FWC President Bob Thompson writes, "In place of my usual monthly FWC report, I offer these reflections on General Synod XXVI in Hartford, CT."

Overview

General Synod XXVI in Hartford was FWC’s first General Synod since our formation in January 2006.

Special thanks to those who gave FWC its primary representation –

·        Rev. Duffy Roberts (Ohio) joined me (Rev. Bob Thompson, Southern) as our “Voice Without Vote” delegates on the floor of the Synod and in committee.

·        Rev. John Roberts (Southern), Russ Kohrs (Central Atlantic), and Rt. Rev. Karl Ludwig (Calvin Synod) were all FWC board members who were voting delegates from their conferences.

·        Linda Thompson (Southern), Cyndi Burns (Southern), Rev. Scott Johnson (Ohio), and Sarah Kohrs (Central Atlantic) staffed our exhibit booth, distributing 1,000 highlighters and hundreds of pieces of literature while also engaging in dozens of in-depth conversations.

In addition to our exhibit booth, FWC sponsored three workshops on Saturday, attended by approximately 60 people.  My handout from that workshop has been posted on our web site, www.faithfulandwelcoming.org.

The key question for us at this synod was whether we, as ECOT (evangelical, conservative, orthodox, or traditional) members of the UCC were still welcome and wanted.  Since the time of our formation, we have been greeted at times by voices of suspicion, blame, and condescension for our ECOT perspectives.  We were wondering if we would have the same reaction at General Synod.

Toward the end of Synod, while addressing our resolution (see below) on the floor of the Synod, I stated publicly that I had been pleased with the “extravagant welcome” extended to us by delegates and visitors.  This statement was quoted both by the Hartford Courant  and the United Church News.

I meant what I said.  Most of us were surprised most of the time by positive response to our positive presence.  To be sure, there were individual voices and reactions different from the norm.  But overall, the expected range of reaction between apathy to hostility was overwhelmed by a different range – between appreciation and respectful difference.  This was reinforced by a 90%+ affirmative vote to the resolution we presented.  Details below.

Areas of Concern

Sociopolitically, the UCC remains a liberal-progressive body at the General Synod level.  Some of that was masked at this synod for the sake of presenting a positive message of unity and celebration in honor of our fiftieth anniversary.  I certainly do not mean to imply in this report that I have witnessed a significant shift.

One definitely gets the impression at times during Synod of a Democratic Party love-fest.  Not only was a Democratic Presidential candidate (Barack Obama) a keynote speaker, most issues on which Democrats and Republicans would disagree publicly and overwhelmingly lean Democrat.

Probably the key example in this Synod was a pastoral letter read by the Collegium of officers concerning the Iraq War.  The letter used strong language to condemn the war and the current administration.

To be fair, anti-war or pacifist sentiment is not necessarily a conservative-liberal divide in terms of theological tradition.  In other words, many ECOTs would also oppose this war – or any war.  But the General Synod quickly added its collective name to the pastoral letter over the protest vote of a handful of delegates who felt that the action was not only partisan – it was hasty.  They felt the action should have gone through a normal resolution process rather than being approved on the spot.

The February-March issue of United Church News reported that the UCC has nine of its members in the current U.S. Congress – four Democrats and one Republican in the Senate, and four Republicans in the House of Representatives.  (I learned recently from the UC News editor that they missed another Democrat.)  It seems to me that fairness would have dictated inviting at least one Republican to address the General Synod on key political issues of the day.  It wasn’t just Obama – most public speakers seemed to favor social and political positions of the political left.

Neutral Outcomes

I don’t know if “neutral” is the right word, but this General Synod certainly did not seem to take any actions that charted new territory in terms of the theological, ethical, and political left.  For example,

·        The synod took “no action” on a proposal to endorse physician-assisted suicide.

·        The synod replaced a resolution on changing the composition of synod (from conference-elected delegates to local church representatives) with a decision to study how local churches can have greater voice and representation in their delegations.

