Separation from the Presbyterian Church (USA)

In May of this year, the Session of our congregation informed presbytery that we would like to enter the process of gracious dismissal from the Presbyterian Church (USA) and enter the Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians (ECO). The unanimous vote of the Session came after a long season of discernment. The Session held listening groups last fall to hear the congregation’s sense of where God was leading the church. Was God leading us to stay as a prophetic witness? Was God leading us to depart the denomination? The Session also asked if there was a third way that God had put on the hearts of our membership. The great majority of the membership and leadership wanted to leave the denomination.  Then, the Session drafted an essential tenets statement to clarify our theological identity before addressing our ecclesiastical relationships. At the first of the year, we used several venues to share and study the essential tenets.

Beginning in March the Session entered a two-month period of daily spiritual practices to listen to God. A daily reading assignment took us through Ephesians four times and Philippians and Colossians three times. We also prayed daily, kept a journal, and fasted once a week. In late April we came together for a retreat to hear how God had been speaking to us individually for the last two months. The consensus of the Session was to seek dismissal. We didn’t act yet. We gave the Session another month to consider the question before voting. Finally, we met in May and learned that the desire to leave was even stronger than the month before. So with peaceful resolution we voted to enter the separation process.

I share the process with you because it is important to know that this decision was not hasty or driven by emotion. The Session seriously sought to know where the Holy Spirit was leading. They spent many, many hours listening to God and studying Scripture. They exercised great spiritual maturity throughout this process. As a result, there was peace with leaving the PC(USA) and great excitement for entering the ECO.

I hear over and over again how pleased members are about the Session’s decision and I hear people express great confidence in the direction of the Session. On the other hand, there are a few that are flat against the move. They accuse the Session of leaving only because of the 2012 decision of the General Assembly to permit the ordination of practicing homosexuals. Words like homophobic are sometimes added to that accusation. I think some make that charge because they want to demonize the decision and not discuss its merits. I’m not sure what I can say that will help those folk see things differently, but I am going to try.

There are some, however, that are uncertain about the decision. Over the next few weeks, I will share insights about the background and motivation of the decision and I will share information and reflection on the process of departure. My hope is to bring clarity and answer questions. I hope these posts will help clear up uncertainty. For the many supporting this move, still come back and read the blog. You may find this information helpful in sharing your support with others.

Of course, I welcome the opportunity to move beyond virtual reality and have a face-to-face conversation about this vote or anything else. Please let me know if your interested and I will make sure we have a time to meet.