Stepping off the meaning of being a New Wineskin
By John H. Adams, The Layman Online, July 25, 2006
TULSA – In an exercise akin to a mixture of dance instruction and the children’s game Twister, Dean Weaver nimbly stepped off an illustration of what it currently means to be a congregation in the New Wineskins Association of Churches.
The co-moderator of the New Wineskins Initiative, Weaver alternately planted his feet on three sheets of differently colored paper that stood for the New Wineskins, the Presbyterian Church (USA) and other alliances.
His emphasis was that, for the time being, it is possible to stand both in the New Wineskins Association and the PCUSA – just as a congregation might affiliate with both the denomination and another organization, such as the Willow Creek Association of Churches.
But Weaver also made it clear that, again for the time being, standing in the New Wineskins Association doesn’t trump being a congregation subject to the governance of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
“We would understand the association would be subject to the denomination so that it would not be a renunciation of jurisdiction,” said Weaver, the pastor of Memorial Park Presbyterian Church in Allison Park, Pa.
Weaver also noted that standing in two places at the same time can be a balancing act – depending on how much weight a congregation wants to put in two places at the same time. He leaned in one direction to demonstrate a congregation with a heavier standing in the denomination and the other to demonstrate weightier commitment to the New Wineskins.
The Weaver shuffle drew some smiles and a few giggles – but his message was clear. The New Wineskins Association of Churches has congregations that want to remain in the PCUSA but emphasize the theological essentials and moral imperatives of the New Wineskins. Others are considering leaving the PCUSA soon and planting both feet in the New Wineskins.
Weaver’s point was to encourage both for the time being to stand fast in both the denomination – lest their officers come under fire for renouncing the jurisdiction of the PCUSA – and the New Wineskins.
“We’re not married to the New Wineskins,” Weaver said while he shifted feet. “But it will get stronger and better as more people land in this place … None of us knows what the future holds. Each congregation will have to make that ethical decision.”
“Many of us come from different places,” he added. “Some of us have our minds made up. Others are waiting for God to speak. Whatever you do, try to do it together.”