DARDENNE PRAIRIE — A Presbyterian church is suing its own denomination over who owns the St. Charles County property the church has occupied for more than 150 years.
The 12-acre swath of land includes the current Dardenne Presbyterian Church building, a graveyard, and a small, historic church the congregation built in 1868.
And the church, which traces its origins back to a group of settlers in 1819, claims that land belongs to the church — not the denomination.
“Perhaps owing to its frontier origins, the Dardenne Church has historically been a church wary of denominational overreach,†the suit claims. “And nowhere was the church’s concern more evident than in the church’s real property transactions, which reflect a 200-year obsession with protecting the church’s property — not for denominations, but from denominations.â€
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The suit is the latest related to the property policies of the Presbyterian Church (USA), the largest Presbyterian denomination in the country. The denomination has long held that even if local congregations own their land in property records, if the church breaks away from the denomination it doesn’t get to take the property with it.
Locally, the ºüÀêÊÓƵ-area Presbyterian authority sued the Bonhomme Presbyterian Church in Chesterfield in 2014 for rights to the church’s property when it . Bonhomme eventually agreed to pay the denomination $1.1 million for the property.
But Dardenne Presbyterian’s lawsuit, filed Oct. 3 against both the national denomination and its local authority, the Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy, claims that the congregation has taken “a series of unprecedented actions to ensure that no denomination and no Presbytery could ever interfere with the church’s property in any possible way.â€
A letter sent to the congregation dated Oct. 4 says the property is at risk and it would be “reckless and irresponsible to move forward without the property issue being settled.â€
It’s unclear if the church plans to branch off from the denomination. The church remains a member, though the lawsuit says there is “some tension in the relationship and uncertainty.â€
The land in question, 7400 South Outer Road 364 in Dardenne Prairie, is dominated by the main church built in 1985. The nearby graveyard was open to “strangers†who died on the trek to the western U.S., according to a plaque on the property.
The Rev. Ryan Landino, leader of the local Presbyterian authority, said in a written statement that the Presbytery did not expect the lawsuit from Dardenne Presbyterian’s session, the church’s leadership body.
“All there really is to say at this time is that this suit came as a surprise to us, as we were not aware the session of Dardenne was having these kinds of deliberations,†the statement reads. “Because communication is coming to us through legal means, we are in the process of seeking legal advice. We have no further comment at this time.â€
Multiple leaders for the Dardenne Presbyterian Church declined to comment on the suit because of the ongoing litigation.
The church was a member of the Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS) for nearly 120 years until the organization’s 1983 merger with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The two denominations traditionally had different property rights policies, according to the suit.
Dardenne Presbyterian’s suit is seeking a judgment declaring that it has sole control of the property but also asks a judge to issue a temporary restraining order preventing the denomination from interfering with the property while the suit moves forward.
The denomination, according to the suit, has policies to seize local property, freeze assets, and lock church doors during property disputes. The suit claims those actions would disrupt worship along with the church’s charitable work, including meal deliveries and support groups.
“A Presbytery takeover of the Dardenne Church’s property would thus harm not only church members, but also the poor, the needy, the lonely, and the marginalized of St. Charles County, and, just as importantly, those seeking God,†the suit says.
A hearing on the restraining order is delayed while the parties work to reach a possible settlement, according to court documents.
Meanwhile, Dardenne Presbyterian Church members will meet Oct. 22 to vote on measures related to the property.
Dardenne Presbyterian is being represented by attorneys with McCarthy, Leonard & Kaemmerer L.C. along with Louisiana attorney Ryan K. French, who specializes in church property law.