GA223 Post 4 What We Choose to Talk about Says Volumes

The big question before this General Assembly was what issue would capture the attention of the assembly and threaten to suck all the oxygen out of the room the way sexuality and divestment have in the last few GAs.  Would it be divestment again?  Would human sexuality find its way into the mix once more?  Perhaps it would be the sacraments or a pressing social issue like race or guns.

Nope.  In the end the most energetic and, at times, emotional committee discussion so far surrounded corporate structuring.

That Presbyterians are overly invested in things like the structure of our corporate model is not entirely surprising.  We do have a passion for structure and process and the way the church visible lives out its ministry in the church.  And to be sure those things matter.  The church does in fact live in the world and it is sometimes necessary to explore the most efficient and effective way to do that.

The present debate over corporate structure comes from the two year Way Forward Commission's work and the All-Agency Review Committee's work.  Among their many suggested actions is a re-design of the corporate structure of the Presbyterian Church (USA) from one corporation (the A Corp) including both the Presbyterian Mission Agency and the Office of the General Assembly into two corporations with each overseeing one of those two entities and being in charge of shared services like property management of the denominational office building, accounting, human resources, vendor relations, etc.

The changes are needed, according to the committees, for two reasons.  First, the church needs to respond to the changes in how we "do church" in the 21st century.  Second, there is a troubling culture in our national organization between the PMA and the OGA which centers on issues of power and authority.  Change is needed to remove this distraction.

To a cynic, the fact that we are spending so much time talking about corporate structures and denominational offices speaks to a church out of touch with the world and actively avoiding the bigger issues at stake.  To an extent, I think that is right.  We are using this conversation about corporate and denominational structure to avoid talking about exactly what it is that is causing this sense of powerlessness for one group and the perception that another group is exercising too much power.  The structure is surely part of it, but the structure can only be partly to blame.  But like in any relationship, it is easy to talk about some issues and not others so we deal with the easy things first and the rest only when/if we have to.

The cynics are only partly right, however.  There is actually something very affirming and good at the heart of this discussion.  We are debating how best to be an effective and efficient organization for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We are debating how best to be the church.  That we Presbyterians, immersed as we are in an anti-establishment church culture, still believe that the church visible is worth the spiritual and emotional energy says something about how we value Christ's command to be the people of God. 

How we visibly express the community of the church in the world matters.  How we treat the visible church says volumes about how we value the people in it and how we value our place in the larger world.  Solving our corporate structure issues will not somehow save the church, but it does speak to our commitment to being a faithful institution in the context of God's world.  That we choose to deal with these difficult and often confusing details of structures and corporations and visible expressions of the church in the world speaks to our commitment to that world. 

GA223 Post 3 Remembering to Imagine

Yesterday afternoon the Stated Clerk gave his report colloquially referred to as the "State of the Church."  Traditionally it is a chance for the Clerk to make observations about the current state of the church and offer vision for its future. The Rev J. Herbert Nelson is the third Stated Clerk I have heard give such a speech since my ordination.  His predecessors, Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick and Rev. Grayde Parsons each put their own twist on the presentation and J. Herbert made his first State of the Church his as well.

The general tenor of the speech might fairly be described as confident if at times cautious. 

The Clerk's confidence in the truth of God' call to Presbyterians as an embodiment of Christ in the world was evident from the beginning.  He repeatedly claimed the unique calling of the church as a whole and the Reformed tradition in general to get out in the world and live the gospel, proclaim the good news, and be the people of God.  Delivered with the hushed baritone of his voice, the claiming of that promise filled the room. 

He exhibited an equal confidence that the PC(USA) is up to the task.  In this season it would be easy for the head of our communion (Christ is head of the Church) to use an occasion like the General Assembly to kick some ecclesiastical butts and set things straight.  In the tradition of his predecessors, the Clerk spoke truth to the church.  At times he spoke hard truths.  But at all times he spoke with the confidence that we as a people are equipped to be who God is calling us to be and do what God is calling us to do.  Although he did not use these words, his message appeared to be that God's call is self-equipping. 

It was a confident and hopeful report.  Woven throughout, however, was a thread of caution. 

As much as our Stated Clerk leaned on the historic understanding of the sovereignty and goodness of God, he also acknowledged our human frailty and sinfulness as frequent stumbling blocks to our carrying out the kingdom work we have been given.

