Florida church sees rise in membership after breaking away from PCUSA

First Presbyterian Church (FPC) of Haines City has seen a considerable increase in its membership since it broke away from the Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) in 2015 due to theological differences.

In April 2015, FPC Haines City voted 328 to 16 to leave PCUSA, due in part to the mainline denomination's increasing acceptance of homosexuality, The Christian Post reported.

The congregation just had its departure and its membership with the theological conservative Evangelical Covenant Order (ECO) of Presbyterians finalized in February, according to spokesman Pastor Jeff Winter.

Winter explained that the vote to be released by the local presbytery occurred in November, but the church needs to wait three months before it is officially dismissed.

"During those three months, members of the presbytery have the opportunity to contest the vote if they so choose. No one protested, thank God," he said.

According to Winter, 128 new members have joined since the vote, putting its current membership at 570.

"For this church, that is a significant number. Generally speaking, our new members are attracted to this church because we stand for biblical truth and seek to apply it to our relationships and in our culture," he said.

FPC Haines City was formerly a member of the PCUSA Presbytery of Tampa Bay, which retains congregations that have between 1,000 and 2,900 members.

Patrice Hatley, head of staff for the Presbytery, has confirmed that the proper steps to be officially dismissed from the denomination have been completed.

"This was as a result of significant time of discernment, studying and prayers, and meetings on the part of the Presbytery-appointed Administrative Commission," said Hatley.

"The Administrative Commission proposed a nominal financial settlement along with other administrative contingencies, all of which were approved by the Presbytery and have been satisfied," Hatley added.

In 2015, a report from the Office of the General Assembly of PCUSA indicated that the denomination had less than 10,000 member churches following an exodus of Bible-believing pastors. As many as 34,000 black churches reportedly broke ties with the PCUSA during that period.

FPC Haines City is now affiliated with the ECO, which was officially created at a gathering in Florida in 2012.

Last September, ECO announced that it has reached the milestone of 300 member congregations. It revealed in a recent newsletter that it now has over 330 member churches.