Tell New Wineskins they lack authority to suspend Constitution    [8-28-06]

August 25, 2006 -- (PNS)  --  General Assembly Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick and Moderator Joan Gray responded this week to correspondence they received from the New Wineskins Association of Churches that calls for a moratorium on disciplining churches that seek to leave the denomination.

The New Wineskins approved the call for a moratorium in July, and the association subsequently empowered their moderator, the Rev. Dean Weaver, to send a letter and details of their action to Kirkpatrick and Gray.

Churches need freedom to have stay-or-go talks, group says

by Toya Hill, Presbyterian News Service
[8-17-06]

also on the PC(USA) website >>

LOUISVILLE – August 17, 2006 – The New Wineskins Association of Churches has followed through on action it voted to take by sending correspondence to Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) leadership calling for a moratorium on disciplining churches seeking to leave the denomination.

A letter written by the Rev. Dean Weaver, moderator of the New Wineskins Association of Churches, and a copy of action taken by delegates to the group's 2006 convocation held in late July, was sent to PC(USA) Stated Clerk the Rev. Cliff Kirkpatrick, Moderator the Rev. Joan Gray and all synods and presbytery executives.

Kirkpatrick, who was traveling, told the Presbyterian News Service Aug. 17 that he had not seen Weaver's letter and wouldn't comment on it until early next week, when he's had a chance to read it.

The association is comprised of 128 PC(USA) congregations that have organized because of their displeasure with the current state of the denomination, particularly the 217th General Assembly's approval of the report of the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity (PUP) of the Church.

The moratorium action, approved at the New Wineskins recent convocation July 19-22 in Tulsa, OK, calls on the moderator, stated clerk and all general presbyters of synods and presbyteries to adopt a moratorium on:

"As I am sure you are aware, the actions of the 217th General Assembly in approving the Peace, Unity and Purity Task Force report (specifically recommendation #5) has brought confusion and grief to many faithful members of our collective fellowship," Weaver said is his letter. "This is a difficult time that calls for grace and mutual forbearance."

The GA approved an "authoritative interpretation" of the church's Constitution that maintains current ordination standards for church officers, but allows a candidate for ordination to state a conscientious objection to a part of the ordination standards. Presbyteries and sessions are then called to determine if the exception is allowable or violates an essential of the Reformed faith and polity.

Weaver said that at the New Wineskins convocation there were "numerous stories" of congregations who have experienced fear and intimidation by their presbyteries for going against the grain.

"For daring to think certain thoughts or worse yet, consider openly actions that are permitted within our polity, member congregations are facing threats and what appear to be vindictive actions," Weaver said. "We are asking that you and all the elected leaders of the lower governing judicatories work with us to help create an environment of real peace, during these troubling times."

The first Presbyterian News Service report on the New Wineskins conference, held July 19-22 at Kirk of the Hills Presbyterian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, notes that the Rev. Parker Williamson urged that evangelicals not wait for a majority to start their own true church.  “I want to urge you to be very careful about the hurry-up-and-wait syndrome. Wait for what?”

A second PNS report focuses on the content of some of the sermons given during the conference.

Presbyterian Outlook offers a number of reports:
[You need to register to access these stories, but there’s no charge.]

Presbyterian News Service reports on the conference at Kirk of the Hills Presbyterian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Presbyterian Outlook offers a number of reports:
[You need to register to access these stories, but there’s no charge.]

"Why a New Wineskins Initiative?"
[6-30-06]

In the Spring 2006 issue of Network News, which was sent to all GA commissioners and advisory delegates, Witherspoon Issues Analyst Gene TeSelle in his survey of issues coming to the 217^thGeneral Assembly, listed some possible responses of the Assembly to the report of the Theological Task Force on the Peace, Unity and Purity of the Church.

The first response he mentioned was that some groups would likely oppose the report. And by way of example, he wrote:

The New Wineskins movement promises that, if this part of the Task Force report is approved, it will start a campaign to get congregations to sign a formal threat to withdraw from the church. The hope is to drive a hard bargain with the General Assembly, letting them leave with their property and continue to draw pensions. (This hardball strategy has been compared, not surprisingly, to that of Karl Rove and Tom DeLay in national politics.)  [Click here to find this paragraph in PDF format.  Just scroll or jump to page 10.]

That characterization of New Wineskins elicited an objection from Renee Guth, a member of the Board of the New Wineskins Initiative. And that sparked an exchange of views between TeSelle and Guth, leading Ms. Guth eventually to write a longer statement of the significance of purpose of New Wineskins.

Ms. Guth prepared this essay in May, and we had intended to post it before the Assembly in June. But things piled up as they seem to do around GA time, and your WebWeaver just lost it in the pile. As last it’s come to the surface again, and we’re happy to share it with our constituency – whoever you may be!

