Split Presbyterian Church in Overland Park, Kansas, Stays Open as Satellite of Village Presbyterian

The Kansas City Star reported on a congregation affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in Overland Park, Kan., after a large part of the church decided to leave the denomination when it approved the ordination of gay clergy. According to the Star, members voted 350-100 to switch to A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians (ECO).

The move led to a legal dispute. Heartland Presbytery, the regional body that represents the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), filed a lawsuit in Johnson County District Court against the 350 members who had disaffiliated. Heartland argued that the denomination owned the church, its pews, its Bibles and all other property. The ECO faction held that the church and its contents belonged to the congregation, the entity that holds title to the building.

The judge found, based on Kansas’ adherence to denominational rules, that Heartland Presbytery, represented by the remaining 100 members, was the true owner of the church property. The division and lawsuit, the report says, caused about 600 people to leave the church entirely.

The remaining members of the Presbyterian Church of Stanley faced a building of 40,000 square feet with about 100 members. Phil Hendrickson, a former charter member and session clerk, said the congregation had once had 20 employees but was down to one part-time employee after the split. “We weren’t interested in just surviving,” he said. “We wanted to flourish again.” He chose to remain a member of the Presbyterian Church of Stanley, though he said he was sad to see some friends leave. “You don’t want to go to church in the middle of a lawsuit, but that’s behind us now,” he said.

The standing members then invited Village Presbyterian Church to establish a satellite congregation in the Stanley building. The Star reports that the revitalized church had 200 in attendance on Easter. Village Presbyterian’s senior pastor, the Rev. Tom Are, said the arrangement offered his congregation a chance to grow in southern Johnson County, where it had been less active. “The people there were very faithful, courageous and sacrificial, really in wanting to give themselves away to something new so there would continue to be a church in that place,” Are said. “I found that inspiring; I found that encouraging. So we wanted to respond to that.”

The GetReligion commentary that discussed the Star’s coverage said the article presented the outcome as positive, and it noted that the report did not include the views of members who left the congregation after losing the lawsuit.

Source: Read the original report