DEATH SPIRAL
How can you tell when your church is circling the drain? A good indication is when you hear something in a sermon and think, “Where did they get that from?” Another one is that if you take issue with a church innovation by citing the Bible and your minister gives you the one about the spirit doing a new thing. And it’s probably time to start checking out other Christian traditions when your church thinks that crap like this is important:
The House of Deputies today approved creation of a special task force to begin to reimagine the workings of the Episcopal Church to prepare it for mission in the 21st century.
In a vote that stunned deputies and visitors alike,Resolution C095 was adopted on a unanimous voice vote among the more than 800 lay and clergy deputies, prompting them and those in the gallery to break into sustained applause. The vote came after a period of discussion and a time of prayer.
A task force. To reimagine. Wow. Just…wow. “Stunned” doesn’t begin to describe it. I NEVer saw that one coming.
In a press briefing afterward, the Rev. Gay Jennings, co-chair of the convention’s legislative Committee on Structure and president-elect of the House of Deputies, said this convention had shown “a palpable desire to reimagine how we do business. I think as much as the discussion is about structure, perhaps even more the passion and the interest in this is about identity and vision: who we are as the church, who is God calling us to be in the 21st century.”
Here’s a thought. Parishes could try things. If they work, keep doing them. If they don’t, try something else. That one’s on the house.
Jennings said the new task force is designed to have a high degree of authority to accomplish its work and not only will reflect the church’s diversity but also people who stand at a “critical distance” from the church’s current governing bodies. The group also is required to have regular and ongoing communication with the whole church about its work.
Well, that’s a relief. Without “regular and ongoing communication,” the final result might suck. Surprisingly, the Piskerooskies turned this down.
The only debate was over a motion to specify the range of diversity the new task force must have by mandating inclusion based on age, race, ethnic origin, national origin, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity and expression.” That motion was defeated.
But on the upside, there’s $400,000 to put all this in inertia. So there’s that.
The House of Deputies today approved creation of a special task force to begin to reimagine the workings of the Episcopal Church to prepare it for mission in the 21st century.
In a vote that stunned deputies and visitors alike,Resolution C095 was adopted on a unanimous voice vote among the more than 800 lay and clergy deputies, prompting them and those in the gallery to break into sustained applause. The vote came after a period of discussion and a time of prayer.
A task force. To reimagine. Wow. Just…wow. “Stunned” doesn’t begin to describe it. I NEVer saw that one coming.
In a press briefing afterward, the Rev. Gay Jennings, co-chair of the convention’s legislative Committee on Structure and president-elect of the House of Deputies, said this convention had shown “a palpable desire to reimagine how we do business. I think as much as the discussion is about structure, perhaps even more the passion and the interest in this is about identity and vision: who we are as the church, who is God calling us to be in the 21st century.”
Here’s a thought. Parishes could try things. If they work, keep doing them. If they don’t, try something else. That one’s on the house.
Jennings said the new task force is designed to have a high degree of authority to accomplish its work and not only will reflect the church’s diversity but also people who stand at a “critical distance” from the church’s current governing bodies. The group also is required to have regular and ongoing communication with the whole church about its work.
Well, that’s a relief. Without “regular and ongoing communication,” the final result might suck. Surprisingly, the Piskerooskies turned this down.
The only debate was over a motion to specify the range of diversity the new task force must have by mandating inclusion based on age, race, ethnic origin, national origin, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity and expression.” That motion was defeated.
But on the upside, there’s $400,000 to put all this in inertia. So there’s that.
No comments:
Post a Comment