FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROCESS TO SEEK DISMISSAL TO ANOTHER REFORMED DENOMINATION TABLE OF CONTENTS LIBERTY CORNER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH December 2014 These Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About the Process to Seek Dismissal to Another Reformed Denomination are based on the feedback provided to the Session and Pastors thus far. We hope the questions and answers are informative, and address the questions so many of you have been thinking about. As this process progresses and additional questions are raised, the Session will continue to update this document. I. Questions about the PCUSA (Click on the question to read the answer, scroll up to return) A. What does it mean to be Presbyterian? B. What is meant by the primary authority of Scripture? Are the Scriptures our only authority? C. What is the PCUSA? D. What are the membership trends for churches affiliated with the PCUSA? E. What are the Governing Bodies in the PCUSA? F. What is the General Assembly and what does it do? G. How does the General Assembly work? H. Why has the Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church decided to engage in discussion about disaffiliating with the PCUSA? I. Who was the main driver of the decision of the Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church to seek dismissal to another Reformed Denomination? The Pastors? The Session? The Congregation? II. Reasons to consider seeking dismissal to another Reformed Denomination A. Why did the Session conclude that the time had come to initiate discussion with the Presbytery of Elizabeth to seek dismissal to another Reformed Denomination? B. Has the Session considered actions of prior PCUSA General Assemblies? And, if so, what action did the Session consider taking? C. Is it because of X, Y, Z issue? Where does the Session stand on any of the individual issues raised by the General Assembly of the PCUSA? D. Isn t this really all about gay marriage? E. Why don t we stay in the PCUSA and work for change? F. Have other churches in the area taken similar action? G. Is the PCUSA s decision-making process appropriate? III. What is the New Form of Government (a new Book of Order, often referred to as nfog) and how does it affect Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church?
IV. But why can't we just ignore the denomination and continue to do what we have been doing? V. What are the potential benefits to staying with the PCUSA? VI. Process of Change A. What are the criteria for selecting a new Reformed Denomination for the Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church? B. What is a Reformed denomination? C. What is a Presbyterian denomination? D. What is an Evangelical denomination? E. What is a Missional denomination? F. But why make this move now? G. What is involved in the process of dismissal from the PCUSA? H. Have we talked with other (peer) churches about this change? I. What does the timeline of next steps look like? J. Are we concerned about negative publicity? VII. Voting Procedure A. Who can vote? B. Can our students vote? C. What percentage of our congregation will be required to vote before we can seek dismissal to another Reformed Denomination? D. What if not enough members turn out to vote? E. Is it true that, in the event that a vote to seek dismissal fails to receive the necessary majority, those who voted in favor of dismissal would be required to leave our church? Or, that in the event that a sufficient majority vote in favor of dismissal, those who vote against dismissal would be required to leave? VIII. Financial Issues and Negotiation A. Who owns the property of the Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church? B. What are the financial costs and property considerations of being dismissed to a new Reformed Denomination? C. Does the Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church have any outstanding loans to PCUSA? D. In the event that the Presbytery of Elizabeth requests an additional payment ( other financial consideration ), how will we pay for the financial settlement? IX. Considerations about our Pastoral Staff A. What are some of the unique pastoral dynamics involved with this process? B. What happens to our pastor's retirement/medical benefits if we go to another Reformed Denomination? C. Will there be any change in our pastors salary if we leave?
