Editor’s Note: See accompanying story about Colonial Presbyterian Church action to leave PCUSA bit.ly/cMi1Mv

In the days leading up to the Aug. 22 vote, the presbytery informed Colonial leadership that two Heartland Presbytery congregations had filed remedial complaints on the congregation’s vote about its future in the PCUSA.

According to the complaint, the sessions of Southminster Presbyterian of Prairie Village, Kan., and First Presbyterian of Lee’s Summit, Mo., claim that Colonial’s session is failing to act constitutionally by calling the meeting. The two sessions asked the Permanent Judicial Commission (PJC) of Heartland Presbytery to declare both proposed actions “irregular” and as having “no force or effect…”

On Aug. 19, Heartland’s Permanent Judicial Commission granted a stay of enforcement against Colonial. “Harm” will occur is the action is not stayed, according to the document.

Being familiar with Heartland’s tactics, the Colonial session took pre-emptive action in the secular courts. A district court in Johnson County, Kansas granted a restraining order request by Colonial to keep the administrative commission from making a claim on the church’s session and property…

The legal action in secular court came a few days after the presbytery warned Colonial’s session that a vote to leave the denomination is not allowed. The administrative commission’s clerk, in the letter, also warned that the action could lead the presbytery to assume jurisdiction and replace the session “until such time as members of the True Church can elect a new session from its membership.”