I'm at our annual denominational meeting. The people rock. The content of the teaching rocks. The business sessions - boring. So should we follow the American trend of 'non-denominational,' because each church/pastor knows best? Should we follow the emerging church/hip church trend to be 'independent' so we are free of the burden of churches who don't move as fast as we do? NO. In circles of discussion with my church planting, or emerging, or fundamentalist, or cutting edge friends, I often find myself a lone voice for the value of Biblical connectionalism (in the form of denominationalism). When our mother church, Forest Hill, announced they were about to leave the EPC and go independent, I urged my friends there, including the Senior Pastor, not to do such an unwise and unbiblical thing (not to leave the EPC, but to become 'independent' which is an oxymoron in Christianity when all churches are part of the wider Body of Christ).
So, to indugle in this geeky, very important crusade of mine, I pass along the paper our denomination just wrote and approved on the 'why' of being part of a denomination today. It's long, but very very good if you care about church leadership and faithfulness from generation to generation. And if you go to LFC and ever get asked by your holier, more independent-than-thou friends 'how come you're in some boring, irrelevant, hocus pocus denomination.' I want you to have a good-no a great- answer. Here we go - enjoy:
STATEMENT OF BENEFITS OF BEING IN THE EPC
In today’s world many people question the value of denominations and the Biblical basis of denominations. In the eyes of many they are often arcane, bureaucratically enmeshed, and ineffective. The blunt truth is that in many instances the criticisms are more than fair. Yet, while bad denominations are a bad idea, we also believe that there is such a thing as a Biblical, effective, and relevant denomination. In short, we think that in God’s economy we have the ability – as local churches and leaders – to make each other better as we work together. Indeed, we think that many instinctively grasp the value of being a part of a dynamic, well grounded, goal oriented, and forward looking organization. At the heart of it, we think many intuitively grasp this because God has called us to be a part of a body larger than ourselves. Indeed, this is our Biblical conviction.
Below are a basic statement of our convictions about the value, importance, and imperative of being an active part of a Biblical denomination such as the EPC. We believe:
1. Working together to fulfill the Great Commission matters:
There are moments in ministry, such as foreign and domestic missions, or national disaster, when linking together with other churches across a national spectrum allows us to take on still larger challenges. Historically the EPC has done this through Argentine outreach, church planting, establishing institutions for training leaders such as the Jumper Center in Brazil, Muslim missions, and national disaster such as Katrina Relief.
2. Denominational standards for professionally trained, regionally ordained and nationally recognized ministers matter:
In today’s world many do little more than ordain themselves, or are ordained by the immediate group of people whom they lead. While we affirm personal calling and the importance of a local body affirming that calling, we view the office of a Presbyterian Teaching Elder as a profession as well as a calling and hold to the historic Presbyterian value of an educated ministry. By ordaining through the Presbytery and upholding standards of ordination nationally through the General Assembly, our Teaching Elders can legitimately claim that they are professionally trained, regionally ordained and nationally recognized. We believe that challenges of ministry in our culture demand no less than this and that Pastors are more fully positioned to carry out their office when the wider church ordains them.
3. Real networking, training and equipping with like-minded churches and leaders matters:
We affirm the value of many of the equipping organizations of which local EPC a may be members. That said, we believe there is a unique benefit in networking and learning with (and from) those churches who share our particular beliefs and philosophy of ministry. We seem to have a unique potential to learn and grow with those churches and leaders with whom we are already connected and who share our most basic convictions. While we are grateful for the increasing emphasis on training and networking within the EPC, we believe that EPC should set as a goal becoming a first class equipping and training organization, unique in that we do this as a denomination.
4. Real accountability matters:
The history of the church makes it clear that accountability – doctrinal, ethical, and ministry practice as expressed through evangelism and discipleship – matters. In too many situations pastors, leaders, or churches are able to evade the responsibilities of their office or calling as a community by being accountable only to those whom they lead or to themselves. Others claim an accountability which has no real basis in vows or authoritative church structure. Our conviction is that Scriptural accountability is a gift that God gives to the individual, the local church, and the wider church. We believe that ultimately this accountability must be grounded in loving relationships but move beyond this to include truly authoritative structure. We believe that this accountability is vital to the church’s integrity and witness in the world.
5. Real relationships outside your local church matter:
We believe that a Scriptural commitment to the unity of the church necessarily places us in relationships beyond our local church. Some of this we’ve covered above, in the commitment to real accountability and ordination standards. Some of it we’ve covered above in our beliefs about networking and learning both together and from one another. Our conviction is that unless we formally commit to these things, the press of ministry and life is such that we are increasingly likely to isolate from other churches and leaders. This isolation leaves us building only on our own ideas, resources, and prayers. It is a prescription not for ministry strength but rather ministry weakness.
We are Presbyterians because of Scriptural conviction, believing that God Himself has called us into community. We believe that in structured community there is great strength and that ultimately to “submit to one another” is integral to the authentic community God calls us to be.
Are the EPC office, committee structure, and EPC meeting itself structured in the most effective and efficient way to meet our mission and goals? To be a dynamic organization, we need to do a thorough evaluation of how we’re allocating resources in the EPC office. Perhaps we should have zero-based organizational planning?
Conclusion:
For some, the work of building and rebuilding an effective denomination is a waste of time. They don’t think it can happen or that it’s a worthwhile goal. It’s our commitment to Scripture which forces us to disagree. In the New Testament church we see congregations and leaders held together in a web of mutual relationship, teamwork and accountability. The apostles exercised real church authority, not only over individuals but congregations and especially church leaders. Mere networks, no matter how helpful, have no mechanism for church authority. In the same manner, purely congregational church government has no capacity to hold churches as a whole or their leaders accountable to those outside of themselves. In essence, they are closed systems, and both secular and sacred history teach us of the inadvisability of no accountability outside of ourselves.
Our vision is for real accountability – doctrinal, ethical, ministry productivity – partnered with a) real relationships, b) real networking, and c) training/equipping with excellence. We believe this is the best possible world and while we understand why many would choose to set their sights lower – this is no easy task – we think that Biblical Presbyterianism calls us to nothing less than this.
The problem is not that we have been too “Presbyterian” or “denominational”. The problem is that we have degenerated from what our system could be – and at times has produced – into a cheapened form of Presbyterianism which is either a) merely bureaucratic or b) merely autocratic. We propose something much richer, challenging, and filled with much greater potential. Churches and leaders bound together in real relationship, working together and pooling resources so as to a) make each other better in ministry practice, b) experience authentic relationship so as to genuinely encourage one another, and c) hold each other accountable for doctrine, ethics, and ministry effectiveness.
We believe the resources exist already to, at a minimum, move us significantly in this direction. We also believe that many in our denomination intuitively sense the possibilities and are hoping for real change in this direction. We also believe that our steps towards this end include: 1) stating our mission and goals clearly and gaining denominational buy-in and 2) reorganizing the EPC Office in order to support this greatly sharpened vision of denominational purpose and calling.
