News
2006-09-01
Tulsa megachurch
splits with Presbyterians over gays
A megachurch in
Tulsa, Okla., has severed ties with the Presbyterian
Church USA over its apparent support for openly gay pastors.
A megachurch in
Tulsa, Okla., has severed ties with the Presbyterian
Church USA over its apparent support for openly gay pastors.
Just over 1,000 members of Kirk of the Hills
Presbyterian Church turned out Wednesday night and
voted 967–36 to affirm a vote by church elders to
leave. The vote could incite a legal battle involving the
church's nearly 3,000 members.
After voting to
sever ties with the mother church, the group then voted
to request affiliation with the Evangelical Presbyterian
Church. The members also affirmed reverends Tom Gray
and Wayne Hardy as copastors of Kirk of the Hills.
Calls for the
votes came after national leaders decided to allow local
churches the option of setting aside ordination requirements
that prohibit gay ministers. "I think that most of the
mainline denominations are going to be far more
liberal in a few years than they even are today, so
we're not the only church considering this," Gray
said, according to Tulsa's KOTV.
The legal dispute
is over who holds the title to Kirk of the Hills'
eight-acre property. The church has filed a lawsuit against
the national denomination, which says it owns the real
estate. Tulsa members say they paid for the property.
Gray said there may still be room to negotiate, noting
that the church does not want to see a court battle.
(AP contributed to this report)
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