The voice from the grass roots of the Presbyterian Church is crying out loud and clear: "Enough is enough!"
When an institution goes into an advanced state of decline-- as evidenced by intense internal conflict, decreasing resources, bureaucratic stagnation and ineffectiveness--someone has to end the denial and speak the truth.
WE WANT TO BE A DIFFERENT KIND OF CHURCH--
A Christ-centered church for the people:
that is focused on local congregations to help them flourish and grow;
that is decentralized and responsive to the grass roots;
that establishes ordination and training standards to create strong, biblical leaders;
that is based not on coercive connectionalism, but on relational and spiritual connections;
that honors the Scriptures and embraces the Confessions;
that engages in creative and articulate mission partnerships.
The PC(USA) must change to become this kind of church, or its institutional days are numbered, The denomination must decide its course now.
The reality of our situation is urgent.
Change is no longer optional—it must happen, or the PC(USA) will die.Change cannot be done piecemeal—it must happen in a sweeping way, from a bottom-up paradigm, based on a thorough reordering of the denomination's priorities and values to the very core. Change cannot be controlled or blocked by the professional bureaucrats any longer—it must be determined and carried out by the people and the churches of the denomination. Our vision is radical—radical in the original sense of the word, coming from the Latin for ft takes us back to the very roots of our Presbyterian and Reformed heritage, based on local congregations of believers, united in mutual covenant, for mutual accountability and support.
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We realize that this vision may be threatening to some (it may threaten their turf and influence, their comfortable status quo; it may even threaten a Synod or GA staff person's budget or title).As a result, many with a vested interest in the current institutional structures will resist our call for change.
But this denomination does not belong to the bureaucrats. It doesn't belong to the General Assembly, the Synod or the Presbyteries. It belongs to the thousands of churches, and their pastors and elders and deacons and members, and our Savior, Jesus Christ.
We intend to pursue a denominational reality that will follow a new—but actually very old and biblical—paradigm: not an industrial age, top-down institution, but a Christ-centered fellowship of God's people.
We, the Confessing Church Movement, intend to explore God's vision for the 21st century church at our National Celebration in February. We will extend an invitation to all pastors and elders from across the vast theological spectrum of the PC(USA) to join us in this grass-roots movement.
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