 Three challengers agree: PCUSA needs a new stated clerk By John H. Adams The Layman Online Friday, June 11, 2004 KANSAS CITY, Mo.– Three candidates for stated clerk of the General Assembly agreed on many things during a national debate on June 9, but principally one: Someone other than Clifton Kirkpatrick needs to be elected.
Along with Bob Davis and Rus Howard, both ministers, Metherell is one of three candidates hoping to unseat Kirkpatrick, who is seeking his third term as the stated clerk, the denomination's highest constitutional, ecclesiastical and ecumenical officer. Transcript of debate Davis, Howard and Metherell all participated in the national debate in Colonial Presbyterian Church in Kansas City. The Presbyterian Lay Committee, which sponsored the debate, will provide a verbatim transcript to commissioners to the 216th General Assembly, which will meet June 26-July 4 in Richmond, Va. Kirkpatrick declined the invitation, saying it was not in harmony with the election format established by the Standing Rules of the General Assembly. That format does not preclude a debate. "I believe it is best that we all follow the procedure for presenting the candidates detailed in the Standing Rules of the General Assembly," Kirkpatrick said in his letter declining the Presbyterian Lay Committee's invitation to participate in the debate. Kirkpatrick has the advantage The "procedure" Kirkpatrick refers to gives him a decided advantage within the denominational machinery. He was unanimously nominated for re-election by the Stated Clerk Review/Nominating Committee, which did not consider or question the other candidates. As the parliamentarian for the General Assembly, Kirkpatrick will maintain a high profile throughout the week before the stated clerk election occurs on Friday, July 2. "We decided to sponsor the debate for the same reasons that Mr. Kirkpatrick chose not to participate," Parker T. Williamson, chief executive officer of the Presbyterian Lay Committee and editor in chief of its publications, said. "The procedures give the stated clerk an overwhelming advantage with only a brief opportunity for challengers to give their views about a denomination in crisis. We hope that the commissioners will study the transcript of the debate before they cast their ballots on the final day of the 216th General Assembly." Kirkpatrick's no-show drew a number of comments, particularly from Howard. "I am disappointed that Cliff Kirkpatrick refused to participate in the debate," he said repeatedly. The candidates also expressed their disappointment that the Presbyterian News Service, the denomination's official news agency, and The Presbyterian Outlook declined the Presbyterian Lay Committee's invitations to send reporters to the debate and to ask questions. Membership loss One of the issues that arose during the debate was the recent announcement by the Office of the General Assembly of the denomination's loss of 46,658 members during 2003, the highest exodus since before the reunion of the Northern and Southern mainline Presbyterian denominations in 1983.
Saying he was "deeply concerned about the decline of leadership," Howard blamed the problem on leaders who "fail to affirm that Jesus is our Lord and Savior. They fail to affirm that the Bible is the Word of God and that God has called us to holy living." Howard added, "I need to say that Clifton Kirkpatrick's analysis of the membership decline, the best place for it is the trash can. This is a spiritual problem. The church is not being led according to Scripture. The role of the stated clerk is primarily spiritual." Metherell said the membership loss in 2003 represents an acceleration, noting that the total loss during Kirkpatrick's eight years as stated clerk was 260,000. He said the Office of the General Assembly's membership report included "just over 10,000 adult baptisms" in 2003 – and "that's less than one per church." "That tells you that the gospel is not being preached," Metherell said. "We are so distracted by following social policies about human sexuality and abortion." Constitutional crisis All three candidates agreed that there is a constitutional crisis in the Presbyterian Church (USA). "Yes, there is a constitutional crisis," Davis said, referring to numerous acts of open defiance of the denomination's constitutional law prohibiting the ordination of self-acknowledged, practicing homosexuals. "Cliff's handling has been inadequate and incorrect," Davis added. In response to numerous disciplinary cases being filed against church officers in defiance of the constitution, Davis said he would emphasize the need for administrative action by higher governing bodies. He added, however, that he would use the Office of the Stated Clerk as a "bully pulpit" to advocate compliance with church law. "We do have a constitutional crisis," Howard said. "The stated clerk has failed us completely. I would first deal with defiance. I would publicly name it. I would provide the church publicly with how individual elders could begin the process to correct the error. We must name defiance. We must recognize it foremost as defiance against God. The goal is not to kick people out, but to bring people back to a faithful relationship with Christ." "There very definitely is a constitutional crisis," Metherell said, recounting his experience in seeking a special meeting of the 214th General Assembly – to which he was a commissioner – to deal with constitutional issues. In that effort, Metherell secured more than enough signatures to require the moderator, then Fahed Abul Akel, to call the commissioners back into session to deal with growing