Beverly Heights Presbyterian Church in Mt. Lebanon will hold a congregational meeting Sunday night to vote on whether to leave the Presbyterian Church (USA), with the intention of affiliating with the more conservative Evangelical Presbyterian Church.

The reason is a belief that the denomination no longer fully upholds key doctrines of the Trinity or salvation through Christ alone, said the Rev. Rick Wolling, pastor of the 400-member congregation.

Since the 1920s, "this denomination has followed a path of divergence from orthodoxy, to the point where that divergence is a violation of our conscience," he said.

Separation requires a 51 percent vote of all active members. The 6 p.m. meeting will be closed to all but active members and invited representatives of Pittsburgh Presbytery, who will present the case to stay.

The Rev. Wolling said he believed the vote would be in favor of leaving.

If so, the presbytery will review negotiated terms of departure at its June meeting, and vote on them in September, said the Rev. Stuart Broberg, chairman of the presbytery council.

During a presbytery meeting at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, he spoke of efforts the presbytery is making to talk with several unhappy conservative congregations, and procedures and standards it has set to try to achieve a just and amicable separation for any congregation that so chooses. So far only Beverly Heights has scheduled a vote on leaving, he said.

The presbytery wants to show Christian love and avoid expensive lawsuits over whether the denomination or the congregation keeps the property, he said.

Church law, which Pennsylvania courts have historically upheld, says the building belongs to the denomination.

The principles for separation are: Representatives of the presbytery must be able to speak at all meetings on the matter, and must have a mailing list to communicate with the entire congregation. Pastoral care must be provided for any minority that voted to remain in the congregation.

Any meeting to vote on separation must include 70 percent of active members, and 75 percent of them must vote to leave -- amounting to 51 percent of the membership. The window of opportunity to do so under these terms will close at the end of December and not reopen for three years, he said.

But the most contentious provision is likely to be a "substantial mission gift" that the departing congregation must make to the presbytery in exchange for its building. No amount was specified because "one size doth not fit all. We do this on a case-by-case basis ... and Beverly Heights is sort of our test case," the Rev. Broberg said.

"There are small churches, large churches, poor churches and rich churches."

The Rev. Wolling said he was satisfied with the Rev. Broberg's presentation, except for the substantial mission gift. He objected both to the concept of requiring a gift and to the vague amount.

"One person's substantial is another person's chintzy," he said. "It is open to such wide interpretation as to render it meaningless."

Otherwise, he praised the presbytery's dealings with his congregation, saying that other presbyteries often take harsh measures against churches that even hint they are planning to leave.

"We've been able to negotiate, we've been able to freely invite members of presbytery into our congregation. Everything has been open and above board. It's been a good process so far. But that's not to say that the hardest part of negotiation has been done," he said.

During another part of yesterday's meeting, the Rev. Jim Mead, pastor to Pittsburgh Presbytery, addressed the 284 pastors and elders about the type of theological concerns prompting Beverly Heights to seek separation. Despite differences of opinion within the ranks, the Presbyterian Church (USA) continues to uphold classical Christian doctrines about Christ and the Trinity, he said.

He urged theological liberals and conservatives to spend time together in conversation and prayer.

The largest church in the presbytery, 1,800-member Memorial Park Church in McCandless, is among those unhappy with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Nancy Lee Cochran, an elder in the congregation, said no decision has been made about whether to vote on leaving.

"Memorial Park Church is in a period of discernment and prayer," she said. "We are being led by the Holy Spirit and guided by our elders and deacons."

Also at yesterday's meeting, Presbyterians were urged to join a march against genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan. It will start at 2 p.m. April 28 at Freedom Corner in the Hill District.

The Rev. David Carver, pastor of Crafton Heights United Presbyterian Church, said he believes President Bush has hesitated to establish a no-fly zone or call an international conference on the slaughter because "of the perceived indifference of the American people."

The Rev. Mead intends to march.

"There is a time to go into the streets. This is one of those times," he said.