Bringing it All Together

Yesterday was quite the hectic day, so I didn't get a chance to sit down and blog about what was happening.  Most of my attention was focused on giving the report of the Commission for Women and working with the special advisory committee on Church Order and Governance.  I suspect that if I have time, I'll be reflecting on those things today as well.  The big thing that is going on, however, is the approval of the appointment of Tom DeVries as General Secretary.  

The way that this appointment was presented by the GSC was interesting.  By interesting, I mean unhelpful.  They chose to present the process in great detail, but no information at all about the candidate himself.  Those who had interest in the process had more than ample opportunity to learn about it on the RCA website, through the many communications that were sent out about it, from their GSC representatives, and in the General Synod workbook.  Yes, yes, I realize that there are a bunch of delegates who have not prepared in the least and didn't look at the workbook, let alone other supporting materials, before they sat down at their tables.  But the fact remains that it was possible to learn all about the process before Synod.  There was also opportunity to learn about Tom's background, which was published in RCA Today and on the website, and which anyone with an internet browser could easily find online.  

What delegates did not know, and could not know unless they were in a position to speak directly to him, was the answer to several questions that were floating around.  It's strange to me that it didn't occur to those planning this discussion and vote that people would want to know the candidate better, or that we would have questions that we needed to ask to feel that we had been diligent in our work.  So, finally, this morning, Tom had an opportunity to speak about some of these issues.

I had an unfair advantage in all of this, I suppose.  To be honest, when he was nominated, I was fairly irate.  I did some internet searching to learn more about him, and I wasn't pleased with what I learned. I was dissatisfied with the answers I was getting from GSC and the search committee.  I was ready to go to battle against his appointment.  But then I actually met with him, and much to my surprise, I can work with him.  I was impressed by many of his answers.  We don't agree about everything, and he's not as proactive about some things as I might like him to be, but he brings other tremendous gifts to this position.  One of them is that he can deal with nosy, suspicious, irritable, opinionated people like me - and if we can work together, I think there is pretty good hope for the RCA with him as General Secretary.

As it happens, the appointment has just been approved.  I am curious and hopeful as I look toward how the character of the RCA will develop in the coming years.

Young Adults, Outsiders, and the Future of the RCA

In his final address, our outgoing General Secretary spoke at length about young adults, people on the fringes, and new models of church.  It's taken us a while to get to discussing this seriously, although pockets of it have bubbled up in various parts of the RCA.  When I'm not talking about women or geeking out with the church order folks, a big part of my job deals with those very people.  I work with people who have never been to church, who haven't been to church in years, who have been hurt by churches and never want to go back.  Most of the people I see in my "real life" don't know what a Synod is and don't care.  This week they are quite possibly reading my Facebook posts and wondering into what universe I have disappeared.  

This crazy ministerial position, in which I deal primarily with people outside of the church, is based in one of the oldest churches in the RCA.  My congregation is proud of their 331 years of history, of their traditions, and of the strong foundation they have built.  Many of them have been in that church for decades.  Some grew up in the church, and have parents and grandparents who were lifelong members as well.  We have an organ and a choir.  The ministers wear robes...sometimes.  Our liturgy is fairly traditional.  

And yet, my church is excited about their present and future, too.  We are connecting in new ways with our community, with service agencies and those they serve, with the business sector, and with those who have nothing to do with church.  We are increasingly committing ourselves to loving God by loving those around us, regardless of whether they ever step through our doors.  We are about to begin a program in which young adults will live together in intentional community, work in local non-profit agencies, and serve in and with the congregation.  

I live with one foot planted deep in the RCA.  We are a very old denomination, with a lot of history and structure to ground us and guide our lives together.  I love our long tradition, and the way our polity and governance reflect our covenantal theology.  My wonkery over the BCO is nearly boundless.  However, my other foot is in a world that doesn't care much (or at all) about what we're doing this week.  They don't find much to love in the church.  

That said, I think our deep and solid foundation gives us something very relevant and important to offer to people who live in a transient and often isolating culture.  In my experience, people are seeking something stable, something to ground them.  I don't think we should compromise our foundation.  But we do need to find new ways for the church to meet people where they are, to address the physical and spiritual needs of those who don't fit into our usual models, and to proclaim Christ in clear and compelling words and actions in a rapidly changing world.  

