After more than two years of trying, this opening phrase of the introduction to the values of the Presbytery may very well be the Vision Statement. As I read through this Mission Study time and time again, the piece that challenged me was the lack of a hard-edged statement that would cut like a two edged sword. I wanted something bold, even prophetic for our Presbytery.
But the more I read it, the more I realized the need of the still, small voice, the one Elijah heard on the mountain of God.
My last assignment in the hierarchy of the Presbytery was as the Chairperson of what started as the Financial Development Committee, which we changed to the Stewardship Committee. I learned some very startling lessons in that assignment. First, I came to understand just how culture-driven our Presbytery is. I am not talking about its own culture, I am talking about the culture that surrounds us.
FDC, Stewardship, was about the money. We made budget, we presented budget, we set priorities for the spending of the Presbytery, we had an inordinate amount of power to make or break. I quit when the idolatry got to me. It wasn't intentional, certainly not, it was insidious. The Presbytery's most basic vision was driven by the money. We had bigger fights about the 'investments', about what to do with the funds of closed churches, about how to tiptoe around the big money centers of the place. As the guy who presented the budget for a number of years, the amount of interest a line item worth a few hundred bucks could generate on the floor of Presbytery was disproportionate to what we claimed, as a body to stand for. But if money is the idol, the amount of debate and time debating came into sharp focus.
I'm going to be told I am not fair, that I am naive, whatever. I resigned from that committee when it became clear to me that I was beginning to think after the money as well. I came to realize that as chair of the moneypot, my suggestions carried weight far beyond my years. And I began to entertain thoughts of using that weight to make policy, to push for change, to get some 'real' work done for Jesus.
And I walked away. It is only now, reading this mission study, that I am daring to reflect on what my time was like and how that affected me and my work.
The wisest thing I read about before going on that committee was that the budget of an organization can tell you where its real priorities are, about where it really puts its energy. The energy follows the money.
Creating a community of trust is also of profound importance in the other cultural quagmire we've been engaged in. Our Presbytery was, roughly speaking, split 60-40 over any issue concerning gays in the church. I've been ordained for 15 years, seen a lot of dancing come down out of GA over the issue of ordaining gay people and we could call the split almost to the person every time it came to the floor of Presbytery. I've seen tears, bible pages torn out, accusations thrown, party lines built and rebuilt, anything short of someone being stoned in effigy.
What is finally shifting is that the balance of power has gone to the 60% and the 40% has been given the opening to take their marbles (and their property) and go find some other Presbyterian game to play. And no one, NO ONE, has had the courage to stand up and say that our denomination is suffering from a schism. Yes, we are in schism.
So we have now the opportunity to build a community of trust. I believe that is the community we must build if the 40 something churches of Elizabeth Presbytery are going to walk forward together.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Sunday, August 12, 2012
One of the Values of the Presbytery Tickled my Memory
"PASSION: We carry out our God-given tasks with energy, intelligence,
imagination, and love in the power of the Holy Spirit."
Passion, one of the values of our Presbytery. That is not something I have seen very often. I like it. And I like the way that it is governed. Unbridled passion can take us to places in our lives that may not reflect the love of Jesus Christ. Passion, in the current cultural concept, is often paired with words like "torrid", to describe a love affair.
The Passion of Jesus, a historic usage of the word, reflects Jesus' trial and death on the cross. In the Middle Ages, where life was brief and the plague always in the forefront of people's minds, Passion Plays, portraying the death of Jesus, were often staged, many times with brutality and pain and sorrow to make Mel Gibson's movie portrayal of Jesus' Passion pale in comparison.
The phrase in this value statement that tickled my memory was "energy, intelligence, imagination, and love", because that statement recurs in our worship on an annual basis. It is from the last of the general ordination questions for church officers: "Will you serve the people with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love?" The answer is "I will".
So the call of the Presbytery in this instance is NOT to be lazy, stupid, thick, and uncaring. (I define the opposite of love to be uncaring, not hate. That is a discussion for a future blog post). Each of these characteristics, by themselves, could apply to anything from playing music to doing church to pursuing a degree to building models.
Passion is what gives our souls fulfillment, what triggers the "WOW" factor in what we ourselves are doing.
Let me give you an example. I don't much like cello music. But I love to watch Yo Yo Ma play. The reason is the passion that is on his face as he plays. He is absorbed, sucked into the very essence of what he is giving to the audience listening to him. When I watch the passion he brings to the playing, it elevates the music to something almost magical.
What a thing to aim for in the work of the church! And, consider the value statement, we are doing the tasks God has appointed us to accomplish. Even more, we aren't flapping in the breeze on our own, but the Holy Spirit can inspire and fill us to carry out these tasks! Not just passion, but divinely appointed and driven passion!
And Passion that is not pursued for the sake of Passion. This is not the first of our values, but second to last. There is much that governs our work that can channel and focus our passion to change the world, or at least this pie-wedged chunk of New Jersey, for Jesus Christ.
Passion, one of the values of our Presbytery. That is not something I have seen very often. I like it. And I like the way that it is governed. Unbridled passion can take us to places in our lives that may not reflect the love of Jesus Christ. Passion, in the current cultural concept, is often paired with words like "torrid", to describe a love affair.
The Passion of Jesus, a historic usage of the word, reflects Jesus' trial and death on the cross. In the Middle Ages, where life was brief and the plague always in the forefront of people's minds, Passion Plays, portraying the death of Jesus, were often staged, many times with brutality and pain and sorrow to make Mel Gibson's movie portrayal of Jesus' Passion pale in comparison.