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT PROCESS TO SEEK DISMISSAL TO ANOTHER REFORMED DENOMINATION LIBERTY CORNER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH December 2014 I. Questions about the PCUSA A. What does it mean to be Presbyterian? The word Presbyterian refers to a form of church governance characterized by rule by elders. Presbyterian churches are based on a representative form of government and a connectional approach to relating churches to one another. Each congregation elects elders ( ruling elders ) to serve with pastors ( teaching elders ) on a Session, and together they provide spiritual oversight and govern their particular church. Each church belongs to a Presbytery, a regional body designed to provide spiritual oversight and serve the local churches in its area. Teaching Elders who are members of the Presbytery, not individual churches, and one or more Commissioners elected by Sessions of particular churches meet periodically as a Presbytery to conduct its business. Commissioners (roughly equal number of Teaching and Ruling Elders) elected by each Presbytery come together every other year at General Assembly, a national gathering of commissioners from all the presbyteries, where denomination-wide policies are created or modified by vote. Authority in a Presbyterian system is always exercised by councils (e.g., Sessions, Presbyteries, and Synods), never by a single individual acting on his or her own authority. Reformed Theology and the Presbyterian form of government are rooted in the theology and polity (or church government) of John Calvin, the great reformer in France and Switzerland, in the 1500s, along with his disciple John Knox of Scotland. Reformed theology emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the centrality of Christ, and the authority of Scripture. The What We Believe... statements of the Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church reflect Reformed theology. B. What is meant by the primary authority of Scripture? Are the Scriptures our only authority? The Scriptures are the first and final authority regarding all areas of faith and life including theological doctrine, mission, Church order, character, and ethical behavior. There are other important but subordinate authorities for the Church and its people: these include the historic and contemporary confessions adopted by the Church, sermons and other teaching that occurs under the auspices of the local church, scholarly writings of Christian educators, and the counsel of Christian family and trusted friends. Although important, the teaching of these subordinate authorities must be rejected if contrary to the clear commands of the Scriptures. And, there are other areas of life where Christians are obligated to make decisions using our prudential reason, guided by principles contained in the Scriptures and considering facts and logic, recognizing that people of good faith and intention can come to different conclusions. C. What is the PCUSA?
The Presbyterian Church (USA), or PCUSA, was formed in 1983 by the merger of two denominations (one predominately in the North and West, the other in the South) that had originally split from each other at the time of the Civil War over the issue of slavery. The PCUSA is one of several Presbyterian denominations in the United States. The PCUSA is governed by a Constitution in two parts: the Book of Order and the Book of Confessions. Presently, the PCUSA comprises approximately 10,000 local congregations with approximately 1.8 million members. D. What are the membership trends for churches affiliated with the PCUSA? In 1983 when the PCUSA was formed, the local churches affiliated with our denomination had over 4 million members; today the PCUSA has 1.8 million members. That is a decline of 63% in just 30 years. During this same period of time, the US population grew by 79 million people (now 313 million), which is an increase of over 33% in the population. At a time when the general population grew by 1/3, membership of churches in our denominati on shrunk by half. The Stated Clerk of the PCUSA predicts that at this rate of decline, churches comprising the PCUSA will have only 1.5 million members by 2016. In addition, according to the Annual Statistical Report for 2012, PCUSA churches performed 10,000 more funerals of its members (29,810) than it did baptisms of its children (19,862). More members of churches in the denomination are dying than are being born into it. Further, over one-half of the membership of PCUSA churches is over 65-years-old, evidence that the churches in the denomination are not attracting young people. Moreover, 2/3 of PCUSA churches have fewer than 150 members, and nearly 30% have fewer than 50 members. Twenty years ago, that last number was 19%. It should be noted that a portion of this decline can be attributed to churches leaving the PCUSA to join other denominations. E. What are the Governing Bodies in the PCUSA? There are four governing bodies in the PCUSA: Sessions are elected by local congregations to be responsible for the spiritual and temporal affairs of the local churches. Presbyteries are geographic groups of local congregations that are governed by Presbyters (clergy members of the Presbytery) and Commissioners elected by the Sessions of local congregations. The Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church is part of the Presbytery of Elizabeth comprising approximately 50 local congregations in (roughly) Union, Somerset, and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. Synods are geographic groups of Presbyteries that are governed by Commissioners elected by Presbyteries. The General Assembly is the national organization of the PCUSA that meets every two years for the purpose of adopting policies for the PCUSA nationally and makes decisions by votes of Commissioners elected by Presbyteries. The staff and work of governing bodies are funded by a per-capita assessment on Presbyteries and congregations based on the membership. Currently the per-capita assessment on each member of a congregation is approximately $40 annually. Of this, roughly $25 supports the Presbytery of Elizabeth to which Liberty Corner
