 Presbyterian Leaders’ Forum  Nov/Dec, 1997 A Message from the Stated Clerk |
|
Presbyterians believe that Jesus Christ is the living head of the church. Largely for this reason, we give very modest titles to the officers elected from the membership of our governing bodies: “moderator” and “stated clerk.” For most of our history, administrators of our mission boards and agencies were not called CEOs or presidents but “secretaries.” It is seldom the proper task of a moderator, clerk, or secretary to be an advocate for or against a contested proposal which has come before the church. It is my function as Stated Clerk of the General Assembly to communicate prior Assembly actions with clarity, to ensure a fair and open process throughout the church, to uphold our Constitution and to support its polity. At the conclusion of the most recent General Assembly in June 1997, I signed a pastoral letter to Presbyterians reporting on what I regard as the sincere attempt by that Assembly to foster a process of healing across our church. That letter has been interpreted by some as advocacy on my part in favor of the measure now before our presbyteries as Amendment A. It was never my intent to stoke controversy or to divide our communion further. In reporting the action of the General Assembly, my motive was to communicate that Assembly’s desire to heal divisions. It is not my task to advocate for or against the adoption of Amendment A, but rather to be a resource to enable this church to seek in faithfulness to discern the mind of Christ. As Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, I have another role that I take very seriously: promoting the unity of Christ’s church. As we discuss Amendment A this year, please join me in a dedication to Christian unity. I appeal to everyone in this debate to reaffirm the ordination vows to trust Jesus Christ as our Savior, to be guided by Scripture, to be governed by both volumes of our church’s Constitution, to be a friend to colleagues in ministry (even those who oppose our positions), to work for reconciliation and to further the peace, unity and purity of the church. Before becoming Stated Clerk, I served for 15 years in the worldwide ministry of our church. Too much of that work involved responding to the suffering caused by conflict rooted in religious fervor. I have stood with Christians in Croatia who wept because one side bombed Catholic and Protestant churches while the other blew up Orthodox churches, all in the name of Christian civilization. I have walked with Presbyterians in Southern Sudan and seen the horrifying results of 25 years of ethnic and religious conflict there. I have spent time with Presbyterians in Northern Ireland, a place from which my ancestors came to North Carolina 200 years ago, and I have seen the barriers and military units built up in the name of two traditions of Christianity. With all my heart, I do not want to see the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) go the way of Croatia or Southern Sudan or Northern Ireland. That is not God’s intention for the world, nor is it God’s intention for our church. I am convinced that, in God’s time, the church will arrive at a clearer understanding of the mind of Christ concerning the difficult issues surrounding Amendment A. What I worry about is the shape our church will be in by the time we reach that understanding together. When all of this is resolved, will the church be divided? Will so many officers dissent from our Constitution that it will have little meaning left for our common life? Will so many members and congregations withhold their funds and go their own way in ministry that we will have no more than a minimal Presbyterian corporate witness to the love, mercy and justice of Jesus Christ? I hope not! May the grace of God be with us and with this church we love. And as we seek together to understand the mind of Christ, may we do so in a spirit of love, a commitment to pray for one another and a common trust in Jesus Christ as the living head of the church. – Clifton Kirkpatrick, GA Stated Clerk |
|
| The Presbyterian Layman | |
|
Home
· Archives
·The
Layman Online News |
|