I Just Don't Get It!

In 1983, the PCUS (southern Presbyterian church)  and the UPUSA (primarily the nothern Presbyterian church) denominations merged and produced a national church of more than 4,000,000-plus members.  The merger secured for the united denomination a national presence with considerable influence in social, political and religious circles. 

Now, in 2011, twenty-eight years later, the once influencial PCUSA (the united denomination) has lost more than half its members and continues to bleed members (last year we lost more than 60,000 members).  The PCUSA has seen more than 150 local churches leave the denomination.  Many more are sure to leave soon.

Contributions to the regional and national judicatories are shrinking annually.  Many local churches simply refuse to fund the ultra-liberal higher governing bodies.  Presbyteries spend enormous amounts of money to challenge in court the efforts of many local churches to leave the denomonation with their property. 

We have been relegated to a second rate, inconsequential church.  Yes, there are many individual, local PCUSA congregations which are vibrant, growing and serving their communities, committed to the lordship of Christ and faithful to the Scriptures.  It is the denomination that is suffering and at great risk.

What happened to the once great PCUSA?

Consider: (1)  The liberal approach to interpreting Scripture -- 'make it fit your personal biases'.  (2) The failure for decades to fund missionaries -- from 1000 missionaries world-wide to a few hundred.  (3) The questioning of the lordship and saving power of Christ -- 'most any religion will do'.  (4) The approval of the ordination of unrepentant, practicing gay and lesbian elders and ministers -- see A-10!  Etc, etc!

My liberal friends say, "You just don't get it.  It's a new day.  We won.  Get over it."

I remember the day when we stood for something noble.  I remember fighting the good fight for racial justice.  I remember standing proudly for the rights of women and children.  I remember when we spoke with one voice and the nation listened.  I remember when I was once proud to be a PCUSA minister.

Once there was a great effort to 'renew' the PCUSA from within.  The multi-group effort has failed.  Now there is wide-spread talk of wholesale schism, of starting a denomination within the denomination (how laughable is that?), of starting an entirely new denomination made up of congregations that leave the PCUSA to join a new denomination, and of many local churches leaving to join with the EPC or the PCA or whatever!

There are many clerypersons fearful that leaving the denomination will cost them their pensions.  Not so, but it causes anxiety among many of them and stops them in their tracks. 

After 45 years of ministry in the denomination, I have no intentions of leaving the PCUSA.  I'm retired, but supplying pulpits and engaging in presbytery and local missions.  This is the church that birthed, nurtured, education and ordained me.  But it is not the same church today.  If I live longer enough, I may be around to help 'turn off the lights' of the PCUSA.  I pray that is not the future. 

The ordination of practicing gays is, in effect, come July 10, a 'local option' for congregations.  Litigation of properties, per capita payments, etc., will fill our denomination's court agendas.  More wasteful spending in a denomination of shriking members and dollars will occur.  Conservative congregations will lose members, even if they choose not to ordain practicing gays, because some members will not want to be associated with a denomination that ordains unrepentant gays even if their local church refuses to follow the liberal policies of the PCUSA. 

It is a sad, sad day in the PCUSA. 

Another word/view...from Mateen Elass:

"...in Americanized ethnic Christian communities, one finds extremely high percentages of resistance to our denomination’s capitulation to the nonbiblical world view on sexualtiy which infuses our culture. Look at the Korean Presbyterian churches, the Hispanic, the Native American — all of them are largely united in their opposition to the direction our church has now taken. If such ethnic believers, immersed in our permissive culture, can feel so strongly, you can imagine what their compatriots back in their homelands think of this matter."  (see Elass' blog below)


Blogs worth reading:

http://reforminggary.blogspot.com/2011/06/where-is-church.html

http://mateenelass.wordpress.com/2011/05/15/historic-moments-part-2/