Presbyterian Church belongs, and roughly $7.50 goes to fund each of the Synod and General Assembly. F. What is the General Assembly and what does it do? The General Assembly consists of commissioners elected by presbyteries. Half of the commissioners will be ruling elders, half will be teaching elders. Few will ever have been commissioners to the General Assembly before, but most will have served in one of the other governing bodies of our church. The General Assembly reviews the work of synods, resolves controversies in the church, is responsible for matters of common concern for the whole church, and serves as a symbol of unity for the church. G. How does the General Assembly work? The meeting begins with an orientation on Saturday afternoon and that evening the whole General Assembly meets together to elect a Moderator from among the commissioners assembled who will preside over the plenary meetings for the rest of the week. Once a Moderator is elected, the General Assembly breaks up into assembly committees to consider particular kinds of business. Each committee is responsible for considering a number of items, and reporting back to the General Assembly on completed actions or thei r recommendations. The combined insights of all those on assembly committees become the recommendations to the whole assembly. H. Why has Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church decided to engage in discussion about disaffiliating with the PCUSA? Following much prayerful study, discussion and listening to members of our congregation, it has become clear to the Session that the PCUSA continues to delve into many issues unrelated to strengthening local churches, which we believe should be the primary task of a church denomination. The issues have been, and continue to be, disruptive to the life of our church. Every two years the General Assembly takes some action that creates controversy and divisiveness within our church. And, we see little evidence of the PCUSA actively working to support our ministries and mission. The Session believes that we should be affiliated with a denomination that supports our mission, and one that does not devote most of its energies to political issues. The changes in the PCUSA that have taken place in recent years prompted the Session to ask two questions. First, is Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church still aligned with this denomination? And second, is the PCUSA the best context in which our church can fulfill God s call to mission and ministry? In 2013, the Session engaged in a focused time of prayer and study, concerning our What We Believe statements; a revised What We Believe statement and expanded What We Believe... statement were adopted by the Session in February 2014. I. Who was the main driver of the decision of the Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church to seek to dismissal to another Reformed Denomination? The Pastors? The Session? The Congregation? As a consequence of the public notoriety of several of the actions of the recently concluded General Assembly of the PCUSA, many members of the Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church
expressed their strong dissatisfaction with the actions of the General Assembly to members of the Session. The Session then invited the Congregation to several information and discussion sessions at which those in attendance considered matters of governance of the PCUSA and its decision-making, the topics addressed by the General Assembly, and potential actions the Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church could take in response. After considering the discussion at the first of these two meetings, the Session voted unani mously to begin the process of seeking dismissal to another denomination, Reformed in Theology, Presbyterian in Governance (hereafter Reformed Denomination ). The Session notified the Presbytery of Elizabeth of its action, and announced its decision to those gathered at the third information and discussion session and in a letter to the Congregation. Although the Pastors, as members of Session, participated in the discussion and vote on the motion to initiate the disaffiliation process, the Session, not the Pastors, was in the lead on this matter from the beginning. The Session recognizes that many members of our congregation do not have concerns with certain actions of the General Assembly, and that there is disagreement among our members on various issues. There are members of the Session who agree with individual issues passed by the General Assembly. The Session decided not to focus on one individual issue, but rather the PCUSA s overall direction and points of emphasis. II. Reasons to consider seeking dismissal to another Reformed Denomination A. Why did the Session conclude that the time had come to initiate discussion with the Presbytery of Elizabeth to seek dismissal to another Reformed Denomination? There appears to be little doubt that recent General Assemblies and, more recently a majority of the Presbyteries, of the PCUSA, while ignoring the challenges to local churches, the state of marriages and families, and the effects of cultural norms that harm the poorest among us the most, have undertaken a project of transforming the PCUSA into a denomination with an increasingly progressive theology that complements a larger progressive, cultural and political agenda. For example, notwithstanding the fact that few of the Commissioners to the General Assembly and the staff