What Might God Be Saying

God’s Disestablishment in Presbyteries

A little historical research will reveal that much of the structure of our present church hierarchy emerged out of the changes in post WWII society. Churches seemed to prosper and grow as our society emerged into a era of affluence. As churches grew in numbers and prosperity, it was natural for them to consider how both larger church staff and expanding the staff in the structure of the church could enhance the impact of the church in society. We grew into an age of specialization with staff focusing on youth, mission, education, evangelism, etc. expanding our ministries. Presbyteries grew from having a stated clerk or a general presbyter to having associate presbyters that could focus on particular aspects of ministry. Even non-connectional churches also formed associations to build on the possibilities of our life together.

It would appear, for various reasons, that budgets are shrinking and with it the hierarchy is experiencing a shrinkage of staff. The form of our association among churches is changing. One response is to find fault with those in charge or in theological terms suggest that this is God’s punishment for our failure to be faithful. Another possibility is to recognize that God is in charge and seriously ask the question as to what God is asking of us in this new context. During this Lenten season, where our spiritual discipline is to set aside time and rededicate ourselves to asking what God’s call is in this new time.

God’s Call among our Churches

Find an hour and either a piece of paper or a notebook and create a page with numbers from one to ten. Don’t pause to long to reflect but fill in those numbers with ten statements exploring God’s call for how churches reflect the One Body of Christ in our new context of lowered budgets and reduced staff. If God is really Lord of our life as a church, what positive possibilities are there in our current context.

Much more energy is generated from positive considerations than dwelling on the negative. Once you have your list of ten, email them to a couple of colleagues and ask them to generate their own list. Let at least three or four of you compose a composite list of ten ideas. This may take several exchanges.

FAITH IN ACTION

Once you have a list, let each of you reflect on the list and identify at least one small step that you can take towards the fulfillment of that statement. Share it with others. What you are doing is looking for signs of what God can do among you.

Make use of this for the formation of two or three sermons. As you preach about these ideas, inform the congregation what you are doing and invite their response. Build the church together in response to God’s call.