A Strategic Proposal for Implementing Presbyterian Global Fellowship Values

by the reverend doctor D. Paul La Montagne

After the 2008 General Assembly I was very troubled and reflected and struggled to find a good strategy for living with (or without) our denomination. In the course of reviewing various options I examined the Presbyterian Global Fellowship closely for the first time. I was deeply moved by their missional values and especially by the way in which they had given those values priority over the travails of the PC(USA). PGF values could guide a strategy that would move us forward in this difficult time. But translating values into operating strategy is an important and a difficult step. What follows is a proposal for a strategy based upon PGF missional values. Once I had constructed it I realized that I could give both it and PGF my commitment.

1. When matters come to a vote, vote in favor of orthodox and Reformed Christian theology and in favor of traditional Reformed practice, especially in the areas of Christian sexual ethics and the Reformed practice of ordination.

2. When called upon, make clear statements concerning these issues, affirming always Apostolic, Nicene, Chalcedonian theology.

3. Do not, however, be distracted by denominational politics and spend excessive time campaigning over these issues, organizing to address them, writing and publishing about them or fighting involved polity and governance battles.

4. For the most part, recognize that ministry and mission happen at the individual and congregational level, so pay attention to the denomination (at least at its highest levels) only insofar as it supports the work that God has called us to do. Waste neither time nor money nor strength fighting a losing battle to force this particular division of the visible church into closer correspondence with the invisible church.

5. Since denominations by their very nature will always be broken institutions, waste neither time nor strength nor money trying to leave the denomination or create a new one or set up an alternate polity structure within the present one.

6. Instead, dedicate ourselves, especially at the level of congregations, to ministry and mission. Our primary calling is to help people grow up to the stature of the fullness of Christ and to proclaim the Gospel throughout the earth. Remember that throughout the earth includes, in this day and age and for us here, to a secular, post-Christian American culture.

7. Spend as little time and effort and money as possible on structures to support our ministry and mission, for structures are largely secondary or tertiary. Focus instead on fellowship among those who are dedicated to the same ministry and mission. Such fellowship is more effective by far in enabling and enhancing the ministry and mission of concrete particular congregations than any structural attempt to accomplish the same task. Even good structures created by faithful people and oriented to the proper mission and ministry of the church can be obstacles to fulfilling our calling if we spend too much time and effort upon them. What little structure we create should limit itself to servant work in support of the fellowship among those dedicated to the same ministry and mission.

Justification for this strategy: The visible church is a fractal object. There are very few clearly unfaithful and very few clearly orthodox and faithful corporate expressions of the invisible church to be found in it. The visible church is the field of the wheat and the tares. It is not merely a waste of our time and strength to attempt to separate them while they are growing, it is probably damaging to the wheat as well. To interpret the parabolic metaphor: in the present cultural and social state of the visible church as it is found in most American denominations, attempting to force the denominational structures into conformity with orthodox theology and practice takes too much time, effort and money away from the work that faithful congregations and elders (both teaching and ruling) should be giving to their ministry and mission. They, and their members, and those to whom they minister and witness are damaged thereby.

The day when we can find or create a reasonably pure expression of the invisible church is past. An attempt to transform our present denomination is prohibitively expensive (time, effort and money), and the attempt to form new denominational structures, while not prohibitive, is very expensive (time, effort and money). We do not have it to spare if we are to proclaim the gospel in a culture that has been inoculated against it. We will have to trust God for the state of the church in the world at large and for the outcome of history.
Most of our orthodox and evangelical churches are, at present, not doing a very good job of fulfilling their mission and only an acceptable job of carrying out their ministry. Yet this is our highest calling and our most important immediate goal. We should focus on it and give it the great majority of our time, effort and money.

If the time comes to cleanse and transform the denomination, we will know it because dedicating ourselves to ministry and mission will have so prospered our orthodox and evangelical churches, and failure to maintain Christian standards in theology and behavior will have so withered other churches, that it will require only a little effort to take control of the denomination’s political machinery. And the only possible way to reach this point is to concentrate on ministry and mission instead of denominational politics.
If the time comes to leave the denomination, we will know it because they will kick us out.
And in the meantime we have work to do.

D. Paul  La Montagne grew up in Oregon.  Raised in no church he became a convert to Christian faith while at college.  He did undergraduate work at Reed College and Whitworth College, double majoring in mathematics and religion.  He did his masters of divinity work at Princeton Theological seminary, and holds a phd in philosophical and systematic theology from that same institution.  An ordained minister of word and sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA) he served a small rural church for seven years and now does campus ministry at Rutgers in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Comments

[Matt Ferguson]

Is this a personal statement or a statement approved by PGF, representing what PFG holds?

If the former, it is simply an opinion that I believe only represents what can work for large churches who are immune from most of what a presbytery can do to it. (PGF is led by tall steeple folks and professors, both of whom live in a different world than the vast majority of other ordained leaders.) Of course, the writer is one who does campus ministry so he will not be impacted by the change in ordination standards since he isn't serving as pastor of a local church.

If this is a statement of PGF's position then I am disapointed because it means they will be of no help in finding a faithful way forward for the orthodox evangelicals in our denomination.

Keeping our focus on our own local ministry in hopes those promoting false teaching will simply die away is not what I see advised in God's Word, in the early church, or in the work of the Reformation.

[Chris Scruggs]

As Matt indicates, this piece does not contain wise counsel. For those of us who have congregations, who are building institutions, who are responsible for the spiritual health of congregants (or students, perhaps especially the young), who care about truth, morality and the future of our denomination, and who have been entrusted with positions of leadership, this cannot be sound advice. If Calvin and Luther had followed this counsel, we would not be here. What we need to hear is the voice of the hymnist, "Rise up, O Men of God"

[Ken Robbins]

Feel your pain and frustration, brother. But, you are wrong. Deadly wrong. Your own view of what you are called to do is between you and God, but to many of us the witness of the church is more than just local ministry though it may be the first call.

We are by theology and corporate organization a connected body. We are called to bear witness to the world, not just to our neighborhood. To abandon that part of our call because it is too expensive, exhausting, frustrating, or seemingly hopeless is to forget one of the main lessons of Jonah. When God calls us to go and speak, "yes Lord", is the only response.

To many of us ignoring the state of the church except when called upon to vote, is like that, and like ignoring a child playing in the street. Keep it up long enough and only bad things can happen.