of the denomination have any particular knowledge or expertise to do so, and in the face of divided expert opinion, they have adopted particular and contested conclusions regarding climate science, economics, tax policy, national security policy, foreign and diplomatic affairs, and military tactics, to name just a few examples. B. Has the Session considered actions of prior PCUSA General Assemblies? And, if so, what action did the Session consider taking? The Session had discussed various actions of the 2008, 2010 and 2012 General Assemblies and concluded that it would be appropriate for the Session to focus on completing the transition to new pastoral leadership and to begin to identify those essential beliefs that would bind the congregation together and permit it to focus on its mission in our community and the larger world. This involved a detailed study and discussion of various contemporary and historic confessional statements and culminated in writing and adopting, in February 2014, the What We Believe... statements that are currently displayed on the Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church web site, and planning a season of preaching and
teaching about the substance of those statements. The Session concluded that the actions of the 2014 General Assembly, although generating greater notoriety than prior General Assemblies, fundamentally were a continuation of a long-term trend of the PCUSA focusing on matters generally unrelated to the health and vitality of local Presbyterian Churches, and that, given the reaction of some members of the Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church to the 2014 actions, it was appropriate to begin discussion of those actions and their effect on our church with members of the congregation. C. Is it because of X, Y, Z issue? Where does the Session stand on any of the individual issues raised by the General Assembly of the PCUSA? Basing an action as important as this on any one issue or two issues would make Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church a church driven by such divisive issues, as we believe our denomination has become. This action by the Session comes as a result of many years of decisions made by the PCUSA that that have been, and continue to be, disruptive to the life of the church, and are unrelated to what we believe should be the primary task of a church denomination strengthening its local churches. D. Isn t this really all about gay marriage? The Session recognizes that for some members of our congregation, the General Assembly s action to allow churches to sanction same sex marriage is a key concern. The Session also recognizes that some members of our congregation support the General Assembly s action in this regard. We have members of the Session who hold both views. The Session concluded that it could not make the decision to affiliate with another Reformed Denomination based on one issue because there will often be disagreement among us on one particular issue voted upon by the General Assembly. Rather, the Session looked at the PCUSA s overall direction, and concluded that this direction did not align with Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church s core mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ. E. Why don t we stay in the PCUSA and work for change? Our ability to effect change within the PCUSA is extremely limited. Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church is the third largest church in the Presbytery of Elizabeth, representing 8% of the Presbytery s membership and 8 % of the Presbytery s per capita assessment income. Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church s influence in the Presbytery is, in the final analysis, determined by the number of votes we are allocated. Each ordained member of the Presbytery (e.g. clergy serving as pastors, retired pastors living within the Presbytery s boundaries, and specialized clergy like chaplains) is eligible to vote. There are now approximately 75 clergy members of the Presbytery of Elizabeth. Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church s two ordained pastors thus constitute 2.5% of the clergy eligible to vote in the Presbytery. In addition, each congregation is entitled to elect Commissioners (Elders) to Presbytery meetings, the number being determined by the congregation s size (i.e. up to 499 members, 1 Commissioner; 500-999 members, 2 Commissioners; 1000-1500 members, 3 Commissioners). Based on membership, there are approximately 55 Commissioners elected by congregations. In order to equalize the number of clergy and lay persons eligible to vote, approximately half of the congregations (determined alphabetically) are allotted an extra
Commissioner during alternating years, making 75 total Commissioners eligible to vote. Normally, Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church is allocated 2 Commissioners to Presbytery meetings, constituting approximately 2.5% of the Commissioners eligible to vote. In the years when Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church is allocated an additional Commissioner, our Commissioners would constitute 4% of Commissioner Votes. By contrast, a congregation with as few as 10 members would have one clergy and normally 1 Commissioner eligible to vote except in the alternate years when they would be allocated 2 Commissioners eligible to vote. Three small churches with fewer than 100 members combined, even without additional Commissioners allocated, can cancel out the votes of Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church s Pastors and Commissioners, even during years in which Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church is allocated an additional Commissioner. Thus, Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church simply does not have sufficient votes to materially