The One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church.
No commas.
Period.
by
Jerry Andrews
Every disciple of the Master yearns for a gathering of all the disciples into a visible and vibrant fellowship that throughout its life together expresses fully its life in Christ. Recognizing that the Spirit has baptized each of us into the Son who being in perfect union with the Father thus unites us to the eternal life and love of the Trinity, we rejoice that we have been united in the fellowship of that life and love – the Church.
The Church we experience in our generation, which we have formed, and in which we live out our ecclesiastical commitments – the Presbyterian Church (USA) - is in need of reformation. Its needed reformation is to be according to the Word of God. No guide other than what the Lord of the Church has spoken is used by the Spirit of the Lord to renew, restore, and revive the Church. Insofar as Christ’s will for the Church is set forth in Scripture, it is to be obeyed. We recommit to that obedience.
The Church of Jesus Christ is one holy catholic apostolic. It is not one or more of these without the all the others; it is at once and for all time fully what Christ has called and created the Church to be. We reject the false choice that we must select some faithful expressions of the Church, for example its oneness, at the expense of or neglect of others, for example its holiness, as though these are competing attributes among which we must choose. Thus we reaffirm we will not be content with or accept as final any form of the Church that fails to strive for a more perfect expression of all that the Church is – one holy catholic apostolic. Without commas
One. The Church is by schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed. Our own denomination is engaged in conversations sometimes unloving and seldom healing that appear to be interminable. The eternal truth is valued lightly and willingly surrendered for a momentary peace. Truth and falsehood are brought upon a level. We note that former generations of officers vowed to maintain truth that the Church may experience unity. The pledge and the practice have been lost. Though it is difficult to recognize the oneness of the Church within our own denomination, structures notwithstanding and sometimes barely standing, not to mention its distant and distancing oneness with other fellowships and communions, and though some have despaired of ever seeing or recovering it, we still seek it. At the same time, without apology, we will seek the unity of the Church and its visible manifestation in forms and practices that are founded on the Scriptures and their faithful exposition throughout the centuries.
Holy. The Church is to be in but not of the world. Our own denomination is becoming confused by and with the world. Our identity as a people set apart is increasingly at risk. Toward the end of restoring that identity, protecting a clear witness in and to the whole Church, protecting a reputation for godly living in and to the world, and for the sake of protecting a good conscience before God, we differentiate ourselves as a fellowship within the Presbyterian Church (USA). Without desiring to distance ourselves from others in the denomination, indeed with the hope of serving them better, we claim the right and now renew the practice of free association with others of similar conviction and commitment.
Catholic. The Church is scattered for the sake of the gospel. That scattering has become an isolation and in our own denomination, because of an arrogance which ignores the testimony of the Church in times past and the contemporary global Church, a potential schism. The covenantal association we choose reconnects us to the Church around the world, especially the Reformed family scattered abroad, and the legacy of the Church of which we are in our generation a steward. This fresh reconnection, which we believe is desired by those so scattered, insures that our differentiated fellowship within our denomination is not a diminishing of our life together but an expansion. Our abundant resources – time, talent, and treasure – we will direct toward that global fellowship that it may flourish and more faithfully represent Christ to the nations, including our own.
Apostolic. The Church is not only to be in continuity with the teaching of the apostles, which serves to maintain our unity, but also with their mission, on which we are promised the Savior’s presence. The sense and practice of mission in our own denomination has waned. No longer altogether believing that Jesus Christ is the sole Redeemer and Savior of the world, we lost our passion for proclaiming salvation in Him and making disciples. The fellowship we form has at its heart a reinvigorated commitment to the Great Commission.
The sins of commission and omission which we lament being present in our denomination are present within ourselves and we confess them. We do not claim to know the most faithful and effective ways forward or, in knowing them, to have followed them. We claim the freedom in Christ, indeed the responsibility to Christ, to engage in what has been neglected – the apostolicity of the Church; to gather that which is scattered – the catholicity of the Church; to protect that which is at risk – the holiness of the Church; to seek that which is given – the oneness of the Church. We commit to no less. Period.
God have mercy
on us.
God help us.
Jerry Andrews
is pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Glen Ellyn, IL and Co-Moderator of the
Presbyterian Coalition. This is part of his address delivered at the Post-General
Assembly meeting in Atlanta, GA, August 16, 2006.