Photos by Leslie Scanlon |
David Henderson, senior pastor of Covenant Church in West Lafayette, Ind., and co-moderator of New Wineskins,
speaks at a session of their meeting.
| 
New Wineskins participants in prayer
| TULSA -- "All in favor of confessing biblical truth? Raise your hands! Stomp your feet!" That was the easy part at the New Wineskins convocation (and the way that Wineskins co-moderator Dean Weaver from Pennsylvania asked for that particular vote). But the rest -- including where those who are distressed about the theological integrity of mainline Protestantism should go and how they should get there -- is coming harder. At the convocation, 194 voting delegates, representing 126 endorsing congregations, voted to formally constitute the New Wineskins Association of Churches. New Wineskins will appoint a strategy team and will meet again at First Presbyterian church in Orlando Feb. 8 and 9.
Photos by Leslie Scanlon |
David Henderson, senior pastor of Covenant Church in West Lafayette, Ind., and co-moderator of New Wineskins,
speaks at a session of their meeting.
|
New Wineskins participants in prayer
| TULSA -- "All in favor of confessing biblical truth? Raise your hands! Stomp your feet!" That was the easy part at the New Wineskins convocation (and the way that Wineskins co-moderator Dean Weaver from Pennsylvania asked for that particular vote). But the rest -- including where those who are distressed about the theological integrity of mainline Protestantism should go and how they should get there -- is coming harder. At the convocation, 194 voting delegates, representing 126 endorsing congregations, voted to formally constitute the New Wineskins Association of Churches. New Wineskins will appoint a strategy team and will meet again at First Presbyterian church in Orlando Feb. 8 and 9. But the delegates had differing views on how strongly to raise the possibility that among the range of actions the strategy team could suggest in February is that congregations could ask their presbyteries to dismiss them from the jurisdiction of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). One delegate said that if he went home, "I could probably get a 90 percent vote tomorrow to ask for dismissal" -- his congregation is that determined to leave the PC(USA). But "we don't have to say that just yet and offend everyone," he said. And others suggested that to speak explicitly of withdrawal now, perhaps before property issues are worked out, will -- as one put it -- "put a bulls-eye on our backs that is unnecessary now." But others said a strong stand is exactly what's called for. "That's why we're here," said one delegate. "That's the meat of everything." To not discuss withdrawing is operating in "a spirit of fear," another man said. Some New Wineskins leaders seemed willing to be less direct in pushing for withdrawal, explaining that some churches are ready to leave now but others are not -- and they think it's important at this critical time for evangelical Presbyterians to stay together and for congregations not to just trickle out of the PC(USA). "We have those who were headed for the exit yesterday," said New Wineskins board member Russ Wilkins. But others think staying in the PC(USA) and fighting to wrest control "is actually an option." And New Wineskins wants to "take these like-minded evangelicals together into this new future," Wilkins said. STICKING TOGETHER That's definitely one of the sub-texts of the New Wineskins gathering July 19-22: that evangelical Presbyterians need to stick together. And an extension of that is that this may be exactly the right time for an exciting vision: for "like-minded evangelicals" from the Presbyterian church and from other traditions -- perhaps from other denominations and from the Southern hemisphere church -- to work together to create new entities that are uncompromising on doctrine and devoted to mission around the globe. Luder G. Whitlock Jr. is interim president of Erskine College and Seminary, an Associate Reformed Presbyterian school in Due West, S.C., and a board member of the National Association of Evangelicals. Speaking to the convocation, Whitlock described this time as "the most important development in Presbyterianism in at least 100 years," and said evangelical Presbyterians can "create a new movement that will make a difference." In an interview, Whitlock said: "I see a movement of evangelicals who are Reformed and Presbyterian, and it goes beyond any given denominational group right now. It's a much broader thing," innovative, exciting and focused on mission. "I'm talking to people from all different kinds of backgrounds who sense something big could happen," Whtilock said. "I frankly think this could surprise everybody." On July 21, Bishop Robert William Duncan, the Episcopal bishop of Pittsburgh, spoke to the convocation. Duncan is a leader of Episcopalians in the U.S. who opposed the consecration of V. Gene Robinson, a gay man living in a committed partnership, as the bishop of New Hampshire. Duncan also is moderator of the Anglican Communion Network, a movement of conservative Episcopalians from the West to align themselves with conservative Anglicans in Africa and Asia. Duncan, who was greeted with a standing ovation from the crowd of about 400 and who described himself as "kind of an elder brother in the fight," spoke of "how deeply we're in this together and how much we depend on each other. This is a common battle we're all in." And Duncan said: "It's time for us to accept the allies the Lord gives . . . We need to let go of the old boundaries of separation, the kind of denominationalism that really has destroyed us," and to develop a new, international ecumenism. But for all the excitement about what may lie ahead -- and the potential joy of a united evangelical block -- talking about a common approach may be easier than achieving it. Some came to the New Wineskins convocation in full support, some to get a better sense of where the winds are