affect the policies of our local Presbytery, much less influence the PCUSA. F. Have other churches in the area taken similar action? Yes. The second largest church in the Presbytery of Elizabeth, The Presbyterian Church of New Providence, recently announced its intention to leave the PCUSA and affiliate with a different Reformed Denomination. Two years ago the First Presbyterian Church of Dunellen left the PCUSA and affiliated with the Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians ( ECO ). G. Is the PCUSA s decision-making process appropriate? The PCUSA General Assembly s decision-making process consists of: (a) consideration of more than 100 overtures, each from as few as two Presbyteries, (b) two days reviewing and considering multiple overtures by each of more than a dozen General Assembly Committees, and (c) two days of electronic voting in plenary sessions in which Commissioners vote, up, down, or abstain, on overtures after time-limited debate. Most Commissioners probably have not had an opportunity to read, much less study, these overtures and the extensive background rationale statements prior to voting. Whether the vote margin is plus one or minus one, the result is that a motion carries or is defeated. The result, as Joe Small, former Director of the PCUSA Office of Theology and Worship characterizes the action, is a decision but not agreement. In the case of amendments to the PCUSA constitution, the next step after an affirmative General Assembly action, consideration by each of the 172 Presbyteries, often follows much the same pattern as at the General Assembly little or no study or conversation prior to a time-limited debate, and an up-or down vote, with as little as a single vote determining the decision. In both venues, the effect of its decisions on local churches is inadequately considered. In his article, Presbyterianism s Democratic Captivity, Joe Small writes, Instead of working to achieve consensus on contested theological and moral issues, legislative agendas are designed to end debates by reducing the issue to two sides and then enacting one side into church policy and ecclesiastical law. We reach majority decisions (51%), not
consensus, in the PCUSA. Additionally, this 51% requirement is simply a majority of the commissioners elected to serve at General Assembly. Thus, even the majority votes taken at General Assembly, are not tied to whether a majority of PCUSA members agree on a particular issue. III. What is the New Form of Government (a new section in the Book of Order, often referred to as nfog) and how does it affect Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church? The nfog is a complete rewrite of the Form of Government (a major section of the Book of Order), which comprises a major portion of the constitution that governs our church and denomination. It was approved by the General Assembly and ratified by the Presbyteries in 2010-2011. Included in this rewrite were numerous modifications that changed the way congregations within the PCUSA relate to the denomination. While the precise impact of these changes will not be known for some time, there are concerns that the effect of the nfog will be to move the denomination from a connectional model, in which congregations relate to one another, to a hierarchical one. An example of a hierarchical model is the Episcopal form of church government, which is more top-down in its governance. For example, previously under the old Book of Order Governing Bodies (Session, Presbytery, Synod and General Assembly) were Separate and Independent in their relationship. Now they are simply defined as Distinct (F-3.0203 Book of Order). Other changes in the new Form of Government include redefining church and church membership and removing the determination of a local congregation s mission from the responsibilities of the Session. IV. But why can't we just ignore the denomination and continue to do what we have been doing? After much study and prayer, the Session believes that this is not a desirable option for several reasons. The theological standards and practices of the PCUSA have created a conflicted witness to the world. Churches like ours must continually explain that our theological standards and practices are not the same as the standards and practices of many in the PCUSA. This makes evangelism difficult, and it prevents some committed believers from joining our fellowship. Additionally, the pastors and Elders of our church have spent a great deal of time dealing with the problems in the PCUSA. This use of their time has prevented our leaders from investing fully in the work of the mission of our church, which they have been elected and ordained to lead. Aligning with other churches in a more biblically-faithful denomination would free up our leadership to focus more on matters which promote the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ, rather than dealing with issues of theological disagreement. By pursuing its progressive theology and political projects, the actions of the General Assembly and staff of the denomination have damaged the Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church. We strive to be a compelling Christ-centered community that makes disciples of Jesus Christ who make disciples, that teaches adults and children the foundations of the Christian faith, that serves our community through The Children s Corner, our unapologetically Christian pre-school, our support of local helping ministries like Pause Ministries, a ministry focused on helping men deal with addictions, Restore Ministries, a
