“Speaking to the congregation following the announcement of the voting results, Senior Pastor John Ortberg said, “To everybody who voted a different way or whether the outcome of the vote is a disappointment, we — the church — want you to know we are so grateful for your participation and for your involvement.”

Members of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in Menlo Park, Calif., voted by a 93 percent margin Sunday to leave the Presbyterian Church (USA) and join ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians, despite a price tag of more than $8.89 million.

Approximately 64 percent of MPPC’s members participated in the March 2 vote, with 2,024 voting to leave the PCUSA and 158 voting to oppose the motion.

Speaking to the congregation following the announcement of the voting results, Senior Pastor John Ortberg said, “To everybody who voted a different way or whether the outcome of the vote is a disappointment, we — the church — want you to know we are so grateful for your participation and for your involvement.”

He continued, “For everybody who served from all the churches in the presbytery, everybody that is a part of the PCUSA, our commitment is that we want to honor the body of Christ and love every member of the body of Christ and partner with everybody in a way that transcends denomination affiliation or any human organizational barrier, lift up the oneness of the beauty of Jesus’ church.”

Read More