregation "over the denomination's property trust clause." The church "made no attempt to discuss their concerns with the presbytery" before going to court, the report stated. Timberridge Church was concerned about two things, a source told The Layman Online: 1. The climate in the PCUSA in light of "The Louisville Papers," documents prepared by PCUSA lawyers that urge presbyteries to use aggressive measures when trying to claim local church property. 2. The presbytery's response if the church came forward with its property concerns. For those reasons, and for the purpose of having a legal declaration, the church went to court first, the source said. On Oct. 3, according to the commissioners' meeting handbook posted on the presbytery's Web site, the Superior Court of Henry County granted a temporary restraining order to Timberridge Church "essentially enjoining the presbytery from taking any action to place a cloud on the title to the property, to claim ownership or control of the church property, to change the locks to the property, or otherwise violating the church's property rights." The church's request for the temporary restraining order also sought to protect the church's ordained leadership from punitive action by the presbytery, but that language was removed at the presbytery's request, sources told The Layman Online. The committee on ministry's background report stated that Albright contacted Allison "for discussion, dialogue and information as to how he was upholding his ordination vows in light of the lawsuit." They met Oct. 24, the report stated, and, in Albright's "opinion, Matt could not point to any ways in which he upheld his ordination vows in this matter." In a letter dated Nov. 9, Albright informed Allison of the committee on ministry's recommendation for approval of an administrative commission at the stated meeting Nov. 27. It was that recommendation which led to Timberridge Church's session calling for a congregational vote Nov. 25 on immediate disaffiliation from the PCUSA, sources told The Layman Online. On Nov. 21, Albright sent a second letter to Allison expressing concern about the planned vote. "The congregation does not have the authority to 'disaffiliate from the PCUSA, thereby denouncing their authority over our congregation' and 'worship temporarily as an independent congregation,' " Albright said in the letter. "In G-7.0304 of the Book of Order, the five powers of a congregation are listed and it is clear that it does not give the power to the congregation to do what you are suggesting," Albright wrote. "In G-11.0103(i), it is clear that only the presbytery (not the congregation, not the session, not the synod, not the General Assembly) has the ability to dismiss a congregation." Two hundred and 19 church members, or 62.5 percent of the church's 350 members, took part in the Nov. 25 vote, sources told The Layman Online. Of those, 205 members or 94 percent voted for immediate disaffiliation and 14 members or 6 percent voted against leaving, the sources said. A separate vote was held on ratifying the election of the church's session and pastoral staff, the sources said. Two hundred members or 91 percent voted for ratification and 19 members or 9 percent voted against it, the sources said. On Nov. 27, Allison sent a letter to Albright informing him of the votes' results and renouncing his jurisdiction in the PCUSA, the sources said. Albright said he was handed the letter at the presbytery's stated meeting. Immediate disaffiliation renders the administrative commission's work moot because Timberridge Church no longer recognizes the authority of the panel or the PCUSA, the sources said. But Albright said while the presbytery accepts Allison's renunciation of jurisdiction, it still considers his congregation a member of both the presbytery and the PCUSA. What's next? The administrative commission will have an organizational meeting for training soon, but won't begin its work until after the Advent season, Albright said. The temporary restraining order granted Oct. 3 in the lawsuit will not affect the panel or any other administrative work by the presbytery related to Timberridge Church, he said. The lawsuit is currently in the discovery process, in which each side is requesting documents and other evidence from the opposing side and other related parties, Albright said. The litigation does not have a future hearing date because all Superior Court judges in Henry County have recused themselves from the case and a judge will be appointed, he said. Albright said he would prefer for the dispute to be settled out of court. "We can work this out, I think," he said. "But we haven't had a chance, and I feel really bad about that." Patrick Jean is a staff writer for The Layman and The Layman Online. He can be reached at pjean@layman.org.

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