By Gregg Brekke, The Presbyterian News Service.
The Rev. Gradye Parsons, stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly, announced Tuesday that he would not stand for election to a third four-year term as the highest elected officer of the church.
Parsons, ordained 36 years ago as a Presbyterian teaching elder, says his first job in the church was as a janitor. “It’s been a privilege for me to serve,” he said of his tenure. “All of my jobs in the church have been a pleasure to me.”
In his announcement, Parsons said the church “has entered into a new chapter of its common life,” and he reflected on aspects of this new era inan interview with Presbyterian News Service.
“One of the biggest changes is the number of women who are teaching elders,” he says of the differences between the church into which he was ordained and today’s. “We only had one woman, in those days, at one church who was an installed teaching elder.”
He also points to other changes such as attitudes about worship and formality in church. “When I was first ordained, Sunday morning was at least shirt and tie—minimum. Not so much anymore,” he says. “We’re on the third hymnal since I was ordained.”
“When I go out to talk to congregations, and I try to do that as much as I can, [what I saw then and what I see now is] people trying to live out their faith and meet today’s world,” he says of the similarities over time. “People are trying to learn more about the Bible.”
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“I grieve every congregation that has left.”
Somehow, I find that difficult to believe.
“I think we’re less because of that. I think they’re less because they aren’t part of us.”
I think that in seeking to be more inclusive of worldviews that do not submit to the authority of Scripture, the PC(USA) has actually become less, and that those who have left in order to be free to submit to the authority of Scripture without the constant striving against those who would conform the Church to the world have actually become more, not less.
“A lot of folks are making the decision to stay because, even though they may not agree with what’s been done, they know they can still live their congregational life the way they want to.”
Tell that to Wayne Lowe and the congregation at Faith Presbyterian in Harrisburg, PA.
I find what you say difficult to believe, to an extraordinary degree – there is plenty of room for those who affirm mutual forbearance to operate as they desire, see it every day. Mr. Lowe fomented a schism in his congregation and was his call was dissolved by Presbytery when the congregation did not go along with his views – he then renounced jurisdiction – his choice…
@Pres-person-redux, “affirm mutual forbearance” you represent everything that’s against “mutual forbearance” if your ilk really believed that, churches would be able to leave with their property without your side trying to get their greedy little hands on it.
He was much more useful to the spreading of the Word when he was that janitor.
Loren, you are absolutely right. There is no mutual forbearance in Carlisle Presbytery. Rev. Lowe and the Session of Faith Church entered the discernment process in good faith, but a handful of so-called “progressives” would have none of it. It was practically surreal seeing a member, seething with venom and hate, lecturing Rev. Lowe for being “unloving” because he said that he could not, in good conscious, perform same-sex “marriages”. She then threatened to have him removed by the Presbytery and eventually got her own way. Eighty to ninety members then left Faith Church, largely in protest to the Presbytery’s action.
Wrong – wrong – wrong – Mr. Lowe renounced jurisdiction, that was his choice. His Presbytery dissolved his call to a particular congregation in light of the irreconcilable differences and the failed schism he formented. The Presbytery did not take any other actions. He chose this path…
“There is plenty of room for those who affirm mutual forbearance to operate as they desire, see it every day.”
I’m sure.
Pres-I understand your points, but I struggle with understanding the justification for a dismissed congregation not being allowed to keep property that was purchased by its membership. Is it simply that might makes right? What, in your opinion, is the correct approach for followers of Christ in such circumstances?
Out of one side of your mouth, you say that the PC(USA) is the perfect model of practicing mutual forbearance, but out of the other side you slam the character of pastors who say that they cannot in good conscience participate in a same-gender “wedding” ceremony.
Your definition of mutual forbearance leaves much to be desired.
Pres-person, I know more about pcusa matters on accident, than you know on purpose.
I am not wrong. I am a member of Faith, was a session member during discernment and a member of Faith’s personnel committee. Nothing you said contradicted anything I said. The Executive Presbyter was already trying to exclude Rev. Lowe from committee meetings at presbytery. Rev. Lowe never “fomented” anything. It was the so-called “progressives” that engaged in the outrageous, over the top rhetoric. For example one member compared people who disagreed with his pro-gay views to white racist church bombers who murder little children and said anyone who disagreed with him should just leave. Neither Lowe nor anyone on session every said anything so outrageous. This is hardly “mutual forbearance”!
again, you are not contradicting my POINT – Mr. Lowe renounced jurisdiction – his choice – he did not have to leave care of the Presbytery – he chose to do it. If he had problems with the way he was being treated he has access to Presbytery discipline process same as anyone else. Using the emotional comments of one member who did not agree with Mr Lowe’s views does not make trying to incite schism any more appropriate.
@ Todd- the only sane approach is that each Presbytery look at each congregation and take into consideration all circumstances. There is no one size fits all approach – every congregation and its circumstances are different…
Troll- Lowe did not incite schism. We entered discernment in good faith. Lowe renounced jurisdiction because his career in the PCUSA was over after the actions of the kangaroo court of the presbytery. Accusing someone of “inciting schism” is just another way of saying that there is no “mutual forbearance”. If a pastor says he/she cannot in good conscious perform a same sex “Marriage” that’s “inciting schism”. Why do you suppose 80-90 members left in protest of the presbytery’s action?
As Tip O Neal was fond of saying, “all politics is local”. I think the tendency among many is to read national or universal significance or meaning into every local church or clergy action. In this case, from what I can read, many of the issues current are localized to the internal actions of the pastor, personality matters, and other structural matters local to that particular church. Sad as it is.
What the AI actually did was to introduce two different standards of behavior and practice for clergy and churches. What did not change was of course the basic PCUSA polity of property in trust and clergy members of presbytery, so on and so forth. “Mutual Forbearance” is really just that. There is no “national” PCUSA standards or policy on how that concept is to be applied. In essence you have 177 different governing bodies (presbyteries) that sort work that out, locally in their areas. How Mutual Forbearance gets works out in Beaver-Butler is not how it gets worked out in New York or New Brunswick. It’s a mixed bag at best.
But this much is true, your EP is not your buddy, nor does your COM have your best interest at heart. Know your local players, the local politics, their strengths and weaknesses, and act accordingly.
Yeah a privilege for him, a disaster for the rest of us.
Thank You
Rev. parsons mentions Brian McLean …..that says a lot about the direction
he has moved the denomination. I believe young people growing up under the philosophies that Parsons and the PCUSA is putting forth will turn away from the flimsy rationale that is more like sinking sand.
Young people will and are realizing that they need the meaty Gospel message of repentance and forgiveness not the anything goes message that minimizes scripture.
The “big tent” sounds good, but really fosters division and chaos.
That will be the real legacy of Rev Parsons from his time as leader.
I choose to focus on a God that is bigger than any plans of us humans
and the shake up of the church is all part of that plan. Rev Parsons has been a part of that plan and God is bringing about what will further the Kingdom of God. The more I hear from him and the PCUSA leaders
the more I understand that two opposing visions of the church can no longer exist together in unity and accomplish that purpose. God will have the last word.
Should be Brian McLaren