Denominational Issues


Our governing Elders recommended to our congregation on March 22, 2009 that Southport Presbyterian Church (SPC) seek dismissal from the Presbyterian Church in the USA (PCUSA) denomination. This comes after more than two years of careful discernment, prayer, research and discussion.

We believe and hold dear the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the ultimate authority of Scripture as the Word of God. In our view, the PCUSA has weakened its stance on these principles, drawing us to the conclusion that our church could more clearly represent its unique mission in the world outside of this denomination.

The 175-year history of SPC is rich with the advancement of the cause for Christ, with thousands of individuals and families coming to and growing in their faith, and with outreach to our community and world in God’s love. Our history is intertwined with the Presbyterian church and our ministry has benefited and grown because of our denominational partnerships.

We have asked the Whitewater Valley Presbytery, our district governing body, to enter with us into a time of discernment. This is called for in church rules, with which we wish to fully comply. Our goal is to conduct ourselves with humility, love and respect throughout this process, and to honor Jesus Christ in all our discussions, plans and actions.

Prayer

Each of us need to be praying for God's guidance and for the leadership of SPC during this process.
Click here to download a prayer guide to help you as you pray. (PDF)

Listening Groups Summary Report

The Summary Report from the Presbytery has been delivered to SPC. To read the report, select one of the links below to download a PDF file. One link contains the full report, one link contains only the summary statements from the report.

Full Report (7 pages)                         Summary Report (2 pages)
Results of the Congregational Vote

Results are in from the congregational vote held Saturday and Sunday, November 14-15. In all, 823 SPC members voted (plus two members registered abstentions) and 51 members provided absentee opinions (absentee responses were not able to be counted in the official vote, but Presbytery officials agreed to accept them as additional information). The votes on whether to support the Session’s recommendation to seek dismissal from PC(USA) and affiliate with the EPC were:

786 Yes (95.3%)

37 No (4.5%)

2 Abstain (0.2%)

(Absentees: 49 Yes, 0 No, 2 Abstain)

The results of the vote will be presented to the Committee on Ministry of the Presbytery for its consideration and action. The vote is an important demonstration of the congregation’s stance on the matter.

The SPC Session wishes to thank all who participated in the vote and joins the congregation in looking forward with anticipation and hope to our future as a body of believers.
Our Reasons for Seeking Dismissal:
 Church Communications:
Church/Denomination Resources:
  Our Guidance for this Process:
Recent Happenings:
  • March 22, 2009 – the SPC Session announced to the congregation its recommendation to seek dismissal from the PCUSA.
  • March 23, 2009 – SPC formally announced to the Whitewater Valley Presbytery its intention to seek dismissal from the PCUSA, and requested a period of discernment with the Presbytery.
  • April 21, 2009 – Representatives of Whitewater Valley Presbytery and the SPC Session met to begin planning for a period of discernment.
  • June 16 - July 30, 2009 – More than 420 SPC members took part in Listening Groups where input and insights were shared with representatives of Whitewater Valley Presbytery.
  • October 20 - The Session met with Presbytery representatives to discuss the Summary Report from the Listening Groups
  • November 14-15 - Congregational vote
  • December 3 - Whitewater Valley Presbytery commissioners voted to approve the recent Committee on Ministry (COM) recommendation to proceed with the dismissal process.
    Part of the approval was authorization to form a joint team—to be comprised of members of the Presbytery and representatives of SPC—to formulate details of the dismissal.

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