What the PCUSA  "Big Kids" are Up To, and SO WHAT?

By Bonnie Clarke, Elder Commissioner
to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, USA [PCUSA]
June 20-28, 2008

Here's a schematic of where Ashland fits in to the greater Presbyterian Church, USA:

SO WHAT?

Family roots are important; especially to Ashland, which sees itself as a "friendly church family".

After all, if we didn't know about our family roots, we'd miss a vital understanding of

• Who we are [diverse members of the progressive branch of North American Presbyterians], 
• Why we are here [to be the hands & feet of Christ's love and liberation today],
• How we go about business [decently and in order],
• Governance structure [elected congregational representatives, not run by appointed Bishops],

we'd be Rootless & Bootless (without context and resources) to make our way in the 21st Century!

MAJOR THEME FROM THE GA

As one of the Baltimore Presbytery's delegates to the General Assembly [GA] of the PCUSA, I offer the FIRST of the several GA highlights to Ashland, so that we may become aware of what our greater church bodies are up to in this world and how we can tap into the resources available to us from the larger church groups.   See www.baltimorepresbytery.org for expanded GA highlights.
 
GROWING THE CHURCH DEEP & WIDE, guided by Micah 6:8

The Committee on Church Growth and Christian Education offered resolutions for approval to the GA that would "Grow the Church Deep & Wide".  This was an appropriate corollary to this year's THEME SCRIPTURE; Micah 6:8 [Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God]. 

In the passing of Resolution 12-02, Presbyterians resolved to grow in: 

• Evangelism -  Share The Good News; invite persons to worship and fellowship; baptize
• Discipleship - Rediscover scriptural meaning in today's context; build healthier relations
• Servanthood -Engage in promoting justice, wellbeing, and love of neighbor / God / self
• Diversity    -   Welcome, collaborate, & learn from others; reflect diversity of all God's people

Resolution 12-02 defines "GROWING THE CHURCH DEEPER" as understanding God's love and revelation in a fuller sense. This requires re-commitment to study, prayer, reflection, and discernment in light of cultural shifts that require renewed exploration of who we are as God's People and what we are called to be and do in today's context. 

(Ashland, does this sound familiar???)

Many Baltimore churches are already engaged in growing deeper by revisioning their paradigm in conjunction with sister churches and transformation coaches from Deep Shift.  But the deeper growth, through reflection and discernment, seem most difficult for Presbyterians, as these growth vehicles require education in the experiential or transformational mode and slow-going discernment of the Spirit's working among us.  Presbyterians' traditional reliance on cognitive education, exclusive validation of "objective facts", rule-bound decision rendering, and the deception of growing in number only, challenge us to grow deep in faith and relational understanding with God. 

As regards growing the PCUSA wide, 12-02 addresses our struggle to become one with, but honor diverse faith expressions of our African American, Native American, Korean, Latino, GLBT, women, and young adult Presbyterians who remain minimally engaged with the greater PCUSA.  It also addresses the celebration of the Lord's Supper with sister Christians.

What does this mean to us in the Baltimore Presbytery?  I sense a word of hope.  I believe our diversity will be our salvation, not our undoing.  I heard as much from many quarters at the GA who are disgusted with polarizing behaviors that distract us from our call to minister to this hurting world here and now.   
 
The challenge of growing wide and embracing our diversity in a healthy way may be painful as we look to our Presbyterian past and learn from it.  I quote from Diana Butler Bass (pg.31, Christianity for the Rest of Us):

"[Some are] . . . trying to explain away doctrinal irregularities and moral failings - ignoring the fact that American Christians committed wholesale evils like slavery, the genocide of native peoples, persecution of non-Protestants, racism, and violence against women and children. And it [a selective way of looking at our Christian history] ignores religious diversity, with sad, tragic, and challenging memories of Christianity.  Remixing the past, by taking out the unpleasant bits, is a dangerous thing."

If we are to be co-workers with Christ in ministry, we will pursue growing the church deep and wide as if our lives depended on it.

Series #2 in October '08 Newsletter
BAC
8/20/08