As Presbyterians, we celebrate our polity. Built on a foundation of Scripture, our constitutional documents shape our discipleship and our corporate life together. At our best, our polity empowers our calling to glorify God and enjoy God through worship, governance, discipline and our witness in the world. And we do this through gatherings — decently, orderly, joyfully and purposefully.
The gem of our purposeful gatherings is the biennial meeting of the General Assembly (GA). This quintessential Presbyterian extravaganza is – for some – a life-changing experience. It is a representative democracy and a connectional church at its best. We have diversity, energy, controversy, creativity, proclamation, prophetic action — all stirred up by the Spirit. Part revival and part family reunion, the GA breathes new life into our staid and settled body — and equips us to follow Jesus and transform an always-changing world. And yes, along the way, we purposefully plod through Roberts Rules of Order, motions and substitution motions, pages and pages and megabytes of reports and overture rationales, tense and truthful debates and sometimes tears of frustration and defeat. But this process is how we become church together: patiently and passionately discerning how we can grow more fully into the body of Christ. This is how we become a church as just and generous as the grace of God.
The day was May 24, 2003 (my wedding anniversary!). The place was the Denver Convention Center. By some peculiar providence, I was elected moderator of the 215th GA. Suddenly a week of worship, intense meetings, luncheons, dinners, parties and media interviews stretched before me. As the GA business meeting began, I looked out over the convention floor and experienced a vivid image that still stays with me. All those commissioners were members of an orchestra, and my role as moderator was to be the conductor, a channel of God’s Spirit, harmonizing all the energy and wisdom among us. The melody of that GA – and of any Presbyterian gathering – depended upon the unique gifts of each human instrument, playing together with purpose.
The melody of that GA – and of any Presbyterian gathering – depended upon the unique gifts of each human instrument, playing together with purpose.
The year 2003 was a tense time in our beloved denomination, as LGBTQ ordination controversies swirled among our presbyteries and congregations. The GA-appointed Peace, Unity and Purity Task Force was in the middle of its work, trying to discern a way forward but not ready to make recommendations about LGBTQ ordination for another two years. Yet despite the unresolved differences and uncertainties among the Denver commissioners, our polity and process called us back to the present moment. The 215th GA was led to speak and act as one voice around issues of justice, evangelism, racial and ethnic empowerment, congregational vitality and global witness. We were the body of Christ, and individually we were members of it, able to do more together than any of us could do alone.
These days I am fully retired, soaking up the joy of weekly worship. As a person in the pew, I am no longer the worship leader. So I am free to just be and not do. The Scriptures sound new. The beauty of the liturgy, the poetry of the preaching and the energy of the children renew me. The music soothes my soul. After 50 years of pastoral ministry, my role has changed. But the purposeful pulse of God’s presence is the same: transforming me and transforming the world with the ever-fresh grace of abundant life.
Thanks be to God!
