A 108-year-old Presbyterian church in Branson, Mo., celebrated its 32-year history with the Presbyterian Church (USA) in a final service on Dec. 27, and then, on Jan. 3, held its first worship service as a member of ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians.
The First Presbyterian Church of Branson was dismissed from the PCUSA by John Calvin Presbytery on Nov. 7.
The 245-member church and Pastor Tom Willcox were dismissed to ECO with “no fees, strings or other requirements,” according to an article by Willcox published in the church newsletter. However, the church session “in its request for dismissal from the PCUSA, volunteered a covenant to continue supporting the mission and ministry of John Calvin Presbytery with decreasing measures of its current support over the next four years to lessen the negative impact of the congregation’s dismissal on the mission and ministry of John Calvin Presbytery.”
“John Calvin Presbytery has demonstrated the highest example of gracious dismissal,” Willcox wrote. “The presbytery leadership, COM and the presbytery as a whole have been positive, gracious and complementary at every step in the dismissal process. The rest of the PCUSA would do well to take note of and to emulate the Christ-like character of John Calvin Presbytery’s leaders and members. With a presbytery like this, there is no need nor any defense for an adversarial or contentious congregational discernment or dismissal process.”
In a discernment update, Willcox discussed the two options that the session considered for a new denominational home: ECO and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.
Acknowledging that the EPC is “an excellent denomination with excellent theology,” the session believed that “ECO is the pace for us to grow and thrive as a 21st century church.”
ECO, Willcox wrote, “is intentionally choosing to be a 21st century Church. ECO has a vision for helping existing, older institutional style churches learn how to also create missional movements. Today’s younger generations, think younger than forty years old, are interested in spiritual matters but they are turned off by the style and structure of the institutional church. They don’t want to become members of an institution; they want to become part of a movement. Learning to add missional movement thinking to our core thinking as a church is a key piece of how the session believes we can become relevant to new generations of future believers.”
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Congratulations to First Presbyterian Church Branson. Thanks to John Calvin Presbytery for their gracious handling of this congregations’ departure. If only all the presbyteries would act with such grace as John Calvin Presbytery.
Presbyteries,
Take note this how to dismiss a congregation.
This is sad. The Body of Christ must be united not divided. We need the Lord’s Word more than ever.
I now wonder if this “gracious dismissal” would have happened in California, Colorado or Minnesota……..HMMMMM.
Robert, I do hope you realize that the “Body of Christ” is not a denomination. It is the whole company of all those who by God’s sovereign choice and gracious calling have or will at some point in the future come to faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
When a congregation decides to change its denominational affiliation, the Body of Christ does not lose any members, nor does it gain any members. This change of affiliation does not divide the Body of Christ, nor does it unite it. It has no effect on it at all.
And far from being a sad thing, as you characterize it, this change of affiliation is a very good and joyful thing. Each individual congregation needs to be affiliated with other congregations that share its basic understanding of mission and ministry.
If the ECO is a better fit for First Presbyterian Church of Branson than the PCUSA, as both the church and John Calvin Presbytery seem to have concluded, then the ECO is exactly and precisely where this congregation ought to be. So please, Robert, stop moaning and groaning.
First Presbyterian Church of Branson and John Calvin Presbytery of the PCUSA are both to be commended for having sought and followed the leading of the Holy Spirit in this matter. May their decision redound to the glory of God and to the growth of his kingdom.
Tom, your gracious way of caring for people that disagree with you and your evangelical/charismatic theology/practice in the PCUSA I’m sure had much to do with the presbytery’s gracious response. Love returns love in the Body of Christ.
Living Waters Fellowship in Suffern, New York, the church Debbie and I left in 2011 after 23 years pastoring there, was graciously dissolved in order to merge into a Redeemer Church plant. All Souls had a very similar vision as ours but my old church knew it could not carry out its own vision in the PCUSA. Hudson River Presbytery responding in love, though it was a challenge, and “let them go” without penalty or recrimination. Everyone took the Sermon on the Mount teaching quite seriously.
Oh, Donnie Boy, if only it was so simple and clear. In most cases these actions by SOME in the congregation are not unifying – they are divisive. You act like in all these cases everyone is 100% on board with the move – that happens – but only RARELY. Most of the time these moves are preceded with a small group in the congregation deciding this is what they want and then manipulation and deceiving to others to win them over or run them off before they make their move. Read or listen to comments on any congregational dismissal and 99% of the time their is hurt and division and lingering resentment – I agree with Robert on this one…
Behold! How good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in harmony!
Psalm 133:1 (This verse opens Bonhoeffer’s classic masterpiece “Life Together”.)
How rare this attitude has been in recent American Presbyterianism!
Almost as rare as . . .
A seventh son of a seventh son,
In China, post Mao Zedong.
Or, me
Breaking into poetic simile.
Well, gee…..I just assumed Robert was saying we all ought to be “united” in adherence to scripture….that is was sad that PCUSA was not….that is what I assumed he meant. Is that what you think too, pres-child?
Allen,
Thank you for your strong witness statement/comment, which you must have submitted while i composed my above comment.
You actually have no idea whst I am saying, do you?