defiance of church law. But, he said during the debate, that the stated clerk's office succeeded in getting Abu-Akel to lobby against the petition and "to get a sufficient number of commissioners to withdraw their names." Metherell added, "The Office of the Stated Clerk is going out of its way to enable the defiance that is going on." At one point, he accused Kirkpatrick of sending "his associate, Mark Tammen, out to show how to use procedural trickery to avoid requiring compliance with the constitution." Metherell was referring to Tammen's advice to a synod administrative committee that declined to follow Book of Order requirements. Tammen told the committee that it was not required – contrary to the Book of Order – to decide whether the Presbytery of Baltimore was upholding the lawful injunctions of higher governing bodies. The presbytery had decided not to discipline one of its ministers who publicly said he would not comply with the "fidelity/chastity" ordination requirement. Furthermore, he said the denomination is relying almost solely on the Book of Order to resolve constitutional issues, when the church's primary documents are, first, the Scriptures, and second, The Book of Confessions, and that their role in resolving constitutional issues needs to be primary. "When we totally ignore The Book of Confessions and Scripture," he said, "we run into the trouble we are in now. I will be sure that The Book of Confessions and Scripture get their proper place in the life of the church." Candidates preview their service Each of the candidates described how he would serve as stated clerk. Davis emphasized that he would work to equip the "people of the church to do the work of the church" in harmony with "essential tenets" that church officers are required to "sincerely receive and adopt." He would also be committed to "preserving and defending the constitution" and working to broaden the denomination's ecumenical relationships, which currently are limited to mainline liberal affiliations. Howard said he would play a pastoral, spiritual role, focusing on the Lordship of Christ, the authority of Scripture and the call to a holy life. "The goal is not to kick people out, but to bring people back to a faithful relationship with Christ," he said. Metherell said he would "embrace what the General Assembly asked me to do" and take "positive action" to protect and defend the denomination's constitution. Responding to defiance James Tuckett, a member of the audience, asked the candidates how they would respond to Presbyterians who say, "'We don't buy the resurrection. We don't buy the authority of Scripture.'" "There's only so much a stated clerk can do," Davis said. "That's the responsibility of the governing bodies. The stated clerk can point fingers, but can't say you're out. The stated clerk can use the bully pulpit, but the responsibility for exercising discipline remains with the governing bodies." Howard said, "We need to teach the church. We do have to draw a line … and protect God's Word by educating people. People who are in defiance should not be in leadership in the church." Metherell called for the practice of "ordinary discipline," dealing with matters early on before they become fodder for church trials. He said people do not get to that point immediately. Quoting from Ezekiel 3, he said the application of ordinary discipline is a responsibility for the watchmen over the house of Israel. "One of the marks of good leadership," Metherell added, " is the ability to see the whole and not just the part." The issue of church unity In response to a question about church unity, Howard said, "The only way you bring unity into the church is if it's built on the authority of Scripture. The church I am serving now was deeply conflicted when I arrived. We made clear early on that we're going to do this Scripturally, not based on our own opinions." Metherell said, "The Word of God is our plumb line, and everything has to be measured against that. In its original form, unity in diversity was good." But he said the idea of theological diversity is harmful. "We have to be united theologically." Davis called for a "clarity of process, of how we talk to each other. We need to have respect for decisions reached." Theological Task Force The denomination's Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity did not draw any endorsements from the candidates. "When it was proposed [at the 213th General Assembly in 2001] I objected," Davis said. "I called it the Yugo commission. It is fundamentally flawed because it asks 20 people to agree. I think these people have been put in an impossible situation. My fear is that they will be made a scapegoat." Davis, referring to the task force's report to the 216th General Assembly, said one of its suggestions was that leaving the denomination would put a person's salvation at risk" – which, he said, is contrary to what Scripture and the Reformed tradition teach about one's eternal election in Christ. As to the ordination issue, Davis said the task force's "only solution that can be offered is local option, and that's not Presbyterian." Metherell said the task force's work is typical of how "the denomination tries to solve its problems: 'Let's dialogue.' One of the marks of the early church is that they were of one mind. No one of intelligent and rational thought can say that the Presbyterian Church is of one mind. Instead of using our confessions and Scripture, we all sit down and share our ignorance. I don't have a lot of faith in what the outcome will be." Temptation of pride Audience member Loren Golden, a member of Colonial Presbyterian