As presbyteries confront their new reality, it is important that they take seriously their own connectionalism. Usually when we speak of being a connectional church, we are speaking of each congregation being part of a larger body and how we are accountable to each other. Too often that is experienced mainly as the larger body, in this case the presbytery, having oversight over such actions as choosing a pastor or making major decisions about our property. The result is that the average member experiences presbytery as a regulatory agency. We need to enlarge our conversation as we consider our future as a denomination.
The first step would be to identify what would not happen if presbyteries did not exist. A General Presbyter I knew once preached a sermon in which he explored what would be missing if the church where he was pastor had never existed.It was enlightening for the congregation to consider that question. Have a small group of active presbyters converse together about what would not have taken place if the presbytery had not existed over the past ten years. Make a list of what you identify. It might range from churches that would not have been built to a disaster relief response that would not have taken place. It might include youth touched by a campus ministry to a church conflict that would not have been mediated. Be as creative as possible with your list.
At a presbytery meeting, share the list with the elders and clergy present and invite them to identify the ten aspects of connectional ministry that might not happen over the next ten years if presbytery suddenly disappeared. Perhaps you could ask that at least two of those be new possibilities in our work together.
Then, engage them in a conversation about what accountability they think our churches should have with each other. What are appropriate boundary lines that we should be able to expect churches called Presbyterian to work within. In preparation for this conversation, someone might do a little research on some of the more bizarre forms in which Christianity has found expression historically. While not everyone will agree on these boundary lines in theology and practice, the question is whether churches should seek to discuss and determine the basic framework of our ministry together.
Tomorrow we will explore how to expand this conversation further.
