Pierpont’s session retained an attorney for representation if there was a legal challenge, an act they did not think went over well with the presbytery. They were advised that under Ohio law, there were no legal mandatory conditions they had to fulfill to leave the denomination. Also, they were advised that they would win a court case if it came to that. Ohio, as a neutral-principles state, does not recognize the PCUSA’s trust clause.

A rural church in northeast Ohio that disaffiliated from the Presbyterian Church (USA) has aligned itself with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC).

Pierpont Presbyterian Church, located in Ashtabula County about three miles from Pennsylvania some 70 miles east of Cleveland and south of Lake Erie, wrapped up its affiliation with the PCUSA and the Presbytery of the Western Reserve (PWR) when its decision to leave the denomination was formally recognized during a May 22 presbytery meeting.

The 110-member church sought to leave the PCUSA by disaffiliating and took steps to begin that process only to be informed that it did not conduct its congregational vote in the appropriate manner.

Members of the Pierpont session, in a conference call with The Layman, cited a more liberal stance by the presbytery and PCUSA as a major factor in the decision to sever ties.

“The members of the Presbytery of the Western Reserve for a number of years have become more liberal than conservative, which we consider ourselves to be. We are a small, rural church and felt we had been largely ignored,” Elder Lincoln Morris said. “There have been a number of changes in the PCUSA over the years that we have been dissatisfied with, so we began looking at what we could do about the situation.”

Pierpont’s session began informing the congregation of changes and concerns within the denomination around 2008, primarily the pro-choice stance on abortion and issues related to homosexuality. When Amendment 10A (regarding the ordination of homosexuals) and the new Form of Government (nFOG) came to fruition in 2011, it was time to make a move.

A loose interpretation of Scripture by the PCUSA and an apparent disregard for the Book of Order also factored into the decision to look elsewhere for a denominational tie.

“It finally came to a head with 10A and the new Form of Government, and we felt it was time to take action,” Morris explained.

The 10-member session, which supported leaving the PCUSA, sent letters to congregants and informed them from the pulpit about a congregational vote set for June 5, 2011, that would determine the church’s future.

That vote, attended by members of PWR, yielded a 55-2 result (96 percent) in favor of seeking dismissal. However, the session was informed by PWR representatives after the vote that it was not conducted properly. In making such a claim, the PWR went against the Book of Order’s provisions in stating that a higher number of people was needed for the vote to be legitimate.

Following guidelines set forth in the BOO, the session ignored the claim and acted on their vote. The next day, Pierpont’s elders sent a letter to the presbytery announcing the church had disaffiliated and would be seeking a different way of worship.

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