Peace will follow unity
Stephen G. Brown, July 31, 2008
In 2006, the 217th General Assembly adopted the infamous PUP report proposed by the Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity. The hope of the GA was that there would finally be peace in the denomination after decades of an ever-widening division over ordination standards. The result was that ordination standards became optional. In the two years since passage of the PUP report, instead of peace in the church, we have war. Instead of individuals leaving the PCUSA, we have churches leaving. The notion that a local option on ordination standards would bring peace was utterly ridiculous and naïve. Instead of peace, we have litigation raging between presbyteries and churches over property ownership. And the number of lawsuits will only rise dramatically considering what the most recent GA did to conform the church to the culture. To briefly recap, the following took place this June in San Jose at the 218th General Assembly:
- A PCUSA minister performed a same-sex marriage while some General Assembly commissioners and bureaucrats cheered the ceremony.
- The GA voted to remove from our constitution Biblical sexual behavior standards for ordination. Incredibly, for the fourth time this issue will be voted on at presbyteries.
- The GA wiped all moral standards regarding homosexuality off the books by nullifying the Biblical rationale in documents adopted by all previous general assemblies and the rulings of our highest court. It was a clean sweep, going all the way back to 1978.
- The GA started the process of restating the 1562 Heidelberg Catechism by deleting homosexuality as sinful (deleting words that came directly from Scripture).
- The GA now encourages common worship among Christians, Jews and Muslims [this kind of common worship can only be done if Jesus is not the focus of our faith and worship].
- A $2 million legal war chest was authorized by the GA to litigate against churches who in good conscience decide to leave with their property.
- Fortunately, in its final hours, and after establishing the legal war chest fund, the GA counseled presbyteries to seek alternatives to civil court litigation and treat congregations with pastoral concern and gracious witness.
Considering the great divide we now have after two disastrous general assemblies, how can we achieve peace in the church? With churches leaving one by one, the idea of some sort of universal solution seems remote. They are leaving one by one because resolving property issues in civil courts require individual lawsuits. Forty of the 173 presbyteries are currently in litigation with one or more churches. But it does not have to be that way. Our current Book of Order allows a presbytery to dismiss a church to another Reformed denomination, with its property. And one of the few good things the 218th GA did was to encourage presbyteries to seek alternatives to civil court litigation and treat congregations graciously. Unfortunately, national and presbytery leadership have not always followed the dictates of the GA unless those dictates met with their agenda. We should certainly encourage presbyteries to refrain from litigation and we should pray for that course of action. At the same time, we should be wary of presbyteries that march to the orders of Louisville as set forth in the Louisville Papers.
I believe that if churches unite, a global settlement on property could be achieved. Presbyteries do not have the financial resources to litigate with several hundred churches. For churches to unite, the renewal groups in the PCUSA need to unite first and develop a common strategy. When you read each of the renewal groups’ statements issued after the last General Assembly, you see hope for developing a common plan of action. All groups condemned the various actions of the GA in clear and certain terms. All seem to recognize the depth to which the denomination has fallen.
I have heard it said there are three kinds of people in the church – those who work to make things happen; those who watch things happen; and those who say “what happened?” This is similar to the old 20-80 rule. Twenty percent of the folks are willing to speak up when serious trouble arises. In church finances, 20% of church members give 80% of the total money given. Unless your church is the exception, 20% of members are willing to give their time and talent. I suspect the 20-80 rule is now closer to 10-90 as we have moved more into the self-indulgent society that prevails today. Of course, these are broad brushed pictures for which there will always be big exceptions. But there is truth to these ideas and they do illustrate the reasons why the PCUSA has arrived at its current state of misery.
Those who watch things happen are often referred to as the “mushy middle” by those involved in church renewal. Watchers can hold to sound Christian doctrine, have deep concern for the life of the church, but they share a common characteristic of lacking a willingness to do anything about the problems facing the church. They are also called the “silent majority.” Unfortunately, many watchers are not grounded in the Word and don’t clearly see how the church has abandoned its Biblical foundation. Some of the younger watchers, having been exposed to liberal ideas for most of their lives, are much less disturbed (or even encouraged) by the move of the church to the left in recent years. I believe those who are mature Christians, who believe in the authority of Scripture and who have been watchers, could make the difference in bringing peace to the PCUSA.
It is way past time to avoid speaking up and getting involved. Church elders, deacons and rank and file members can and should make a difference in the next chapter of the PCUSA denomination’s existence. The clergy and laity must lead together. A change of direction is needed by clergy who have not relied on lay leadership in the past. Elders in our midst (church sessions) must be reminded of their responsibilities in our congregations.
Let’s face reality. Schism is here. It is happening as you read this and nothing I say here is to promote schism. I only offer ideas on how to promote peace as the ongoing schism continues. The General Assembly did nothing to quell the unrest. In fact, the GA gave churches great impetus to leave that were undecided before this assembly. Coercive efforts to hold this institution together will fail. God’s Word will endure forever.
What can churches do? A plan of action should include the following:
- First and foremost, pray for God to guide your congregation. Pray for your presbytery and for the leadership in Louisville.
- Educate elders, deacons, members and church staff on the history of the decline of the denomination and why the decline took place. An informed congregation will be a strong congregation.
- Form close alliances with other like-minded churches in your presbytery. This could be the most important thing you do (other than praying). It is a foundation for unity. Without close alliances, there will be no unity. Several churches standing together in a presbytery can make a huge difference in how that presbytery reacts to churches wanting to leave in good conscience.
- Support the renewal groups by sending letters of encouragement, and giving financial support and your time.
- Don’t send any per capita or mission funds to the GA, your presbytery or the synod, unless you are 100% sure of how the money will be spent. Heretofore, churches were holding back only GA per capita funds and directing mission f
unds. That has changed. Some presbyteries are using their per capita to litigate against our brothers and sisters. If presbytery funds dry up, peace will follow sooner.
- Have legal counsel experienced in church property disputes review your property documents. Contact the Presbyterian Lay Committee office if you need a lawyer referral. The number is (800) 368-0110.
- Write letters of protest to the General Assembly Council. Encourage them to reach a settlement on all property disputes. These disputes are a disgrace to the church universal and are destructive to furthering the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Their address is GAC, Room 5412A, 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, KY 40202. You can also e-mail them at asherman@ctr.pcusa.org.
Only through prayer and a united effort will there be peace in this denomination. Presbyterians have divided many times before and sometimes it has happened in a respectful and civil way. Let’s pray for another peaceful process.
Stephen G. Brown is an elder at First Presbyterian Church of Haines City, Florida. He is a forensic CPA, chairman of the Board of Directors and chief executive officer of the Presbyterian Lay Committee.