The Presbytery also discussed a proposed flexible governance plan… The idea is to create a commission, PGA2, that churches opposed to the ordination of gay and lesbian candidates and ministers would opt to join and through which all candidates for ministry and pastoral transfers would be handled.

The Presbytery of Greater Atlanta (PGA) approved a gracious dismissal policy at its Dec. 1 meeting at the First Presbyterian Church of Douglasville, Georgia. At the same meeting presbytery commissioners discussed a flexible governance proposal that would bifurcate the presbytery through the formation of a commission designed to handle Committee on Preparation and Committee on Ministry functions for conservatives in the theologically evenly divided presbytery. All of this happened in a presbytery that continues into a fifth year of litigation with Timberridge Presbyterian Church, a congregation that left the PCUSA for the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) a number of years ago.

The first reading of the presbytery’s gracious dismissal policy was at PGA’s September meeting in McDonough, a church that lies just 4.9 miles to the west of and on the same road as the contested Timberridge property. The Rev. Barnabas Sprinkle presented the proposal which was amended in the interim between meetings as presbyters gave their input. Sprinkle said with appreciation to his fellow presbyters, “We asked for input and you gave input!”

After noting substantive changes to the proposal since the first reading, including negotiating financial terms which Sprinkle said will not be a “one size fits all” process, and reducing the congregational vote requirement to two-thirds, the body moved into open discussion.

Notably, on the docket for the day, the discussion of the proposed gracious dismissal policy followed two items.

1. The meeting of PGA opened with a report from the Administrative Commission (AC) handling the Timberridge lawsuit. Rev. Lane Alderman spoke on behalf of the AC. He reported that, “On Nov. 21, the Georgia Supreme Court issued its opinion in the case, ruling in favor of presbytery, holding that the neutral principles of law demonstrate that an implied trust exists and that the lower court erred.”

Later the same day, lawyers for Timberridge filed motion asking the Georgia Supreme Court to reconsider its opinion and announced plans to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. The court has indicated that it will issue a ruling on the motion to reconsider by Dec. 16.
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