Colonial will have its formal vote on its proposed departure from the PCUSA and affiliation with the EPC on Aug. 22.

Heartland Presbytery seems to have lost faith in its own process and replaced the administrative review committee it assigned to work through a period of discernment with Colonial Presbytery Church, as it decides whether to remain in the Presbyterian Church (USA).

The presbytery’s standing Administrative Commission, well known to departing congregations for its heartlessness, is now in charge…

Colonial Presbyterian Church is a congregation of more than 1,700 that worships on two campuses near Kansas City, Mo. For several months, Colonial’s congregation has been engaged in a season of discernment regarding its denominational affiliation.

This process began to take shape in January when the Colonial leadership team met for its annual session planning retreat. In a May 8 letter to the congregation…Colonial’s leadership acknowledged the “The choice to change affiliations would be one of the most significant decisions ever made by our church.” So, they created “a discernment process that was comprehensive, transparent and Christ-honoring.”…

The presbytery’s ARC was involved every step of the way…Right alongside the congregation’s elected elders were the presbytery’s representatives. Throughout the process and at every step, the presbytery’s ARC participated.

So, why replace the ARC with the presbytery’s standing Administrative Commission? Because things at Colonial aren’t going Heartland’s way.

Members have their say
As the process has unfolded, the session has remained committed to the goal of allowing the congregation to participate in discerning the mind of Christ in the matter before them. “While we felt that this might be the right time to graciously depart the Presbyterian Church (USA), it was incumbent upon us as leaders to understand the heart and will of our members.”

To find out what level of consensus was present, Colonial surveyed its members, posing just one question: 1. Should Colonial remain affiliated with the PCUSA? For those who answered that question in the affirmative there was a second question about where they would choose to worship if CPC ultimately decided to depart.

This “straw poll” of sorts was tabulated in the context of a simulcast service to both church campuses on May 23 with the understanding that “This is not a called congregational meeting or an official vote to either remain in or leave the denomination. The survey results are for the benefit of session in either affirming or redirecting its prompting that Colonial Presbyterian Church should disassociate itself with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Any formal decision of that nature would require official congregational action in the future.”

A total of 1,713 members were sent the unofficial survey, with 1,183 (69.1 percent) responding.

In response to the question “Should Colonial remain affiliated with the PCUSA denomination?”:
· 91.2 percent of respondents answered “No.”
· Of the 104 members who felt that Colonial should remain in the PCUSA, if Colonial were to leave 54would choose another PCUSA congregation, 19 would remain with Colonial and 31 were undecided.

When member commitment as reflected through attendance and financial contributions to the life and ministry of CPC is taken into account, the spread was greater. Of active, contributing respondents 92.5 percent are supportive of leaving the PCUSA.

A majority appeared to agree with the session, which has suggested leaving the PCUSA for a denomination with matching theology and priorities. The preferred destination, according to the session, is the much smaller, but rapidbly growing, Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC).

Psst: Your ecclesiology is showing
On April 1, the presbytery moderator sent the congregation a letter asserting that Colonial’s “continued participation in our denomination is important. It is your affirmation with us that diverse people of good will and good faith, even though they differ on some matters, can nonetheless demonstrate to the world that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is our unity and our hope, and that what unites us as Christians is much more important than what divides us. The world needs this witness, and the fragmentation of our denomination does not help the witness of the larger body of Christ.”

Your Church is too small
Failing to acknowledge the immense breadth and diversity of the Body of Christ universal and the diversity of expressions of Presbyterianism in the world, the presbytery moderator appealed to I Corinthians 12 as the basis for his line of argumentation going forward.

“Paul teaches us that each of us has a role to play in the body of Christ. I believe that this is true for us as members of particular churches, and for our diverse churches that come together as the body we call Heartland Presbytery and the PCUSA.”

Then came correspondence that, on one hand, affirmed the value of Colonial to the denomination, then on the other threatened to take its property if it were to leave the PCUSA.

The administrative commission, which took over the congregation through a Heartland Committee on Ministry action on May 6, followed with a letter dated May 27, less than a week after Colonial shared its unofficial survey results at a gathering. It informed Colonial members of its desire to keep Colonial in the PCUSA fold, refuted claims that the PCUSA does not honor Scripture and provided a warning that a legal battle over property might not go Colonial’s way.

“(Colonial) acquired property through the contributions and sacrifices of many members, past and present, all of whom adhered to the fundamental doctrines and Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and its predecessor,” the administrative commission stated. “The members of Colonial Presbyterian Church as well as its leaders and bondholders should be advised that a number of courts have ruled that local church property is held in trust for the Presbyterian Church (USA), and that Heartland Presbytery and the Administrative Commission will endeavor to ensure that all property of Colonial Presbyterian Church continues to be held in trust for the use and benefit of the Presbyterian Church (USA).”

