wfn.org | Kentucky congregation ousts pastor after he opened church to gays,

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Note #6801 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

multiracial families
17-August-2001
01284

Kentucky congregation ousts pastor after he opened church to gays,
multiracial families

Flock of followers seek new church from presbytery 

by Evan Silverstein

LOUISVILLE - A Presbyterian pastor who recently came under fire after he
opened the doors of his Owensboro, Ky., church to gays and lesbians, has
been fired by the congregation.

In November, under the leadership of the Rev. Michael Erwin, Central
Presbyterian Church joined More Light Presbyterians, a national group
committed to including homosexuals as church members and ordained leaders in
the Presbyterian Church (USA). At first, things went smoothly.
Average worship attendance at Central grew from about 15 to 50 as the
congregation welcomed multiracial families, gay and lesbian members and
newcomers who had not attended church in years.

But in an unexpected move, the church session voted on June 18 to sever its
relationship with Erwin and end its status as a More Light church.
On July 1, the majority of 26 members of the congregation present voted to
remove Erwin as pastor of Central Presbyterian, where he had been for about
a year.

"They said that I was untruthful and that they couldn't trust me as a
pastor," Erwin said of four church session elders who favored his ousting.
"They said that I hadn't told them what a More Light church was and that
they had voted on it in ignorance."

Although Erwin does not officially leave the 46-member church until month's
end, he hasn't been away from the pulpit, holding Sunday worship services
elsewhere in the small western Kentucky city. The group, which averages
about 50 worshippers each Sunday, hopes presbytery officials will recognize
it as a New Church Development, and eventually a full-fledged Presbyterian
church.

"In Owensboro, we don't have a church that really has taken a stand with gay
and lesbian people or with multi-racial families," said Erwin of his vision
for the flock, which calls itself New Hope congregation.

Erwin, 32, said he was upfront with church officials about his vision for
welcoming gay and lesbian members when he interviewed for the post, and
later as pastor with the session.

Central elder Sarijane Moorman, a supporter of Erwin's and a session member,
said the pastor was clear with church leaders from the start about his goals
and the implications of being an inclusive church. Moorman said session
members opposing Erwin have not shared their thoughts with her and said she
was shocked when they first proposed firing the pastor and dissolving the
congregation's More Light affiliation.

"I'm a grown-up," Moorman said, adding that she believes she's been driven
out of Central. "I understood the first night that he would like to welcome
gay and lesbian people to church. I understood that that could be a pretty
big issue all by itself. I don't know how they couldn't understand that. I
don't know what it is they didn't understand about all of this. And the fact
they're not talking makes it even more confusing."

Even so, problems at Central may have been a result of too much change too
soon. Erwin and a presbytery official both acknowledged that the mostly
aging membership had so many complex issues thrust upon them so quickly,
such as concepts surrounding same sex unions, that the longtime members
likely felt overwhelmed in their own congregation.

"My sense is that several people who had been in the church for 10 to 20 to
30 years where not comfortable with newcomers setting direction for the
church," Erwin said. "Honestly, I think they realized the church had grown
so quickly and they were losing control of the church they had controlled
for about 30 years."

The developments at Central Presbyterian Church sent shock waves through the
small church and sparked a flurry of local and regional media reports. But
the controversial events, including the session tabling a motion to allow 12
people to join the church, must be seen within the context of the
congregation's membership, said the Rev. Rich Cooper, executive presbyter of
the Presbytery of Western Kentucky.

"The 46 members who are there are primarily older folk," Cooper said. "They
were folks literally who helped that church through flood and fire and hell.
To some degree, those were the people whom, I think it's fair to say, felt
like they weren't being helped along in the process or that it was at their
expense."

Cooper said that 26 Central church members cast secret ballots deciding
Erwin's fate as pastor, but declined to reveal the number of members who
voted in favor of Erwin's ousting. He added that the tally to dismiss was
"clearly the majority, but not unanimous." The decision to withdraw from the
More Light movement was approved separately by Central's six-member session,
with only Moorman and fellow member Dick Blanton voting against dropping the
More Light association.

The struggle between Erwin and the church ended earlier this month when the
embattled pastor reached an agreement with Central session members Gladys
Combs, Marian Turner, Violet Jackson and Mary Lacefield, all of whom did not
accept or return phone calls seeking comment. The agreement was finalized
during the presbytery's quarterly meeting Aug. 11. Terms include a severance
package for Erwin, including six month's salary and benefits. His departure
from Central officially takes effect Aug. 31, though Erwin has been on
administrative leave since July 10.

Michael J. Adee, national field organizer for More Light Presbyterians, said
he was "absolutely mystified" by the church session's decision to withdraw
the congregation's association, especially since Central Presbyterian had
been affiliated with More Light for such a short time.

"I am saddened and surprised in the change of direction, mission and vision
of the church," Adee said. "That's really clear because it (Central
Presbyterian) was doing beautifully, and then there was this sudden change."

Erwin said the 12 people whose membership requests were tabled at Central, a
few current members and some newcomers have been holding Sunday worship
services the past month at a downtown center. He said an average of 50
people have turned out each Sunday, some gay and lesbian, many whose
lifestyles were not welcomed at other area congregations. He said ministry
with Hispanic immigrants continues, representing eight to 10 worshippers
each Sunday.

"This particular congregation is not drawing Presbyterians from existing
churches to be part of this congregation," Erwin said. "I'd say 80 percent
of the people who are worshipping in this new congregation haven't been to
church in 5, 10, 20 years."

Erwin, who also served as associate pastor at First Presbyterian Church in
Owensboro before switching to Central last year, said he hopes the
presbytery will move quickly on allowing New Hope to become a New Church
Development and eventually a chartered PC(USA) congregation. Until the group
is recognized by the presbytery, it cannot hold sacraments or baptism or
communion or take in new members.

But Cooper, the executive presbyter, said there were "some real questions"
the presbytery's mission development committee will have to consider in
examining Erwin's proposal. The Western Kentucky Presbytery, one of the
denomination's smallest, hasn't approved a New Church Development in more
than 20 years.

Cooper said he could not predict when the committee would decide the matter.

"The concerns have to do with a fourth Presbyterian (church) presence in
Owensboro, financial concerns and the strength of the presbytery," Cooper
said. "We pay our own way, but we don't have extra money to invest in New
Church Development. In addition, there's the understanding that historically
speaking the Presbyterian Church has not always been generous about granting
New Church Developments to situations growing out of a pastor leaving a
congregation."
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