mission to students in Elizabeth, NJ, the Somerset Hills Food Bank, and others, and the more distant community through the Hearts for Honduras School, a school in La Entrada founded and supported by members and friends of our church, and through our mission work in Malawi where we install drip irrigation systems and solar power units to bring healthy food and light into what would otherwise be hungry days and dark nights. By introducing peripheral issues the PCUSA General Assembly has had the effect of diverting significant time, attention, and resources away from Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church s committed mission. Instead we have had to devote time and attention to dealing with the dismay and anger that the General Assembly s actions have caused among members of our church. Although this damage to our and other local churches may not have been directly intended, it was nonetheless clearly capable of being foreseen with the exercise of reasonable diligence. Nonetheless, the General Assembly, no doubt intending the best for all concerned, took the actions that it did. And Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church has suffered, and is likely to continue to suffer, consequential collateral damage. V. What are the potential benefits to staying with the PCUSA? There are at least four major reasons for staying in the PCUSA: 1. To avoid the cost of leaving in terms of money and turmoil within the church; 2. To avoid any legal dispute over ownership of the property; 3. To maintain a presence and voice in the Presbytery of Elizabeth and try to work for change; and 4. To maintain the appearance of unity. The concerns outlined in reasons #1 and # 2 above have been largely resolved by The Presbytery of Elizabeth Process for Use When a Church Wishes to Disaffiliate With the Presbyterian Church (USA) ( the Gracious Dismissal Policy ). With respect to # 3, the internal conflict in the PCUSA has continued to grow to the point that the Session has lost hope that any real change can be effected in the PCUSA, and we now believe that the denomination will continue in a state of rapid numerical and theological decline. Also, as stated above in II E, Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church does not have proper representation within the Presbytery to effect change. With respect to #4, the organic unity of the Body of Christ and the Church universal does not require institutional unity and staying in one denomination. Presbyterians have long believed that the PCUSA is not the only expression of the Christian Church or Reformed Theology; in fact, there are currently 13 Reformed denominations in the United States. This is one reason the Gracious Dismissal Policy was put in place to provide for an orderly dismissal of a congregation from one Reformed body to another when it is warranted. At this time the Presbytery of Elizabeth has a Gracious Dismissal Policy in place that is fair. One other church within the Presbytery has already been dismissed, and the process was graciously resolved. VI. Process of Change
A. What are the criteria for selecting a new Reformed Denomination for the Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church? We seek a denomination that is Reformed, Presbyterian, Evangelical, and Missional, that recognizes the primary authority of the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, and that seeks to promote healthy local churches, develops effective local church leaders, and holds local churches and their leaders accountable to each other. B. What is a Reformed denomination? Reformed theology is that which characterizes the theology associated with the branch of the larger Protestant reformation associated with John Calvin in France and Switzerland and his disciple John Knox in Scotland. The What We Believe... statements of the Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church reflect Reformed theology. C. What is a Presbyterian denomination? Presbyterian describes a system of church governance in which authority is exercised by Elders (Teaching Elders or Pastors) and Ruling Elders (laypersons), elected and ordained by the church bodies of which they are members. Authority in a Presbyterian system is always exercised by councils (e.g. Sessions, Presbyteries, and Synods), never by a single individual acting on his or her own authority. D. What is an Evangelical denomination? An Evangelical denomination is one which sees that it and its constituent local churches primary mission is to bring the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the near and far world and to make, baptize, and teach disciples of Jesus Christ. E. What is a Missional denomination? A Missional denomination is one, which encourages its constituent local churches to go into the near and far world to bring the good news of the Gospel to people who need to hear it and to help to meet the temporal needs of those people. For example, the Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church is locally acting missionally through The Children s Corner, Stephen Ministries, its Board of Deacons, and contributions to many local helping ministries of other organizations and more distantly through the Hearts for Honduras School and our mission trips to Malawi. F. But why make this move now? It is important to note that while Session s recommendation to leave the PCUSA may feel sudden and abrupt to some, Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church has been out of sync with the denomination and the Presbytery of Elizabeth for many years. As the denomination has continued to drift from the perspective of theology and governance, the Session has remained active in the regular meetings of Presbytery. Several Ruling Elders have served as officers of the Presbytery and members and chairs of Presbytery committees, and our leaders have attempted to voice our concerns regarding the issues where we differ, often to no avail. We acknowledge and celebrate the fact that the Presbytery of Elizabeth, as well as the PCUSA, includes many individuals who are good and faithful followers of Jesus Christ.
