One of the trends that characterize the last 40 years of religious life in the United States is the decline in mainline denominations. In order to understand why that is important one has to understand what a denomination is and what purpose they serve. Mainline Protestant denominations are autonomous branches of the Christian Communion such as the United Methodists, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, the Southern Baptists Convention, and the PCUSA. Each of these branches has a unique form of doctrine, polity, and administrative practices. Now, I realize that may sound very dry and uninspiring to some of you. I can’t tell you how many times I hear someone say “I don’t care about church doctrine (dogma), I’m just here because I feel close to God in this church.” And while I am always glad to hear that someone experiences the presence of God in our midst, I wish people were a little more open to understanding the role doctrine and polity play in making that experience possible.
To say “I don’t care about church doctrine…I just know I feel close to God in this church,” is a little like standing on a balcony saying “I’m not really concerned about the structure that is holding this platform up…I’m just enjoying the view.” The “feeling” of God’s presence in a church is sustained by the health of the community and its openness to the Spirit—both of which can be measured by the way it treats people, the openness and transparency of its administration, and its means for calling itself to account for its actions. In other words, a church that endows its clergy or elders with unchecked authority, shuts individuals out of leadership because of who they are, and allows abuses of power to go unaddressed is a church that has made an idol out of itself and has shut the door on God. This is more common than one would want to believe.
There are very, very few celebrity pastors in PCUSA churches. This is not a coincidence. It is because our doctrine discourages the cult of personality. There are very few successful or longstanding cover ups of abuse in PCUSA churches. This is not a coincidence. It is because our polity is ripe with checks and balances. There are lots of small PCUSA churches that are still going strong after the pandemic. This is not a coincidence. It is because our administrative structure encourages shared responsibility and deep investment in the workings of the church. This is the engineering that keeps the balcony safe so that we all can enjoy the view.
There is nothing glamorous about the Reformed tradition (doctrine), representative government (polity), or “elders gathered in councils” (administrative structure). And this is why we have been declining. Our denomination is designed to function slowly, to engage people and hold them accountable, and to make room for voices that might otherwise get shut out. Few people have the patience for this way of doing church these days. They find it cumbersome and slow. But, if you ask me, it is a way of doing things that is worth preserving for the next generation, who I suspect will rediscover its wisdom with great enthusiasm. For this reason, I am as deeply committed to the preservation of our denomination as I am committed to the St. Andrew’s community itself.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Jen