I wrote this for the newsletter of the church I am currently serving, Park Hill Christian Church, Disciples of Christ in Kansas City, MO. It's an answer to questions I've had from laypeople regarding whether being a part of our denomination matters anymore. I have no idea if this is meaningful for any other DOC church or for that matter for someone of another denomination or of no faith tradition at all, but I'm sharing it here in case its helpful.
When I went to seminary in the mid-nineties, church historians were already saying denominations were dying. The decades since have borne their words out. Denominational agencies, structures and missions have fallen away as church memberships and financial contributions have declined. As the generation born just before and during WWII enter their final decades, the dramatic upswing in church attendance and membership experienced after WWII goes with them. From the Baby Boomers forward, younger generations just haven’t cared much about the differences between churches, if they care about churches at all. It is a more than fair question to ask, “Why should a church be a part of a denomination?” and more specifically for Park Hill Christian, Church, “Why should we be a part of the Christian Church, (Disciples of Christ)?”
My answer to both questions essentially comes down to both yes and no. First the “no.”
No, in many ways, denominations don’t matter, especially as church as we have known it fades away. When the house is on fire, taking time to argue about the proper form of firefighting seems senseless. What good is it to argue methodology and ideology as things burn down around you? Also, even if churches were not in their current declining state, there is a certain arrogance to arguing about denominations. If the God we worship is indeed the God of all people, and the Spirit of Christ blows where it wills, who are we mortals to ever presume we possess the one and only truth? For such a great God, how dare we declare our way of being Christian is the only way of being Christian?
On the other hand, yes, things like accountability, preventing abuse of all kinds, avoiding the lure of celebrity clergy, and even avoiding unhealthy religion such as practiced by groups generally called “cults” means boundaries are needed and how we do things does matter. Striking a balance between arrogant legalism on one extreme and relativistic free-for-all on the other extreme is necessary if anything like healthy religion can be found in Christianity.
My answer to finding some kind of middle ground between too much and too little emphasis upon denomination has been to claim two denominations, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ. (I’ll stick to the former since I am addressing PHCC.) The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) allows individual believers and individual congregations maximum freedom in practice, belief and responsibility, but expects both believers and congregations to exist in a covenant relationship with others in their denomination. That covenant relationship means accountability, shared mission/outreach, and shared resources. Of course, because of the amount of freedom allowed, the covenant part often doesn’t work well, but that is due to the misuse of freedom by individuals and congregations rather than a fault of the structure itself.
(I should add the caveat that I've known plenty of churches who are a part of my two denominations that have failed the covenant test. I have also known of purposefully non-denominational congregations which have done well things like accountability, preventing abuse, partnering with other congregations, etc. What I am describing is my particular journey and my answer to whether or not being a part of a denomination matters.)
In sum, I choose the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), because it allows for freedom within healthy relationships. This balance is shown even in the name of the denomination. Its origins occurred in two 19th century American religious movements which happened simultaneously in Kentucky and Pennsylvania. Both groups rejected the rigid denominationalism of their day and sought to “restore” early Christianity. One group simply called itself “Christian” and the other group called itself “Disciples of Christ.” When they merged both names were kept.
Christian—refers to the understanding that all believers have direct relationships with God based upon their reading of scripture rather than on creeds or doctrine. This freedom is always understood to exist in community lest it become individualistic to the point of narcissism.
Disciples of Christ—refers to the understanding that many people claim to be “Christian” due to their family of birth, cultural identity or even country of origin, but being a disciple necessarily involves a relationship with Christ lived out in communion with other believers.
The freedom and covenant relationship of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) are necessary principles, especially for today’s world. I want to be a part of a church that is generous towards other believers, members of other religion and none. I want a church that recognizes no one person, one interpretation of scripture or one understanding of tradition, creeds and confessions contains all truth. In our global culture, we can no longer assume the way “we” do things is the best or only way. The dangers of churches that exclude, harm and abuse people demand that we act with humility about what we believe and remain open to the possibility our beliefs are incomplete or even wrong.
American culture is dangerously polarized, and we are losing settings where people of differing political beliefs can be together to transcend difference and remember our common humanity. Our kind of church necessitates finding such common ground. We share an open communion table where all are welcome, no exceptions. We don’t require new members to confess a list of beliefs, be baptized a certain way or to adhere to particular stances on politics or social controversies. We lay down our idols of politics, partisanship and division in order to worship Christ together.
Early members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) claimed mottos like “No creed but Christ” and “Unity not uniformity” which have special relevance today. In a day where churches have equated being Christian with voting for a particular political party or adhering to the talking points of cable news pundits, our denomination declares itself a “movement for wholeness in a fragmented world.”
In our current religious landscape (only heightened by Covid), the minority of people interested in being a part of a church seem to be flocking to congregations offering the best show. The best production values, praise band and preacher have trumped values, integrity and authenticity. As churches fear dying—a legitimate concern—they must remember there are worse fates than death. Being a part of churches that refuse leadership to women, condemn LGBTQ people, continue racist practices and promote politics above people means, in my book, being something other than Christian. I continue to believe there is a way to be church that allows for freedom and does so with integrity and health. The best way I have found to do so is in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
Grace and Peace, Rev. Chase Peeples
No comments:
Post a Comment