Church, asked the candidates how they will deal with the temptation of pride that comes with being elected to the denomination's highest office. Metherell said, "It's just to remember why we are there: It's to serve Jesus Christ and the church." Davis said, "Among the first things I would do is read the first issue of The Layman after the election. We need to have a prayerful attitude and understand we are servants. It is not about us. It's about the people of the church. It's about glorifying God. It's about the sheer joy we have in glorifying God." Howard said, "I am here to serve the church. The role of the stated clerk is to serve the church. I do stay in accountability groups, and I have some friends who call me back when I step over the line." He said his model for humility is Christ and cited the example of Christ humbling himself, even unto death, as depicted in Philippians 2. Gracious separation The candidates were asked about the proposal described as "gracious separation," a proposal to allow an amicable separation of the PCUSA into two denominations – one representing traditional Presbyterians and the other comprised of the denomination's liberal flank. "Gracious separation is not a schism," Metherell said. "I would see graceful separation as being a friendly separation. But I think that's it's too early. One of the reasons I am running is that any one of us could bring the denomination back to a renewal. There has to be a significant change, and change has to be at the top." Metherell said he does believe that without a change in leadership the denomination will have to seriously face the issue of separation "no later than 2008, if not 2006." "I'm not in favor of the gracious separation proposal," Davis said. "We need to remember that we are stewards. Any kind of separation would not be gracious." He said the conservative part of the church has done well to state what it opposes "but not nearly as successful in saying yes to anything. We are functionally Congregationalists. We do not work well together." Howard, who submitted a gracious separation proposal to the Presbytery of Pittsburgh, said that "when I talk about this, I get sad – the same sadness I get when I counsel couples" whose marriages are troubled. He said that he expected maybe two votes in favor of considering gracious separation when he made his proposal to the presbytery. "We had 25 percent of the presbytery say let's look at this. I hope it continues in the conversation." Reaching a new generation One audience member who identified himself as an elder in Kansas City said that the denomination "seems to be ineffective in reaching a new generation. Are there things that need to be done?" "Isn't it a shame that Cliff's not here?" Howard asked. "We need to hear from our leader. I think we need not be beholden to the things we used to do. The center core is still worship. I think we have lost the younger people because they have gone elsewhere to hear the truth. If you preach the Word, worship is meaningful and spiritual and the sheep come. They will go where they are fed." Metherell agreed. He used as an example a congregation known as the Saddleback Community Church, which now has about 35,000 members. "This past Easter, they added 5,000 people. These churches are feeding the people what they want. They want to hear the Word of God. They are learning about God. They don't want to go to learn about culture." Davis said, "There has to be the recognition that congregations and presbyteries are the front line of evangelism. Christ's Word is solid yesterday, today, tomorrow and forever… People need to know what the church believes. Collectively, there is an integrity in the mission of the church." Clerk's public statements In response to a question by Peggy Hedden, the chairman of the Presbyterian Lay Committee, about the public statements of the stated clerk, Howard said, "Cliff does this very poorly. Leaders are out front. You lead the church from Scipture. Our stated clerk has to be a spiritual leader." Metherell criticized Kirkpatrick for dealing with issues "in the arena of secular politics. I think it is entirely wrong for the stated clerk to be calling on the president of the United States and prime minister of Great Britain to be charged with war crimes. The Scots Confession says the church should not involve itself in saying something about civic issues and only reluctantly to say something about moral issues.' "What you raised is in the job description," Davis replied to Hedden. "What Cliff has done … is a matter of discretion. It has to be tied to an action of the General Assembly." Candidates' wrap-ups The three candidates gave a brief wrapup. "The election of a stated clerk is probably the most important piece of business at this General Assembly, for it will determine the direction and course of the denomination," Davis said. He added a caveat and an encouragement. "Nothing the General Assembly has ever done has prohibited the people of the church from proclaiming the gospel. Be a blessing where you are." "I can't leave without saying it's a shame that Cliff wasn't here," Howard said. After reading the "dry bones" passage in Ezekiel 37, he added, "It's not too late for the Presbyterian Church to be renewed and restored and brought back to life. That will happen when we return to the truth of our faith – the essential tenets." Metherell concluded by saying, "I do think this is going to be the most important decision GA will make in probably four years. We see the direction the denomination is going, and it's not the right direction." |
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