In Appreciation Of. . .
As I have been reviewing some of the founding
documents of the United Church of Christ, particularly the Congregationalist
strain, in preparation for a presentation on History for the Shenandoah
Association Institutes, I have been particularly appreciative of the insights
of our ancestors in faith. In
particular, I am thankful of the polity of our church.
One month ago the United Church of Christ met in
Baltimore in General Synod 17. Delegates
– some men, some women, some clergy, some lay, some youth – all selected and
elected by their respective Conferences back home, gathered as church to
consider the issues of the day and the direction of the UCC for the next two
years. Approximately 3,000 delegates
acted on behalf of 914,871 (as of fall 2017) members representing 5,032 (as of
fall 2017) churches. There business
ranged from hot topic justice concerns to the nitty-gritty of how and who will
govern the denomination.
Back in the late sixteenth century Robert Browne began
writing and putting his writing into practice as he gathered a church in
Norwich, England. His writings went
against all the acceptable ways churches were organized and governed. His thoughts became known as the
“Congregational Way.” First and foremost
he reminded all who would hear him that Christ was the Head of the Church – not
a king, or queen, or bishop, or pope, or patriarch. He also spoke about equality between “regular
church folk” and their pastors. No one
was above anyone else.
These ideas took hold and expressed themselves in those
Pilgrims and Puritans that settled the Colonies and who are our ancestors in
faith. Congregational framework meant
both a freedom from imposition of will from a higher authority, and living
together in a covenant relationship one with another. These fundamental ideas took shape in the
founding of our nation and the relationship of the three branches of government
one with another.
From the very beginning the governing body of the church
designated those among themselves to make decisions and act on their
behalf. In the beginning those people
were only men, only full communicative members of the church, and only men of
high integrity and morals. They were
given the historic, biblical, names of officers of the church – elders and
deacons. They were subject to the will
of the people because they were voted in and could be voted out. While holding office it was their
responsibility to make responsible decisions based on the best facts they could
get. But also, in addition, they were to
make decisions prayerfully, paying attention to the qualities and teachings of
Jesus as Head of the Church. In those
meetings, they were the church gathered.
Every once in awhile, it is good to remember that the
church is not a business. The church is
not a civic organization. The church is
not political party. The church is God’s
people gathered. The church is God’s
people choosing to bind themselves together in a relationship of trust and
faith. The church is the Body of Christ
to do what Jesus did when he walked the shores of Galilee – proclaim the Love
of God, usher in the Realm of God on earth as it is in heaven, focus always and
forever on the sacredness of life – each person and all the world(s) around us.
Our meetings, our classrooms, our
worship services, our fellowship time together are to be formed by Jesus. We forget that sometimes. Today I am thankful for the witness of our
ancestors to remind us of the responsibilities of living in covenant with one
another, the people gathered as church.
Grace and
Peace
Rev. Clara
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