Draft documents to be revised, voted on during New Wineskins convocation
By Craig M. Kibler, The Layman Online, May 13, 2005
Draft documents that propose new statements of faith essentials and ethical imperatives, as well as a revised constitution, will be refined and voted on during a national convocation considering a “bold new design” for the Presbyterian Church (USA).
The convocation, with the theme “Following Christ into the 21st Century,” will be held June 15-18 at Christ Presbyterian Church in Edina, Minn.
The draft documents propose a new statement of our common life that calls for greater flexibility, a new approach to leadership development at the congregational level and a pared-down, adaptive service structure at the national level.
While the convocation will include preaching, prayer and worship, as well as an international flavor with guests and speakers from Presbyterian churches around the world, the focus will be on how evangelical Presbyterians respond to what leaders of the New Wineskins Initiative called “grave concerns about the health and effectiveness of our present organization” in theology, mission and structure.
Renee Guth, an elder from Tucson, Ariz., and a member of the board of directors of the New Wineskins Initiative, said in a forum on the group’s convocation Web site that, “I am encouraged! It’s important for the New Wineskins Initiative that people become engaged with the work to date.”
She quoted from a Questions and Answers document on the group’s convocation Web site which, under “Getting Involved,” states:
“From the start, New Wineskins has been the work of many. If you share our vision and passion, we would love to include you.
“At the convocation we will be presenting our work to date, and seeking the feedback of others. We would be pleased to have you present and to learn from your perspective.
“Beyond this, after the convocation a number of working teams will be charged with continuing to advance the various elements of our vision (constitutional structure, leadership development, communication, short and long term strategy, etc.). We encourage your participation on one of these teams.
“A major purpose of the convocation is to take part in serious discussion” about the draft documents, she said, adding: “There will be revisions and there will be votes.” The Rev. Tom Edwards, associate pastor at Eastminster Presbyterian Church in Wichita, Kan., who is coordinating the convocation for the New Wineskins Initiative, echoed that sentiment.
“Our goal of presenting something of quality has nothing to do with notions that our work is ‘finished,'” he said. “Those who register will be receiving copies of a draft constitution for our common life together which will look far from published and polished. We want the delegates to engage a process that is still in its infancy.”
More information about the convocation is available on a special convocation Web site, or contact “Following Christ into the 21st Century” at 888-754-9693, or 7435 E. Oxford Ct., Wichita, Kan. 67226.