A number of years ago, Malcolm Gladwell wrote his short book “The Tipping Point.” It chronicled the factors leading to organizational change. As the various forces of demographics, economics, the Fellowship of Presbyterians, ordination and marriage swirl around this church we love, it sometimes feels like we already passed our tipping point and lost our chance to be part of a reshaped, reinvigorated church called Presbyterian.
I refer to the fact that the vision and recommendations of the Fellowship of Presbyterians and the General Assembly Mid Councils Commission seem remarkably similar to each other. They both embrace the cultural driver to align along social similarities. They undermine and diminish the role of institutions and infrastructure. They do little to creatively build a path forward that encompasses cultural diversity in the context of faith. If their collective aims come to pass, they mean more of us will be bowling alone, to use Robert Putnam’s image and study. In the end, the voice of God as the source of guidance for the people of the Presbyterian Church will be diminished. This saddens me.
But is this really the only way to respond to differences within our denomination?
In the Presbytery of Baltimore, we have turned down the rhetorical heat and diminished the distrust. We haven’t forgotten our commitment to working with God to extend the reign and justice of God. But we have also spent time reading the Bible together and asking folks what they want to talk about at Presbytery Gatherings. In fact, we’ve discovered that people are coming ninety minutes in advance of meetings to connect with each other. The direction and flow between presbytery and congregation has been reversed as we begin the challenge of creating geographic ministry groups. These groups will decide how to promote the ministry of Christ in their areas, with the support of a presbytery staff member one day a week and with the power to spend “shared ministry” dollars received from congregations. The changes we’ve experienced during these past two years have been deep and dramatic – and virtually devoid of negative votes. (In fact we have few votes of any kind.) And we haven’t experienced any significant decline in financial support or size of staff. These changes are organic and are impacting our DNA, but they are building up the Church rather than tearing it down.
We don’t know what the Presbytery of Baltimore will look like in five years, but then what presbytery does? For the moment, we are committed to doing it together; together with each other and together with the Holy Spirit. This is the way constructive change happens – not by letting people go their own way, but by meeting face-to-face and working hard together to meet the common challenges. For us in Baltimore, it’s about developing spiritual leaders who serve thriving congregations and are apostles of reconciliation in their neighborhoods and communities
If the proposals submitted by the Commission are enacted or if the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians gets traction, I will grieve. Presbyteries will be substantially weakened, churches will attempt solitary futures, and all of us will be distracted from our calling to strengthen the Church of Jesus Christ.
Near the end of my traveling sermon is this statement, “The story of the Church of Pentecost reminds us that the folks we need to focus on are not those who are already in this sanctuary, but those who are not here – because fundamentally, it is not about us!” We are not called to be with people who think just like us. We are not called to destroy the Church which God has brought together and instituted. We are not called into small little groups of congregations who will have little contact with the larger world. We are not called to throw off the accountability that comes with being part of a Presbytery that takes seriously its fiduciary responsibility as well as its generative opportunities.
We are called to remember that this is not our Church – it’s Christ’s Church – and when we break it, we break the body of Christ. We are called to spend much time together in the temple, to break bread in our homes and eat our food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and raising up the good will of all the people.
I’ve been sharing the food and breaking the bread at Christ’s table covered in our Presbyterian linen for more than 60 years. I do so with a glad and generous heart. Given what we have come to realize is possible when we talk with each other and listen for God, the Presbytery of Baltimore has decided to overture the 220th General Assembly, asking it not to rush into the formation of new non-geographic presbyteries at this time.
Peter K. Nord is the general presbyter of the Presbytery of Baltimore.
