I'm working on a project and have two questions for my PCUSA readers. Feel free to offer your ideas even if you aren't PCUSA.
1. What are PCUSA congregations uniquely called to do compared to other denominational entities?
2. What support do congregations need from presbyteries, synods, and the General Assembly?
1. Presbyterian congregations are uniquely called to be faithful and questioning. Historically Presbyterians have stressed education and an having their membership be educated in the faith. Presbyterians don’t leave their brains at the door but have a questioning or inquiring faith. Presbyterians are uniquely called to live in the gray (unfortunately even in my life-time, I have seen a shying away from this to an adopting of a black and white and either or kind of thinking that stifles a living faith). The larger denominational structures have capitulated out of FEAR to keep the influx of black and white thinkers with loud mouths quiet. In other words, Presbyterians have lost their courage.
2. Congregations need a call system that works and doesn’t take ages to find a pastor that may or may not fit well. The call system is worse than any job and many congregations have lost the understanding of call and covenant relationship and view their pastors as hired help. Presbyteries need to be collegial and foster trust. There is a lot of mis-trust and fear out there and it happens because Presbyteries are not following their own written policies or their written policies are not equally applied. Synods need to support education and higher education. Synod Schools and CE for Pastors are wonderful offerings. Our ministry to our Church Related Colleges and Universities and to Campus Ministries are important too. That is a good role for Synods. Also offering CE for Pastors like Interim Training and Support for Pastors.
Good stuff, Carla. Thanks.
1.Presbyterians are uniquely qualified to be “bridge people” in this culture. With historic relationships with power, with true “middle way” understanding of Christian faith, with no fear of the world and Calvin’s strong connection between the spiritual and physical rebuilding of the Kingdom of God, we are uniquely qualified to bring Christians together to address the issues that we all share: the necessity of raising future generations to be who Christ means them to be, to care for the hungry and the homeless, to present a more unified witness to the growing numbers of those who doubt that Christian faith has any use or purpose. We are uniquely positioned to fight the disease that Bill Bishop in The Big Sort so well described. We can bring communities of faith together.
2)CONNECTIONS, CONNECTIONS, CONNECTIONS! The main obstacle to bringing even Presbyterians together is the natural proto-autism of congregational life. It is easy to just live in a little bubble. Instead of demanding reading of minutes and checking boxes, why not demand that every congregation participate in 2-4 projects/worship services/mission opportunities with the congregations around them? How about inspecting pastoral support groups, and some gently enforced accountability? Pastors need to be educated on how to take care of themselves; congregations need chances to buy in (by REALLY participating, not just writing checks) to the reality of being connected to other congregations.
Wipe out the GM-like bureaucracy built for a time when mission was something you had to get on a boat or plane to participate in. Make the General Assembly connective tissue.
1. I’d affirm everything Carla and Clay just said about our educational heritage and bridge building capacity. I joined a PCUSA church in college because I found the pastor intellectually engaging and members of the congregation willing to share and receive knowledge. Three generations of my family became Presbyterians because of educational opportunities otherwise not opened to them as African Americans. Here’s alittle more. When surveying the religious landscape, Presbyterians (at least conceptually) have one of the more democratic and cooperative forms of governing their life together. The distributed roles of teaching and ruler elder, deacon, the priesthood of all believers along with pastors elected to serve congregations means many hands have input in discerning and decisionmaking. In a culture with many people hungering for participation and involvement, this would be an asset if we allowed it to be.
2. I see more mission (and evangelism) opportunities open to Presbies (both locally and globally) than we have the capacity to participate in. Pastors are often spread too thin to spend the number of hours per week necessary to do community organizing or build social institutions. Laypersons are not often empowered to do this work either. Both groups have a hard time integrating theology and spiritual formation into community work. IF GA and Synod were to shift resources down to the Presbytery and congregation level, bringing financial and personnel resources to a grassroots level, I believe it would do much to turn our mission deficit into an asset. For instance, if presbyteries could get personnel for 3-5 yrs to help small to mid-size churches organize, engage in mission projects, and build up a collaborative rapport in the community, it would be catalyst for congregational renewal. The bridgebuilding quality of denomination allows for this sorta thing, but from what I see (and I can’t see the whole picture) it seems like the denomination’s resources are at 20,000 ft and unable to land smoothly at the Presbytery and congregational level.
One more thought: What if GA and Synod had a fund specifically for local mission innovation, and communicated in the style of the “Race to the Top fund”? http://www.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/index.html
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