Here at the church-wide assembly it is apparent just how much of a reforming church we are. Like an organism with the one constant of change. As the saying goes “we are the church”. At the heart of our work here at the assembly is a desire to intentionally develop policies, procedures, ministry, and social statements that embody the true nature of Christ and our capacity to serve contextually in a world that has great need and is struggling in moral and ethical ambiguity.
We have been given a great deal of responsibility and authority through the church body, gospel, and the Holy Spirit. Our historical heritage found in Martin Luther calls out to us reminding us of our reforming blood that flows through our veins. With power comes great responsibility; communal discernment is an important part of the process. Debates and conversations took place this week as we considered the ramifications of our decisions about budget, social justice, and the way we work as a church. One delegate put it “Social statements are messy and we live in a messy world.” Without a healthy process we cannot be effective. Our work here does not seem to be as controversial as the last assembly however it is responsive to the impact of our social statements.
The genetics statement did produce some lively conversation and debate. There is great concern for the impact of genetic manipulation and its impact on species. There are many benefits for this research and the church’s respect of this work indicates a watchful and caring eye over this topic. One voting member pointed out that the church does not need to adopt scientific paradigms such as evolution to be supportive of advancements in genetics. The debate included concern for the understanding of life and sentient life. In the end we adopted the statement.
Adopting the L.I.F.T. agenda resulted in several changes to the way we function as an organization: the size of church council may change and we voted to go from biennial to triennial meetings; we also passed the proposed budget.
The social statement discussion as well as the malaria program rise to the top of our work as highlights. The financial report did not portray as dismal of a picture as we might have thought. We were in a potential downward spiral but have made some difficult but important decisions to restructure that will allow us to continue our work and it looks promising for future growth.
There are many cuts to the budget and two that hit close to home for me are outdoor ministry and campus ministry. The big picture of these two will hopefully be looked at closely to determine future vitality and accountability. Evaluation and involvement in these and other important ministries at a region and synod level will perhaps make it possible to develop better communication and sustainability of these ministries.
Other highlights of today and this week included reports of growing ecumenical as well as interfaith partnerships. The Holy Spirit has blessed us with some great opportunities to collaborate in love with others around the world making our community even more diverse and open.
John Grebe
Zion Lutheran, Custer
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