Oostburg’s pastor, the Rev. Brian Jacobson, said he feels a sense of hopefulness about the process.
“It feels like a genuine attempt ”” in Christian language ”” to make room for the spirit,” Jacobson said. “It feels to me like this could be a way forward that would honor both sides.”
First Presbyterian is seeking to affiliate with ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians, a theologically conservative denomination that formed after the 2011 vote.
Since then, about 260 congregations have left the 2.8 million-member Presbyterian Church USA, said the Rev. Gradye Parsons, who serves as the stated clerk of the church’s general assembly in Louisville. Similar schisms have erupted in the Episcopal Church and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Whenever the left uses the terms “conversation” and “way forward” I start getting jittery. When they want you to believe they have no end game, I get downright shaky. I hope Mr. Jacobsen is very leery.
What is happening in SE Wisconsin has parallels elsewhere. Here in Richmond where I live, several Presbyterian churches have been able to negotiate a deal with the local presbytery (of the James). Three strong evangelical congregations have already successfully gooten out of the PCUSA and retained their property in the process. That includes St. Gile’s, a pominent charismatic church, that paid about $250K for their property. But above all, it includes big Third Pres., which is the biggest congregation in the whole presbytery, averaging over 1500 in ASA. Thanks to the fact that their growing church had been through a building expansion lately and had significant debt attached to it, constituting a sort of poison pill, this thriving church with a multimillion dollar campus was able to depart and paid only about $300-400K to seal the deal.
Alas, OTOH, the Presbytery of the James also adopted a draconian policy with regard to a booming evanglelical congregation known as New Hanover Pres, which had an ASA then of about 600. A friend of mine (an orthodox, charismatic guy) was the interim pastor there, and when the session began to make plans to leave the PCUSA, the presbytery acted swiftly to thwart it. They abruptly fired my friend as pastor, sacked the entire session likewise, and booted the vast majority of the congregation from the multimillion dollar property (on Richmond’s growing NE side). The excuse was the usual sham: to retain the property for the use of those loyal to the PCUSA.
However, that was a joke. The remnant that stayed behind can’t possibly afford to maintain the property. As for the conservative majority that left, they’ve actually flourished. Their ASA is now over 700.
However, in all these cases, the best part is that there have been no lawsuits. At least that scandal has been avoided. For that, thanks be to God.
David Handy+