Thomas Currie, dean of the Union Presbyterian Seminary in Charlotte, said many faith traditions have been struggling with “forces in our society today that celebrate pulling away, that cause us to retreat among ourselves. In the absence of a compelling call by the church to work and live together, that’s what people will do. And that is what is happening now.”

Presbyterian churches around Charlotte now face the same philosophical debates over Biblical authority and homosexuality that have cleaved other religions.

To date, nine area congregations have either left the Presbyterian Church (USA) or have announced wishes to do so over what they believe to be the liberal drift of the church.

The latest: Huntersville Presbyterian, which voted Sunday to dissolve its affiliation with the Presbytery of Charlotte.

Bethlehem Presbyterian in Union County has already left. There, the Rev. Ken Thomas says, dissatisfaction with PCUSA had been growing for years.

The 2010 decision by Presbyterian leaders to open the door for gay clergy – plus a looming debate in three weeks over same-sex marriage, brought the tension to a boil.

Bethlehem wants a new affiliation with Presbyterians who practice what Thomas calls “a more Biblical strand of Christianity.”

“The folks in Louisville (PCUSA’s headquarters) have just lost their bearings. They’ve embraced a philosophy of whatever floats your boat and gives you a religious feeling is legit,” he said. “We disagree with that. We think it should be a faith issue and not a feeling thing.”

Likewise, Huntersville Presbyterian plans to join the newly formed Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians once its departure is formalized by the Charlotte Presbytery delegates in July.

Sue Black, a church leader, said the Huntersville vote followed difficult months of prayer and discussion by the 460-member congregation. The break with PCUSA came over the proper role of the Bible in church teachings and the new ordination standards that not only allow gay clergy, Black said, but also removed clear behavioral benchmarks for deacons, elders and pastors.

Huntersville Presbyterian chose to join the religious body known as ECO, Black said, because it embodies “the old standards of PCUSA.”

Turnover, staff cuts

Meanwhile, the Presbytery, a collective body representing 40,000 church members in seven area counties, has been hurt by falling donations, leadership turnover and staff cuts.

In February, General Presbyter Sam Roberson, who ran the staff for almost a decade, was fired. The workforce has been pared from around 10 to two full-time staff members plus Roberson’s part-time replacement, the Rev. Timm High.

Charlotte is the country’s third-largest Presbytery. Statistics on the PCUSA website show that the 10 largest Presbyteries nationwide are all shrinking.

If all nine area churches leave, the local Presbytery will be down to 120 congregations. More departures could come if the church’s General Assembly votes later this month to broaden Presbyterians’ traditional view of marriage as solely between a man and a woman.

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