This week the California Supreme Court ruled that congregations electing to leave their denomination must forfeit church property. The particular case involved the St. James Anglican Church in Newport Beach. St. James split with the general Episcopal Church in 2003 over the consecration of V. Gene Robinson, the church’s first openly gay bishop.
Though the court’s decision involves this particular dispute between the Episcopal Church and St. James, it will surely have implications for a score of other similar cases. Currently several mainline denominations are fracturing over theological rifts in general and gay rights in particular. And last month 700 conservative Episcopal congregations formerly broke away from the general body to form their own separate church in North America.
It would seem, however, that such a decision hardly translates into a victory for denominational heads. Sure presbyteries, diocese and general governing bodies will likely get to retain church property when individual congregations split. (And often, as is the case with St. James in Newport Beach, we are talking prime real estate in the heart of town.) But this decision will hasten the bloodletting of the American mainlines as it puts established congregations in the position to follow the lead of the Charismatics—take the folks and plant independent churches from scratch.
One would hope denominational heads would use the pressure this decision places on renegade congregations to force some sort of agreement. If not, both the progressive and conservative wings will suffer. And, more importantly, they will find themselves singing,
Here’s the church, and here’s the steeple
Open the doors and see no people!
