By Maureen Wright
I have been part of several conversations recently that have prompted me to think about being Presbyterian and the role of a common language – a shared experience, especially as we make decisions as a Presbytery. As I reflect on this, I am reminded of an experience from college. I was a religion major at Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA. I can remember struggling to write a paper for a class and going to see the professor during office hours for help. As we worked through my challenges, he made a comment that has stayed with me. He shared his belief that it takes time to learn the vocabulary, the common language, of a field of study – religion, specifically Christianity, included. He was correct.
Often, we overlook the common language of being Presbyterian and instead take it for granted. The staff has been reading Brene Brown’s Dare to Lead. At last week’s staff meeting, the group was discussing the section of the book titled Curiosity and Grounded Confidence, specifically skills needed for tough conversations that allow leaders to hold the tension and discomfort of a group to allow for curiosity and problem solving. As I invited the staff to think about this idea in light of the Presbytery’s transition and Season of Discernment, we experienced an “a-ha” moment. Almost as if a light switch was turned on, we recognized that an essential element of common language was this: how we live in community, how we worship, how we structure ourselves all centers around our understanding of God – who we understand God to be. As Presbyterians, there is a generally agreed upon way in which we live in community, a way in which we worship, and an agreed upon way in which we structure ourselves.
In the past, it was common for Christians to stay in the same church into which they were born and baptized. If people moved from the place of their birth, they sought out a new church within the same denomination. This is no longer the case. People choose a church for many reasons – their children have friends there, they have friends there, it is in their neighborhood, they want to be a part of a specific ministry, they enjoy worship or like the preaching; you can complete the list of whys. One of the unintended consequences of choosing a church regardless of a denomination is a disconnect, a lack of common language. Those in a particular church do not automatically understand God through the ways in which the church lives in community, how they worship, and how they structure themselves. As Presbyterian we can no longer assume that those who attend, those who make up the membership of our church share a common language that allows them to understand that how we live in community, how we worship, how we structure ourselves all centers around our understanding of God.
The Directory for Worship gives us insight into how we live together in community as it outlines New Members (W-4.0204). The session is tasked with providing “opportunity for those seeking membership to explore the faith they will (re)affirm.” New members are to be presented to the congregation in worship. Those previously baptized are to “reaffirm the commitments made in Baptism, profess their faith in Christ, and declare their intent to participate actively and responsibly in the worship, life, governance, and mission of the church.” For Presbyterian who confess Christ as Lord and Savior, part of the common language is we believe that God invites us, calls us, and challenges us to participate in the worship, life, governance, and mission of the church. This is what it means to be part of the community.
I love Presbyterian worship! The presence of the Triune God: Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer; the flow of the service; the elements of worship: call to worship, prayer, hymns, scripture, sermon, sacraments, offering gifts and sending out. I am comforted by our Gathering, the Word, Sacraments, and Sending. I know God – experience and understand God – as all the people of God are welcomed to table and font. Worship creates a common language revealing God to us.
Presbyterian structure reflects our understanding of who God is, yet it can be one of the most misunderstood parts of being Presbyterian. Our Book of Order offers a structure that can be seen as a resource or as an impediment. It is meant to offer an order or form that provides us with processes that help churches, Presbyteries, Synods, and the General Assembly move toward what God is calling them to do and be. It reflects our belief that God works through deliberation and connectedness; it allows for governance by elected leaders. Our structure emphasizes the kingdom work to which we are called.
As the Presbytery adopts a new vision and seeks to live into this vision of God’s work, we need a common language. I invite you to reflect on how we live in community, how we worship, how we structure ourselves – how this common language helps us to tell the story of Presbyterians working in West Virginia to witness to the God who calls all to confess Christ as Lord and Savior.