Showing posts with label General Assembly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label General Assembly. Show all posts
Monday, December 6, 2010
Reflections on the General Assembly
It was an honor and privilege to serve as a Young Adult Steward at the recent general assembly of the National Council of Churches in New Orleans, Louisiana. To be present at the table of dialogue, representing not just myself but also the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and how my thoughts and convictions about Christianity, Justice and Ecumenism were shared in light of the tradition of which I belong. If I could sum up my experience at the General Assembly in one word, it would be “relationships”. Relationships are the key to embodying the unity God has already given to God’s Church. At the General Assembly, I was able to form relationships with my fellow Young Adult Stewards and many others who see our unity and diversity as gifts from God, as opposed to stumbling blocks towards unity.
The time I spent at the General Assembly was a reminder that my own personal faith journey has been an Ecumenical one. My faith has increased and deepened over the years because of the Holy Spirit working through members of the body of Christ; people who gave witness to the gospel through the lens of their faith tradition. This assembly brought opportunities for fruitful dialogue, by having formal conversations through the Cafe’ and informal conversations between sessions. I encountered participants who were individuals that took seriously Christ’s command for “all to be one” and the gifts their traditions had to offer to the entire Church.
The study paper that I choose to engage in during the Assembly was Christian Understanding of Unity in an Age of Radical Diversity. One of my favorite statements from the paper was this, “The goal of the ecumenical movement is not to unite those who are diverse – that is the goal of political parties and governments. The goal is to celebrate the wondrous diversity of our God-given oneness as God’s people, Christ’s body, the Spirit’s temple.” I could see this truth embodied through our holy conversations, when breaking bread together and worshiping as one at the assembly.
This experience gave me the opportunity to meet new friends, who I have always been in connection with as sisters and brothers in Christ Jesus. The group of Young Adult Stewards that attended this General Assembly this year came from a variety of Christian traditions. To be able to form relationships with them that have lasted long after the end of the assembly is priceless. It is because of the gift of relationship that we have with each other and our Lord that I rejoice and give thanks. Bonding with my fellow Young Adult Stewards gave me hope, not just for the future of the Church and ecumenism, but for the mission of the Church that we are engaged in right now.
The paper of Unity in an Age of Diversity also stated that, “the church must turn again to scripture and tradition in order to hear what the Spirit is saying to us.” I can affirm that across, denominations and generations, this is being lived out. As a member of the body of Christ, I pray that the experiences and relationships formed at gatherings such as the General Assembly of the National Council of Churches may be more common in local communities. I know that Ecumenism is alive and well across the country; those of us that gathered together for this Assembly have now been scattered back out into the world. Commissioned to proclaim and witness, with all Christians, God’s gift of unity and diversity that shines a beacon of hope in a broken world.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Young Adults shouldn't fight to be at the kids table!
Reflecting on my experience at the General Assembly, I walk away energized and committed to how Christians can engage in ecumenism in the 21st century. I have always been passionate about ecumenism, and am blessed to have engaged Christians from other traditions over the years that have had a tremendous impact on my personal faith journey. This gathering, however, has me excited about the "future" of the church and ecumenism in a post-modern world.
In my last post, I spoke about the potential of the young adult ecumenical group known as New Fire. They have yet to decide who and what they will be, and what the actual impact they will have on this movement will be interesting to see. Young Adult Stewards like myself that were asked to attend the New Fire gathering, and spent a day and a half seeking to define who and what New Fire can be. There did not seem to be a consensus within the New Fire task force in answering the straightforward question "What is New Fire?" It seems that if anything New Fire is anti or "trans" denominational, with members of this group having little or no accountability to the faith community they represent. They are seeking to include Christian traditions who are not members of the National Council of Churches, while potentially overlooking the traditions that have been a part of this movement for the past 100 years.
When it came to speaking with people who were a part of the General Assembly I did hear a concern about the "future". As the professional ecumenist, in the churches age, who will step up to take their place? What will happen to the relationships that have been developed on behalf of member communions? There was a lamenting of a lack of young faces at the General Assembly. This was not a proclamation to have young adults at THE table but for someone to fill their seat when their time is up.
