Even though only about half the registered members were present to vote, Longview's First Presbyterian Church has voted to leave its current denomination and start the process of joining another.

 

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This is one of the local results of Presbyterian Church USA's decision to allow practicing homosexuals to be ordained as ministers.  Departing members say the denomination has strayed away from Christian teachings to conform with contemporary culture.

The Longview church voted overwhelmingly to leave Presbyterian Church USA and move into the more conservative Evangelical Presbyterian Church.

Those who voted to leave will change their church's name and move to a new facility because the one they're leaving is owned by the denomination. They will become Evangelical Presbyterian Church Longview, and they'll worship in an older building that was once the home of First Lutheran Church Longview.

Despite losing several hundred members, First Presbyterian Church Longview isn't going away. It will continue to be affiliated with Presbyterian Church USA, and those who voted against leaving it will continue to worship there. Its future is uncertain.

 

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