What's a Presbyterian?

Sometimes, we get a bad rap. And, OK, there may be times when we deserve it. We take forever to make definitive decisions. We are slow to take stands and stick to our convictions. It seems we're always a little bit afraid we're going to offend someone (Heaven forbid!) and we bend over backward to be accommodating. For a lot of people, that spells weakness. But I'm going to take a stand and plant my PC(USA) flag firmly in the soil. What appears to be wishy-washy isn't wishy-washy at all. In fact, I think it's our greatest strength.

On Sunday, April 17, a group from Ruby went to a cluster meeting of New Harmony Presbytery. There, we were broken up into groups and asked a series of questions about the effectiveness of New Harmony Presbytery in our individual congregations. We were also encouraged to imagine our ideal Presbytery and jot down what we hope the future of New Harmony will look like.

Then came the "What can we do better?" question. Several of us said that one of the things we could do better is to encourage those congregations that want to leave the denomination over controversial decisions made on the General Assembly level to change their minds and stay put. Perhaps we make it too easy to say, "I disagree and so, I'm going to leave the denomination." This is a good denomination, dog-on-it, and we ought to act like it is.

But then one fellow spoke up and suggested the exact opposite. "I think we make it too hard," he said. Then he asked what a person is supposed to do when he disagrees with the decisions being made. When the church says things he morally objects to, he feels guilty by association. He felt his only recourse is to just leave, though it certainly isn't easy to do so and turn everything back over to a Presbytery that has taken a stand he morally objects to.

He has a point. And because his voice was a minority in the room, his became the most important voice speaking. And THAT is why I think our "wishy-washy" stands are often our greatest strength. Presbyterians do not make decisions and then force them down the throats of our members. The Holy Spirit goes where it wishes and wills. We don't assume we have the final say. Our decisions are based on our understanding of scripture, on our reformed tradition, and on careful study and prayer. No decision is made lightly. Ever. That kind of dedication to discernment is what makes things move slowly sometimes. We take minority voices extremely seriously. Ideally, no one is ignored.

Does it always work that way? Nope. But that is what we strive for and I think that's worth preserving.

Presbyterians strive to yield to the least of these. We do not force others to conform to us in order to worship with us and be a part of us. (Nor do we always conform to them.) That includes folks who disagree with us, outsiders, folks whose ideas differ, and those whose moral convictions cause them to object to the majority. These are the people who get preferential treatment.

Our Lord offered hospitality, not to those who make us comfortable and conform to our ideas, but to those who were on the fringes, who felt disenfranchised. As long as folks like the man who spoke at the meeting remain on the fringes, theirs is the most important voice for us to listen to. What other denomination does that?

Well, several actually. But Presbyterians in the PC(USA) are among them and I think that makes us unique in the world with a message that can still be relevant because it puts hospitality first, above all else, refusing to judge and exclude. If that's our weakness, I hope we get weaker! God always did use what is weak to break down what the world sees as strength.