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
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