The phrase in this value statement that tickled my memory was "energy, intelligence, imagination, and love", because that statement recurs in our worship on an annual basis. It is from the last of the general ordination questions for church officers: "Will you serve the people with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love?" The answer is "I will".
So the call of the Presbytery in this instance is NOT to be lazy, stupid, thick, and uncaring. (I define the opposite of love to be uncaring, not hate. That is a discussion for a future blog post). Each of these characteristics, by themselves, could apply to anything from playing music to doing church to pursuing a degree to building models.
Passion is what gives our souls fulfillment, what triggers the "WOW" factor in what we ourselves are doing.
Let me give you an example. I don't much like cello music. But I love to watch Yo Yo Ma play. The reason is the passion that is on his face as he plays. He is absorbed, sucked into the very essence of what he is giving to the audience listening to him. When I watch the passion he brings to the playing, it elevates the music to something almost magical.
What a thing to aim for in the work of the church! And, consider the value statement, we are doing the tasks God has appointed us to accomplish. Even more, we aren't flapping in the breeze on our own, but the Holy Spirit can inspire and fill us to carry out these tasks! Not just passion, but divinely appointed and driven passion!
And Passion that is not pursued for the sake of Passion. This is not the first of our values, but second to last. There is much that governs our work that can channel and focus our passion to change the world, or at least this pie-wedged chunk of New Jersey, for Jesus Christ.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Mission Study: Part 1-What is NOT posted.
Two concentrations of information from the Mission Study were not posted in the blog. The first are the two Scripture texts that frame the Calling and Values Statements, to which I will return in moment. The second, more extensive, is the breakdown of the teams, laying out their purposes, Book of Order citations to their form and function, responsibilities, and membership. I do not believe that is central to the discussion at hand.
First, the Scriptures. Above the Calling, John 15:12 is quoted, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I first loved you." The second pair of passages are on the bottom: Matthew 22: 37-39 and Matthew 28: 19, The Great Commandment and the Great Commission listed in the Calling: "You shall love the Lord with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind". This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like this, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Mt. 22: 37-39) "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you." (Mt. 28:19).
The Calling Statement itself is: "As a Christ-centered community of congregations, we support and encourage one another as we joyfully carry out the Great Commandment and the Great Commission."
That is the sound-byte, the bumper sticker, the Vision Statement being laid out in this Mission Study. Our sound-byte is that "we seek to be a neighborhood in the kingdom of God."
I see this statement, at its best, calling us to be together, in Jesus, as we love God, our neighbor and seek to convert the world to belief in Jesus Christ. It is a call to arms to evangelize in our section of central New Jersey.
It assumes a few things.
1. That we are, as congregations, Christ-centered.
2. That we are, as congregations, a community.
3. That our work together in the Presbytery is to support and encourage one another.
4. That our congregations are, in fact, joyfully carrying out the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.
The work and the role of the Presbytery is going to be to shape our congreagations into this Vision of what we see God doing in the lives of our churches, if this passes second reading in September.
For me, the single biggest question that I have is how applicable is this to us in Elizabeth Presbytery? How does this speak to us as one group of churches in God's world? My fear is that this statement is so broad that it doesn't speak to who we are in this place and in this time, and, if it doesn't speak of who we are, how can we mold ourselves to live into it?
That is a question that I will, in my turn, be bringing to the Mission Study team.
Blessings,
Pastor Peter
First, the Scriptures. Above the Calling, John 15:12 is quoted, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I first loved you." The second pair of passages are on the bottom: Matthew 22: 37-39 and Matthew 28: 19, The Great Commandment and the Great Commission listed in the Calling: "You shall love the Lord with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind". This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like this, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Mt. 22: 37-39) "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you." (Mt. 28:19).
The Calling Statement itself is: "As a Christ-centered community of congregations, we support and encourage one another as we joyfully carry out the Great Commandment and the Great Commission."
That is the sound-byte, the bumper sticker, the Vision Statement being laid out in this Mission Study. Our sound-byte is that "we seek to be a neighborhood in the kingdom of God."
I see this statement, at its best, calling us to be together, in Jesus, as we love God, our neighbor and seek to convert the world to belief in Jesus Christ. It is a call to arms to evangelize in our section of central New Jersey.
It assumes a few things.
1. That we are, as congregations, Christ-centered.
2. That we are, as congregations, a community.
3. That our work together in the Presbytery is to support and encourage one another.
4. That our congregations are, in fact, joyfully carrying out the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.
The work and the role of the Presbytery is going to be to shape our congreagations into this Vision of what we see God doing in the lives of our churches, if this passes second reading in September.
For me, the single biggest question that I have is how applicable is this to us in Elizabeth Presbytery? How does this speak to us as one group of churches in God's world? My fear is that this statement is so broad that it doesn't speak to who we are in this place and in this time, and, if it doesn't speak of who we are, how can we mold ourselves to live into it?
That is a question that I will, in my turn, be bringing to the Mission Study team.
Blessings,
Pastor Peter
The Mission Study of the Presbytery of Elizabeth
The document previously posted in this blog is the hard and dedicated work of a team of people in this Presbytery who are to be commended for their labors in bringing this document to the forefront of our consideration. Having been in the center of and on the edges of the process of trying to formulate a mission statement and plan for our Presbytery, I know the blood, sweat, and tears that have gone into the process.
My work here is not to deconstruct the process or to chip away at it from my own little bully pulpit in cyberspace.
My work is to use this blog as a place for members of First Church of Perth Amboy and other interested parties to review what is being presented to the presbytery for informed decision making in September. Any responses that are brought up in this forum will be forwarded to the Mission Study Team.
