"For Such a Time as This" Gathering III draws 600 Presbyterians to Dallas By Robert P. Mills The Presbyterian Layman Monday, October 12, 1998 |
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| Gathering III, sponsored by the Presbyterian Coalition, drew more than 600 Presbyterians to Dallas Oct. 8-10. Those who gathered pledged to take back to their congregations "Union in Christ" and six related strategies for renewing the PCUSA. | ||||||
| "We cannot be faithful in serving the
mission of the church if we are unfaithful in doctrine.
Without doctrine mission becomes activism without meaning or
direction." Challenging his hearers to unite doctrine and practice to the glory of God, Andrew Purves helped introduce "Union in Christ: A Declaration for the Church" to Gathering III. The event, sponsored by the Presbyterian Coalition, drew more than 600 Presbyterians to Dallas Oct. 8-10. Those who gathered pledged to take back to their congregations "Union in Christ" and six related strategies for renewing the PCUSA.
Taking for its theme "For Such a Time As This" (from Esther 4:14), Gathering III was organized around a series of worship services, with music led by the worship team from Whitworth Community Presbyterian Church of Spokane, Wash. Thursday evening's preacher, Elizabeth Achtemeier, chose as her text Haggai 2:3, "Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory." Her reflective and challenging sermon, which looked back at the denomination's often glorious past and ahead to its potentially promising future, set the tone for the Gathering. "With the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ in our midst, dear friends, we need not fear that the church is dying," Achtemeier said, "For with God in our midst and his Spirit abiding with us, we can have great expectations."
Several denominational leaders in attendance were invited to bring greetings throughout the weekend. Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick expressed "My deep hope and prayer is that a fresh word of hope and renewal will come out of this Gathering," and his hope that the meeting "would have a major impact on the future of the church." General Assembly Moderator Douglas Oldenburg acknowledged "there is much wrong with the church. To be sure, we have been unfaithful in many many ways. But what I hear from laypeople and clergy alike is the sense that we have turned the corner." He added, "I also want to thank you for being loyal to the Presbyterian Church, and for the correctives you offer." Having spent just two months on the job, General Assembly Council Executive director John Detterick said "It's been a pleasure to be here, to listen and learn." "My dream," he said, "is that the GAC will become a faithful servant of the church," asking those gathered "Give us a chance." Words of greeting were also brought by David Hilborn of the United Reformed Church, the largest Reformed denomination in England (see related article). "Union in Christ" The focal points of Gathering III were the theological declaration, "Union in Christ," and an action guide, "Turning Toward the Mission of God: A Strategy for the Transformation of the PCUSA." Both were products of a Visioning Team created in response to concerns expressed a year earlier at Gathering II.
"Does God need this little declaration of ours?" Achtemeier asked. No, he answered, "But as a sheer gift of grace God has put us in a situation here where our praise can make a difference. God has given us hearts and minds and voices that we can raise in a way that participates in Christ's own mission to the world and for the world. We have been given this opportunity not because you and I are especially persuasive or eloquent or faithful but because God is generous and kind and loving. God has called us together and given us the awesome opportunity to be confessors - to lift up Jesus Christ and to cause his light to shine in the midst of some very real darkness out there." "A love gift" Purves called the declaration "a standard lifted high against the confusions of this season in the life of the PCUSA. … a clear message of Christian doctrine … a reaffirmation of central doctrinal beliefs - especially christology - in the light of present circumstances. The mandate we were given spoke of asserting the faith in a church characterized by pluralism and relativism, confusion over sexual ethics, a weakened christology and a lessened sense of the authority of Scripture." Alluding to the declaration's link to the transformation strategies he affirmed, "We cannot be faithful in serving the mission of the church if we are unfaithful in doctrine." Purves also lifted up the declaration's pastoral function, "Confusion with regard to doctrine always leads to confusion in the Christian life. The ferocious fights over doctrine that have marked so much of the church's history were not for the sake of orthodoxy as such, but for the sake of the souls of our people. All doctrinal theology is inevitably pastoral theology." "Without doctrine," Purves said, "mission becomes activism without meaning or direction. The image of my cat having a daft turn comes to mind - mission without doctrine is like the silly cat chasing her own tail - much energy going nowhere." He called the declaration "a love gift" for the church. "Turning Toward the Mission of God" Friday afternoon was devoted to small group sessions discussing "Turning Toward the Mission of God," which outlines strategies for the renewal of mission, worship, polity, theological education, educational ministries and discipline. One prominent theme in an educational ministries seminar was a desire not to "reinvent the wheel," but to make use of educational materials already developed by renewal groups within the PCUSA and by evangelical organizations outside the denomination. In another workshop discipline was described as "the accountability of Christians to one another." The goal of discipline was understood to be "helping one another stand before God." One workshop on theological education spent considerable time discussing alternative models for seminary education, including the use of the Internet to create "classrooms without walls." One observer noted that PCUSA seminaries often "deselect the most gifted people, who can't take three years off to go to school. Non-denominational seminaries are filling this void through extension education." A participant in a worship seminar emphasized the importance of daily prayer and worship, noting that churches "can't try to make something happen Sunday morning that isn't happening each day of the week." "Seek the glory of God" Following an evocative reading of Numbers 9:15-23 at Friday evening worship, Craig Barnes, senior pastor of National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., noted that in Moses' best moments of leadership "he was reminding God of his promises to lead his people into the Promised Land." It was God's responsibility, Barnes said, to make sure that his people made it to the Promised Land. The people's calling was "to seek the glory of God." Barnes spoke frankly about the differences now dividing Presbyterians, asserting "We will no longer allow our agenda to be set by our opponents." Yet, referring to a fourth-century battle over the purity of the church, he reminded his hearers of Augustine's observation that "the body of Christ is holy not because the members are holy but because the head is holy." Coalition meeting Several Coalition leaders addressed various business matters at Saturday morning's plenary session. Moderator Jack Haberer offered participants an opportunity to sign a card supporting the declaration and transformation strategies and pledging financial support. Steering committee member Daryl Fisher-Ogden asked participants to nominate members for the Coalition's board, which will be expanded from 11 to 24 members.
After steering committee member Jim Logan offered participants an opportunity to financially support the organization, Robert Howard presented tokens of appreciation to Moore and Haberer in appreciation of their service. "The crops are grown in the valley" "Reversing Ichabod" was the topic of Clayton Bell's sermon at the Gathering's closing communion service. Bell, senior pastor of Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Dallas, used as his text I Samuel 4:2-22, the story of the ark's capture, Eli's death, and the birth of Ichabod, which means "the glory has departed." Bell listed steps that must be taken if the PCUSA is to recover the glory of God it once possessed: seeking the glory of God, recovering the true prophetic voice of the Old Testament prophets and Jesus' preaching, recommitting ourselves to prayer, turning to Scripture for our direction in all matters of faith and practice, and personally living the word of God. "It's not enough to mouth Reformation ideals. It's not enough to recognize the failings of others. We must confess our own sins to the Lord and recommit ourselves to being doers of the Word and not hearers only," Bell said. He concluded, "If [Gathering III] has been a mountaintop experience of hope, let us remember that the crops are grown in the valley. … Let us go back to our churches to preach and teach the unchangeable Truth of the Word of God." The text of "Union in Christ" and "Turning Toward the Mission of God" are available online at www.presbycoalition.org. A revised version of "Union in Christ" is available on PresbyWeb. Copies of the documents and a study guide for the declaration may also be ordered from the Presbyterian Coalition, PO Box 22227, Louisville, KY 40252. |
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