Menlo Park church discusses exit options

By Parker T. Williamson
Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Menlo Park, a 4,000-plus member Presbyterian congregation in California’s Bay Area is hosting three “informational meetings” regarding denominational affiliation for its congregation during the final quarter of 2011. During these meetings, Menlo Park leaders are assessing the state of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and reporting on their explorations into various alternatives to their continued affiliation with the denomination.

Menlo Park is far from alone. The Layman has learned that leaders of more than 800 churches -- ranging in membership from as few as 27 to as many as 9,000 members -- are engaged in similar discussions, and virtually all of the denomination’s 173 presbyteries either have adopted or are considering policies for dealing with churches that are inclined toward denominational departure.

A Confessing Church

Menlo Park’s November/December gatherings are not the first time that its leaders have addressed denominational issues. In 2001, after the PCUSA General Assembly declined to affirm “the singular saving lordship of Jesus Christ” and demonstrated denominational leaders’ determination to remove all sexual behavior standards from the constitution, Menlo Park’s session declared its congregation “a Confessing Church.”

“We reaffirm,” said the session, “That Jesus Christ alone is Lord of all and the only way of salvation; that Holy Scripture is the triune God’s revealed Word, the Church’s only infallible rule of faith and life; and that while Christ’s grace and participation in his Church are open to all, and we invite all to taste and see that the Lord is good, we also affirm that Jesus, out of love for us and for our own good, calls us to holiness in all facets of life. This call is comprehensive in scope, touching all aspects of the ways we love God, ourselves, and others. It also includes honoring the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman, the only appropriate sexual relationship.” the rest