We’re not leaving the Presbyterian Church. We’re moving from one part of the Presbyterian family to another part,” he said. “We’re being faithful to God’s call.”

More than three years have passed since First Presbyterian Church of Kingwood started its journey to a new denominational home. At long last, the trek out of the Presbyterian Church (USA) has come to its end.

FPC-Kingwood, located in Harris County Texas, about 20 miles from the center of Houston, saw its move from the PCUSA to ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians come to fruition when final paperwork was signed and payment to New Covenant Presbytery was made Sept. 26. A service of commissioning and blessing took place Oct. 6 on World Communion Sunday.

“It’s kind of a peaceful feeling,” said the Rev. Dr. Jim Davis, pastor of FPC-Kingwood since November 2007. “We’ve made a faithful decision, and now we let the Spirit fill our sails and show us our direction. There is a feeling of hope that God is going to call us into an exciting future that will be the next chapter for this church.”

Kingwood, started in 1982, has 1,637 members. It is one of six churches to depart the PCUSA from New Covenant Presbytery (NCP) in the last 18 months and is the biggest to do so. First Presbyterian Church of Houston also is engaged in the presbytery’s dismissal process at this time.

The Rev. Mike Cole, general presbyter of New Covenant, indicated in an email sent to The Layman that discontentment with denominational decisions is the primary reason churches are choosing to leave the PCUSA.

“Unhappiness with denominational decisions on ordination, assumption that local membership losses are due to the denominational affiliation and perceptions of theological disagreement with the beliefs of some PCUSA pastors and members,” Cole listed as reasons for departure in his email. “The PCUSA still maintains orthodox theological views in our constitution; 90 percent of congregations who have left the PCUSA have continued to experience membership loss after transfer; we should judge the theology of the PCUSA on the constitution not on anecdotal evidence of individuals with whom we disagree.”

Issues leading to dismissal

Davis indicated that FPC-Kingwood formed a Denominational Relations Study Task Force to look at four major issues that came out of the 219^th General Assembly in 2010: proposed changes to ordination standards, proposed changes to marriage standards, the new Form of Government (nFOG) and the proposed addition of the Belhar Confession.

Additionally, there were deeper rooted issues of the authority of Scripture, the singular saving work of Jesus Christ,and naming of the Trinity.

“We really saw those root issues driving decisions of the General Assembly,” Davis explained. “Diminishing respect was being paid to authority of Scripture in the denomination. It was being reinterpreted in terms of present desires, and culture was determining the interpretation. We were watching the decay of the denomination.”

Davis said FPC-Kingwood felt strongly that it was important to maintain the traditional names of the Trinity given in Scripture and differentiate names from metaphors. In addition, he said that if Jesus says He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, “we don’t believe we have the authority to say anything different.”

He said the feeling was that Belhar lacked qualities necessary to a full confession of faith in the Book of Order, and proposed changes to ordination standards were not in accord with Scripture or its standards for appropriate moral conduct. Additionally, nFOG took control away from local congregations and gave it to the presbyteries.

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