However, the Session believes that the organizational disconnect between our church, the denomination and the Presbytery has now grown beyond what can realistically be bridged. The recommendation of the Session is the realization of a disconnect that has existed for years. When an individual or a church experiences spiritual dissonance with what is going on in a denomination and presbytery, at some point you have to make a decision about your long-term future. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, When you realize you re on the wrong train, it makes no sense to run as fast as you can down the aisle in the opposite direction. It s time to get off the train. G. What is involved in the process of dismissal from the PCUSA? It is very important to understand that it is the congregation, not the Session, which will ultimately determine the outcome of this process. Just as the Session has engaged in considerable prayer and discernment, now our congregation will need to begin a simil ar process. The Presbytery of Elizabeth has a defined process for churches considering dismissal from the PCUSA. The process began with the Session notifying the Presbytery of the Session s vote to ask the congregation to consider dismissal. The Presbytery then sent a delegation team to meet with the Session. If the dialogue does not produce reconciliation, the Session will request that the Presbytery appoint a Resolution Team. The Resolution Team will work with the Session to define a process for education, prayer and discernment. The Resolution Team will ultimately provide a Report to the Presbytery after the discernment period, which is a minimum of three months. The Report will include a recommendation whether the dismissal process will proceed with the calling of a congregational meeting. A congregational meeting would be called to vote on dismissal from the PCUSA, and representatives from the Presbytery would be present to verify the membership status of those voting and would be given an opportunity to speak at the meeting. Again, the congregation will determine the outcome of this process, and each member is invited, and encouraged, to take part of this discernment process. H. Have we talked with other (peer) churches about this change? Members of the Session have taken note as other churches have been dismissed graciously from their Presbyteries, and we have spoken with leaders in some of these churches to learn from their experiences. Leaders of churches with whom our pastors and some Elders have participated in the Fellowship of Presbyterians are also aware of our discernment process and they will be in prayer with us for God s wisdom. I. What does the timeline of next steps look like? The Session has spent many hours studying our relationship with the denomination, and at the Session s request, the Presbytery of Elizabeth appointed and sent a delegation that met with the Session on October 13, 2014. Now begins the process for the congregation of the Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church to do the same, engage in a period of prayer, study, discussion, and discernment. The Session requested that the Presbytery of Elizabeth, in accordance with its Gracious
Dismissal Policy, to appoint a Resolution Team to work with the Session to help the congregation consider the recommendation to be dismissed to another Reformed Denomination. The Session will lead the congregation in this process. Our congregation is large, so good communication is essential. We have already held information meetings to provide the opportunity for the congregation to hear how the Session came to its unanimous decision to initiate the discernment process. With a decision by the Session to continue this process, representatives from the Presbytery will meet with the Session and congregation. The Presbytery will be involved throughout the process, and we want to be fair and honor God in all we do and say. We plan to hold additional gatherings to provide more intimate opportunities for learning and discussion. Look for details about these and other gatherings in the bulletin, weekly church email blast, and on the church website. In the meantime, members of the Session are available to meet with members of the congregation throughout the process. In 2015, after the congregation has had an opportunity for education and discussion, we would vote on the recommendation for dismissal and the recommendation on the new denomination affiliation. This congregational meeting would be duly called and ample notice given to provide an opportunity for every member to be involved in making this important decision. J. Are we concerned about negative publicity? We want our congregation to think carefully and pray earnestly about our individual and corporate actions and words regarding this and all other matters. As Christians, the world watches and sees what we do. Are we being the light of Christ? Do we seek hope for the lost by sharing the gospel? Do we care for those who hurt and those on the margins of society? Do we stand for grace and truth? We want to honor God as we ask for a gracious dismissal from the PCUSA. The Session believes that the best context in which to wrestle with these important matters is in a denomination where Jesus is unquestionably Lord and the authority of the Scriptures is not debated. We would ask you to bring your questions and concerns throughout this process to the Pastors and the Session of Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church. VII. Voting Procedure A. Who can vote? All active members present at the congregational meeting may vote. There is no provision for proxy voting. If you are unsure as to whether you are an active member of Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church, please contact the church office at (908) 647-0340. B. Can our students vote? All active members are entitled to vote, including our students who have been confirmed as members. They, too, will have a time of education and discussion before the congregational meeting, and we will encourage their participation. C. What percentage of our congregation will be required to vote before we can seek