He reminded us of our ordination vows and the call to serve the church with energy, intelligence, and love obviously leaving out the third attribute...imagination. 

Imagination is the key to the church in this moment he reminded us.  Imagination is how we see beyond the surface of the now. Imagination is how we see a future not bound to but informed by the past.  Imagination is how we have ears to hear the voices of a new generation and eyes to see the transformative work they are doing in our midst. Imagination is the only way we will be able to abide the emerging Kingdom of God and all the challenges to the status quo it brings with it.

That is how he left us last night.  With those words of imagination hanging in the air as he challenged the church to approach its work with an eye toward the future. 

At this GA more than any in recent memory, imagination is key as we envision what tomorrow may hold for the PC(USA).

GA223 Post 2 Sometimes the Stranger...

I’m an introvert. Most people who have met me don’t believe that but it is in fact true. I’m also naturally shy. So my idea of a fun time is definitely NOT being in a large room populated almost entirely by strangers and where I have no job or duties to perform. I’m just s guy in the room. Without a doubt I want to be in the room. But they doesn’t make it any easier.

I’m about as Presbyterian as you can get (I’m at GA voluntarily for goodness sakes) but in this room of Presbyterians I’m a stranger. This is about as close as a pastor can get to knowing what it is like to be a visitor in church.

Part of our call as the church is to go out into the world but also to welcome those who come in from the world. Being a welcoming and hospitable church is about more than getting visitors to come back. It is about meeting people where they are in the world and welcoming the for who they are.

Sometimes the stranger doesn’t know church at all.  Sometimes the stranger knows the hymns by heart.  Sometimes the stranger is a stranger and sometimes the stranger is one of us.

In whatever guise we encounter the stranger in our midst, our call is clear. Extend a hand of friendship, share a word of welcome, and make room in the place for the stranger to become family.

GA223 Post 1 Becoming a Both/And Church

Standing in front of the church gathered in St. Louis, six people with vision for a bright future in the PC(USA) shared their ideas, answered commissioner questions, and made the case for why they should serve as Moderator or Co-Moderator of the PC(USA) and ambassador for its nearly 2 million members.  Each candidate exhibited what is best in the leadership of the church; a desire to serve, a passion for the future of the church, and above all a love of Christ. 

Commissioners were able to ask questions about the candidates' vision and perspectives on what it means to be Presbyterian and why the PC(USA) matters in the world.  They also shared their motivations for serving and their faith journeys.

Midway in the conversation, the candidates were asked about reaching the unchurched in general and young adults in particular.  This was one of the few times I heard a discordant note in the presentations. To be fair, candidates are not professional office-seekers and standing before the GA is not an easy task.  Nonetheless, when asked how the church might reach unchurched young adults one candidate suggested that the answer was getting away from someone “pontificating from the pulpit” and instead getting out in the world and doing good works for our neighbors in need.  Listening to her answer and pondering the implications of it, a question arises.

Is it really a choice of one or the other?

Is the way to reach young adults really abandoning the traditional experience of gathering together in worship and proclamation for “going out in the world?”

Although I agree with her underlying sentiment, I take issue with the idea that the church is faced with such a choice if we want to attract young adults.  The young adults I know (through teaching, ministry, and in general) tend to be both passionate about making a difference in the world AND intellectually curious.  They want BOTH service in the world AND spiritual growth and engagement in the church. 

In the 1990’s many churches reacted out of fear of losing young members by jettisoning theology from worship and their public statements of faith.  For a while, it worked like a charm.  “Seeker” services and flashy productions on a stage did the trick and brought in young adults.  After a while, however, the flash wore off and for many of those attracted to the bright shining lights, there was no there there in the end.  And they left.

My fear is that the same fate awaits us if we seek to turn the church into a generically faith-based service organization.

Unlike other service organizations that do good works in the world, the motivation for the church is unique and indispensable.  Unlike the Rotary Club, Junior League, 100 Black Men, PEO, or any number of other service oriented civic organizations, the church serves the world because Christ has charged us to do so.  We are uniquely sent as Christians to be the very body of Christ in the world.  To remove that motivation (and its explicit proclamation) would mean reducing the church to just another club. 

What would happen, I wonder, if we both learned from the voices of our young adults who are calling us beyond the walls of the building and out into the world AND from the lessons of the past warning us of the dangers that await when we surgically remove all the churchiness from church?