I think the relationship of our congregation and the Presbytery is long overdue to be reviewed and reforged. I believe that coming in at the beginning of a new mission focus for the Presbytery will allow for a reconnection to be made.
Some may question the orthodoxy of interpreting and commenting on the mission study work of our Presbytery. Okay. I invite the questions and the discussion.
Pastor Peter
My work here is not to deconstruct the process or to chip away at it from my own little bully pulpit in cyberspace.
My work is to use this blog as a place for members of First Church of Perth Amboy and other interested parties to review what is being presented to the presbytery for informed decision making in September. Any responses that are brought up in this forum will be forwarded to the Mission Study Team.
I think the relationship of our congregation and the Presbytery is long overdue to be reviewed and reforged. I believe that coming in at the beginning of a new mission focus for the Presbytery will allow for a reconnection to be made.
Some may question the orthodoxy of interpreting and commenting on the mission study work of our Presbytery. Okay. I invite the questions and the discussion.
Pastor Peter
The Mission Study Report of the Presbytery of Elizabeth
Preamble and Introduction:
Proposed Presbytery of Elizabeth Structure
Through the Holy Spirit, reinforced by prayer, the Mission Study Team
recommendations were guided by the input we received from more than 450 members
of Presbytery at the breakout sessions at presbytery meetings, the dialogues with
various sessions, the documented hopes and dreams of presbytery members, and
feedback from surveys conducted over the recent past. These helped to shape the
presbytery calling, which underpins the proposal and the proposed structure. While the
presbytery is often perceived to be the stated meetings or the team of six serving as the
presbytery staff in Plainfield, the Mission Study Team endeavored to propose a
structure that reflects and relies on the true heart of the presbytery – the congregations
and ourselves.
The proposal attempts to reflect a more decentralized model of leadership and
decision making while still adhering to the requirements of the PCUSA Book of Order.
We live in a world that is rapidly changing and demands structures that are flexible and
responsive to these changes. The Mission Study Team perceives less tolerance,
particularly in younger members, for rigid structure, hierarchy and formality. We believe
the recommendation acknowledges our human and financial constraints,
accommodates the evolving role of middle governing bodies and builds on experiences
of other presbyteries.
The Mission Study Team was created by the Cabinet in September 2011 and has
been meeting nearly every week since then. During that time the team has held wideranging
and thought provoking discussions concerning the mission and responsibilities
of the presbytery. Teaching elders Cynthia Cochran-Carney, John Howard, Shannan
Vance-Ocampo, Ray Roberts, Bobbie Arrrowsmith, Matt Davis, Chris Kile, Sam
Massengill, ruling elders Jack Paddon, Alan Ford, Lee Anne Lowman, and Barbara
McLaughlan contributed their time, experience, inspired thoughts and ideas to the final
proposal.
The Mission Study Team would welcome written and/or oral communications from
members of the presbytery concerning the proposal and realistic ways to staff and
finance it. The Team meets most Thursday’s from 11 am to 1 pm in the Presbytery
Office. The first 20 minutes of each meeting would be available for discussions with
presbytery members. Please inform the Presbytery Office of your desire to participate
in a discussion on a particular day. We may not be meeting every week during the
summer. We will hold two open meetings for the membership, July 19
th, 7-9 pm at The
Presbyterian Church in Westfield, 104 Mountain Ave, and August 9
th, 10 am – 12 noon
at the Presbytery Office, 525 E Front St., Plainfield.
The Mission Study Team is grateful for all input received from the membership. As
you review the proposal may you be informed by the Holy Spirit and prayer. The first
reading is at the June Stated Meeting at the Elizabeth, Second church, and the vote
will
be at the September Stated Meeting at the Scotch Plains, Willow Grove church.THE CALLING OF THE PRESBYTERY:
As a Christ-centered community of congregations, we support and encourage one another as we joyfully carry out the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.
THE VALUES OF THE PRESBYTERY:
"To create a community of trust, we as God's faithful respond to our calling by committing ourselves to the following values:"
FORGIVENESS: We forgive each other as Christ forgives us.
HONESTY: We speak the truth in love, with mutual respect for others.
JUSTICE: We demonstrate God's unconditional love through acts of compassion and reconciliation in Christ's name./
LISTENING: We are graciously attentive to each other in discerning God's will.
OPENNESS: We honor God with our acceptance of the diversity of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
PASSION: We carry out our God-given tasks with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love in the power of the Holy Spirit.
RESPECT: We honor all people as children of God, cultivating an environmnet of kindness, trust, and integrity.
THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF STRUCTURE:
Presbytery Stated Meetings
Meeting Guidelines
•
The values (behaviors) listed in the Calling will govern the meetings.
•
4 meetings per year
•
2 Saturdays and 2 Tuesday evenings
•
Meet in assembly halls preferably around round tables
•
A 20 minute prayer service at each meeting, except for the July meeting where
communion will be served
•
All meetings shall be opened and closed with prayer (G.30105)
•
Minimal business will be conducted – significant time available for open conversations
•
New teaching elder members will be welcomed with presentation and celebration
•
Nominating recommendations, if necessary
•
Trustees’ actions, if necessary
•
All reports will be in written form only sent by email (snail mail only where necessary)
•
Omnibus motion will be used extensively
Suggested meetings and content
October Saturday
•
Prayer Service
•
Budget (presentation and vote)
•
Oral reports from churches
January Saturday
•
Prayer Service
•
Workshops based on needs expressed by churches such as,
o
Officer training
•
Preplanned instructional presentations on such things as …
o
Stewardship
o
Grant applications
o
Engaging teens/youth/young adults
o
Subjects of interest to a group of congregations
May Tuesday evening
•
Annual meeting
•
Officers/chairs elected to take office after the July meeting
•
Prayer Service
July Tuesday evening a family event
•
A celebration, a barbecue, families invited
•
Games, Fun!!
