Presbyterian Church (USA) Accepts CA Megachurch’s Vote to Leave Denomination

A California megachurch’s recent vote to leave Presbyterian Church (USA) has been confirmed by the mainline Protestant denomination. Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, a multi-site congregation which has over 3,000 members, recently voted to leave PCUSA.

“We believe that changing denominations from PCUSA to ECO will help us achieve our mission in many ways, which fall into four key areas: identity, mission, governance and property,” said Laubscher in an earlier interview with CP.

Senior Pastor Steve Ortberg praised the decision in a letter released immediately following the action.

“This is a major milestone, and not an ending but a beginning,” wrote Ortberg, who proceeded to thank many of the people involved in the vote. “Thank you for being part of this spiritual journey of trusting God and letting him lead us as individuals and as a church family on his great adventure.”

Before the Tuesday meeting, San Francisco Presbytery spokesman Jeff Hutcheson told CP that Menlo Park “is our largest” congregation.

With their dismissal confirmed, Menlo Park Presbyterian will have to pay $8.89 million to keep their church property, whose title was owned by PCUSA.

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