Thursday, September 25, 2008
To Martyrdom?
My church is falling apart. The recent General Assembly of the PC(USA) was an exercise in the dying of a denomination. Classical Presbyterian had a couple of great posts on the subject. Mark Roberts did an extensive series examining the events and ramifications of those events both corporately and personally.
From my personal perspective, there are two essential questions. The first is what to do personally as a member of and leader in the church and secondly, as a leader where to work to take my congregation. The two are, in my mind, deeply related - I cannot answer them separately. What I do personally will, in the end, depend on what my local congregation decides to do.
Without getting into the details of the issues, in essence what has happened is that the PC(USA) has abandoned standards. By creating the mechanism of "scrupling," individuals, individual congregation, and individual presbyteries can do pretty much whatever they want. For this reason, to my way of thinking, discussions about changes to the Book of Order are pretty irrelevant because the BoO is without force. There is impact to be gained by altering the Book or Order, but no real force.
Like the two I linked above, I am sort of in the stay, fight, see what happens camp, but my concerns are different. Conservative congregations are even now making all sorts of plans, as are conservative presbyteries. The majority discussion centers on leaving PC(USA) for more conservative Presbyterian denominations like EPC either as a congregation, or in some cases as a presbytery. Some congregation are discussing a move to independence - the community evangelical church model.
So, my congregation is confronted with 3 choices - stay - leave for another Presbyterian denomination - go independent. I love my local congregation and will stay with it for either of the first two choices, but should it make the third choice - I will leave. I truly believe that has a Christian, the how's matter more than the what's.
The Presbyterian church, PC(USA), EPC, PCA or otherwise is built on a model that theoretically, I freely admit its function is severely flawed, leaves the ministry and power in the hands of the whole congregation. Within the confines of a Presbyterian church, I have the capability to work to exercise that congregational power, authority - and most importantly - wisdom.
That is the thing that makes me chose to be a Presbyterian. Should my local congregation elect independence, then that thing will die, hence I will move on. As I say, that thing I love most functions so poorly that it is in practice dead already, but there yet remains a glimmer of hope. Outside the Presbyterian church, such hope, minuscule though it may be, ceases to exist.
In essence, and sounding grossly selfish - it is MY ministry as I am called by God. I am not called to serve the clergy I admire. I am called to a church where the clergy works with me and every other member to grow as a Christian and exercise the ministry to which I am called. I am called to a church where clergy does not minister, clergy makes ministers. The Presbyterian system is the best suited to do that.
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From my personal perspective, there are two essential questions. The first is what to do personally as a member of and leader in the church and secondly, as a leader where to work to take my congregation. The two are, in my mind, deeply related - I cannot answer them separately. What I do personally will, in the end, depend on what my local congregation decides to do.
Without getting into the details of the issues, in essence what has happened is that the PC(USA) has abandoned standards. By creating the mechanism of "scrupling," individuals, individual congregation, and individual presbyteries can do pretty much whatever they want. For this reason, to my way of thinking, discussions about changes to the Book of Order are pretty irrelevant because the BoO is without force. There is impact to be gained by altering the Book or Order, but no real force.
Like the two I linked above, I am sort of in the stay, fight, see what happens camp, but my concerns are different. Conservative congregations are even now making all sorts of plans, as are conservative presbyteries. The majority discussion centers on leaving PC(USA) for more conservative Presbyterian denominations like EPC either as a congregation, or in some cases as a presbytery. Some congregation are discussing a move to independence - the community evangelical church model.
So, my congregation is confronted with 3 choices - stay - leave for another Presbyterian denomination - go independent. I love my local congregation and will stay with it for either of the first two choices, but should it make the third choice - I will leave. I truly believe that has a Christian, the how's matter more than the what's.
The Presbyterian church, PC(USA), EPC, PCA or otherwise is built on a model that theoretically, I freely admit its function is severely flawed, leaves the ministry and power in the hands of the whole congregation. Within the confines of a Presbyterian church, I have the capability to work to exercise that congregational power, authority - and most importantly - wisdom.
That is the thing that makes me chose to be a Presbyterian. Should my local congregation elect independence, then that thing will die, hence I will move on. As I say, that thing I love most functions so poorly that it is in practice dead already, but there yet remains a glimmer of hope. Outside the Presbyterian church, such hope, minuscule though it may be, ceases to exist.
In essence, and sounding grossly selfish - it is MY ministry as I am called by God. I am not called to serve the clergy I admire. I am called to a church where the clergy works with me and every other member to grow as a Christian and exercise the ministry to which I am called. I am called to a church where clergy does not minister, clergy makes ministers. The Presbyterian system is the best suited to do that.
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