Presbyterians face defection to evangelical denomination

A network of Presbyterian Church (USA) congregations has one foot out the door after voting en masse to build a new bridge with the more conservative Evangelical Presbyterian church.

The New Wineskins Association of Churches says it's tired of battling the Presbyterian Church (USA) over theology and policy and has found a better fit in the Evangelical Presbyterian church.

"For years, conservative churches in the [Presbyterian Church (USA)] have talked about what we should be doing," said the Rev. Gerrit Dawson, a co-moderator of New Wineskins. "At last a concrete step has been offered."

At a New Wineskins convention Feb. 9 in Orlando, Fla., 130 churches voted unanimously to set up a "transitional" presbytery, or governing body, with the Evangelical Presbyterian church, Dawson said. But only a third of New Wineskins' 150-odd "endorsing" churches is ready to leave immediately, said the Rev. Dean Weaver, the other co-moderator of New Wineskins.

The "curtain opening" on the new presbytery could come as soon as Oct. 29, Weaver said.

Founded in 1981, the Evangelical Presbyterian church has about 180 congregations and 75,000 members. The Presbyterian Church (USA) has 2.3 million members in 11,000 churches.

At the Orlando meeting, about 500 New Wineskins Presbyterians gathered to discuss two "faithful options." One is to remain in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and swim against the church's progressive tide. The other is to join a yet-to-be-created presbytery within the Evangelical Presbyterian church.

Under that plan, the Evangelical Presbyterian church will vote at its assembly in June to create a non-geographic presbytery to house New Wineskins churches for five years. New Wineskins parishes will be self-governing--allowed to ordain and dismiss pastors and retain ownership of their property. They would have five years to join the Evangelical Presbyterian Church or go their own way.

New Wineskins was founded in 2001 to push for orthodoxy within the Presbyterian Church (USA). Conservatives' anger was piqued last summer when the denomination voted to crack the door open for gay clergy and include more gender-inclusive language when discussing the Trinity.

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