A world of concerns

WMD and overseas churches meet, explore the nature of partnership

by Luca Negro, Presbyterian News Service

[7-10-01]

LOUISVILLE -- July 9, 2001 - Peace and justice -- and concern about religious freedom -- were the key issues during a recent meeting of more than 50 ecumenical guests from 27 countries.

The host of the gathering was the Presbyterian Church (USA) Worldwide Ministries Division (WMD), whose aim was to give representatives of partner churches an opportunity to discuss their expectations and comment on WMD missions. The meeting was held immediately before and after the PC(USA) General Assembly last month.

Presbyterians from Sudan told about the persecution of Christians there and exploitation by foreign oil companies. A visitor from Pakistan spoke about churches under persecution and urged Presbyterians to work for the removal of blasphemy laws in Moslem countries. Mexican Presbyterians asked their colleagues to send telegrams to the government of Mexico, seeking freedom for Protestants in the Chiapas region.

The moderator of the church on the island of Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean, lamented the uprooting of people from Diego Garcia, an island now occupied entirely by an U.S. military base. Peruvian Presbyterians noted that in their country the U.S. government stands for domination and oppression ---- while the PC(USA) represents empowerment and support. European church representatives expressed concern about the U.S. government's refusal to endorse the Kyoto agreement on global climate change.

One theme of the discussions was finding appropriate ways to witness in different contexts. A Pakistani pastor blamed U.S. Presbyterians for "making policies that affect us without consulting us." A Korean pastor''s spouse praised the PC(USA), saying: "You set us a wonderful example that women can be ordained, and now women in our church can also be ordained!" Another visitor from Korea expressed anxiety about the spread of cults and divisions among Christians, particularly among different Presbyterian denominations.

The bishop of the Croatian Reformed Church warned against nationalism and urged churches not to be timid about proclaiming the Gospel message: "If we were given light, we must share light."

The official slogan of the follow-up consultation just after the Assembly was, "Presbyterians do mission in partnership." Much of the conversation was devoted to exploring the nature of partnership, framed. Participants worked on two definitions: The first came from one of the PC(USA) partner churches, the United Church of Christ in the Philippines: "Partnership begins in a recognition that we are joint heirs or recipients of God's grace, and is expressed in action through covenants binding us in Christ's name with church partners sharing common concerns, interest and perspectives based on a mutual recognition and understanding of a common missiological task."

The second definition, an excerpt from a PC(UCA) document, states that "goals can be best approached by joining hands with those who share a common vision, so that God's work can be more faithfully accomplished." In this respect, partnership is a truly ecumenical concept, because it implies that "God's desire for the world is greater than any one church can possibly comprehend or envision."

Participants agreed that the PC(USA) and partner churches are not equal, mainly because the PC(USA) holds the purse strings, but they need to be in a sort of balance. Others commented that context and culture must be understood on both sides; respect, honesty and openness should be among the qualities of a partnership; and that the most essential quality of a mission worker is love for the people.

During one discussion of partnership, a representative of a mission church explained that unequal partners can work together productively: "You always yoke unequal bulls; one is usually stronger than the other. You must put the stronger on the right side, to cover more area on the turns, and the weaker on the left."

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