Posted on 09/21/2014 4:17:55 PM PDT by Gamecock
Yet another megachurch has announced that it will spend millions to officially separate itself from Presbyterian Church (USA), a denomination that has, in recent years, experienced turmoil over what critics decry as an increasingly liberal theology.
Nearly 89 percent of the congregation at Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Dallas, Texas, voted in October 2013 to leave the denomination and to join the more theologically conservative Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians — a decision that carries with it a hefty price tag.
The church will need to pay $7.8 million in order to officially leave Presbyterian Church (USA) and keep its property, the Christian Post reported.
Leaders at Highland Park must raise and pay the sum, which is based in part on the fair market value of the property, by Nov. 4, 2014.
The settlement comes after the church filed a lawsuit against Grace Presbytery, a governing body of Presbyterian churches in Texas, seeking the split.
But rather than head to court, Highland Park decided to settle, coming to an agreement following contention and debate over how it would terminate the relationship.
“At that time Grace Presbytery had already approved their end of the settlement, so when [the church] voted to approve the settlement it was binding,” Highland Park communications director Zach House told the Post. ”The primary reason was that after a lengthy process of discerning God’s direction on these issues, the session felt that settling was wise and was what our church was being called to do at this time.”
According to a statement from Presbyterian Church (USA), the $7.8 million sum allows for “a release of [Highland Park's] obligations under the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s trust clause and ecclesiastical dismissal from the denomination.”
The denomination’s trust clause essentially calls for church property to be held in a trust to benefit Presbyterian Church (USA) as a whole. When disputes arise, congregations are generally forced to pay a lump sum in order to exit agreements with the denomination and retain their properties.
Despite the large price tag — which reportedly accounts for just 11 percent of the church’s assets — both sides seem content with the final agreement.
“We give thanks to God for this moment and trust that this settlement serves as a witness across the PC(USA) that the trust clause is an integral part of our constitution and will be taken seriously by Grace Presbytery,” Rev. Janet DeVries, general presbyter of Grace Presbytery, said in a statement. “We are pleased to have been able to mediate this situation and avoid a court trial.”
This news comes months after Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in Menlo Park, California, another megachurch once associated with Presbyterian Church (USA), voted to officially leave the denomination over similar issues.
Officials there made the tough choice despite facing a $8.89 million cost for the church’s property and membership fees, Religion News Service reported at the time.
In a document published by Menlo Park last year, leaders described their reasons for seeking a split with Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), noting that the church’s “evangelical identity around who Jesus is and our understanding of the authority of scripture are increasingly out of alignment” with the denomination as a whole.
Specifically, the church expressed concern that many Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) leaders do not believe in the deity of Jesus, nor do they embrace salvation through Christ. These are central tenets of most mainstream Christian churches, leading to a difficult ideological splintering.
The document cited a 2011 survey of pastors in the denomination who were asked for their level of agreement with the following statement: “Only followers of Jesus Christ can be saved.”
While 41 percent said they agreed or strong agreed with the statement, 45 percent said they disagreed or strongly disagreed — something Menlo Park leaders lamented.
Yes. While a split was already in the works, the deal had been that the southern churches would have an opportunity to leave if they didn't like how the merger was working (and a provision along those lines was eventually in the final merger documents as "Article XIII"). But at one point shortly before the merger, the exit clause was pulled out of the document, causing the initial exodus in a scramble to get out before the merger date. The liberals realized they'd overreached and backed off, but by then it was clear that they couldn't be trusted.
Sola Scripture = schism after schism after heretical schism.
Sola scriptura (Latin ablative, “by Scripture alone”) is the doctrine that the Bible contains all knowledge necessary for salvation and holiness.
In the Religion forum, on a thread titled Megachurch Will Pay Millions to Leave Presbyterian Denomination After Battle Over Liberal Theology, PeterPrinciple wrote:
Sola scriptura (Latin ablative, “by Scripture alone”) is the doctrine that the Bible contains all knowledge necessary for salvation and holiness.
Do you disagree with that?
Sola scriptura (Latin ablative, “by Scripture alone”) is the doctrine that the Bible contains all knowledge necessary for salvation and holiness.
Do you disagree with that?
well yes or no? Does it or does it not. Your point is not related. Jesus NEVER trusted man or man’s institutions. That has not changed. Yes, read Chapter 2 and 3 of Revelations. The churches (whether Roman Catholic or Protestant) do not get a good grade. In fact, the situation is so bad He threatens to remove himself unless................ (I will let you read it your self)
In the Religion forum, on a thread titled Megachurch Will Pay Millions to Leave Presbyterian Denomination After Battle Over Liberal Theology, PeterPrinciple wrote:
+
Jesus NEVER trusted man or man’s institutions.
Jesus NEVER trusted man or man’s institutions.
Jesus NEVER trusted man or man’s institutions.
So, have you read Revelations Chapter 2 and 3. There is a solution..........................
I suspect you have not. It is a warning to all of us.
ROTFLMAO!
I didn’t think you read it...........................and I was right.
Nope, just conceited.
I was thinking more like the Mafia.
“So, you want to leave the family, do you... well, let me make you an offer you can’t refuse...” the Godfather says...
Wow. That is so very sad.
Interesting point of view, but eventually the "holier than thou" attitude got to me and I quit going.
Who owns the actual church building under the SBC arrangement? SBC because it signs for the loans? Or the congregation because it makes the payments?
All congregations in the Southern Baptist Church are independents as far as I know.
The convention in Detroit of this year has brought this to a head; Gramsian Marxists have wormed their way up the hierarchy and now have the institution under their control. It mirrors what's going on in the nation as a whole.
I attend a fairly conservative (for the PCUSA) church and there are people interested in getting out from under them. The grounds and building is just one issue-- although I think the institutional superstructure would think twice about assuming ownership of so much property in the current market. Add this to the equation: local building codes could come into to play when the keys are turned over. In much of the Northeast, renovations could reach to a million or more. My guess is that the Institution would be far more amenable to an equitable settlement if the congregations pushed back.
The other issue is the pastor's retirement. I don't think they should be able to renege on a contract, but they're bound to try if the pastor stays with his now-independent congregation.
I'm not sure how that would work out. Does anyone know?
When you speak of “Gramsian Marxists” are you talking about this guy?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Gramsci
“have wormed their way up the hierarchy and now have the institution under their control.”
Just like they have wormed their way into every other institution and are working hard every day to undermine at the core.
It’s happening to many PC(USA) churches...even in the liberal Silicon Valley:
The congregation own it. I've never heard of SBC trying to foreclose on a church, though in theory they might be able to.
Jan Hus eh? Are you sure they said Baptist and not Anabaptist?
Nice people, generally, but a little strange. They didn't even consider the building where they met as a church, but as a place of worship. A church, you see, would suggest an organization which they deemed not only unnecessary but bordering on heretical.
One of the best organized anarchys I ever met. It was fun at first because of the free open ended discussion of scripture, but I eventually figured our who were the alpha males posing as discussion leaders.
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