By Joseph Duffus, Small-p Presbyterian blog.
In his Call to the Church, Presbyterian Church (USA) Moderator Heath Rada admitted to a lack of trust he senses across the denomination and calls for immediate discussions about how to move forward.
Can we even move forward? Is the breakdown between Louisville and the pew-dwellers so advanced that a re-think of how the PCUSA works makes sense?
Heath Rada
Those discussions, which he promises to lead, are necessary and overdue. There are fundamental questions raised in his Call that don’t have easy or comfortable answers.
Distrust is his main theme. Conservative churches are considering leaving because of the theological drift of the past 10 years. They no longer trust the denomination to find them pastoral candidates who will support their interpretation of Scripture. They no longer trust PCUSA to spend their money on causes they can support and be proud of, nor trust or rely on them to produce acceptable Bible study materials and prioritize the dwindling resources of a shrinking arm of the Body of Christ. Worst of all, they no longer trust that PCUSA is committed to any essential tenets of presbyterian understanding of the faith.
Related articles:
The Layman answers the Moderator’s Call to the Church
Moderator issues Call to the Church: The need to restore trust and reform the denomination is urgent
7 Comments. Leave new
What ever we do and say, we must put our faith and trust in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit
If you take the metrics of the PCUSA, especially post 2000, money received, per capita collections, mission support, membership. And run that against head-count or people on the employment roles of the OGA, Louisville, PMA bureaucracies’ you will see an inverse relationship. Headcount and employment rising in a decreasing denominational base or support base. Sooner or later something had to give.
The existential crises for Louisville, as marked by the ongoing crises of the PMA is that 3 possible outcomes are on the table -dramatic downsizing/right-sizing of the entire GA/177 Presbytery/15 Synod/associated programs to far smaller footprint and cost. -General institutional collapse across many programs. -Merger or union with a like minded group, my guess the logical fit is the UCC. I think Heath knows that, or at least aware of how bad it is and is seeking to get some discussion going as what option to choose. Where conservative-evangelicals are in that process of discussion, or where we sit in the big tent? Those chairs were taken away some time ago.
I am sorry, Wake-Up-Call, but if you would read a little more than the abbreviated caption, you would discover that this section of the site is actually called “Presbyterian News and Analysis.” And the articles by Duffus and Larson certainly qualify as analysis, even if you do not like what they may say about the PCUSA organization. Your quibbling about their articles is kind of silly.
I am not the editor, WUC, not even close. I’m just someone who prefers substantive discussions (or even arguments) on serious issues rather than nitpicking over what does or does not qualify as analysis. In any case, thank you for calling my attitude flippant. You could have used adjectives even more colorful than that. 🙂
They should have plenty of money. The mismanagement is showing up in higher education operations, already, but it is a long term proposition. Remember, this takeover dates pre-1900.
@Wake-Up-Call: Thanks for your comment. I try to write what my former colleagues in the news business would call “news analysis” but feel no constraint against giving my opinion based on that analysis. I’m using Heath Rada’s “Call” as a news peg for that analysis, which is common practice.
I agree with Peter that it’s undeniable the denomination will need to consider some fundamental questions SOON about how to go forward, as Rada’s call makes plain. He called for this discussion, after all.
Clearly so, Peter. Mission work will be affected certainly, and it is to that part of the church’s spirit that I most write. ECO as a smaller denomination is looking to partner with other reformed bodies to do mission work, and I see the potential for cross-presbyterian partnerships in that regard.
As a conservative still in PCUSA, I would be happy to see them get rid of certain other functions, such as the very liberal and archly political Washington Office, which serves no good *presbyterian* purpose and is a needless, ineffective expenditure, in my opinion.