What I would like to see happening in the RCA is a better way for churches to communicate with each other how we are going about addressing these needs - sharing best practices and inspiring each other to engage the world with God's love and justice.     

Trust

A theme has arisen in this first day of General Synod.  The president, Don Poest, spoke about trust (and mistrust) of leaders.  As we meet with the CRC this afternoon and hear about our joint ministries, our ability to trust each other has been mentioned a few times.  So, I begin my GS experience thinking about trust, and what it means this week and in our relationships as a denomination in general.  

I live and serve in the eastern part of the RCA, in a church that would probably be considered quite liberal by most people.  From that perspective, we sometimes have a tendency to look west with skepticism, frustration, and trepidation.  We often have a lot of ideas about what our midwestern, western, and Canadian brothers and sisters are like, what they believe, and how they worship.  "We" talk about "them."  I've spent enough time with people from other areas of the RCA (and lived in other areas, as my roots are in the midwest) to know that there are stereotypes and opinions about easterners, too.  And then there are the ideas we have about the CRC, and they about us.  Geographically, culturally, and theologically spread out as we are, we often have a tendency to speak about each other rather than to each other.

This is not so much a recipe for trust.

Every few years, someone proposes that we shift GS to every other year rather than every year.  I've always opposed such a move, even though it might benefit us financially.  GS is, it seems to me, one of the few times that we who live on opposite sides of the country and dwell in different segments of the theological spectrum have to sit together and look each other in the eye and deal with each other as people rather than labels.  I had lunch today with people who represent a number of locations, contexts, and positions on issues, including two CRC people.  I have had vast disagreements with some of these people before.  But lunch was really good.  We talked about our respective ministries, the future of our churches, and our common hopes and interests.  We managed to have a whole meal without arguing, and without shuffling each other into categories, even when our discussion touched on topics that might be controversial.  

I know these people a little better now.  I trust them more.  I think I will be more able to truly hear what they say when we are doing the business of Synod, without leaping to conclusions about their motivations.  I hope they will be able to hear me better as well.  It seems to me that this is how we come to trust each other, and thereby to do more and better ministry together.  I hope for more days of the kind of generally positive interactions we've been having today, because this is not always the case here at our "family reunions."

Welcome to General Synod

It's day one of General Synod, and I feel like I should introduce myself for those of you who may be reading this and not know me.  I serve as an associate minister for mission, outreach, and youth in Schenectady, New York.  This year I'm a voting delegate for the Classis of Schenectady, but I am also representing the Commission for Women, of which I am the moderator.  If you watch the live stream, you'll see me giving the report of the CfW tomorrow afternoon.  This is the tenth General Synod I've attended in some capacity, and my second as a voting delegate.  I'm a little nervous about my attention span (short) and my ability to sit still in one place for long periods of time (low), since I've had more freedom as a corresponding delegate in the past to wander around and hang out at the back of the room.  Because I needed a third hat to wear this year, I'm also a member of the special advisory committee on church order and governance (because despite my short attention span and low ability to sit still, I'm kind of a polity geek).  I think that may be all that's necessary for now.  I'm looking forward to a good week of catching up with friends, meeting new people, and doing the business of the church.    

Belhar Implementation Task Force

Eight of us are meeting in a hotel near LaGuardia airport today to discuss strategies for developing resources and practices to assist congregations, classes, and the denomination in integrating the Belhar Confession into our corporate life.  It's a lively and energetic conversation, as one might expect from a group of people who are passionate about this work (and this particular group, which is high in the 'big personality' department).  However, we find ourselves with a number of challenges as we begin this task.

One is the lack of common understanding of what it means to be confessional.  Many, if not most, RCA churches did not use our Standards before the adoption of the Belhar, so how do they come to understand the significance of the Belhar, or use it in their congregational life?

Another is the fact that a large portion of the RCA did not vote in favor of adopting the Belhar, and may have greeted its reception with skepticism, anger, fear, anxiety, or sadness.  How do we provide tools for those who do not fully embrace the Belhar, and to what degree can we realistically expect those resources to be used?

Challenges aside, we have made good progress today in beginning to identify resources and practices that may help the RCA integrate the values of the Belhar into the six elements of Our Call.  It's a daunting task, but today's meeting continues to convince me of its value.