Envisioning the Presbyterian Church (USA)

© John L. Williams. Used by permission.

Where there is no vision, the people perish, (Proverbs 29:18a KJV)

"On life-support," opined a minister when asked about the state of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). "In need of hospice care," said another. These opinions envision the Church on its deathbed awaiting palliative drugs and last rites. I would argue that such a vision is neither faithful to God's promises nor consistent with the PC(USA)'s present realities.

This article is my alternative to prophecies of the PC(USA)'s imminent death. Following a summary of my perspective, it identifies God-given resources available to the PC(USA). It then focuses on major challenges confronting the PC(USA) and concludes with my personal vision statement.

Got hope?

With just six years of combined parish ministry experience, two young clergywomen ventured from the East Tennessee valley to the mountains of Montreat for the Hope for the Church Conference. Although many twenty and thirty-something's are labeled with a strong aversion to anything institutional, such a label fails to fit either of us. Through our ordination vows, we have promised our lives to God's work through the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Buoyed by our experience sharing pews with some of the most seasoned leaders, we offer a glimpse of our hope for the denomination.

 First, our hope resides in Scripture. Scripture gifts us with a narrative history of salvation revealing that God has always fulfilled God's promises. Abraham and Sarah, venturing into the unknown to follow God, were granted a child, as promised, and became a blessing to the nations. The Israelites grieved their exile, yet were ultimately delivered from aimless wandering by a faithful God. And after the crucifixion, when it seemed as if darkness had overtaken the world, God once more broke in to make all things new with the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  

The Bible reading us on the Sunday Morning After

There was no escape. On the Sunday morning following the adjournment of the 217th General Assembly, the Word of the Lord brought some comforting and challenging words into our life together. Thanks be to God. 

In the lectionary readings for that Twelfth Sunday of not-so-Ordinary Time the psalmist sang, "How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!" even as some Presbyterians in the pew were experiencing an unpleasant disconnection and all Presbyterians were newly aware of how very hard it is to live together in unity. 

The Gospel reading from the evangelist Mark told the story about Jesus and the disciples in the boat on a stormy sea, winds blowing, waves beating and swamping the boat. We heard Jesus calming the waters and chastising the disciples for their lack of faith. 

A new Connectionalism

I'll save you the trouble -- we ought to split the church.

There, I've said it so you don't have to even though you wanted to say it, but you just couldn't bring yourself to do it. Never mind, no need to thank me.

Before you naysayers get all worked up, just sit back and think what this means for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Finally, you and your side can go and do what you know the church ought to have done all along. That is, if only those pesky ________ (fill in the name of your least favorite advocacy group) were not around any more. Now, with them gone, you and yours will have free rein!

Of course, there are a few loose ends. We'll have to settle who'll get what: Foundation funds, seminaries, pension assets, and so forth, but that shouldn't be too big a deal. Surely, we can come up with some kind of equitable formula, based on the number of people who go with what part of the split. Giving up some assets in order to get what we think God wants is a small price to pay, after all!

Aging mainline Jesus freak

It's been almost 11 years since Paul Swedlund died; but it seems like only a few hours ago.

Maybe that's because his last words to me make more sense now than then.

Before he fell off a Colorado mountain on 17 August 1994, his 48 years were tempered by surviving the Vietnam War as a riverboat captain, abandoning financial gain as a marketable executive for Mobil when called by Jesus to pastoral ministry, enduring friendship with another Paul and me, and switching from the UCC to PC(USA) at my urging.

Actually, he grew up in our franchise and only left because he didn't feel required to learn Hebrew for urban ministry; and he returned after Kansas City's Northminster Church took my advice and called him, presbytery's gatekeepers aka COM forgave the ecclesiastical detour, and he spent about a decade living happily ever after as a reborn Presbyterian until our Lord's last call.

Why Stay in the PCUSA? An Ecumenical Perspective

In 2017 we Protestants mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation that Martin Luther launched and that John Calvin did so much to advance. It is an auspicious time to reflect on the state of Protestantism as a whole as we near this historic milestone. What does it mean to be "protestant" today? Who or what are we protesting against? Is it part of our ecclesiastical DNA to always be protesting something?

