I have been on a paid leave of absence for close to three weeks. This leave was granted to me when I announced that I would retire on January 31st. My leave ends with my new retirement date on May 1st. Terri and I are in the process of moving to Bossier City, LA. We leave in three days. Our new location is about twenty miles West of here.
I preached last Sunday at a United Methodist congregation. A couple, who belongs to this congregation, attended our Wednesday evening Bible Study were kind enough to suggest me as a pulpit supply so their pastor could have the freedom to visit with his family. It was nice to be in the presence of a low anxiety congregation. There is an old saying that a fish doesn't know it is wet because the fish has never been dry. It takes a contrast to define a reality. This relatively calm congregation only demonstrated the tension in the one I served for nearly ten years.
After a pleasant brunch with my host couple; I checked a text message on my cell phone. It was a picture of the voting results from "my" congregation. The General Presbyter preached there and moderated a meeting of the congregation and afterward, the session (church board). The congregational members voted for the third time on the question of leaving the PC(USA) and joining the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. I have all but lost interest in the issues facing the congregation I once served and in the presbytery I am currently a member of. I sense that many members have also lost their will to exert their desire to re-affiliate with a denomination they see as more harmonious to their vision of the Kingdom.
The clearly expressed wish to leave represented two thirds of those present and voting. This represents a moderately lower percentage compared to the other two votes. The number of those opposed remains at about twenty. This time, those opposed made an effort to rally everyone who is even distantly related to the congregation but are officially "active (voting) members." What I think these folks fail to appreciate is that a congregation must be sustained by committed members. If anything, they would be wise to insist that all who vote would be willing to participate in the congregation's future mission. Otherwise, they create a unfounded optimism.
The General Presbyter seems ruthlessly determined to have his way. His tactic seems to be to divide the congregation on the basis of those "loyal to the PC(USA)" and, I gather, those disloyal to the PC(USA). The Response Team will recommend to the presbytery, next Saturday, that the congregation suspend its discussion of leaving the denomination until an indefinite date. For those whose consciences are troubled by the current policies of the PC(USA) - well, they are free to transfer their membership to any denomination of their choosing. In street terms, this translates to, "Stop talking about changing denominations. If you don't like our new progressive vision leave." The only possible end to this course is schism. This spirit of draconian manipulation is being repeated in many more congregations by many more presbytery level leaders in every part of the denomination.
I watch from a distance. I get only a few rumblings, second handed, from the most discouraged members. It seems the natural (and healthy) distance between a former pastor and his congregation has begun. Once I leave town, this geography will assist in this emotional separation. Just as they are experiencing an emotional separation from me, I am as well from them.
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