By the Rev. Mary Holder Naegeli, Bringing the Word to Life
One of the first things a counselor (of any type) will tell you is that if you want to change a behavior, the best place to start is by monitoring what your current behavior is. If you want to change your eating habits, for instance, you would keep a food log for a couple weeks to observe what you are actually putting in your mouth. Then when it is time to start the behavioral change project, you know where your points of vulnerability are, you know how much of a change is required, and you get a pretty good idea of what to do to change course. If you are honest and complete in your log, self-monitoring is also a good foil against self-deception. Human beings have a huge capacity to sweep reality under the rug, underestimate its impact, or avoid accountability simply by changing the facts one keeps track of.
It has been said that what gets measured gets valued. A few years ago, Willow Creek Community Church came to the conclusion that they were measuring the wrong signs as indicators of their success. While they attracted a lot of people into their worship services (easy to measure), there was a disappointing lack of evidence that the throngs were actually growing more mature and deeper in their faith commitment (something notoriously hard to measure, but everybody would agree is more important than just church attendance). When it comes to measuring progress in the Christian life, congregations and denominations have a difficult time getting to the real issues related to discipleship.
One such area where I think a study should be conducted [within the Presbyterian Church (USA) tribe] is the relatively new 1001 New Worshiping Communities project trumpeted at the 2012 General Assembly.
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What sort of new? Well you got kindred spirits,daughters of sophia, or whatever that freak show was called, you got the covenant network, you got the 2014 GC,and of course you have louisville, aint much “new” here, just the same old crap, dressed up to look good to a world going to hell in a handbasket.
About 12 months ago I actually showed up at one of these “1001”. They called themselves the “Gathering Community”. They met at a coffee shop at the King of Prussia Mall in suburban Philly. 9,10 I would say older white women, and when I say older, 60+ I guess. Some brought Bibles, others not, but wasn’t used in their gathering. Basically coffee and talk, mostly about progressive social issues they can support, at that time. The “mission” was to canvas their neighborhoods about signing up folks for the ACA roll out in Pa.
Prayers were all “spiritual” I assume but not Christo-centric nor Jesus referenced in any sense in the divine context. At the end all hugged, and when their ways. Now what this singular example of the “1001” says about the rest or their conditions or presuppositions is anybody’s guess. But when is a “church” not a “church”? Well, I would posit that when something has nether the marks, content, aspects of worship, or lacks the formal marks of worship and praise, it is something else. And what that else is, is again up for grabs. Like anything else the PCUSA does or attempts on the corporate level, I think there is always more form than substance. More politics and ideology than actual aspects of people gathering to “worship”. And again, how much PCUSA corporate money is again flushed down this black void, is again anybody’s guess. Does the “Gathering Community” still exists, who knows? I do know I was not on their e-mail chain.
Years ago I went to a pastors conference at Willow Creek. No cross, no baptismal font, no communion table. A temple to secular religion based on good music and showy religion. I heard lots of anti-semitic statements.
But the real heresy was about new Christians and deep faith. Lots of piety, not much worship of God.
To cite it as a place to consider, is to fall short.
James,
I would be a lot happier reading constructive criticism rather than brickbats. Once a problem is identified, how about a proposal to correct it?
Rev. Pat “James,
I would be a lot happier reading constructive criticism rather than brickbats. Once a problem is identified, how about a proposal to correct it?”
Rev. Pat,
it’s funny you should ask, get rid of kindred spirits,daughters of sophia, covenant network, take back the 2014 GC, and the louisville sluggers. There, problem identified, and the proposal to correct it. But we all know better, don’t we.
Willow Creek and Ricky Warren, u know him, deserve each other, accepting the growth growth movement of the late 1960’s. People as they forget friendship with the world is enmity against God, an they forget, Romans 12:2, Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the Spirit of God goes the verse. With Ricky and Billy, we have nothing to fear.
everything old is new again. why doesn’t the Presbyterian Church, all of them, go back to the good old fashioned Sacrament of Reconciliation? In the Catholic Church it is still required before Confirmation, and recommended at least once per month after that. In Reconciliation each member confesses and receives whatever brief counseling is necessary, followed by Absolution, from Jesus in the form of a priest. it’s schismatic rejection of the authority of Jesus in the Church that is leading to the downfall of so many churches; no PhD project focused on a human solution to the Presbyterian ‘problem’ will solve anything.
the United States is way past the point of fixing this entire mess. after countless decades of liberal thinking like this what we have now is the great unleashing of punishment on this country for it’s widespread acceptance of abortion and sexual sins. what’s going on in the PCUSA is the tip of the iceberg, the end result of decades of liberal ‘live and let live’ feel good theology. once again, take a look at amyhamnerwalker at twitter if you want to see a real live PCUSA wife of and elder talking non-stop, pretty much, spewing out PCUSA verbiage. anyone who is still a member of these schismatic organizations after watching this sort of thing, and witnessing what goes on in websites like this one, i don’t know what more anyone can say or do, it’s mind boggling that so many are still sitting in these pews of their own free will.