Presbyterians love meetings. Whenever a decision needs to be made, we happily call a meeting. Well moderated and with good discourse, a meeting can be a beautiful expression of the way the Spirit works in community. I consider this to be one of the great strengths of our tradition. However, it’s also true that a great strength can, at times, also be a great weakness.
I was struck by this reality as I participated in the four days of meetings at the 140th General Assembly in June. The sederunts were very well moderated, and the discourse was—at times—good. But occasionally we seemed to be spending an inordinate amount of time on matters which were not going to affect our denomination at all, for good or ill. This caused me to ask the question: “What is it we are really trying to achieve through our meetings?”
As I sat through the lively debate on biennial assemblies, I wondered if the answer to this question might be transformation. One thing we can say about Jesus is that he called people to grow, mature, evolve, transform. Pick up your mat and walk. Let your light shine. You must be born from above. Love one another. Take up your cross. When Jesus invites us (as individuals and as the church) to follow him, he beckons us into an encounter with something that is life changing. Note that he doesn’t ask people to think about him or to discuss him or even to believe in him; rather his invitation is that we follow him, that we experience the divine in our midst. I believe that this yearning for inner transformation lies deep within all of us, and could explain why there seems to be a resurgence of interest these days in spiritual disciplines like meditation.
As I listened to the debate on biennial assemblies, I heard many people (speaking both for and against the motion) express the deep desire that our denomination experience the kind of renewal—the kind of transformation—that Jesus invites us to enjoy. During the debate, commissioners spoke about our collective need for connection, for education, for worship, for community building. This longing is truly at the heart of our gathering, but is General Assembly the best place for denominational transformation to happen? I wonder if our comfort level with meetings is so high that it actually prevents us from being open to other avenues of renewal. Yes, it’s true that some of our collective needs may have been met by sitting at tables and voting on motions, but might it also be true that we are hiding behind meetings because we’re so comfortable with them, hoping that a good meeting will be that which transforms us? Might we be so comfortable talking about the things of faith that we are missing opportunities to experience faith?
It’s possible for meetings to be Spirit – filled experiences. Because I have never been satisfied with the type of meeting which is primarily business but includes bookend prayers, I have begun to shape session meetings so that the business is actually included as part of a service of worship. The session agenda is printed on leftover PCC bulletins, and we use the threefold order of worship (Approach, Word, Response), complete with songs and unison prayers. The actual business of the court falls under the section called, Offering. Our business meeting is embedded in what (I hope) is the transformative act of worship.
But even so, our congregation cannot depend on meetings (even Spirit – filled ones) to be our sole source of renewal. Neither can our denomination. I am encouraged that events such as the Presbyterian Women’s Gathering and Canada Youth are happening more frequently. How can we encourage more people from across the country to attend such gatherings? What other national or regional events and celebrations could we hold? Such gatherings, I believe, affect change and transformation in our church much more powerfully than can the average business meeting (or General Assembly, for that matter).
The business of our church is transformation. Motions and amendments have an important place in our church. But more important than talking about renewal is actually experiencing it.
