Proudly Presbyterian...

I just read yet another report on the decline of mainline protestantism and yet another comment about the decline of denominational loyalty and yet another account of growing churches who drop their denominational byline or make it very hard to find.  Does it really matter?  Aren't really all churches alike?  To me...it matters.

First, let me be clear that all Christian churches are alike...or should be...in our focus and following of Jesus Christ as head of the church.  There will be a time in which God's kingdom will arrive fully on this earth, and we will all see clearly how to let Jesus be head of the Church...and then we will not need denominations.  In the very-messy-human-meantime, here is why I am proudly, persistently, Presbyterian.

We are called to the church.  Being Christian is, by definition, being grafted into the body of Christ...and that is the church.  We are called together to be Christ's body in the world for the specific purpose of sharing God's love with the world.  We cannot do that by ourselves on the golf course.  We might feel the presence of God as we putt that first green, and I'll concede that alone on the golf course is easier (even on a bad putting day) than together in the messiness of community, but alone is not body of Christ and never will be...and together is not for our own personal benefit, it is so the world can see God. 

Since church is not an option, and since we do not yet live in the completed Kingdom, I choose Presbyterian.  Denominations are ways of organizing our lives together...and even non-denominational churches do the same thing (whether they admit it or not)...and the way we organize ourselves speaks to how we perceive who God is and how God works in the world.  These are some of the things I value.

Women and men, and all races are equal in the sight of God and invited to serve in the church.  We have woefully fallen short in extending the gracious acceptance of God's love to our brothers and sisters who are gay and lesbian in committed relationships, but we continue to move in the right direction.  I claim we are moving in the right direction because (at least so far) we do not excommunicate or kick people out of our denomination/church because they disagree with the majority.  We agree to majority rule, but we can disagree with each other and continue to work to come together through the work of the Holy Spirit to seek truth...by staying in conversation with God and each other.

Governing the church is done by the people, laity and clergy with equal voices, who commit to a process of discerning the wisdom of the Spirit in guiding a church.  In theory, this reminds us that Jesus is the head of the church, and together we work to accomplish his agenda, and not our own.

We are a connectional church.  Even the computer doesn't recognize the term as grammatically correct.  Presbyterian churches are accountable to and connected with each other.  Joining together gives us more resources, more strength, and more opportunity to serve God in our larger communities and in the world.

And here is the most important reason why I am Presbyterian Church (USA).  We are part of the Reformed tradition.  We believe that God has come incarnate in Jesus to bring us to God completely and unconditionally with his life, death, and resurrection.  Further, we believe that God continues to turn us toward Godself making us holy as we reflect God's love and grace.  We DO nothing to earn this amazing grace.  We do not have to go to church, or serve others, or follow a set of laws, or even acknowledge that God has provided us this salvation.  It is ours...already...whether we know it or not.

If it were up to me to do something to insure my own salvation, or to decide about others, we would be in trouble on both counts.  I can let God be God, and in gratitude for all God has done for each of his precious children, I can do my best to listen to God's call to me.  And I can do so knowing that even when I fall short in my own opinion or in God's opinion...or even in someone else's opinion...even when I fall short I am loved and forgiven by my God who is working out his saving purposes for the world and who will continue to do so until all the world knows God's love and mercy.

No denomination is perfect or will be until God draws us all together.  But for the now, and for many other reasons that aren't listed here, I choose to be Presbyterian and to commit to working with other Presbyterians, and other denominations, and other religions, to do God's work in the world. I will continue to learn what my denominational foundations are, work to change those that I believe do not reflect God's love, and commit myself to serve others through the specific church body to which God calls me. 

Perhaps someday I will discover a denomination which, in its limited human way, better lives into the understanding of God I read in the life of Christ.  Until then....proudly Presbyterian Church (USA).