Enliven a Dinosaur?

They (whoever 'they' is) say that laws and sausage are two things one should never see being made. I think I'd add a third - church politics. That's not a blanket condemnation of the work we do together to figure out what God is calling us to be and do, but we do tend to get pretty messy about it at times.

I spent most of last week as an observer/liaison to the General Assembly Council meeting, which is in itself an oddball position to be in. Much organizational change is on the horizon and it will affect the way Presbyterians go about their ministry in the future. On the one hand, I see much potential good in the change. It seems to me that the GA Council should be somewhat like the board of a non-profit: policy-making and visioning, not micromanaging, as it apparently has been. If the Council, in conjunction with the General Assembly itself, determines the direction, and the staff doesn't implement it, then we've got something to grouse about and can take corrective action.

On the other hand, I see us slipping back into the status quo of making changes which only the retired and/or wealthy can participate in (or pastors with very understanding congregations!). The most significant change is in the makeup of the Council itself - reducing the number of members (diluting its national representation?) and, initially, not even mentioning including those with disabilities (a group which is still too marginalized in almost any venue)! There was provision made that there be three representatives under the age of 35 (mind you - 18 to 35 is considered Youth and Young Adult). However, the meeting structure is going to remain the same: 3-4 weeklong meetings during the year.

Don't know about you, but I wouldn't have been able (or, quite frankly, willing) to give up all of my vacation time (and then some until I was past my mid-30's) to go to a bunch of cerebral meetings!!! My then-spouse wouldn't have been too happy about such an arrangement, either, since it would have meant losing out on our recreation time together AND at least two-weeks worth of lost income (that is, if I didn't lose my job entirely!). Yet the current decision-makers aren't willing or able to hear such a criticism of their 'great plan' from a woman who's obviously not in her 20's-30's; nor do they seem to be willing to look at changing the way they bring people together to make policy. BAH HUMBUG!!

I realize we're humans involved in the process here and that humans have a tendency to protect turf and pet projects. HOWEVER, we're supposed to be the capital C Church, where 'the last shall be first and the first shall be last'. harumph! That ain't a-happening here! At the moment, the last are being pushed aside and marginalized again. I get so tired of being told 'well, we can't find people of thus-n-such category to serve.' A base canard! There are those who are willing to serve!! I've sent scads of names to the Nominating Committee! Yet, none have been contacted, and little changes.

There are people who grouse that the PC(USA) doesn't have certain percentages of youth/young adults or disabled members (or several other possible categories as well), and that our leadership should reflect the percentages of membership. Yet, maybe if our denomination was open to allowing those groups who have long been denied a place at the leadership table even more representation, perhaps two things would happen: (1) the winds of the Spirit would change the way we interact with the world and make us more user-friendly and (2) more might be drawn to worship and commit to a denomination that was willing to welcome them and their ideas with open arms. Now wouldn't that be a cool way to enliven a mainline 'dinosaur'?!