blowing. New Wineskins co-moderator David Henderson of Indiana characterized the new "association" the convocation created as "a step of formalization" but "certainly not a denomination" that would ordain its own ministers, at least not for now. The association is filing for nonprofit status as a legal entity, Henderson said, is hiring more staff and drafting a budget. The 126 endorsing congregations of New Wineskins have 69,000 members, representing about 2.9 percent of the membership of the PC(USA), according to New Wineskins executive director Tom Edwards. BIRTHING MOMENT There is a sense of momentum among Presbyterian evangelicals -- that this may be a season of opportunity fired in the crucible of discontent. On the final morning of the convocation, Weaver called it a "birthing moment." Many evangelicals contend that the General Assembly crossed a line of no return when it met in Alabama in June and approved the report of the Theological Task Force on the Peace, Unity and Purity of the PC(USA). That report includes a controversial recommendation that many evangelicals say is unacceptable and could lead to the ordination of sexually-active gays and lesbians. The assembly retained the PC(USA)'s national ordination standards, which limit ordination to those who practice fidelity if they are married or chastity if they're single. But it allows candidates for ordination or installation to declare a conscientious objection or "scruple" to an aspect of the ordination standards -- and says presbyteries and sessions must determine if such exceptions are tolerable, or unacceptably violate an "essential" of Reformed faith and polity. Within minutes of the assembly's vote, evangelicals were denouncing what had happened. And they have filled the fall schedule with convocations, gatherings, conversations. But already, some differences of views within the evangelical wing are surfacing. Parker Williamson, chief executive officer of the Presbyterian Lay Committee, urged New Wineskins supporters to get moving. "I want to urge you to be very careful about what I would call the `hurry up and wait' syndrome," Williamson said July 21. "Wait for what? We've heard statements like, `Let's all go together' or talk about the vast evangelical majority, and there is one," he asserted. "Some have said, `Let the tall steeples lead us.' Friends, the middle never leads." Williamson cited examples from the Bible and from history, reminding them of "Gideon with a tiny band of committed followers" and others who weren't afraid to lead or to confront authority. And he posed this challenge: "Would you dare" to be leaders too? Michael Walker, executive director of Presbyterians for Renewal, offered greetings on behalf of that organization, and spoke directly of evangelicals' struggle to figure out how where to go. "There is a range of faithful options before us," Walker said. "There is no longer just one clear, faithful path that all of us recognize as the way to go. We may indeed go in different directions, we may not . . . There is a range of faithful options. Yet I long for us to be together." A BROAD VISION Walker is involved with the Presbyterian Global Fellowship, which is meeting Aug. 17-19 in Atlanta. Why does it matter if Presbyterian evangelicals stick together? It could give them strategic advantages -- negotiating strength, time to try to legally protect their property, a chance to pray and discern what to do. The idea of leverage through numbers is "a huge factor for a lot of evangelicals," Walker said. With collective strength, some believe "they have a greater chance of leaving with body and soul intact." There are theological reasons as well. "We believe our witness to Christ in the world will be so much more faithful and effective if the evangelical congregations in the PC(USA) stay together and have a unified witness," Walker said. Some evangelicals think that witness could remain strong regardless of whether congregations stay in the PC(USA) or decide to split off. The Presbyterian Global Fellowship could include both Presbyterians who stay in the PC(USA) and those who decide to leave, Walker said. Two evangelical groups involved in the Global Fellowship conversations, The Outreach Foundation and Presbyterian Frontier Fellowship, have announced their intention to raise their own funds and send their own missionaries. Walker also spoke of "a potential multi-denominational evangelical fellowship" -- asserting that, in a post-denominational world, "our identity and unity need not be established with primary reference to the denomination. Weaver raised the idea of that same kind of possibility for New Wineskins -- that congregations from the Evangelical Presbyterian Church or other Reformed denominations might join in as well, or that even PC(USA) congregations that switch to other Reformed denominations might somehow be active in New Wineskins.. But all of that raises some sticky questions of whether New Wineskins will become a denomination of its own, and how it will work out what it considers to be theologically acceptable. The evangelicals are unlikely to disagree with each other about ordaining gays and lesbians -- currently the flashpoint issue in mainline denominations. But PC(USA) evangelicals don't always agree with other Presbyterian denominations on issues such as ordaining women. And if the net is cast even wider -- to include denominations that aren't Reformed or come from other parts of the world -- questions over "biblical truth" and theological differences unrelated to gay ordination could become interesting indeed.
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We've been trying to cancel the early service and have only one Sunday worship service. There are voices who insist that if we do this they will leave. Sometimes we have to risk hard decisions even in the midst of threats and fear.
I'll hold out for some hard decisions and not panic in a sea of anxiety about all those who are yelling, 'Leave the denomination!'