•
Installation of officers and comm. Chairs
•
Communion
June 14, 2012
Presbytery of Elizabeth Book of Order Teams
Book of Order Teams
Emmaus Team
- Responsible for walking with and encouraging leaders as they enter
and exit our Presbytery as well as interpreting our call as Elizabeth Presbytery
Stephen’s Team
- Responsible for nurturing, caring, and sustaining relationships
among the leaders of the Presbytery
Pauline Team
- Servants responsible for fostering excellence amidst the pastors and
congregations in the ministry of Jesus Christ
Esther’s Team
- Responsible for theological, stewardship, strategic direction, and
programmatic resources to be shared with Elizabeth Presbytery and the larger
community so that we are responding faithfully in and toward God’s world
Wisdom Team
- Responsible to share, discern, Interpret, implement, and recommend
the policy and practice of Elizabeth Presbytery
Diversity Team
- Responsible for ensuring the presbytery gives full expression to the
rich diversity of the church’s membership and provides for full participation and access
to representation in decision-making and employment practices (F-1.0403).
Book of Order Support Teams
Stated Clerk
– responsible for maintaining the books and records of the presbytery
Presbytery Judicial Commission
– responsible for hearing and rendering decisions
on disciplinary cases referred to it
Nominating
– responsible for recommending to presbytery elders to fill presbytery
leadership positions
Board of Trustees
– responsible for oversight and accountability of all presbytery funds
in addition to their property and corporate responsibilities
Personnel
– responsible for guiding, listening to, and reviewing the work of the paid
Monday, July 30, 2012
My response...
What a fascinating article. It points to a charge that a Franciscan Friar made
about his own order at a conference my wife and I went to a few years ago. Was
their order "mission" or "museum"? This article tells me we are all about the
museum, and a museum in an economic environment that is tough on museums. Three
things speak to me in this article and 1 makes me weep:
1. Mid-council levels, did they become the preserve of the issues in Point 1 because that is where the impetus lay, or were they dumped there because no one else, at Presbytery or G.A. level, could be bothered?
2. When was the last time our denomination stood for something? All this conversation about infrastructure and the loss of relevance in the community, and the attempts to hold onto something from the past with old wealth and old members-all those factors strike me as a body without a head. Those elements must exist to support an ideal, a vision, a purpose. For the last twenty five years, or more, anyone looking in at our denomination might presume we stand for trying to figure out the faith status of our gay, lesbian, transgender, and bisexual brothers and sisters-which, maybe more than metaphorically, has been an amazing example of our eating our own young.
3. I truly have no problem with Roberts Rules. They keep us polite, they force us to accept decent modes of communications, they are established steps in a representative, democratic process which is how the PCUSA has seen fit to channel the spirit of God speaking through its members. But in the absence of a clear and present reason for being, they have, like so much else, become their own reason for being. When the Rules serve the church, their place works. When the church serves them, we're up a creek.
"Racism, sexism, multi-cultural experiences, domestic violence, gender orientation issues, corporate social justice, disaster relief coordination, Self Development of People options, international justice, local and state-wide interfaith and ecumenical matters, public education..." These are the things we are losing, according to the article, with our mid-council losses. This is what makes me weep. Every one of these necessary considerations MUST flow from the grace and salvation that comes in Jesus Christ. The Great Commission carries with it the mandate to create a world like that of the Kingdom of God. Ours is a liberating religion and the Presbyterian Church has an incredible history of doing Jesus' work POWERFULLY, and I believe we can do it again. Out of Jesus, love and light and grace flow for the church. Out of Jesus, we will see revival, renewal, and resuscitation in the PCUSA.
Blessings, sisters and brothers, in He who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life,
Peter Hofstra
1. Mid-council levels, did they become the preserve of the issues in Point 1 because that is where the impetus lay, or were they dumped there because no one else, at Presbytery or G.A. level, could be bothered?
2. When was the last time our denomination stood for something? All this conversation about infrastructure and the loss of relevance in the community, and the attempts to hold onto something from the past with old wealth and old members-all those factors strike me as a body without a head. Those elements must exist to support an ideal, a vision, a purpose. For the last twenty five years, or more, anyone looking in at our denomination might presume we stand for trying to figure out the faith status of our gay, lesbian, transgender, and bisexual brothers and sisters-which, maybe more than metaphorically, has been an amazing example of our eating our own young.
3. I truly have no problem with Roberts Rules. They keep us polite, they force us to accept decent modes of communications, they are established steps in a representative, democratic process which is how the PCUSA has seen fit to channel the spirit of God speaking through its members. But in the absence of a clear and present reason for being, they have, like so much else, become their own reason for being. When the Rules serve the church, their place works. When the church serves them, we're up a creek.
"Racism, sexism, multi-cultural experiences, domestic violence, gender orientation issues, corporate social justice, disaster relief coordination, Self Development of People options, international justice, local and state-wide interfaith and ecumenical matters, public education..." These are the things we are losing, according to the article, with our mid-council losses. This is what makes me weep. Every one of these necessary considerations MUST flow from the grace and salvation that comes in Jesus Christ. The Great Commission carries with it the mandate to create a world like that of the Kingdom of God. Ours is a liberating religion and the Presbyterian Church has an incredible history of doing Jesus' work POWERFULLY, and I believe we can do it again. Out of Jesus, love and light and grace flow for the church. Out of Jesus, we will see revival, renewal, and resuscitation in the PCUSA.
