 Constitutional shapes  The Layman – Volume 38, Number 3 – Posted August 8, 2005
Churchill’s remark could be applied to our denomination’s constitution – it was formed around shared beliefs and purposes, with procedures to live out those beliefs and achieve those purposes. Over just the past 50 years, many amendments have been made to both parts of our Presbyterian constitution – expanding the confessions from the Westminster Confession and Catechisms to now eleven statements of belief, and more than doubling the thickness of the Book of Order. Yet, few Presbyterians think that the additions have clarified what we believe or have increased our fruitfulness as measured in terms of Acts 2:47 – the daily addition of those being saved. Rather, we seem unable to realistically assess the PCUSA’s faithfulness by the standards of the Bible and can look at our denomination only through the standards set by our constitution. Debates and judicial commission decisions center on what is specifically allowed or prohibited in the Book of Order as if it were a code of criminal law instead of a way to assist us in being godly servants of the living Lord. We have let that document conform us as a denomination instead of being transformed by the Word of God. Presbyterians are recognizing that things need to change. Eighty-five congregations represented by delegates and many more represented by observers gathered in Edina, Minn., to respond to that urgency. At the New Wineskins Convocation, they proposed both a refreshed vision of serving Christ in the 21st century and a new design for doing so. The constitution proffered by the body features a clear statement of essential beliefs and how those are to be lived out by individuals, as well as a new way of relating congregations to each other at local and national levels to focus on bearing the fruit that glorifies God. The image of “new wineskins” comes from Christ’s teaching in Matthew 9:14-17 that new wine cannot be put into old wineskins or new cloth patched with old. The need of the PCUSA is “not for tinkering” with our old forms, but for new wineskins. The Stated Clerk of the General Assembly has sketched an idea for redesigning the Directory for Worship and somehow making the first four chapters of the Book of Order into a “book” of constitutional foundations. He has not released a draft that sets out particular language, but apparently plans to do so in time for the 2006 General Assembly. Whether his proposal will address the shortcomings of the PCUSA’s present structure and the thinking framed by it remains to be seen. But he has invited governing bodies to be in conversation about changes. So, we in the pews should be re-examining how well Christ is served by our current constitution. We should not regard any denominational form – our current one or New Wineskins or others that might emerge – as being eternally prescribed in all its details. Our centuries as Presbyterians show us that we have had numerous shapes and remained within the Church Universal. Even if a new constitution is adopted, with time and change even it will eventually have to be freshly molded. We must always concentrate on holding the new wine, not enshrining the wineskin. In preparing for the coming Assembly, we have major matters to deliberate. And we may learn the answer to the question: How many Presbyterians does it take to change a wineskin? Peggy Hedden, an elder in Columbus, Ohio, is the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Presbyterian Lay Committee. |
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