Kirkpatrick Points to Problems in Church, Solutions for Frightening Times
Clifton Kirkpatrick, Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A), urged communicators to bring hope and vision in times of division and fear.
"Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, the Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) told reporters at the first national Presbyterian Communicators Network conference today. Kirkpatrick, quoting Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz,” was explaining the thorny and fractious time his church is and will be facing unless its communicators “inspire hope” through their writings.
“We have huge problems, but we have a huge reservoir of strength in the PC(USA). What we need most is new hope in the gospel of Jesus Christ — so we need communicators who will help inspire that hope,” said Kirkpatrick.
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Kirkpatrick said inspiration “begins with telling the story of how God is at work throughout the PC(USA)…and nobody can to that better than you.”
His speech comes at one of the most tumultuous time for the Presbyterian Church. Its membership is declining at an alarming rate, giving is decreasing, and tensions between liberal and conservative factions are at an all time high. This summer, a group of conservative churches banded under a network called “New Wineskins” and said they may break-away from the larger denomination should it continue walking toward the left.
Kirkpatrick acknowledged that at these fractious times, hope is “a scarce commodity.”
“We are so much like the early church in Paul’s day that it’s almost frightening,” Kirkpatrick said. “There are already those who are promoting schism or talking about ‘gracious separation,’ who withhold per capita and claim that the church harbors two faiths.”
But, he said, in the midst of the conflict, “Jesus continues to call us to find reconciliation and common purpose.”
“We must help our congregations move beyond a ‘survival mentality,’” he said, “and help build spiritual renewal and congregational vitality.”
Kirkpatrick told the 175 communicators there his explanation for why the church is losing its members: the decline in quantity and quality of pastoral leadership, an inflexible polity that impedes mission, and the loss of vital and unifying vision.
The solution to these problems, he suggested, is vision.
“God intends us to be one church, so we need to rediscover the rock-hard commitments that are the heart of our faith,” Kirkpatrick said. “Then we need to strengthen presbyteries and nurture congregations, connecting them for mission and having the flexibility to resource them in the ways they need."
He also said the church must be committed to global evangelism and ecumenism.
God is remaking the world through Christian witness everywhere, Kirkpatrick said, “and by the grace of God, our passion as Presbyterians for global mission has played a part.”
“To be Presbyterian is to be ecumenical,” he added. “If ever there was a time when ecumenical efforts were essential, it’s now. We’ll never find reconciliation in the world until we find reconciliation in the church.”
Above all, he said, the church needs unity.
These are “complicated, complex times,” Kirkpatrick said. “More than ever, we need each other.”
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
