The name of Rev. Douglas Rollwage, minister at Zion, Charlottetown, will be placed before the General Assembly as sole nominee for moderator when the highest court meets at York University, Toronto, on June 3.
He hopes to serve as a pastoral voice in the midst of discussions related to human sexuality, a topic that has become a source of anxiety in many corners of the church.
Rollwage is a veteran of General Assemblies, having served as a resource person to the General Assembly Office for over 15 years.
There are a range of possible things that could happen this year, he said. “However it’s entirely possible that what will happen is assembly will say we’re not ready to do anything on this, we need another year to think, and nothing will happen. That’s a possibility. There’s another possibility that says this is all the time we’ve needed and we need to move quickly and make a decision now and send things under the Barrier Act [the process through which the laws of the church are changed].
“Either of those scenarios carry with it the responsibility to communicate the work of the General Assembly to the national church in a very pastoral way. … It would be very difficult to at this point envision a scenario whereby everybody is content with the manner in which the issue is either decided upon or is moving forward.”
As the only member of the General Assembly court to continue in his role throughout the course of the year, Rollwage says he hopes to provide that pastoral voice.
He says he also hopes for clarity on the floor of assembly in June, and he hopes “there is not a sense that we need to rush.”
“Any issue which deserves any kind of prayerful reflection and study and so on, you don’t benefit from rushing.”
Last year’s assembly made decisions that reduced the amount of time available for individuals and church groups to consider a study guide on human sexuality and to provide feedback. The overall process may prove to be delayed this year as a result of the compressed timeline, he said.
“My hope is that that time will be granted and that the denomination will be able to find a path not only of a position to take and to be comfortable with, but to for that to be conveyed in a pastoral and healing manner.”
In his travels as Moderator throughout the year, Rollwage says he hopes to “convey a message of considerable enthusiasm” to churches across the country.
“My impression of the church is perhaps counter to the impression of others which sees the church in retreat and decline. I see the church as in a position now of greater necessity and more relevance than it’s had in the past.”
When asked what message he would like to convey to the church, he responded: “Our hope is in Jesus Christ. Our hope is not in programs, our hope is not in responses to specific situations, our hope is not issue-driven. Our hope is in Jesus Christ. And new life in the church, and new life in our own lives and in our own hearts, is found specifically in our relationship with Jesus Christ. And that relationship comes to life in and through our life in the church, in and through our encountering Christ in the scriptures.”
