Oostburg's pastor, the Rev. Brian Jacobson, said he feels a sense of hopefulness about the process.
"It feels like a genuine attempt — in Christian language — to make room for the spirit," Jacobson said. "It feels to me like this could be a way forward that would honor both sides."
First Presbyterian is seeking to affiliate with ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians, a theologically conservative denomination that formed after the 2011 vote.
Since then, about 260 congregations have left the 2.8 million-member Presbyterian Church USA, said the Rev. Gradye Parsons, who serves as the stated clerk of the church's general assembly in Louisville. Similar schisms have erupted in the Episcopal Church and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
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"It feels like a genuine attempt — in Christian language — to make room for the spirit," Jacobson said. "It feels to me like this could be a way forward that would honor both sides."
First Presbyterian is seeking to affiliate with ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians, a theologically conservative denomination that formed after the 2011 vote.
Since then, about 260 congregations have left the 2.8 million-member Presbyterian Church USA, said the Rev. Gradye Parsons, who serves as the stated clerk of the church's general assembly in Louisville. Similar schisms have erupted in the Episcopal Church and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Read it all.
