First Presbyterian of Orlando leads churches breaking away from denomination
First Presbyterian of Orlando leads churches breaking away from denomination
The Rev. David Swanson, senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Orlando. (Orlando Sentinel file / October 28, 2011)
By Jeff Kunerth,
Orlando Sentinel
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/
October 28, 2011
Everything is in place to create a new Presbyterian denomination comprised of conservative congregations and led by First Presbyterian of Orlando.
The only thing missing is churches.
"It's kind of like an empty warehouse," said First Presbyterian Pastor David Swanson.
That empty warehouse denomination called the Fellowship of Presbyterians will start filling up in January when a convention of Presbyterian churches meets in Orlando. The churches are dissatisfied with the Presbyterian Church (USA), which voted last year to allow the ordination of gay ministers, deacons and elders.
"We feel like in a very short period of time, this new denomination could become one of the largest Presbyterian denominations in the country," said Swanson, one of eight Presbyterian ministers behind the Fellowship of Presbyterians.
The creation of the Fellowship could speed the decline of PC(USA), which has been losing members almost since it was formed in 1983, said Tony Tian-Ren Lin, a sociologist of religion and academic researcher at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.
Read the full story at www.VirtueOnline.org
The Rev. David Swanson, senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Orlando. (Orlando Sentinel file / October 28, 2011)By Jeff Kunerth,
Orlando Sentinel
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/
October 28, 2011
Everything is in place to create a new Presbyterian denomination comprised of conservative congregations and led by First Presbyterian of Orlando.
The only thing missing is churches.
"It's kind of like an empty warehouse," said First Presbyterian Pastor David Swanson.
That empty warehouse denomination called the Fellowship of Presbyterians will start filling up in January when a convention of Presbyterian churches meets in Orlando. The churches are dissatisfied with the Presbyterian Church (USA), which voted last year to allow the ordination of gay ministers, deacons and elders.
"We feel like in a very short period of time, this new denomination could become one of the largest Presbyterian denominations in the country," said Swanson, one of eight Presbyterian ministers behind the Fellowship of Presbyterians.
The creation of the Fellowship could speed the decline of PC(USA), which has been losing members almost since it was formed in 1983, said Tony Tian-Ren Lin, a sociologist of religion and academic researcher at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.
Read the full story at www.VirtueOnline.org
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