The
Coalition's Post-General Assembly meeting
in Atlanta sets initiatives into motion
Nearly 450 Presbyterians registered for the Coalition's Post-GA Discussion of a Way Forward at North Ave. Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, GA in August of 2006. Those who came spent nearly 24 hours together in worship and prayer, and thinking and talking about the future.
Following an opening time of worship, there were presentations intended to set the context for the discussion by Coalition Co-Moderator Jerry Andrews [link #1] and Coalition Future Task Force member, Rev. Paul Parsons, Associate Pastor of Colonial Presbyterian Church in Kansas City, MO [link #2].
Focus on the Future
Rev. Peter Barnes, pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Boulder, CO, who led the Coalition’s Future Working Group that had been meeting since November of 2005, reported the work of that group and offered several resources for the discussion.
Rev. Barnes introduced ten Guiding Principles [link #3] the Future working group had developed as a way both of planning and evaluating ideas for the future. He also presented options for the future that had been discussed and deliberated by the Future work group [link #4]. Rev. Roberta Hestenes, Parish Associate at First Presbyterian Church of Danville, CA, led the discussion group process of the meeting in which participants spent time praying and discussing both the Guiding Principles and the options.
Focus on Immediate Actions Needed
Thursday morning was devoted to presentations and discussion of immediate actions needed in response to the new authoritative interpretation adopted by the General Assembly as a result of the Peace, Unity, and Purity (PUP) Report. Information and proposals for action were brought by Rev. James Tony, of Palos Park Presbyterian Church, near Chicago (actions needed by sessions and presbyteries in response to the PUP Report [link #5 & 5b]); Rev. Jim Berkley, Director of Presbyterian Action and a member of Seattle Presbytery (Per Capita [link #6]); and Elder Peggy Hedden, CEO of the Presbyterian Lay Committee and member of Mifflin Presbyterian Church in Scioto Valley Presbytery (Property [link #7, 8, 9]).
Charges Delivered by the Body to the Coalition Board
At the close of the meeting, those in attendance told the Coalition board in an open mike session what leadership they want from us. We were told to
The participants in Atlanta did not give us an easy agenda, but we are following through on each of the items with the understanding that we are in a working partnership with all Presbyterians who are committed to faith and life rooted in Scripture and our reformed confessions.
The Coalition’s Response
Staying Connected
Please continue to help us build the broadest possible network among orthodox believers in the PC(USA). As needs and opportunities arise, we would like to be able to reach you and those you know who are like-minded. Please take the time to send me your current mailing address, church, presbytery, and phone number. That will help us in ways that email alone does not. (If you completed a registration form for the Post-GA meeting, we have that information from you.)
We hope you will begin to develop similar connections among the orthodox in your presbytery. These relationships will become increasingly important over time.
Bringing the Work of Renewal Together
Coordination of renewal efforts seems to be a well-kept secret. Renewal leaders meet regularly and cooperate in plans for and work at the General Assembly meetings. Nevertheless, Presbyterians want more togetherness from us all. There is a growing number of groups and more than one direction of efforts. That is true. The Coalition board is acting to address the concerns regarding duplication of effort and need for greater unity that were expressed in Atlanta.
Rev. Jim Berkley currently serves as the moderator of the Presbyterian Renewal Network. He is arranging for a leaders’ summit this fall that will bring together every group we know of on our side of the church to address the concerns you have expressed. Every group will be an equal partner at that meeting. We will report the outcome to you.
We have a listing of most of the groups on our website at http://www.presbycoalition.org/partners.htm. We encourage you to contact any of them for information about their mission.
Being a catalyst for a plan for the future
We are in the process of assembling working groups to tackle the charge you gave us regarding plans for the future. We are in discussion with leadership of the New Wineskins about their newly-formed task force on the ways and means of a plan of Separation and the research underway on questions of property. They will be presenting their strategic plan at a February meeting at First Presbyterian Church in Orlando. We will explore with them ways in which the Coalition might properly offer resources for their efforts.
We will continue to explore, as well, ways in which we can help serve the needs and concerns of others who are in places of uncertainty about the future and the direction they feel called to go.
The alternative pursuit you asked from us is development of a Reform from Within/Fellowship model for the future. This pursuit comes more naturally to the mission of the Coalition. We are at work assembling a team of people to develop a plan. The suggestion at the Atlanta meeting of incorporating a “decision-tree,” or contingency, approach may be the way in which these alternatives find common ground.
We’ll provide you with progress updates.
Providing
specific long term and short term strategies
and immediate help in the ecclesiastical/legal arena
Whatever plans we make must be strategically-focused and they must account for the needs we face immediately. Strategies will be built into the planning process. We also know that we must provide resources immediately. Our website and mailings to you will focus on providing resources for both immediate and long term strategies.
Local efforts are essential to the success of any strategy. We will all benefit from communication among us about initiatives in sessions and presbyteries. Our website will carry the initiatives you are taking that will benefit and encourage others. We have already begun to receive examples of your efforts by mail and email.
An area of great concern is the understanding each ordaining and installing body has of what is essential and of what is a churchwide requirement for ordination and installation of officers, ministers of Word and Sacrament, and validated ministries. We will be mailing a suggested resolution and suggested questions to be posed of candidates, and you will find them on our website as well. We want Presbyterians to understand why each of these, done well, is critically important.
Giving Leadership for Prayer
The matter of prayer comes at the end of our report only to provide for an “Amen” to our hopes that the Savior of the Church will look with favor on the work of our hands in partnership with each other for his sake.
We are actively following up with this strongly-made and repeated recommendation for prayer from the Atlanta meeting. We are in contact with Moderator Joan Gray, to support her prayer initiative for the whole denomination. And we are in conversation about the ways in which we can enable a stronger and more united emphasis on prayer among us all.
We encourage you to begin now to bring leadership in your congregations and fellowships for prayer for the church, for God’s leading, and for results of our efforts together that will be to the glory of God.