wfn.org | Hamm outlines vision for denomination's future

[DISCNEWS.parti@ecunet.org (DISCNEWS)]

Date: February 18, 1998
Disciples News Service
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Contact: Clifford L. Willis
Email: CWillis@oc.disciples.org
on the web: http//www.disciples.org

98b-10                   

    INDIANAPOLIS (DNS) -- A three-year rise in churchwide giving,
new methods for discussing controversial issues while rebuilding trust in the
denomination, and a move toward reclaiming congregations as mission centers
are among the hopeful signs the Rev. Richard L. Hamm has seen in just over
four years as general minister and president of the Christian Church (Disciples
of Christ).

    Nevertheless, with these accomplishments behind him, Hamm wants
an opportunity to help the Indianapolis-based communion "move forward into
God's new day for us." Hamm is nearing the end of a six-year term as head of
the Disciples of Christ. The final vote on whether he will serve a new term
occurs during the 1999 General Assembly.

    What does this new day look like for the 50-year-old church leader?
He discussed his vision in a recent speech before the Administrative
Committee of the General Board.

    When it arrives, the church will be distinguished by three identifying
marks: deep Christian spirituality, true community and a passion for justice. "I
think that becoming a church that is faithful to these three marks is worthy of
another several years of work!" he exclaimed. 

    Hamm's vision also includes a denomination that lives in covenantal
community, has moved from survival mentality to mission, and whose
congregations regard themselves as mission stations. "You and I may not live
to see every aspect of this vision realized," he said, "but we are beginning to
see the early signs of its realization. I believe it is a vision that comes from
God, and you and I need a shared vision for these coming years." 

    A church living as a covenant community exhibits dependence upon
God's Spirit and interdependence with each other, according to the general
minister and president. A covenant community works "together freely and
sacrificially for the sake of mission under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. In
covenant, we still have our freedom, but instead of the emphasis being on
rights, it is on responsibility to one another under Christ.

    "I see a church in which our leadership is forging vibrant new
covenantal partnerships across old rigid bureaucratic boundaries that have tied
us down and kept us focused on our past rather than on God's possibilities for
our future." One example, said Hamm, is the National Benevolent
Association's decision to invest $2 million with Board of Church Extension to
make possible more loans for Disciples congregations.  

    "We must enter the future God has for us together," Hamm said. "This
new world is not one in which single, isolated, independent congregations are
going to do well." They will either drown and die in secularism,  or worse,
promote a sectarian religion. "Congregations must be part of larger vital
communities of faith in order to stand up to the forces of the world. They need
mutual support, prayer and encouragement of one another."

    This struggle, according to Hamm, is not about denominational
survival. "It is about standing together in order to be faithful to our mission in
a culture that is often hostile to faith. We must help our members understand
the importance of being a part of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
and to understand and live out our covenant as one communion within the
larger community of the whole of God's church, God's people."

    The future, Hamm said, is a church that faces its bigotry and racism
and lives its justice pronouncements with integrity. "I see a church that values
diversity, welcomes difference, and embraces unity as a sign of God's love for
all peoples and cultures. I see a church that has recaptured its commitment to
the unity of all Christians as a sign and foretaste of God's good news to a
broken and hostile world . . .  And yes, I see a church that is growing
spiritually and numerically," he said.

    "We are wonderfully put together as a church. We value Christian
liberty and Christian unity, rights and responsibilities. I believe we are exactly
the kind of church people of this generation are looking for! We are no  flash
in the ecclesial pan!' 

    "No leader today knows exactly what the future holds or exactly how
God will get us to it. But, I believe we have enough clarity to understand that
God has an important place for us in this new world, in the new millennium,
and that we will get there if we move with faithfulness and commitment."

                          -- end --

DISCNEWS - inbox for Disciples News Service, Office of Communication, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), PO Box 1986 Indianapolis, IN 46206, tele. (317) 635-3100, (DISCNEWS@ecunet.org) Wilma Shuffitt, News and Information Assistant; (CWILLIS@oc.disciples.org) Cliff Willis, Director of News and Information; (CMILLER@oc.disciples.org) Executive Director