Obviously it was our mother, the Roman Catholic Church, our Reformation forbears so vigorously protested against. And with good reason -- Luther alone came up with 95. One of the chief causes of enduring division was the doctrine of justification. Protestants generally patted themselves on the back for being "grace oriented" while caricaturing the Catholics as "works oriented". I grew up around Southern Baptists in the Deep South where Catholics were not even considered Christian. The Presbyterians I knew seemed to be a bit more gracious as we considered them "almost Christian."

Should I stay or should I go?

It had been one week since the gavel was laid down at the General Assembly in Birmingham, Ala. My energy level had rebounded--it can be tough work as an "observer." But, I was finding it more difficult to bounce back emotionally and vocationally from GA. After hours of debates in committee, debates on the floor, asking whether or not the minority should become the majority report, trying to figure out LES (the electronic report system) and hearing countless people refer to the decline of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and threats of leaving, I was left wondering isn't there more to life than this? Is there a place to start over fresh? Is staying in this denomination worth it?

Tomorrow’s Church

This is what we know:                              

God's people will continue to meet together, for worship, support and encouragement, inspiration, and mission. They will design this in ways that make sense to each of their culturally stratified situations. 

This is what we have learned:

It is really hard to change existing churches! It is not only hard to accomplish but it may not be fair. Consider the pastoral implications of demanding that a generation, who has worshiped meaningfully and successfully with a particular style of music and liturgy, suddenly give all that up because kids don't like it. It isn't fair to anyone.

This, then, is what we can do:

New churches; new faith communities in existing churches; new worship services, new fellowships, new identities and new strategies!

Should We Separate? A Theology of Unity and Disunity*

Should we, as evangelicals, separate from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)?

Many of us are now asking this question. We know there is no genuine theological solution to the homosexuality issue. We know that any continued unity would be contrived. So, why can't we just admit the presence of irreconcilable differences in our marriage to the PC(USA) and file for divorce? Such a decision, although unfortunate, seems increasingly desirable for many of us.

But should we pursue this as an option? After all, we know that a divorce would probably be messy. There will be no "gracious separation" as some of us may have hoped - far too much money and power is involved for that to happen. Do we want to have a nasty, public fight?

We may be thinking, "Sure, it will be nasty, but it will be worth it in the long run." But surely this can be our choice only if we are convinced that we are fulfilling the will of God. That's where the confusion creeps in.

Some are saying that schism is repulsive to God. Others are insisting that separation is necessary for us to remain faithful. These conflicting voices bewilder us. What we need is a theology of unity and disunity that would help us understand whether separation might be in the will of God or not. To spark thinking in this direction, let's first look at some of the most relevant Scriptures about unity and disunity, as well as two classic formulations from church history. Then let's draw out some of the implications for the present situation in the PC(USA).

Did the Theological Task Force succeed?

On June 20, after four years of work by the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity, and Purity of the Church, nine months of church-wide discussion of its report, and many hours of testimony and debate in the 217th General Assembly, the Assembly approved recommendations from the task force that were intended to dampen if not end the party strife that has roiled the Presbyterian Church for decades. Fifty-seven percent of commissioners voted in the affirmative, making the task force recommendations church policy. Then, within a few hours, both a coalition of conservative "renewal" groups and More Light Presbyterians announced their displeasure with the Assembly's action and promised to promote proposals to the 218th General Assembly (2008) that would remove one or another feature of the "balanced package" the TTF said it was presenting.  

Did the task force succeed or fail?

Why I will stay Presbyterian

Many of you have heard me preach that I am "sinfully proud of being a Presbyterian." After each General Assembly I ask myself "Are you still?"  And the answer is always yes--even after attending 27 straight.

I never agree with all the decisions made, but I still come away Presbyterian. I've always been proud of our historic heritage in forming the United States. I know the break-aways always try to claim this "as well" but they can't quite pull it off. 

And all of you who have heard me know there is one thing I consider the most important of all -- mission, mission, mission.

Becoming the “Turnaround Denomination”

These are times of high-velocity intense change in our denomination. John Detterick and the many now-departed members of our national staff have been a blessing to our church in this time of change. The General Assembly has just ended a challenging meeting. Linda Valentine, the new executive director of the General Assembly Council, along with the rest of the national staff and the GAC, have much to contend with.

All of us are eager for a new and transformational chapter in the life of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The church is doing many things that matter. The thing that matters most to a great many of us is the design of transformational, missional, and innovative congregations who worship God while passionately engaging their communities to make disciples and to meet human need -- which is in some contrast to our present reality.