I am occasionally asked what has happened to properties in Northern Virginia that have been turned over to the Episcopal Church. The answer might come as a surprise. In two instances, the properties are being used, at least in part, by churches that hold a high view of scripture and teach a traditionalist interpretation of the Bible.

Three developments this summer are worth noting in regards to ongoing property litigation in the Episcopal Church. First, a previous court ruling in Texas awarding properties in the Diocese of Fort Worth to the Episcopal Church was overturned by the Texas Supreme Court. The case, now remanded back to district court, will be determined over neutral principles of law rather than deferring to the church’s internal Dennis Canon. IRD’s Brian Miller covered that development here.

Secondly, the Episcopal Church’s effort to move a property dispute with the departing Diocese of South Carolina into the federal courts was rejected, and the case will now play out in the State courts, where there is precedent for departing congregations to retain properties.

Lastly, the Falls Church (Anglican) in Virginia announced that it will seek a hearing before the U.S. Supreme Court over ownership of property awarded to the Episcopal Church last year. A ruling is also anticipated in the Diocese of Quincy (Illinois) later this month. [Update: the Illinois Circuit Court has issued a ruling this morning that favors the Quincy Diocese. Anglican Ink has coverage here.]

I am occasionally asked what has happened to properties in Northern Virginia that have been turned over to the Episcopal Church. The answer might come as a surprise. In two instances, the properties are being used, at least in part, by churches that hold a high view of scripture and teach a traditionalist interpretation of the Bible.

The former property of Church of the Apostles Anglican (CoA) in Fairfax, Virginia, has been sold by the Episcopal diocese. CoA was prominently featured in an April 2012 NPR story as the first of the departing Virginia parishes to move away from a church property. As the Episcopal Diocese does not have a congregation to occupy the building, it was placed on the real estate market.

The property has been sold to DC Metro Church, an evangelical church based in Alexandria that will use the Fairfax building as the western campus of their multi-site ministry.

In a statement of faith, DC Metro Church declares that the Bible “is the authoritative Word of God” and “it is inspired, infallible and inerrant.” The church also states that “Jesus Christ was physically resurrected from the dead” and that Christ will “physically and visibly return to earth for the second time to establish His Kingdom.”

DC Metro Church also espouses a traditional understanding of Hell, teaching that “the unbelievers will be judged by God and sent to Hell where they will be eternally tormented with the Devil and the Fallen Angels.”

The campus of The Falls Church in Falls Church, Virginia, has been used for over a year now by a smaller continuing Episcopal congregation. That congregation, The Falls Church Episcopal, is now sharing space with The Rock Christian Center, which meets on Sunday mornings in the church’s main sanctuary.

A statement of faith by The Rock Christian Center affirms the “inerrant, divinely and uniquely inspired” books of the Bible, the virgin birth and the physical resurrection and second coming of Christ. The church also speaks of the consequences of sin which “leads to physical and spiritual death and eternal separation from God in a physical Hell that will one day deliver its inhabitants up for final judgment and ultimately into the Lake of Fire.”

“Jesus atoned for our sins with His death on the cross, and through His blood atonement, we become joint heirs with Christ, thereby escaping condemnation and the wrath of God,” the statement reads.

Those who departed the Episcopal Church over doctrinal disputes will no doubt find the presence of these two congregations an answer to their prayers that the properties will continue to be used for the purposes of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jeff Walton is Communications Manager for the Institute on Religion & Democracy and also serves as a staffer on the Anglican Action program. Jeff holds a degree in Political Science and Communications from Seattle Pacific University. He worships at Restoration Anglican Church in Arlington, Virginia, a daughter congregation of the Falls Church in Falls Church, VA.  This article appeared on the IRD blog and is used with permission.

[Editor’s note: One or more original URLs (links) referenced in this article are no longer valid; those links have been removed.]