dismissal to another Reformed Denomination? Under the terms of the Gracious Dismissal Policy, 50% of the active membership of our church must be present for the congregational meeting. Of those present and voting, fourfifths (80%) must vote for dismissal for the motion to pass. D. What if not enough members turn out to vote? This vote is one of the most important events in Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church s long history. Every effort will be made to inform the congregation of its importance and provide a way for all active members to attend. However, if not enough people turn out to vote, the requirements for dismissal will not be met. E. Is it true that, in the event that a vote to seek dismissal fails to receive the necessary majority, those who voted in favor of dismissal would be required to leave our church? Or, that in the event that a sufficient majority vote in favor of dismissal, those who vote against dismissal would be required to leave? Neither statement is true. Membership in our church is and regardless of the result of any action to seek dismissal to another Reformed Denomination open to all who acknowledge that Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior and that they trust in him, and promise to be faithful disciples. VIII. Financial Issues and Negotiation A. Who owns the property of Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church? The Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church is incorporated as a religious corporation in the State of New Jersey. The Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church Corporation holds legal title to all of the property of our church. The Constitution of the PCUSA, the denomination with which our church currently is affiliated has a provision that states that, notwithstanding legal title to property being held by a local church corporation,...is held in trust nevertheless for the use and benefit of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (Book of Order G- 4.0203.) Presbyteries, moreover, have the responsibility and power to dismiss congregations in consultation with their members. (Book of Order G-3.301(a)) Finally, the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission held, in 2008, that Presbyteries could dismiss congregations in possession of the congregation s property to another Reformed Denomination. Although some congregations and Presbyteries have engaged in litigation regarding the validity and enforceability of the trust clause (with inconsistent results depending on the vagaries of state law), the Session believes that the mutual grace with which the Presbytery of Elizabeth and another of its congregations managed the dismissal process will be our experience as well and that litigation over our church s property will be unnecessary. B. What are the financial costs and property considerations of being dismissed to a new Reformed Denomination? The Presbytery of Elizabeth, in its Policy and Procedure for dealing with requests for dismissal of a congregation to another Reformed Denomination acknowledges that it has the authority to dismiss a congregation in possession of its property after giving proper consideration to the constitutional provision that church property is held in trust for the
benefit of the Presbyterian Church (USA), provided that (a) the church pays all legal and other costs incurred by the church and the Presbytery, (b) all back payments of the church s per capita assessment have been remitted, (c) any outstanding loans to PCUSA entities are repaid (Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church has none) and (d) the church and the Presbytery may negotiate other financial considerations to be paid to the Presbytery. In dismissing the First Presbyterian Church of Dunellen NJ to the Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians ( ECO ) the church, in addition to its own legal fees, reimbursed the Presbytery of Elizabeth for legal fees incurred in connection with a review of the official dismissal documents, remitted all per capita assessments that had been previously withheld, and voluntarily returned a PCUSA grant that they had not used. The Session anticipates that the precedent established in the case of the dismissal of the Dunellen Church will govern our case as well. C. Does Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church have any outstanding loans to PCUSA? The Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church does not have any loans through the PCUSA or any financial dependence upon the PCUSA. The church does not have any other outstanding loans. D. In the event that the Presbytery of Elizabeth requests an additional payment ( other financial consideration ), how will we pay for the financial settlement? We anticipate that any negotiation with the Presbytery of Elizabeth regarding any additional payment will be amicable and fair to all parties. The Session believes that Scriptural faithfulness is the church s primary obligation, and we can trust God for the financial resources needed to remain faithful to Jesus Christ. IX. Considerations about our Pastoral Staff A. What are some of the unique pastoral dynamics involved with this process? It may surprise you to learn that our pastors, called Teaching Elders in the PCUSA, are not actually members of Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church. In fact, they are members of the Presbytery of Elizabeth. This dynamic is the standard practice in all Presbyterian denominations (including Presbyterian denominations outside the PCUSA). It is important to keep in mind that they will go through a similar, but independent, process of discernment as to whether it is God s will for them (as individuals) to seek dismissal to another Reformed Denomination. Their process of discernment will occur along with the congregation s and their decisions implemented only after the congregation has completed its process. B. What happens to our pastor's retirement/medical benefits if we go to another Reformed Denomination? If the pastors decide to go to another Reformed Denomination along with our church, they will not lose any of their vested retirement benefits as they are vested in the retirement program in the PCUSA and retain their vested pension rights with the PCUSA Board of Pensions. However, they will no longer be able to contribute to the PCUSA retirement plan, and they will no longer be covered under its medical insurance plan. Each Reformed Denomination has its own retirement and medical plans, which our pastors would join.
Except for being eligible for vested pension rights, pastors who no longer serve in the PCUSA are unable to continue to participate in the PCUSA Board of Pensions programs. C. Will there be any change in our pastors salary if we leave? No. The salaries of our pastors are determined by the Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church Session and congregation, at the recommendation of the Personnel Committee, and are not a function of the denomination with which we are affiliated.