The new Form of Government reminds me of the PC(USA)’s last few attempts at creating Sunday School Curriculum. By and large, Sunday School curriculum was created on the assumption that there was a sufficient number of congregations, with the money and willingness to purchase the curriculum, to make it viable. It ignored the reality that probably as many as 70% of congregations could neither afford the curriculum nor had the capacity to utilize it.
Could it be that the new Form of Government turns out to be the final prop in maintaining our current Presbyterian infrastructure? It retains Synods in the mix of “Councils” and replaces a rule-driven Book of Order with one outlining foundational principles and practices. Doesn’t this really mean that the current 30% or so governing bodies that can afford to play PC(USA)-style church and have the capacity to make use of multiple manuals/handbooks will remain comfortably in place for a few more years?
I recently read a Synod of the Mid-Atlantic end of the year financial statement. Even in the Synod’s greatly reduced form, the Synod of the Mid-Atlantic still collects $1.60/member per capita and ended 2007 with more than $4 million in unrestricted assets. Total assets held by the Synod of the Mid-Atlantic add up to almost $8 million. The Synod of the Mid-Atlantic currently has an executive/stated clerk search committee. It has attracted a very small pool of applicants. The position pays well because the Synod of the Mid-Atlantic can afford it. Could it be that very few see leadership potential in the position or consider it an appropriate expression of stewardship?
I’m not sure the future of presbyteries in the PC(USA) necessarily needs to go either to very large presbyteries or to a multitude of small ones. There’s room for a mix, but I strongly believe the existence of synod boundaries serves as an artificial deterrent for partnerships and coalitions that could redesign and strengthen the infrastructure of our denomination.
Samuel E. Roberson is general presbyter/stated clerk of Presbytery of Charlotte, Charlotte, N.C.
