The PC(USA) Office of the General Assembly has issued a new “Constitutional Musing” titled “Responding Pastorally to Troubled Churches.”  It deals specifically with churches that are “troubled” by recent General Assembly actions.  Maybe it should be titled “Responding Pastorally to Churches Considering Leaving the Denomination.”

The document is, on balance, a pretty moderate document.  It advises beginning with a response team to engage in conversation with the congregation and session so each side clearly understands the other side.  The next step, if the church still wishes to leave, is to form a team to study the situation and recommend a course of action and try for reconciliation.  The process could then go to an administrative commission.

The musing does say that presbyteries can not have a “quick exit” policy but that the presbytery does have the authority to release a congregation to another reformed body after extensive evaluation.  And that is where the musing ends.  It is either dismiss the congregation “or to decide that another course of action is most appropriate to
advance the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in that
geographic area.”  The other major component to this musing is that it encourages the “troubled” church to cooperate with the presbytery in all the steps.

While I have no problem with what the musing says it is probably more interesting on what the musing does not say.  There is no mention of the word “property” anywhere in this memo.  Is the implication that the congregation can be dismissed/transfered but you can’t take the property with you?  Also, the musing stops there and is silent on what “another course of action” might mean.

The memo commends policies on this matter that have been adopted by the Presbytery of New Covenant and the Presbytery of Wabash Valley.

Also, the Layman Online has their analysis of this musing.