Florida church officially joins ECO
By Jason P. Reagan, The Layman, June 8, 2012
After bidding farewell to its largest church, a Florida presbytery also confirmed the dismissal of another of its large churches, leading the congregation to officially join the newest Presbyterian denomination.
On June 5, the Presbytery of Central Florida unanimously approved the dismissal of Trinity Presbyterian Church of Satellite Beach, Fla. to the recently formed ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians.
Comparing theological shifts within the Presbyterian Church (USA) to the tip of a larger iceberg, the 800-member church voted 360-62 in May to request dismissal, stating “the PCUSA has been drifting from the clear teaching of Scripture.”
“If our congregation is like a ship at sea, this reduction of the Bible’s authority seems like a dangerous iceberg,” the session stated in its initial report.
At the same meeting, the presbytery also approved the dismissal of First Presbyterian Church of Orlando to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) – a loss of 3,951 members.
The majority of churches fleeing the PCUSA believes the denomination no longer recognizes the authority of Scripture and is embracing universalism. An increasing number of churches decided to depart after the 2011 passage of Amendment 10A and the new Form of Government.
The amendment deleted the explicit “fidelity/chastity” requirement from the constitutional ordination standard, and now allows the PCUSA to ordain noncelibate gay people as deacons, elders and pastors.
In December of 2010, Central Florida voted down Amendment 10A by a vote of 65-140.
“The presbytery has adopted an interpretation of the requirements for ordination that says that in Central Florida Presbytery we understand that standard to include fidelity within the bounds of marriage and chastity in singleness,” the presbytery’s resolution response team told Trinity members during a listening session before the vote.
“We have not concluded that homosexual people can be received as ministers in this presbytery,” the presbytery stated.
However, Trinity’s session stated the standards adopted by Central Florida may not stand up to denominational scrutiny.
“Though well-intended, we believe that this presbytery resolution will be shown to be unconstitutional once it is challenged in ecclesiastical court. The PCUSA General Assembly’s Permanent Judicial Commission has already ruled that ‘no lower governing body can constitutionally define, diminish, augment or modify standards for ordination and installation of church officers,’” the session stated.
In a letter sent to congregants this week, Trinity’s session members expressed surprise and joy at the fact that that Central Florida dismissed the church with no financial payment expectations.
“It’s very rare for a congregation to be dismissed without any penalty,” the session noted, adding, “We celebrate this mutual graciousness.”
Despite the lack of financial obligation, Trinity nevertheless decided to offer $20,000 per year to the presbytery over the next three years for mission purposes as well as donating $3,000 per year to the Thornwell Home and School for Children and to Comprehensive Development Project in Haiti for the indefinite future.
“I must confess that having read about some of the nightmarish situations across the country with regards to leaving the PCUSA I was so comforted by the way in which our leadership and our presbytery conducted itself,” Trinity Associate Pastor Samuel Weems said in a recent blog post. “It’s a great presbytery.”
The church will keep its 10-acre campus of beachfront property.
In choosing ECO, Trinity’s session stated the new Reformed body has “much of the same ‘DNA’ (values, beliefs and practices) as the PCUSA at its best, but will be less likely to drift from them because its leaders will agree to a written statement of essential beliefs, which will provide clearly defined boundaries.”
On May 25, ECO’s Presbytery of the East assumed ecclesiastical authority over Trinity and pastors Michael Carey, Samuel and Benita Weems.
“I’m excited to be a part of ECO, and to begin to use more of my hours each week thinking of reaching our local community through missional communities and a new service rather than constantly being engaged in arguments over orthodoxy, ‘listening sessions,’ the nature of being connectional as Presbyterians,” Samuel Weems said.
Trinity began as a mission church planted to reach the expanding sector of aerospace worker who moved to Florida in the early 1960s.
“We are grateful for the ways in which the leaders at Trinity Church have blessed the PCUSA and for the strong witness of that congregation in the Satellite Beach community from the early days of the space program until now,” Central Florida Moderator Janet McCormick said in a published statement.
Three other churches in Central Florida Presbytery are seeking dismissal: First Presbyterian churches of Leesburg and DeBary, as well as Glenwood Presbyterian Church.
On June 15, eight former PCUSA churches in southern Florida are also expected to be officially welcomed into ECO.