Proposed Wineskins constitution calls for major overhaul of PCUSA
By John H. Adams, The Layman Online, June 17, 2005
EDINA, Minn. – The “draft” constitution for the New Wineskins Initiative includes no General Assembly, no presbyteries and – definitely – no synods.
If it becomes a reality for the Presbyterian Church (USA), the bureaucracy would be scaled down to a handful of employees.
The 48-page document would probably fit comfortably in a shirt pocket. The New Wineskines are suggesting that less is more and that the denomination needs to be turned upside down, with congregations at the top and the bureaucracy on the bottom as servants to the ministry of the congregations.
In short, the New Wineskins are calling for a constitution that would map out a major overhaul of how the PCUSA does the work of the church.
As presented to the people who attended the New Wineskins Convocation this week, the draft is a stern criticism of a denomination that many evangelicals believe has become a bloated bureaucracy with a penchant for institutional survival.
Compared with the current PCUSA Constitution, which is made up of the 312-page Book of Confessions and the 438-page Book of Order, the draft constitution may seem to be a lightweight. But it is a document with teeth, including theological essentials (now there are none) and moral imperatives (a subject of continuous debate and legislative efforts). The New Wineskins believe they provide the backbone for what they call a “bold new design.”
Here are some of the paraphrased highlights, chapter by chapter:
Chapter One – The Essential Tenets
The draft includes 10 essentials, ranging from an orthodox understanding of God as creator, sovereign, loving, majestic and triune (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) to the atoning work of Jesus Christ. The proposal calls Scripture the “infallible rule of faith and practice.” Jesus’ crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and glorification are affirmed and Christ is proclaimed as the Way, the Truth and the Life. The tenets do not affirm the beliefs about God that are expressed by non-Christian religious groups.
Chapter Two – Ethical Imperatives
The document provides no accommodation to ethics or lifestyles that are contrary to Scripture. But the ethical imperatives are not simply negative rejoinders – “The moral life is one that vigorously pursues good,” it says. The moral imperatives include a paragraph about sexuality – rejecting such practices as homosexuality and premarital and extramarital sex. They also oppose abortion, euthanasia, infanticide, domestic violence, oppression, acts of revenge and unjust wars. Sexual expression is to be confined to the marriage of a man and a woman.
Chapter Three – Vision and Governing Principles
The New Wineskins constitution would not consider all or any of the 12 creeds currently in Book of Confessions as constitutional documents. They are described as “beneficial guides in our interpretation of the Bible.” There is no emphasis on unity in theological diversity, a frequent appeal by denominational leaders. “The Church is to be one in mind and purpose, having the same love.” The local congregation is called “the primary agent and focal point of kingdom mission and ministry.”
In this chapter, the document defines Reformed as “a set of theological emphases enumerated by John Calvin and other Church reformers, captured in the historic creeds and confessions and distinguished primarily by:
- 1. the sovereign reign of God over human history and the lives of individuals;
- 2. the inability of persons, because of the taint of sin upon every aspect of the mind, heart, and will, to please God or to seek Him of their own accord.
- 3. the Trinitarian nature of redemption, including the gracious election of some to salvation by a loving Heavenly Father, the substitutionary sacrifice of the Son to purchase their redemption, and the empowering work of the Holy Spirit to bring them from spiritual death to a new life in Christ.
- 4. the Church’s missional call to be “in” but not “of” the world, there to embody the loving reign of God and to engage the world with God’s redemptive purposes.
Chapter Four – The Local Congregation
In the New Wineskins configuration, the local congregation has the “responsibility for the ministry and mission of the kingdom of God.” It calls for an emphasis on servant leadership and affirms the traditional offices of pastor, elder and deacon. The proposal would require a three-fourths vote of the congregation for withdrawing from “New Wineskins for Presbyterians.”
Notably, the document includes no proposed property trust clause, as the denomination now has.
Chapter Five – The Ministry Network
The document proposes ministry networks of a small number (at least three) congregations for “sharing resources, fostering spiritual growth, offering encouragement, and providing theological, moral and missional accountability.”
Chapter Six – The Support Network
The Support Network would be comparable to a presbytery and would provide “minimal necessary support for the Ministry Networks, such as upholding certification/ordination standards and carrying out just discipline. A Support Network exists for the local church, not for itself. Staffing and structure will be minimal, set in place only to support the ministry and mission of the local church, its leaders and disciples, and their collaborative ministry with others.” The Support Networks would range from no fewer than three nor more than eight Ministry Networks or nine to 30 congregations.
One New Wineskins leader said the group intentionally avoided the term “presbyteries” because of their negative connotation.
There would be no network group – such as the current synods – between the Support Network and the National Network (Chapter Seven).
Chapter Seven – National Network
Instead of a General Assembly, the governing body would be called the “National Network.” It would have two principal officers: a moderator and a stated clerk, each elected for three-year terms. The document did not mention any term limits.
The proposal calls for annual business meetings – and other possible meetings because of celebrations or other events. But the business would be relatively brief. The work of the National Network would focus on mission and relationships.
Chapter Eight – The Global Mission Network
The Global Mission Network would exist “to encourage collaboration for worldwide mission in new or existing partnerships with indigenous leaders and other Christian denominations and ministries, as together we seek to reach and to serve the world in the name of Jesus Christ.”
The proposal envisions ecumenical relationships with other Christians, but it makes no mention of the ecumenical bodies that the PCUSA is currently affiliated with: the National Council of Churches, the World Council of Churches and the World Reformed Alliance.
The proposal calls for affirming and endorsing the biblically-based statement of faith and commitment to world evangelization made in the Lausanne Covenant in 1974. The New Wineskins’ proposed constitution includes the text of that covenant.
Chapter Nine – Leadership Development
The New Wineskins call for a mentoring program for potential leaders. Mentors would be assigned by the local church sessions. Leaders-elect would be assessed for their proficiency in a specific ministry and be asked to confess the essential tenets in Chapter One.
Sessions would perform the work of examining a possible candidate for the pastoral ministry to “evaluate the individual’s sense of call and demonstrated gifts and skills in disciple-making.” The constitution would allow a candidate to be called to his or her home church.
Chapter 10 – The Exercise of Godly Discipline
The disciplinary process would require a person with an accusation to 1) meet with the individual first to seek reconciliation and, if that failed to resolve the issue, to 2) meet again with that individual and two other members of the church. No complaint would be considered before those steps were taken.
Proceedings would ensure due process for the accused and the right to face their accusers in a church trial.
Chapter 11 – Amendments to Constitution
Proposed amendments to the essential tenets or the ethical imperatives would require a majority vote of the National Network and a majority vote of three-quarters of the Support Networks.
Amendments to other portions of the constitution would also require approval by three-quarters of the presbyteries.
What’s next?
The New Wineskins hope that their proposal goes to the PCUSA’s General Assembly in 2006. But that will depend on whether any presbytery will approve the proposal and submit it as an overture.
But even without the General Assembly approval – which many believe is unlikely – the New Wineskins hope to begin creating their own networks and implementing the proposals.
During the convocation this week, delegates will consider the constitution and propose changes. Several workshops were held where they had a chance to begin refining the document.
The New Wineskins plan to consider the proposed changes, make revisions and publish a second draft.