Gene TeSelle, Witherspoon Society Issues Analyst

[5-12-04]

In recent years conservatives have been talking about either leaving the church or finding some means of "gracious separation." But this instantly produces anxieties, since congregations and individuals would be full of conflict when they tried to decide which way to go.

Perhaps we can learn something from the Episcopalian Church, where a sizable majority of bishops voted in favor of recognizing Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire. Conservatives in that church talked about setting up an alternative network within the worldwide Anglican communion. This would involve "non-geographical dioceses" uniting like-minded congregations and priests. In March 2004 the Episcopal bishops offered an alternative, a plan for "delegated oversight": if a congregation could not accept leadership by the resident bishop, it might negotiate with this bishop for supervision by another bishop more to their liking.

In PC(USA) we have seen similar proposals, and it might be helpful to consider all of them.

1. The non-geographical presbytery would make people more comfortable -- in fact, too comfortable. It is not likely to be good for the church's mission to all sorts and conditions of people.

2. A more realistic approach would be to a kind of "extra-territoriality," letting churches or ministers be linked with like-minded presbyteries. This is the approach taken by the Episcopalians' "delegated oversight."

3. We could encourage "affinity groups," with clear provisions for accountability and transparency like those of the old Chapter 9. We already have this in the "validated mission organizations" that work with Global Ministries.

4. The most controversial approach, which needs to be mentioned for the sake of thorough reflection, is to acknowledge the legitimacy of "conscientious objection" and "conscientious abstention" from the church's policies. This would mean abandoning the Kenyon decision of 1975, which denied ordination to a man who said he could not participate in the ordination of a woman.

5. Most satisfactory is what I call the "open-textured" governing body, with mutual forbearance, understanding, and even affirmation. There are some presbyteries in which the various factions agree on procedural rules of encounter and perhaps even on their range of toleration on substantive issues.

When conflict rages and schism is threatened, we often say that "we are family." This suggests basic unity and mutual loyalty, even when we do not like each other very much or tiptoe around each other at family gatherings, especially on issues of politics, sex, money, and religion.