·        The synod took “no action” on two resolutions offered to overturn the 2005 statement on “equal marriage rights.”  The reason that I consider “no action” to be neutral is that there were voices on the synod floor that called for “sound defeat” of the two resolutions.  But others said that the Synod should not be so harsh in dealing with those who disagree with the action of the last Synod.  In fact, I started to wonder if the 2005 action would have passed this Synod by the necessary 2/3 for a “resolution of witness.”  We will never know, of course, but I thought this Synod seemed to have fewer voices intent on taking advocacy positions that damage the unity and strength of the church as a whole.  John Thomas’ remarkable and moving prayer following a resolution formally severing ties with the Puerto Rico Conference (which left in protest of the same sex marriage vote) asked forgiveness for “failing to listen.”

Progress

At a number of points, I felt the Synod was very positive for FWC.  Keep in mind that our goal was simply to gain respectability – that it’s OK to be ECOT in the UCC, that there are plenty of us still around, that it’s permissible and healthy for us to organize and advocate for our views, that we are included in the UCC’s “extravagant welcome,” that we have a right to be heard and represented.

Toward that end, the most significant positive result was the passage of the resolution that had been endorsed by 25 of our FWC churches.  The resolution showing revisions has been posted on the UCC web site.

When I made my statement on the floor that I felt I could go home and tell ECOT churches that they are welcome and wanted, there was a strong applause.  This tells me that the overwhelming number of GS delegates refuse to join in the kind of accusations that have characterized some of the response to us since we are formed.  And they want us to stay. I will no longer take as normative or representative the harsh criticism of a few – or invest any significant time defending our right to exist or speak out.

A significant moment occurred for me on the first night of committee hearings.  After I presented the case for the resolution in the ten minutes I was allotted, one of the first speakers at the committee rose and said something like this: “I symbolize those our denomination has stood up for – I am a female, young, gay, multiracial pastor.  But I like this resolution, and I hope it passes.  My parents are more conservative than I am, and so are the members of my congregation.  They feel left out when they attend UCC meetings.  We need to make them feel welcome again.”

As a result of the committee’s near-unanimous vote and the overwhelmingly positive vote by the General Synod, the bottom line is that we ECOTs have heard clearly we too are a part of this body.  We don’t need to be embarrassed or defensive when asked about our views.  We are learning how to state those views respectfully but clearly.

There was other progress as well.  Our resolution was really about reaffirming the historic faith that brought the UCC into being and defines its boundaries.  It seemed clear that theological language consistent with that historic faith was more in evidence at this synod, according to veteran synod observers.  We heard more about Jesus, and saw less discomfort with calling him “Lord.”  Whereas liberal-progressives seemed to delight in previous years at undermining the resurrection, one of the t-shirts distributed by our denominational identity campaign says, “If you think getting up on Sunday morning is hard, try rising from the dead.” 

And it was the committee addressing our resolution that inserted a phrase “under the guidance of the Holy Spirit” into a “resolved” paragraph.  Again, the trend in the past was to use “spirit” (not even capitalized) – i.e., something like, “guided by the spirit,” an ambiguous theological reference at best. 

There can be no harm done by reaffirming our historic faith, reclaiming our traditional language for God, and inviting the Holy Spirit to guide us.  Hey, maybe God really is “still speaking.”

Speaking of language, we have successfully introduced the acronym “ECOT” into GS vocabulary.  That’s significant because it represents our own diversity and it also decreases the viability of stereotyping us with preconceptions of one of those individual labels or something else pejorative, such as “fundamentalist.”  Note that the only changes the committee made to our resolution (by rule) are in the title and the “resolved” sections, so we have placed a significant amount of information into the formal record of the UCC related to ECOTs.

A number of factors, I’m sure, played into this being a more moderate Synod.  Our vocal presence was one of those factors, including our tracking of “lost churches.”  But there were other contributing factors – the fiftieth anniversary celebration, the financial woes, the loss of Puerto Rico and many of our black churches in the Southern Conference (a hard blow to a church priding itself on its multiculturalism).  We have scant cause to pat ourselves on the back, but neither do we have reason to be discouraged and fade into the background.  We in FWC have gained a greater voice for ECOTs in the UCC.  I’m more encouraged than I ever dreamed I would be after General Synod.