The letter concluded without acknowledging that several other courts have ruled in favor of congregations keeping the property they bought, paid for and maintained without so much as a cent from higher governing bodies.

Misplaced priorities?
Declaring that the presbytery’s “first and highest priority” is the reconciliation of all members to the PCUSA and to one another, a July letter from Heartland to the Colonial congregation noted that the wishes of 91 percent of members surveyed doesn’t necessarily mean a thing.

The letter informed the congregation that, per the Book of Order, any individual congregants wishing to remain in the PCUSA would be regarded by the presbytery as the true Colonial Presbyterian Church.

In the same communication, the clerk of the administrative commission stated that the commission’s charge is to uphold the theology and polity of the PCUSA with respect to the care of its congregations, ministers and members.

Based on Colonial’s position paper on denominational affiliation, that’s part of the problem, and a reason to consider leaving.

Citing instances of theological pluralism, a fractured denomination and unsuccessful attempts to renew it from within, Colonial’s session has publicly said that it feels led away from PCUSA and toward the EPC.

“An increasingly large percentage of PCUSA pastors, as well as local and national denominational leaders, are taking positions that are inconsistent with the historical tenets of our faith,” the section titled “underlying reasons for our recommendation” states. “Colonial enjoys a vital relationship with other evangelical churches in the PCUSA where our unity with them is based primarily upon a common theology and mission.

In other words, we are unified in spite of our denomination, not because of it. … We have not seen any indication that Colonial can affect change in the PCUSA that will turn the tide. Most of our members exhibit little enthusiasm for presbytery meetings or events, and those who are familiar with our presbytery find themselves increasingly frustrated and de-energized as a result of its theology and culture.”

That declaration is becoming a common refrain as approximately 100 congregations, many of them having 500 members or more, have departed for the EPC since 2008 with similar lamentations.

Heartland tough to depart
Colonial Presbyterian Church, if it decides to leave PCUSA, won’t be alone in its fight with Heartland.

In 2009, Heartland made a move in civil court to claim Gashland Presbyterian Church’s property. Under circumstances similar to Colonial, Gashland voted to leave the denomination in 2007. In 2008, the group joined the New Wineskins Transitional Presbytery in the EPC.

According to the latest court updates on Gashland’s Web site, the case will be back in court on Aug. 25 when a judge could hear additional arguments on the congregation’s motion to dismiss Heartland’s property claims. In an update to presbytery on April 20, the administrative commission reported that attempted talks with the congregation had gone without reply. In previous statements, Gashland’s leadership had stated that Heartland no longer has jurisdiction, and it was focused on the Great Commission rather than its past relationship with the PCUSA.

Preceding Gashland in departing Heartland and the PCUSA for the EPC were the Hillsdale Presbyterian Church and the former First Presbyterian Church of Paola, now known as Lighthouse Presbyterian Church. Both congregations faced fierce opposition from the presbytery’s administrative commission in their departures.

Yet there’s hope in some presbyteries with congregations desiring departure. At the 218th PCUSA General Assembly, in 2008, a commissioner overture calling on presbyteries to develop “gracious dismissal” policies was approved.

“The impact and heritage of Colonial’s ministry is not due to its being a member of the PCUSA; it is and will continue to be the result of our unwavering adherence to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the authority of the Holy Scriptures and the faithful proclamation of the Gospel in word and deed. On this foundation there can be no compromise.
– Most recent letter to Colonial congregation from its leaders

Two years later, the 219th General Assembly affirmed the dismissal policy of San Francisco Presbytery as a model for other presbyteries. The overture, which was approved by consensus with a minor amendment calling on other presbyteries to submit their policies, instructs the PCUSA to distribute the dismissal policy as a resource for presbyteries and synods. The policy also is to be posted to the Middle Governing Body Web site.

The San Francisco policy pledges not to initiate pre-emptive civil litigation, and allows an out through negotiated settlement. There’s no evidence to date that Heartland has received its copy of the “gracious dismissal” policy just yet.
What’s next?
A meeting notice, dated Aug. 7, has been sent to members, and includes additional statements on the decision facing the congregation.

“The impact and heritage of Colonial’s ministry is not due to its being a member of the PCUSA; it is and will continue to be the result of our unwavering adherence to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the authority of the Holy Scriptures and the faithful proclamation of the Gospel in word and deed,” the letter stated. “On this foundation there can be no compromise.

“We also want you to know that our decision to leave one denomination and join another is not an attempt to demonize any group or individuals. We love and pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who feel called to carry out their ministry within the PCUSA. We are all part of the Church universal, but Colonial must be faithful to who God has called it to be. We believe we can best accomplish this purpose within the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.”

The letter also warns its members that the administrative commission or other representatives of Heartland Presbytery may challenge the legitimacy of such an action. It instructs members that presbytery has no control over the meeting or vote, and asks for continued prayers as the journey continues.