Blessings, sisters and brothers, in He who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life,
Peter Hofstra
From an Email I received...
This email was circulated by a friend of mine in our Presbytery, asking for response. I am posting first the article, then, in the next post, my own response as pastor of our church. I put it out there for your consideration.
PRICES PAID BY THE RAPID DECLINE OF MID COUNCILS IN THE PC(USA)
>
>
> Written by Sam Roberson
>
>
> Thursday, 26 July 2012 21:08 | Presbyterian Outlook
>
>
> The reality that presbytery, synod and General Assembly budgets are
> declining at increasingly rapid rates poses a conundrum: Should they have
> collapsed on their own infrastructures long ago or shall the PC(USA) become
> an even closer reflection of current American culture and politics? History
> will tell the story, and since history repeats its failures and sins at an
> alarming rate, the PC(USA) will likely become one more story of the Gospel
> of Jesus Christ trumped by the idols of the church’s own making.In an
> anxious, divided and highly conflicted church and culture, the PC(USA)
> appears to affirm the status quo, the impossibility of adaptive change, the
> sexual fears of older generations and younger evangelicals, and the
> inappropriateness of social progressives wanting to hold corporations
> accountable. The PC(USA) also seems to read its own demographics and nod
> asleep as though the numbers don’t seem to spell words that begin with d:
> decline and death. The other d word, diversity, shines with glorious years
> of good intentions, policy statements, multi- cultural conferences, racial
> ethnic caucuses, General Assembly offices, and verbal General Assembly
> proclamations as plentiful as conservative talk radio, all simply not with
> much impact.
> So as a modern-day Jeremiah looking over the PC(USA) and wondering where
> there is any property, vineyard or not, where the Gospel has any
> possibilities for buying, building or growing, a few need to be named by
> category. Food, water and housing are Gospel justice issues, and local
> congregations as well as mid councils have had ambitious and effective
> programs, especially in Latin America, around these matters. Schools are
> another PC(USA) mainstay around which congregations and mid councils have
> shown sustaining support, especially in Africa. The abandonment of campus
> ministry by budget declines within mid councils is deplorable; however,
> non-domestic schools and educational efforts have somewhat escaped the
> collapsing landscape on which mid councils are fundamentally divesting
> everything they ever did in deference to local congregational hegemony:
> admittedly, there are some foundations and merits on which to build, and
> that is a strong positive.
> So, let’s name five big prices the PC(USA) pays with the rapid decline of
> mid councils:
>
>
> 1) Racism, sexism, multi-cultural experiences, domestic violence, gender
> orientation issues, corporate social justice, disaster relief coordination,
> Self Development of People options, international justice, local and
> state-wide interfaith and ecumenical matters, public education: these vital
> Gospel matters plus others that have been in the Mid council bailiwick
> forever are basically gone. When individuals or particular congregations
> wanted to be involved in these Gospel ventures, there was a venue in many
> mid councils for organization and action. Most of these accesses to Gospel
> justice that are going away are not excitedly being taken up by local
> congregations.
>
> 2) The small and middle size congregation may have already passed the
> capacity for viability. Mid councils sought to support and sustain faithful
> mission and ministry in areas of depopulation and urban challenge.
> Relationships of encouragement and hope, mostly with staff and key
> committee members now fade as staff goes away and committee members go
> untrained and often unaware or unchallenged by deteriorating circumstances
> and situations.
>
> 3) PC(USA) demographics indicate that we are old and mostly gathered in a
> small percentage of larger congregations. There are a handful of Fourth
> Presbyterian Chicago Churches that proclaim and enact a progressive and
> vital social Gospel mission and ministry. Yet, let’s face reality. Most
> of PC(USA)’s larger congregations are populated by affluent and
> politically conservative people. Old wealth is still willing to finance
> buildings, even if they are not really needed, and these same people will
> send safe money, sometimes pocket change of 10 percent of local
> self-serving interests, to Africa or anywhere there is a known, trusted
> leader. The number of large church pastors who challenge their members to
> do anything beyond safe, responsible, hands on, give- your- hours- kind- of
> -community service: few and very far between. High profile pastors in my
> area seldom show up in the local newspaper with any kind of community wide
> challenge. Most pastors in my area have long since abandoned ecumenical and
> interfaith involvement. Almost all pastors in my area want their
> parishioners to be content and happy with their local congregation, and
> don’t want to stir the waters, certainly not for Gospel justice issues.
> Yes, the finances and infrastructures of churches demand numbers and money,
> and while souls are saved and lives are supported, the big Gospel picture
> of the losers being the winners, and the last being the first, goes
> unattended. Mid councils used to at least point to and remind local pastors
> and congregations of a larger Gospel world. Rarely anymore.
>
> 4) PC(USA) remains wedded to Roberts Rules of Order, and conventional
> wisdom concludes that any significant changes in the PC(USA) are so
> overwhelming that years and years of catch up are required. In truth, the
> PC(USA) has lost the capacity to adapt and change in ways that could permit
> it to be a relevant and viable institution. While there has been progress
> in being less Roberts Rules bound in some presbyteries, regionally and
> nationally, the Rules still control. Our Christian brothers and sisters in
> Australia and Canada have long since abandoned rule-based systems that
> inevitably make one group a winner and the other a loser. The most recent
> General Assembly dramatically demonstrated how parliamentary procedure can
> be used to hold off and standoff meaningful discussion or action. Grady
> Parsons is among the most caring, informed, and gracious persons in the
> PC(USA) and his reelection represents a bright spot in our denomination. It
> is, however, ironic that a denomination being disassembled by an almost
> rogue disregard for authority, polity, and tradition would so generously
> affirm and embrace the person who daily deals with how disrespectfully,
> self-righteously, and arrogantly we treat one another.