One final note – it was nice to make, renew and deepen relationships with our friends in Biblical Witness Fellowship, Corpus Christi, Confessing Christ, and Focus Renewal Ministries.  While these organizations have different emphases and approaches, we share many concerns.  A number of FWC members were proudly wearing “Jesus is Lord” buttons from Confessing Christ, for example.  And we enjoyed eating, praying, and worshiping with friends from BWF and FRM.  We have established our own FWC identity as “loving critics” in the UCC, and as the “new kids on the block,” but we also recognize and value those who have preceded us (and remain active) in addressing concerns shared by ECOTs.

Resolved

For those of you who do not want to follow the link to the web page, here are the “action steps” emerging from our resolution as amended –

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Twenty-sixth General Synod, meeting in Hartford, Connecticut, reaffirms the Basis of Union with Interpretations and the Preamble to the United Church of Christ constitution as ongoing valued and cherished testimonies of faith that guide our common life and identity in the United Church of Christ, and under the ongoing guidance of the Holy Spirit, and (sic) commends these documents for review, reflection, and study at all levels of the church.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Twenty-sixth General Synod calls upon all

settings of the church to consider prayerfully its policies and statements in terms of their impact on the unity and future of local churches, associations, and conferences in the UCC.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Twenty-sixth General Synod recognizes and affirms the efforts of those among us who are encouraging all members and all churches to remain in the United Church of Christ and to increase their covenantal partnerships through giving to the wider church, by sharing joys and concerns, and by participating in every aspect of denominational life. \n This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it " target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>president@faithfulandwelcoming",1] ); //-->

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Twenty-sixth General Synod acknowledges the existence of a broad spectrum of thought on contemporary issues of theology and ethics, and advocates fair representation of all points of view in all settings of the United Church of Christ.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Twenty-Sixth General Synod urges Association, Conference and General Synod meetings to welcome speakers, displays, and educational opportunities that exemplify an openness to the wide range of ministries and theological diversity in our churches.

What Next

I have been asked several times what our next step is.  The FWC board would like to hear from you on this point.  If you have not done so, join one of our Yahoo chat rooms – FWClergy (for pastors and other clergy who have identified themselves as FWC on our web site) or FWChurches (for clergy and laity who affirm FWC principles) to offer your ideas.  The links to those chat rooms are on our web site.  Or e-mail your thoughts to president@faithfulandwelcoming.org.

Among the possibilities emerging from our resolution are these –

·        How can we continue encouraging ECOT churches to stay in the UCC and perhaps even openly identify themselves as FWC?

·        How can we assist in implementing the further study of the Basis of Union and Preamble to the Constitution?

·        How can we be a resource to the national church in conveying the perspectives and needs of ECOT churches?

·        How can we seek to expand our visible presence at Association and Conference annual meetings through displays and literature?

·        What ideas do we have to offer concerning the financial crises at the national and regional levels?  Do we have some specific suggestions in the area of designated giving, for example?  (I thought it was interesting that without any input from FWC people, a motion was made and defeated, though narrowly, in the committee discussing our resolution to add “including OCWM” to the section addressing support of the wider church.  It’s clear that people realize OCWM is a flash point in many congregations.)

·        How can we offer input into the choice of speakers at Association, Conference, and General Synod meetings that represent greater theological diversity, including the ECOT voice?

·        How can we work with the national staff to assist churches that are seeking ECOT pastors and not finding enough viable candidates?

·        How can we address a core issue for ECOT members and churches, namely “biblical authority,” in a more significant way?

·        How can we encourage more representation of ECOT voices in places of decision-making and influence?

·        How can we write and distribute resources lifting up ECOT aspects of the UCC’s heritage, as well as stories of renewal and revitalization among ECOT churches?

·        How can we promote ecumenical partnerships of the UCC with organizations such as the National Association of Evangelicals and World Vision, organizations cited positively by Barack Obama in his speech to the synod?

·        How can we raise the necessary funds to expand our outreach in these and other ways?

·        How do we prioritize the above issues in an organization like FWC which counts on the efforts of busy laity and pastors?

Bob Thompson

President, Faithful and Welcoming Churches

www.faithfulandwelcoming.org

Pastor, Corinth Reformed Church, Hickory, NC