Move to the
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STORY Joint Press Release
May 16, 2006 In an era when even church
decisions can be all about
winning and losing, God worked through Presbyterians in
The situation had the potential to be a devastating church fight. The leaders and members of Third Presbyterian Church have differed with their denomination, the Presbyterian Church (USA), for years over basic biblical interpretation and politics. Add to that the fact that in the Presbyterian Church (USA) member churches do not hold clear title to their church property and financial assets; these are considered to be held in trust for the denomination. All the elements were present to ignite a major religious battle. Many churches and denominations in similar disputes have engaged in bitter litigation in church and state courts at great cost to both church and denomination. John Knox Presbytery, a regional governing body of the Presbyterian Church (USA), and Third Presbyterian Church decided to follow a different path to resolve their differences. In keeping with traditional Presbyterian practice of making decisions through ordered processes which seek God’s guidance, each body appointed representatives to meet together in intense prayer, Bible study, and face-to-face discussion over a period of several months. This representative group believed they were led by the Holy Spirit to focus on furthering the mission of Jesus Christ, rather than to debate who was right or wrong. Every decision the group made flowed from this principle. It was a challenging process for two groups differing in their understanding of how the church is called to perform that mission, but the groups kept faith with each other and finally reached agreement on every matter assigned to them. The report of their work became the foundation for the presbytery’s action. Effective June 1, 2006, Third Presbyterian Church in The Rev. Elder Paul Jensen, Third Presbyterian Church |
MOVING
Session Member Perspective Wind
– even though wind is not visible, everyone believes that
wind is real. Why? Because
there is evidence of wind in each
person’s life. The wind rustles
through
tall grasses and rearranges leaves on the ground. A
mighty wind can change fields, forests and
even families’ lives.
God’s family at No human could predict, let alone “negotiate,” the results of the action that came to conclusion on May 16. During the past five months, when humans tried to control the negotiation discussions, no progress was made. When the focus was on furthering the mission of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit rearranged details just the way God planned: keep the property and give a gift to John Knox Presbytery (JKP) to help reach people from different cultures. The congregational vote of 76 “yes” and 7 “no” is evidence of unity in the same focus that the JKP Task Force and Session shared: spreading the Good News of the Gospel of Christ. God has brought His family to this place of love and trust ready to follow His call wherever He leads. By the vote of 54 “yes” and 7 “no” at the May 16th meeting of JKP, the Holy Spirit provided a huge sign that God is moving this family farther—out into the neighborhood to lead people to become devoted, passionate followers of Christ. With on-going surrender to the power of the Holy Spirit, this story is … To Be Continued!
Acts 2:42-47 by Beverly VanDerZyl |