What would happen if when we gather for worship we kept on “pontificating” about the need to serve God and neighbor, the importance of the life of faith, what it means to live a Christian life and then let all that hot air fill our sails and send us out into the world? 

Perhaps the answer is not either/or but both/and. 

Let’s be a both/and church embracing BOTH the lessons of the past AND the prophetic voice of the present.  I wonder if that might get us one step closer to being the going and doing church Jesus calls us to be.

Theological Issues and Institutions Part 2: Evolving on Evolution

In addition to the new Directory of Worship, the Theological Issues and Institutions committee brought a few items related to science and theology.  More specifically the recommendations concerned the relationship between our theology of creation and the scientific theory of evolution.

Due to some technological issues, commissioners wound up voting on one issue four times.  The first time the motion to support a theological statement on the foundational place of evolution in our understanding of creation was defeated by a handful of votes.  Then it passed by a handful of votes.  Then it passed by a bigger handful.  Then it finally passed by a couple of handfuls.  Over the course of four votes we actually evolved on the question of evolution.

Putting aside the humor of the votes.  The fact that we had to vote and that it was so close speaks to a troubling trend in the culture both inside and outside of the church; namely, the idea that we are all entitled to our own facts. 

Thankfully, the General Assembly voted to affirm that though science and faith often live in tension, they do not present us with a simple A vs. B choice.  What the vote reveals is that we have a lot of work left to do in the church to articulate a theology that is strong enough to stand up to debate and living enough to learn from the God-given curiosity which leads us to explore the mysteries and truth of creation. 

Belhar: Being Here in This Moment

There are not many times when you get to be part of something truly historic. Today everyone at the Oregon Convention Center got that chance. 

The 222^nd General Assembly voted tonight to take the final step to include the Belhar Confession in the Book of Confessions.  It has been more than 2 decades since the PC(USA) has amended the confessions.  There are few more tangible ways we demonstrate our Reformed heritage than by, from time to time, memorializing how the Holy Sprit is at work in our midst.

Belhar is an especially strong theological step because it is the first confession from the Global South in our Book of Confessions.  It is a bold statement affirming God’s work in the world to tear down the walls we so diligently build.

The confession says, in part, “We believe that, in obedience to Jesus Christ, its only head, the church is called to confess and do all these things, even though the authorities and human laws might forbid them and punishment and suffering be the consequence.”

These are the words of a church reclaiming its prophetic voice in the world.  They are the words of a church that stands for Christ and all of God’s children.

There is not much I can say about Belhar that Belhar cannot say much better.  So I will just say, that I am deeply proud of our church and spiritually energized by the chance to be here today to celebrate with my brothers and sisters in Christ. 

“To the one and only God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be the honor and the glory for ever and ever.”

Theological Issues Part 1: Putting Words to Work in Worship

Now that we are in the actual business sessions of the assembly, it is time to start blogging again.

So far we have heard from the Theological Issues and Institutions committee.  Two items of interest came out of their report in addition to several tributes to individuals who have served the church.

First, we have a new Directory for Worship on the way to presbyteries for approval.  Given how little most Presbyterians know about the theology of our worship, a simpler more user-friendly directory is a good step in the right direction.  But there is something more important about this change.

As a church, we embrace our call to be guided by the Holy Spirit and reformed in our living based on the Spirit’s work in our midst.  Over the last three decades we have seen the church move forward on numerous theological and social issues.  Could anyone imagine in 1989 (the year the current directory was adopted) that in less than three decades love between two people would be recognized as just that- love.  We have two women as our co-Moderators just 60 years after the first women pioneer  Teaching Elders started to chip away at the stained glass ceiling (which still needs some work).

We are a changed church.  Yet our theology and liturgical guidance in our constitution are from a vastly different era in the life of the church.  The new Directory for Worship is a chance for the church to reform the way we proclaim our faith when we are together even as we reform the theological witness beyond the walls.  As we grow the church of Jesus Christ and work to broaden the reach of the church as we share God’s love, our worship lives must reflect the same liveliness as our social witness hopes to do. 

That the new directory was adopted by a strong majority speaks to the desire of the church to continually reform who we are in the light of Christ and work of the Spirit. 

However, just as our new Governance is only as effective as our willingness to put it to work in the creative ministry of the church, the new Directory of Worship will be a dead letter if our churches are not willing to put these words to work in the life of the church.

As the directory says, “We are gathered in worship to glorify the God who is PRESENT AND ACTIVE among us…”