wfn.org | [PCUSANEWS] Kirkpatrick challenges PC(USA) communicators to

[PCUSA NEWS <PCUSA.NEWS@ECUNET.ORG>]

Note #8841 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

05416
August 12, 2005

PC(USA) communicators 
challenged to 'inspire hope'

Unity is essential to church's global witness, 
Kirkpatrick tells fledgling organization

by Jerry L. Van Marter

LOUISVILLE - In complex, fractious times, hope is "a scarce commodity" and
communication is critical, a group of 175 church communicators was told on
Aug. 12 by the Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, stated clerk of the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.).

	Speaking to participants in the first national gathering of the
Presbyterian Communicators Network, Kirkpatrick said: "We have huge problems,
but we have a huge reservoir of strength in the PC(USA). What we need most is
new hope in the gospel of Jesus Christ - so we need communicators who will
help inspire that hope."

	Kirkpatrick said that inspiration "begins with telling the story of
how God is at work throughout the PC(USA) ... and nobody can do that better
than you."

	Inspiring hope is a challenge right now, he conceded, in part because
of what he called "things that should concern all Presbyterians":

	The rise of special interest groups and the decline of governing
bodies in the church.

	"We are so much like the early church in Paul's day that it's almost
frightening," Kirkpatrick said. "There are already those who are promoting
schism or talking about 'gracious separation,' who withhold per capita and
claim that the church harbors two faiths." In the midst of all this conflict,
he said, "Jesus continues to call us to find reconciliation and common
purpose."

	The loss of members and of congregational vitality. 

	"We must help our congregations move beyond a 'survival mentality,'"
he said, "and help build spiritual renewal and congregational vitality." He
said the PC(USA) is not losing members to other churches, "but out the back
door to secularism."

	The decline in quantity and quality of pastoral leadership. 

	The number of active and installed pastors has declined since 1990,
and more churches are without installed pastors, he said. Some promising
initiatives have been undertaken - a national pastors retreat this summer, a
seminary debt-relief program sponsored by the Board of Pensions, intentional
pastors' groups resourced by the Theology and Worship Office, and expanded
Commissioned Lay Pastor programs in many presbyteries. 

	"Our key priority," he said, "must be to challenge the best and
brightest of our young people to consider pastoral ministry, and then support
them as they embark on ministry as a career."

	An inflexible polity that impedes mission. 

	"The model of the 1950s will no longer work," Kirkpatrick said,
quoting Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz" - "Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore." 

	Fifty years ago, Presbyterians were "very clear on Presbyterian
connnectionalism and evangelistic mission," he said, but now "we have a new
mission reality, and we've got to find the flexibility to respond to a
rapidly changing world."

	The loss of a vital and unifying vision. 

	"God intends us to be one church, so we need to rediscover the
rock-hard commitments that are the heart of our faith," Kirkpatrick said,
praising the work of the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity of
the Church. "Then we need to strengthen presbyteries and nurture
congregations, connecting them for mission and having the flexibility to
resource them in the ways they need." 

	
	Those concerns are more than matched, the stated clerk said, by
denominational strengths, including:

	A denomination with a compelling vision of the church.

	That vision, he said, is clearly articulated in the first four
chapters of The Book of Order, and includes an affirmation of Jesus Christ as
head of the church; the six "Great Ends of the Church" as a "holistic vision"
for the PC(USA); the central role of the church as a "missionary society
carrying the gospel to the whole world"; and a "radically inclusive community
that embraces diversity for the sake of unity."

	A denomination committed to "making a difference for Christ" in this
nation and around the world. 

	"In countless places, Kirkpatrick said, "Presbyterians are heeding
the call to be a voice of reconciliation and faithfulness to Jesus Christ."

	A denomination committed to global evangelism. 

	God is remaking the world through Christian witness everywhere,
Kirkpatrick said, "and by the grace of God, our passion as Presbyterians for
global mission has played a part."

	A denomination committed to working ecumenically. 

	"To be Presbyterian is to be ecumenical," he said. "If ever there was
a time when ecumenical efforts were essential, it's now. We'll never find
reconciliation in the world until we find reconciliation in the church."

	A denomination of strong congregations. 

	In PC(USA) congregations large and small, he said, "we see vital
congregations with Biblical preaching, faithful observation of the
sacraments, and strong community and global involvement."

	These are "complicated, complex times," Kirkpatrick said. "More than
ever, we need each other." 

	Quoting World Council of Churches General Secretary Sam Kobia, a
Kenyan Methodist, he concluded: "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you
want to go far, go together."

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