>
> 5) Last, but not least, PC(USA) congregations have determined that their
> money, property, mission, and ministry belong to them alone. Any sense of
> connectionalism is either graciously bestowed and/or traditionally
> obligatory. As if flash-frozen in 2012, pastors and congregations are
> willingly and intentionally throwing under the bus all those generations
> that they have already deposited in their graveyards, believing that they
> have every right in this time and place to do whatever they deem best for
> their congregation. History, tradition, theology, commitment, loyalty: all
> gladly abandoned. The self-centeredness and arrogance of such positions are
> Gospel despicable. The very conservative pastors, usually leading their
> falsely fired up congregations, are running off to hide in safe religious
> territory and by doing do, have already doomed their future and that of
> their congregation to an even more limited connection with reality. They
> must love the old hymn: This world is not my home, I’m just passing
> through….because passing through is all the Gospel work they are doing.So
> what is the big picture? Christianity lost its credibility in Europe almost
> 80 years ago as the Lutheran and Catholic Churches failed, as a whole, to
> oppose Nazism and stand up with Jesus for the rights of all people. Casting
> stones against Republicans or Democrats is not the point; however, whether
> history tells the story of the rich winning out over the poor or by the
> poor creating chaos and change in defiance of oppression, the PC(USA) has
> already played itself out of being a meaningful and significant player in
> the future of USA culture and politics. We are the Lutheran and Roman
> Catholic Church in Germany. Whatever may happen in our country, we will not
> be players. We’ve continually committed to paralysis, and fighting over
> the idols of our own creation, checked out with younger generations and
> abdicated any authority we might have had in culture and country.
> Sam Roberson has recently completed service as a long-term mid council
> staff leader.
>
>
> Grace and peace,
>
>
> Molly
>
>
> The Rev. Molly Casteel
>
> Assistant Stated Clerk and Manager, Representation and Inclusiveness
> Services
PRICES PAID BY THE RAPID DECLINE OF MID COUNCILS IN THE PC(USA)
>
>
> Written by Sam Roberson
>
>
> Thursday, 26 July 2012 21:08 | Presbyterian Outlook
>
>
> The reality that presbytery, synod and General Assembly budgets are
> declining at increasingly rapid rates poses a conundrum: Should they have
> collapsed on their own infrastructures long ago or shall the PC(USA) become
> an even closer reflection of current American culture and politics? History
> will tell the story, and since history repeats its failures and sins at an
> alarming rate, the PC(USA) will likely become one more story of the Gospel
> of Jesus Christ trumped by the idols of the church’s own making.In an
> anxious, divided and highly conflicted church and culture, the PC(USA)
> appears to affirm the status quo, the impossibility of adaptive change, the
> sexual fears of older generations and younger evangelicals, and the
> inappropriateness of social progressives wanting to hold corporations
> accountable. The PC(USA) also seems to read its own demographics and nod
> asleep as though the numbers don’t seem to spell words that begin with d:
> decline and death. The other d word, diversity, shines with glorious years
> of good intentions, policy statements, multi- cultural conferences, racial
> ethnic caucuses, General Assembly offices, and verbal General Assembly
> proclamations as plentiful as conservative talk radio, all simply not with
> much impact.
> So as a modern-day Jeremiah looking over the PC(USA) and wondering where
> there is any property, vineyard or not, where the Gospel has any
> possibilities for buying, building or growing, a few need to be named by
> category. Food, water and housing are Gospel justice issues, and local
> congregations as well as mid councils have had ambitious and effective
> programs, especially in Latin America, around these matters. Schools are
> another PC(USA) mainstay around which congregations and mid councils have
> shown sustaining support, especially in Africa. The abandonment of campus
> ministry by budget declines within mid councils is deplorable; however,
> non-domestic schools and educational efforts have somewhat escaped the
> collapsing landscape on which mid councils are fundamentally divesting
> everything they ever did in deference to local congregational hegemony:
> admittedly, there are some foundations and merits on which to build, and
> that is a strong positive.
> So, let’s name five big prices the PC(USA) pays with the rapid decline of
> mid councils:
>
>
> 1) Racism, sexism, multi-cultural experiences, domestic violence, gender
> orientation issues, corporate social justice, disaster relief coordination,
> Self Development of People options, international justice, local and
> state-wide interfaith and ecumenical matters, public education: these vital
> Gospel matters plus others that have been in the Mid council bailiwick
> forever are basically gone. When individuals or particular congregations
> wanted to be involved in these Gospel ventures, there was a venue in many
> mid councils for organization and action. Most of these accesses to Gospel
> justice that are going away are not excitedly being taken up by local
> congregations.
>
> 2) The small and middle size congregation may have already passed the
> capacity for viability. Mid councils sought to support and sustain faithful
> mission and ministry in areas of depopulation and urban challenge.
> Relationships of encouragement and hope, mostly with staff and key
> committee members now fade as staff goes away and committee members go
> untrained and often unaware or unchallenged by deteriorating circumstances
> and situations.
