The Bay Presbyterian Church agrees to pay $700,000 settlement in church split case.

The Bay Presbyterian Church agrees to pay $700,000 settlement in church split case.

Cleveland, OH: (May-28-08) The Bay Presbyterian Church in Bay Village and the Presbytery of the Western Reserve have been locked in a legal wrangle, owing to a theological divide that has engulfed mainline Protestantism. In a recent announcement, Northeast OH's largest Presbyterian Church, which boasts a membership of 2,000, parted ways with the Presbytery of the Western Reserve. Sources stated that the decision came after a majority vote that sought to avoid a costly legal battle, letting the Bay Presbyterian Church in Bay Village leave the Presbyterian Church, to be part of the more conservative Evangelical Presbyterian Church.

Under the terms of the settlement agreement, Bay Presbyterian will pay the presbytery $100,000 a year for seven years. Records show that in April 2008, the church offered $550,000 over 10 years to leave the denomination, while the presbytery was seeking more than $1 million. The decision to split was treated with a mixed response, as Bay Presbyterian has been part of the presbytery since 1917. In a service of dismissal afterward, delegates from Bay and the presbytery asked each other's forgiveness for words, deeds or omissions that have been hurtful.

The Bay Presbyterian Church in the News

[THE PLAIN DEALER: The Bay Presbyterian Church]
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Published on May-31-08