New Fire seeks to do something new, almost reinventing the wheel. Rather than working with, in and through the NCC it seemed like some in the group preferred to be on their own as an "emerging" movement of young adult ecumenism with no identity. New Fire in my opinion seems to want their own table at the gathering that is ecumenism and church affairs. If we disregard the wisdom of the saints that have gone before and continue to pave the road for us today, then how we as the people of God can receive the given unity our Lord has bestowed upon the Church? Some in the NCC seem to be worried about not having enough Young Adults present as a matter of institutional survival, rather than seeking to receive our unity in Christ which is not just among various denominations but also generations.
A fellow Young Adult Steward at the end of the General Assembly said that both New Fire and the NCC got it wrong when it came to Young Adults. We do not need a separate table or replacement model of Young Adult incorporation into this movement. What we need is to be all at THE SAME TABLE!
How profound and true, not only when it comes to matters of ecumenism but in ministries throughout the church.
Reverend Lois Wilson, reminded us at the General Assembly that, "What is the future of the ecumenical movement is a question of survival, the question should be what is the mission of the ecumenical movement?" The question as disciples of Jesus Christ should always be what is our mission in all that we do. Receiving the unity God has given God's church is a matter of mission in our broken world. It is so we can best live out the Great Commission and make disciples of all nations. I do not want to be at a kids table or part of a young adult cult that rather drinking kool aid in the end I turn 31 an am exiled from that group and "graduate" to the grown ups table. As Christians, we know that the Lord has one table in which all are welcome to gather around and are fed, nourished and sustained. If ecumenism seeks to discover the best in what our denominations have to offer, then it should also consider the best our various generations have to offer as we gather around the same table.
In my last post, I spoke about the potential of the young adult ecumenical group known as New Fire. They have yet to decide who and what they will be, and what the actual impact they will have on this movement will be interesting to see. Young Adult Stewards like myself that were asked to attend the New Fire gathering, and spent a day and a half seeking to define who and what New Fire can be. There did not seem to be a consensus within the New Fire task force in answering the straightforward question "What is New Fire?" It seems that if anything New Fire is anti or "trans" denominational, with members of this group having little or no accountability to the faith community they represent. They are seeking to include Christian traditions who are not members of the National Council of Churches, while potentially overlooking the traditions that have been a part of this movement for the past 100 years.
When it came to speaking with people who were a part of the General Assembly I did hear a concern about the "future". As the professional ecumenist, in the churches age, who will step up to take their place? What will happen to the relationships that have been developed on behalf of member communions? There was a lamenting of a lack of young faces at the General Assembly. This was not a proclamation to have young adults at THE table but for someone to fill their seat when their time is up.
New Fire seeks to do something new, almost reinventing the wheel. Rather than working with, in and through the NCC it seemed like some in the group preferred to be on their own as an "emerging" movement of young adult ecumenism with no identity. New Fire in my opinion seems to want their own table at the gathering that is ecumenism and church affairs. If we disregard the wisdom of the saints that have gone before and continue to pave the road for us today, then how we as the people of God can receive the given unity our Lord has bestowed upon the Church? Some in the NCC seem to be worried about not having enough Young Adults present as a matter of institutional survival, rather than seeking to receive our unity in Christ which is not just among various denominations but also generations.
A fellow Young Adult Steward at the end of the General Assembly said that both New Fire and the NCC got it wrong when it came to Young Adults. We do not need a separate table or replacement model of Young Adult incorporation into this movement. What we need is to be all at THE SAME TABLE!
How profound and true, not only when it comes to matters of ecumenism but in ministries throughout the church.
Reverend Lois Wilson, reminded us at the General Assembly that, "What is the future of the ecumenical movement is a question of survival, the question should be what is the mission of the ecumenical movement?" The question as disciples of Jesus Christ should always be what is our mission in all that we do. Receiving the unity God has given God's church is a matter of mission in our broken world. It is so we can best live out the Great Commission and make disciples of all nations. I do not want to be at a kids table or part of a young adult cult that rather drinking kool aid in the end I turn 31 an am exiled from that group and "graduate" to the grown ups table. As Christians, we know that the Lord has one table in which all are welcome to gather around and are fed, nourished and sustained. If ecumenism seeks to discover the best in what our denominations have to offer, then it should also consider the best our various generations have to offer as we gather around the same table.
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