We (both Witherspoon and Ms. Guth) will welcome any comments you’d care to share.
Just send a note!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

Why a New Wineskins Initiative?

Many thanks to Gene TeSelle for welcoming discussion about the various issues facing our beloved denomination. Our first conversation surrounded the idea of affinity-based judicatories in 2004. I continue to be interested in finding new ways of being the Church. With his encouragement, I hope to clarify, "Why a New Wineskins Initiative?"

First of all, I wish that things were different. I would love to wake up one morning to find the entire Body of Christ dwelling in a blissful and dynamic unity as described by Jesus in the gospel of John. We are all waiting for that day.

Even so, as our God would ordain, I became a believer and follower of Jesus as the way to God outside of the walls of a church house. Having no particular direction regarding theological traditions or denominations, I read these last chapters in John’s gospel without prejudice and with utter naiveté.

At the time, it seemed to me that all Protestants were schismatic and that it was quite obvious that the true Church was the first Church. So, with a certain amount of ignorance, I walked into a Roman Catholic congregation and worshiped there for a couple years. Upon approaching the priest regarding membership, he asked me a number of questions about why I wanted to become Catholic and asked me questions about my beliefs about God.

I didn’t believe in even the near infallibility of the pope, or praying to Mary, let alone to the saints. The priest recognized that I wasn’t a match. As a blessing to me, he advised me to continue my journey elsewhere. I saw this half full and half empty glass as mostly half full. But no matter how you look at it, the mother church passed me along to one of her children!

With over 33,000 denominations worldwide as possibilities, why Presbyterian, and why the PCUSA? First of all, I had the good fortune of marrying my husband, a Presbyterian, and secondly, I lived in the United States.

Why do I remain Presbyterian? I have only three distinctly Presbyterian reasons: the distinctives of Reformed theology and the emphasis placed on the authority of the Word of God as expressed in the historic confessions, the ordained offices of Elder and Deacon for non-clergy, and the emphasis on covenant community. I believe that these three elements counter the unexamined cultural assumptions of progress, professional-ism, and individualism as approaches to faith and the work of the Church. As the North American culture continues to change, the Church must offer something other than a trend, go where the people are, and live in Christian community. We can no longer assume that folks know what the Church teaches, will come to a church house on their own, or be attracted only to our message and not our way of life. We have a timely gift of the timeless message, church-sent leadership into our mission fields, and a pattern for Life and living!

Why a new wineskin? I have yet to meet anyone who thinks our denomination should stay as it is! We all hope that God will bless us with new wine! However, there is less consensus on what the new wine tastes like and what a new and improved wineskin would look like. We all seek to fulfill the ministry and mission of the Church.

So what is distinctive about the New Wineskins Initiative (NWI)? At the core, we seek to be theologically centered and missiologically focused by confessing Biblical truth, connecting in relationship, and carrying the Gospel to the lost. As a possible slight, some have defined our theological statement as "Mere Christianity". I embrace that notion. It is in this way that NWI is a unifying movement. Additionally, we see the work and mission of the Church as essentially linked to theology. In brief, if one believes that Jesus is the only way, the focus and practice of ministry and mission will be quite different from one who believes that Jesus is one of many possibilities. Ministry and mission are derived from theology.

How is the New Wineskins different from other renewal ministries within the PCUSA? The New Wineskins Initiative is composed of endorsing congregations who send delegates to the NWI convocations. These delegates have and will determine the direction of this initiative. Also, we have not predetermined our ultimate direction, whether to stay within the denomination "no matter what" or to leave.

The article in Presbyterian Outlook by Leslie Scanlon may be helpful here. Referring to the Presbyterian Coalition gathering in November 2005 (emphasis added), "In workshops presented by organizers from the New Wineskins movement, there was considerable discussion of what conservative churches would do if there were a "precipitating crisis..." This is to say that our minds are not made up. We hope to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit as we deliberate our future together.

Since the formation of the New Wineskins task force in 2003, much has changed on the denominational landscape. At this point, the approval of the authoritative interpretation from the Peace, Unity, and Purity task force recommendations constitutes a "precipitating crisis" for many of us. It was never our hope that the PUP task force would recommend such an action. Candidly, as a GA commissioner at the Louisville Assembly that voted to form the PUP task force, I never imagined such a poor outcome. I assumed that the task force would recommend "local option" regarding the ordination standards surrounding sexuality but never "local option" for any and all standards!

I hope that this letter has helped clarify "Why a New Wineskins Initiative?" for you. I welcome your further questions and comments.

In Christ Jesus,

Renee Guth
New Wineskins Initiative board member