>
> 3) PC(USA) demographics indicate that we are old and mostly gathered in a
> small percentage of larger congregations. There are a handful of Fourth
> Presbyterian Chicago Churches that proclaim and enact a progressive and
> vital social Gospel mission and ministry. Yet, let’s face reality. Most
> of PC(USA)’s larger congregations are populated by affluent and
> politically conservative people. Old wealth is still willing to finance
> buildings, even if they are not really needed, and these same people will
> send safe money, sometimes pocket change of 10 percent of local
> self-serving interests, to Africa or anywhere there is a known, trusted
> leader. The number of large church pastors who challenge their members to
> do anything beyond safe, responsible, hands on, give- your- hours- kind- of
> -community service: few and very far between. High profile pastors in my
> area seldom show up in the local newspaper with any kind of community wide
> challenge. Most pastors in my area have long since abandoned ecumenical and
> interfaith involvement. Almost all pastors in my area want their
> parishioners to be content and happy with their local congregation, and
> don’t want to stir the waters, certainly not for Gospel justice issues.
> Yes, the finances and infrastructures of churches demand numbers and money,
> and while souls are saved and lives are supported, the big Gospel picture
> of the losers being the winners, and the last being the first, goes
> unattended. Mid councils used to at least point to and remind local pastors
> and congregations of a larger Gospel world. Rarely anymore.
>
> 4) PC(USA) remains wedded to Roberts Rules of Order, and conventional
> wisdom concludes that any significant changes in the PC(USA) are so
> overwhelming that years and years of catch up are required. In truth, the
> PC(USA) has lost the capacity to adapt and change in ways that could permit
> it to be a relevant and viable institution. While there has been progress
> in being less Roberts Rules bound in some presbyteries, regionally and
> nationally, the Rules still control. Our Christian brothers and sisters in
> Australia and Canada have long since abandoned rule-based systems that
> inevitably make one group a winner and the other a loser. The most recent
> General Assembly dramatically demonstrated how parliamentary procedure can
> be used to hold off and standoff meaningful discussion or action. Grady
> Parsons is among the most caring, informed, and gracious persons in the
> PC(USA) and his reelection represents a bright spot in our denomination. It
> is, however, ironic that a denomination being disassembled by an almost
> rogue disregard for authority, polity, and tradition would so generously
> affirm and embrace the person who daily deals with how disrespectfully,
> self-righteously, and arrogantly we treat one another.
>
> 5) Last, but not least, PC(USA) congregations have determined that their
> money, property, mission, and ministry belong to them alone. Any sense of
> connectionalism is either graciously bestowed and/or traditionally
> obligatory. As if flash-frozen in 2012, pastors and congregations are
> willingly and intentionally throwing under the bus all those generations
> that they have already deposited in their graveyards, believing that they
> have every right in this time and place to do whatever they deem best for
> their congregation. History, tradition, theology, commitment, loyalty: all
> gladly abandoned. The self-centeredness and arrogance of such positions are
> Gospel despicable. The very conservative pastors, usually leading their
> falsely fired up congregations, are running off to hide in safe religious
> territory and by doing do, have already doomed their future and that of
> their congregation to an even more limited connection with reality. They
> must love the old hymn: This world is not my home, I’m just passing
> through….because passing through is all the Gospel work they are doing.So
> what is the big picture? Christianity lost its credibility in Europe almost
> 80 years ago as the Lutheran and Catholic Churches failed, as a whole, to
> oppose Nazism and stand up with Jesus for the rights of all people. Casting
> stones against Republicans or Democrats is not the point; however, whether
> history tells the story of the rich winning out over the poor or by the
> poor creating chaos and change in defiance of oppression, the PC(USA) has
> already played itself out of being a meaningful and significant player in
> the future of USA culture and politics. We are the Lutheran and Roman
> Catholic Church in Germany. Whatever may happen in our country, we will not
> be players. We’ve continually committed to paralysis, and fighting over
> the idols of our own creation, checked out with younger generations and
> abdicated any authority we might have had in culture and country.
> Sam Roberson has recently completed service as a long-term mid council
> staff leader.
>
>
> Grace and peace,
>
>
> Molly
>
>
> The Rev. Molly Casteel
>
> Assistant Stated Clerk and Manager, Representation and Inclusiveness
> Services
Thursday, July 19, 2012
July-August Herald Letter
Dear
Friends,
Slowly, we have been working through
the prophet Hosea. And each week, with all
the talk of judgment and punishment, I entertain the thought of just moving out
of this book and into something else. Am
I allowing the Spirit to lead or I am just being stubborn about pressing on?
All this punishment, week after week, it gets depressing. We don’t like to talk about the dark stuff generally. Add to that the general reputation that the Old Testament has for being angry and vengeful, and Hosea has 14 chapters of it.
The recurring message of the prophet is “obey God” and you grow. Don’t, and you won’t grow-in fact, you wither. For the last ten years, as a church, we’ve not grown. Ever dare to wonder out loud if we are not growing because the Lord has something against us? Are we doing something that is deserving punishment? Have we been in survival mode for so long that we’re just stuck here?
That
thinking leads to doubt. Is this
wrong-headed thinking? “Good Christians”
aren’t supposed to think that way, are they?
Besides, wasn’t Jesus supposed to change that whole way of doing
business? Isn’t it about the faith and
not good works?
I believe we have to lay all those questions before our Lord. The whole point of the prophecies was that punishment was NEVER the end in itself. There was always the way back to God, there was always hope.
What amazes me right now in the life of this church is that all the elements are coming together to give us the hope to become a Neighborhood in God’s Kingdom.
Starting from the Jeremiah’s Journey, working with Mary Lu to give Spirit to the worship service, drawing in resources to do effective Latino ministry, working through the police to serve the needs of the community, this is the church God is envisioning this church to be!
The question is, are we going to do something with these opportunities? We say that we want to, but will we? Two points of view evolve when in survival mode.
The first is to tread water, ready to agree on what we ‘should’ do, but no more.
The second is to start swimming, to embrace these opportunities the Lord has given to us, to dare to believe that NOW is the moment of our renewal.
