By Viola Larson, Naming His Grace blog.
Much earlier a small Presbyterian Church (USA) had an Administrative Commission placed over them in Burney, California. The Burney church was counted in schism by the AC. I wrote about this at Schism, heresy and control. The main body of this small church with the exception of only a few, about four, decided that they would forgo the process of trying to leave in what used to be an orderly way. For them it was no longer possible. The main body of the church wrote this letter to the Sacramento Presbytery:’
Date: July 28, 2015
(Letter To AC on 9/9/15 informing them of our decision to leave the PCUSA and Building)
Thank you for your time and the information you shared with us over the phone, face to face and by email over the last few days.
We as a leadership team of eight members plus around 28 other attenders have decided to move on and constitute ourselves as a new congregation affiliated with EPC. Last Sunday was our last worship service in the Burney Presbyterian sanctuary and we are now preparing to meet for our first worship service on Sunday at a rented location in Burney with the name “New Hope Evangelical Presbyterian Church”. Our last congregational act, besides thanking God for the 67 years of faithful servants and service was to pray that God’s name and glory within the sanctuary would still be kept whoever is the owner or user.
We appreciate and understand your clear offer for us to remain while we work out the road to our future. We all had no idea of your recent offer even though we had informed you weeks ago of our possible departure on September 8, 2015. The offer came a few weeks too late for most of the congregation who had made tentative plans to leave as soon as they saw the COM recommendation to Presbytery to impose original jurisdiction over the Burney church.
It was also a stunning to hear from you that the “loyal” group was not returning, especially after they had worked so hard to achieve the goal of having us move out of the church premises. We who are leaving were never disloyal – we tried to follow the PCUSA protocol. Nevertheless, we wish and pray that sometime in the future we may be able to lease or purchase the property.
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I’ve been asking myself “Who controls Presbyteries”? Is it the Executive
Presbyter, the Stated Clerk, COM, or Elders of the churches in that Presbytery?
For awhile I have been charging Presbytery Leaders of orchestrating their Will over God’s Will in the name of “conscience” in making sure certain left leaning people go to GA. Now as churches seek to leave I believe it is happening in local Presbyteries in how they relate to churches who proclaim Sola Scripture and can no longer remain in the denomination.
Changes in the Gracious Dismissal Policy came from the vote of the whole Presbytery, right? So whole Presbyteries that lost conservative churches are deciding to forego gracious dismissal and forbearance in administering their Will over churches sessions who have discerned God’s Will.
In that sense, we see the empowerment of the Louiville
dictates over rational and Biblical thinking in Presbyteries.
For any church moving into discernment, this small church and the Presbytery’s response should be alarming.
If you were not on your knees praying, you should be now!
The presbyteries now (and GA) are controlled by what, in the vernacular of today, OCCUPY PRESBYTERIANS, a declining political CULT of “loyalists” given the believers in the 5 SOLA’S are leaving by the thousands each and every week. Spiritually bankrupt, fiscal bankruptcy coming soon.
This is truly disheartening. I have lived not far from the Burney Presbyterian Church since 2002. Sorry to hear this.