UPDATES:
January 18-20, 2012: MPPC elders and staff joined about 2,000 other church leaders from about 500 churches in Orlando, Florida, at a Fellowship of Presbyterians conference. Pastor John Ortberg spoke at the event and you can view his remarks here.
You can read about the conference at these websites:
- The Fellowship of Presbyterians
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An Overview of MPPC’s Denominational Affiliation Process
MPPC’s Session is our formal governing body and consists of 24 lay elders and seven ordained pastors. MPPC is 138 years old. MPPC has Presbyterian roots and has been affiliated with the PCUSA since 1983. Over the years, various actions and trends within PCUSA have culminated in our commitment to seek God’s clarity and direction for MPPC. Over the past three years, Session took the following actions in seeking God’s will and purpose for His church:
2008 – Session authorized the appointment of the Denominational Task Force or (DTF) to study the question of MPPC’s denominational affiliation.
2009 – Session commissioned the DTF, comprised of seven current and past elders and one lay representative.
2010 – On May 16, the DTF began meeting to develop recommendations for Session to consider. The DTF met with representatives of the San Francisco Presbytery (Presbytery) to discuss questions and concerns regarding PCUSA.
By a vote of the Session on August 3, MPPC requested that the Presbytery commission a Presbytery Engagement Team (PET) under its “Gracious Dismissal” policy to begin a dialogue about MPPC’s relationship with PCUSA before any decisions were made. On November 9, the Presbytery suspended its Gracious Dismissal policy without appointing a Presbytery Engagement Team for MPPC.
2011 – In February, the DTF made a final report to Session. Session began praying fervently, fasting, discussing, learning and seeking God’s leading. Session has met with representatives from PCUSA, the San Francisco Presbytery, and other churches and denominations around this issue. This report is available for congregants to read at the church offices.
In May, the PCUSA General Assembly made several changes to the Book of Order. Here is a letter from Senior Pastor John Ortberg and Directional Leader Blues Baker about the denominational issue and MPPC's vision for ministry.
On August 16, Session adopted an Affirmation of Vision, Mission, Values and Beliefs. Session also voted that day to establish a Denominational Engagement committee and to request that the San Francisco Presbytery engage with this committee on denominational concerns. In response, the Presbytery appointed a Presbytery Response Team to meet with MPPC.
On August 25-26, MPPC’s sent representatives to a gathering of a new organization, the Fellowship of Presbyterians, to discuss ideas for “Christ-honoring change” in the PCUSA. An estimated 1900 people from more than 830 churches participated. The Fellowship plans to launch a new reformed denomination in 2012, presenting MPPC with a new option to consider. The Fellowship held a second gathering in Orlando, FL, in January, 2012, at which MPPC pastors and elders participated and John Ortberg spoke.
In September, Session provided an update to the congregation.
In December, MPPC's elders held informational meetings in Mountain View, San Mateo, and Menlo Park to share with congregants about the process it is walking through as it looks at its affiliation with PCUSA. The Session currently has three working teams:
Contact Session:
Contact the church: info@mppc.org
PCUSA 2009 Statistics, Source: PCUSA.org
2010 General Assemby Overview, Source: PCUSA.org