Hosea is clear on what happens when we stay put. We need to learn that lesson very, very well.
Rev. Peter Hofstra
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Getting Serious About Ministry to Young Families
As we prepare for the fall, there is a phrase that is oft-repeated in our church. We need to do things to attract young families. We feel that is the dynamic of growth and for a future in our church. There are a couple of ways to consider that. One is from a cynical point of view. That point of view will say that "Of course that is what our church wants, it is what every church says it wants".
But aren't young families what are expected and desired in up and coming neighborhoods? Kids playing, out and around, parents keeping a watchful eye, friendships built, a zone of safety created, isn't that the dream and aim of a great neighborhood? Sounds a lot like Sesame Street, doesn't it? We could do a lot worse for an inspiration!
The history of our church is one that appeals to and ministers to young families. We have a tremendous legacy in Christian education that continues even as our membership has changed. The time for children in the worship service is consistently the most memorable time in the worship and praise of God. We have been clear and deliberate in what we have tried to build in Perth Amboy.
So what is the next step? How does the church go about even more intentionally setting up for the lead of families in the worship of the Living God? What steps forward are taken in the structure of the worship service? In the various elements? In the music? In the preaching? In the direction and tone of the liturgical elements?
I am not asking any of the questions of whether or not kids or young people can meaningfully participate in something like this. The ministry of Camp Johnsonburg answered that question now and forever. In fact, J-Burg's ways and methods of worship and bible study are precisely the places that I know we can go to in what comes next.
It is my experience that the truly exciting places to be to worship are those places that know what they are doing and why they are doing it-exciting for all ages. We look forward to putting up the signs for our Neighborhood in God's Kingdom.
But aren't young families what are expected and desired in up and coming neighborhoods? Kids playing, out and around, parents keeping a watchful eye, friendships built, a zone of safety created, isn't that the dream and aim of a great neighborhood? Sounds a lot like Sesame Street, doesn't it? We could do a lot worse for an inspiration!
The history of our church is one that appeals to and ministers to young families. We have a tremendous legacy in Christian education that continues even as our membership has changed. The time for children in the worship service is consistently the most memorable time in the worship and praise of God. We have been clear and deliberate in what we have tried to build in Perth Amboy.
So what is the next step? How does the church go about even more intentionally setting up for the lead of families in the worship of the Living God? What steps forward are taken in the structure of the worship service? In the various elements? In the music? In the preaching? In the direction and tone of the liturgical elements?
I am not asking any of the questions of whether or not kids or young people can meaningfully participate in something like this. The ministry of Camp Johnsonburg answered that question now and forever. In fact, J-Burg's ways and methods of worship and bible study are precisely the places that I know we can go to in what comes next.
It is my experience that the truly exciting places to be to worship are those places that know what they are doing and why they are doing it-exciting for all ages. We look forward to putting up the signs for our Neighborhood in God's Kingdom.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
210th Anniversary
I know it is peering into the future, but much is coming together at First Church this fall. One thing we are celebrating is our 210th anniversary. Please mark Sunday, October 21 on your calendars for this wonderful day. The celebration will follow the morning worship service that day. Stay tuned for more details as to the program and the event.
If anyone would like to participate in the planning and carrying out of this special celebration, contact Fran at the office, either by phone or office@fpcperthamboy.org and she will put you in touch with the team that is organizing the event.
I came to this church on the eve of its 200th celebration. The motto of that milestone was "Looking Forward to the Next 200". Well, we have 190 years left to go.
Seriously, what a momentous occasion, celebrating 210 years in the same location! We have a grand history to be very, very proud of. In the last ten years, we have continued to build an incredible community right here. In the next program year, we are going to see how we can take that community building to the next level. How do we reach out more effectively to our community? How do we take seriously the often repeated desire that we wish to attract young people and young families to our church? How are we going to implement reach transformation in the life of our church? How are we going to be relevant in the neighborhood where we are called to minister?
Are those too many questions for one church at one time? All flow out of one desire, that our church lives as a Neighborhood in the Kingdom of God.
Blessings Neighbors...
If anyone would like to participate in the planning and carrying out of this special celebration, contact Fran at the office, either by phone or office@fpcperthamboy.org and she will put you in touch with the team that is organizing the event.
I came to this church on the eve of its 200th celebration. The motto of that milestone was "Looking Forward to the Next 200". Well, we have 190 years left to go.
Seriously, what a momentous occasion, celebrating 210 years in the same location! We have a grand history to be very, very proud of. In the last ten years, we have continued to build an incredible community right here. In the next program year, we are going to see how we can take that community building to the next level. How do we reach out more effectively to our community? How do we take seriously the often repeated desire that we wish to attract young people and young families to our church? How are we going to implement reach transformation in the life of our church? How are we going to be relevant in the neighborhood where we are called to minister?
Are those too many questions for one church at one time? All flow out of one desire, that our church lives as a Neighborhood in the Kingdom of God.
Blessings Neighbors...
Monday, July 16, 2012
Week at Johnsonburg
It was a delight to spend the last week at Camp Johnsonburg. I really felt like I was living in a Neighborhood in the Kingdom of God, that very thing we aspire for here at our church. It was not until Saturday, after the kids had been released to their families, when the entire staff was gathered in the Ampitheater, that I really could take in just what it means to "do" Christian camp.
It is labor-intensive, but it was labor that grew every one of those councellors and staff members, as much as it grew each camper. For one week, I was a part of that Neighborhood. For the next fifty one weeks, I am going to work to bring that Spirit, that Joy, that Wonder, to our neighborhood.
I invite you to join me!
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