“In faithfulness to the Lord Jesus, we believe we can no longer remain in a denomination that dishonors Christ, distorts the Bible and disobeys the commands of God.”

A 205-year-old Ohio church ended its long trek to leave the Presbyterian Church (USA) after its former presbytery approved its separation on Thursday.

The Presbytery of Miami Valley, which comprises 55 PCUSA churches across 12 counties in southwestern Ohio (including Dayton), unanimously agreed to dissolve Lebanon Presbyterian Church (LPC) and approved a covenant of gracious dismissal between the two parties.

“When the Presbytery voted Thursday night to dissolve us as a congregation, there was a lot of sadness but no bitterness, and I thank God for that,” Senior Pastor Peter Larson said.

“I really hope this can set an example for other presbyteries to follow,” he added.

According to the separation agreement, LPC agreed to give $34,148 to Miami Valley — the equivalent of the church’s per-capita payment for 2012. The agreement also requires LPC to spend $15,000 to support an African medical mission partnership previously agreed to by the church and presbytery.

The covenant also restricts either side from pursuing any legal actions against the other.

In a process that Larson earlier described as “extremely gracious,” LPC’s journey away from the PCUSA began 20 years ago when church leaders began tracking the theological shift in the PCUSA. The session became increasingly concerned with issues surrounding the authority of Scripture.

With the approval of Amendment 10A in 2011 and the passage of the new Form of Government (nFOG), LPC began the process of formally seeking separation.

Amendment 10A deleted the explicit “fidelity/chastity” requirement from the constitutional ordination standard, and now allows the PCUSA to ordain of gays,

lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people as deacons, elders and pastors. The new Form of Government has raised concerns of a more “top-down” PCUSA bureaucracy and a universalistic theology.

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