Before We Lose Them: Causes, Warning Signals and Intervention Strategies for Church Disassociation
This is an account of the withdrawal of a church from its denomination. The root causes of disaffection are located, early warning signals described and intervention strategies given. The reader should know that the United Presbyterian Church is by it own constitution and by recent court rulings a h...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
1983
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| In: |
Review of religious research
Year: 1983, Volume: 25, Issue: 1, Pages: 63-75 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | This is an account of the withdrawal of a church from its denomination. The root causes of disaffection are located, early warning signals described and intervention strategies given. The reader should know that the United Presbyterian Church is by it own constitution and by recent court rulings a heirarchical denomination as distinct from a congregational one. The Presbytery is an area judicatory immediately above the local church in the heirarchical structure. Most presbyteries include a city and environs, an area larger than a county but smaller than a state. The Book of Order assigns to the presbytery certain powers of review and oversight in the churches. The presbytery is to start new congregations and either merge or close churches in consultation with their members when in its view such action is appropriate. There is a rather complex definition of due process in the case of merging and dissolving congregations. Presbytery is to review annually the minutes and records of its churches to determine whether the proceedings have been correctly recorded, constitutional, and appropriate for the particular church in its specific place and time. In addition presbytery must give explicit written permission to a church which desires to borrow funds, purchase or sell real property. The presbytery is a third party in the calls to pastors to assume ministers of congregations, and a call does not take effect until voted by the presbytery. Finally there is a provision in the Book of Order, most relevant to the narrative of "Before We Lose Them," which enables a presbytery to elect an administrative commission of its minister and lay members to run a particular church. This applies when, through a hearing and due process, it becomes apparent that a church session (local congregation's governing board) is "unable or unwilling to manage wisely the affairs of its church." |
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| ISSN: | 2211-4866 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Review of religious research
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2307/3511312 |