"Where is Jesus?”, a skeptical college student asked one of his peers. “If I can’t see him, if you can’t see him, how do you know anything about him?”, the student continued. In a series of answers to that question last weekend at the Churchwide Redevelopment Conference in Las Colinas/Irvin, TX last weekend they answered him in three demonstrative ways: “Jesus is in me” (The Lord’s Supper); “Jesus is in the Bible” (gospel stories); “Jesus is wherever two or three gather in his name” (acts of service to others). Some 640 of us Presbyterian laity and clergy were being reminded of a basic question and how we, in the church, might respond with our lives and not just our words. The conference theme, “Called to Change,” brought insights and challenges from college students, a Lutheran liturgist, an Hispanic Pentecostal professor, members of congregations and presbyteries who--with drama, sound, images, songs, prayer, discussion, and preaching--asked us to look at the meaning and shape the Christian message can take today to connect with those in and outside our congregations. The change we face is being a mission as the church of Jesus Christ, not a fixed establishment in our society; members themselves as missionaries in all places they find themselves. How to get there?

            It is Christ who calls the Church into being and gives it all that is necessary for its mission in to the world, for its building up, and for its service to God. Christ is present with the Church in both Spirit and Word. Christ gives to his Church its faith and life, its unity and mission, its officers and ordinances. Those are not my words, but those from the first chapter of the Book of Order—summarized from Scripture. “The mission of the Church is given form by God’s activity in the world as told in the Bible and understood by faith,” (G-3.0100).

           The congregation is the local expression of God’s activity in the world and a witness to Jesus Christ. The congregations in this presbytery have selected varying ways to express this activity and witness on Sunday morning and throughout the week. Worship will take place Sunday in at least six different language; instrumentation will include organ and contemporary bands; people will follow the service in bulletins and on screens; prayers will be prayed audibly and silently. Throughout the week, some churches will be quiet places, others full of sounds of children in childcare programs; youth and adults will gather to learn, and/or in committees and ministry teams to plan outreach, mission trips, the Lent and Easter services. People will be spiritually and physically fed in a variety of ways. Know that the local expression of God’s activity in the world is alive and ongoing in the bounds of this presbytery, thanks to faithful leaders and volunteers finding in Christ all that is necessary for congregational mission.

            Today, as a presbytery, we celebrate both the places where we agree and disagree on how that activity and witness is to be expressed in our world. The more painful place we have recently disagreed is our collective mission and the more limited resources to pursue that collective mission in 2003.  Even with a revised 2002 budget that brought reductions in mission spending by 8% and a one-time use of available restricted funds, the year ended still 7% short of our mission funding goal. After five years of continuous increases to presbytery mission, the bubble here also has burst. The 5000 members lost over 10 years, the shrinking size of many congregations (including reductions in staffing), the effect of the recession and job loss on local congregational pledging, aggressive competition for charitable donations to a myriad of organizations, congregational giving designated for mission not within our bounds or denomination, retirement of members to more affordable regions in the nation, anxiety increased by the events of 9-11 and resulting government policies and actions, lack of trust in each other, lack of clarity of vision and purpose, all can erode confidence and hope in a witness we are privileged to share together.  Some members and pastors are having a very difficult time being the church of Jesus Christ due to both these stresses and some unclear, perhaps unrealistic, expectations of each other and their mission. Their stress becomes our stress—ask the Committee on Ministry or other unit and committee chairs who act to respond to the requests of our congregations. Reactive response is depleting; proactive guidance in such an unsettling time as this is what the presbytery does when it functions well. To get there, we certainly need clarity of mission and a willingness to embrace the change that will enable congregations to transform themselves into joyful vessels of God’s grace in Christ.  

             Meeting with middle governing body leaders of many denominations in the summer of 2001, Gil Rendle (of The Alban Institute) shared with us research that stated that one of the greatest challenges faced today is how such a body can resource congregations and support them in efforts of transformational change. As a middle governing body the presbytery lives between the local congregation and the national denominational structure. Essential functions of middle governing bodies fall into four areas: ruling on denominational polity; negotiating clergy certification and employment; resourcing the local congregation; and establishing mission and ministries that go beyond the limits or ability of the local congregation. In any area, the authority and decision-making processes of the middle governing body (presbytery) may work collaboratively or competitively with the authority and decision-making processes of the local governing bodies (sessions). The discussion we have had about a budget provided by, and seeking to serve, the mission of 54 local congregations is a single example. I, and perhaps you, often feel the polarity between freedom (or flexibility) and control (or discipline) when we act as a presbytery. This displayed itself also last month in a discussion regarding the employment of temporary supply pastor, not a Presbyterian, in one of our Presbyterian congregations. The two sides of a polarity are interdependent--you cannot choose one as a “solution” and neglect the other: mission and the administrative costs of mission...evangelism and social outreach...unified mission and designated giving...clergy and laity...staying connected and being independent. These are among the polarities this presbytery lives with. The objective is to get the best of both opposites while avoiding the limits of each.  

            There is an image that has helped me understand the difference between my role as a leader in a local congregation and my role as a leader in a middle governing body. It is supplied by Presbyterian minister, Howard Friend, as the difference between an airplane and an airport. An airplane takes one group of people in the same direction. Brochures and perks of the destination, the plane, the costs, and the people already signed up to go may help fill the plane or require a larger one. All are headed to a previously agreed upon destination. Such is the joy, responsibility, and challenge of congregational leaders. A presbytery is more like an airport. The airport crew gets a much wider array of people ready to take a much wider array of trips to multiple destinations based on where the people need to go. This is not to say that all pilots and their crews, maintenance teams, and aircraft do not carry common practices and disciplines. It is to say that some airplanes (congregations) serve different constituents in different locations and require differing ways to fulfill the purpose common to all airplanes. The airport’s (presbytery’s) role is to support the individual and specific needs of each airplane (congregation) that it serves as a part of its mission.  Looking around the airport, over time you see airplanes of differing sizes, airplanes that always have people flying on them and satisfied employees and those that have passengers switching to others. Those of you who serve at the airport (on presbytery units, committees, Council) have the opportunity to bring your insights that can help airplanes (congregations) stay in the business for which they exist. These insights need to be shared in airport lounges (presbytery events) and hangers (churches).

The three priorities of my time over the past year have been strengthening congregations in functioning well, strengthening congregational leaders, and strengthening the mission extending beyond those congregations in the local and global community. This led me into responding to congregations and pastors when they get into difficulties, when they need pastoral care, when they need help with leadership or technical assistance, when they need to be challenged to be in partnership or part of a larger mission, resourcing units and staff who serve the presbytery, and resourcing myself for this ministry.

Following the conference last weekend, reflections with Council on retreat last October and meeting two weeks ago, I am re-thinking ways to better utilize myself and my leadership to you as the presbytery.  Some of my directions are these: (1) eveloping more coaches and mentors to serve this presbytery’s congregational leaders and ministries. Many of you have gifts and gifted individuals in your congregations that have served your congregation well that other congregations would appreciate hearing from. (2) Clergy today have a challenge will be challenged
with demands of the 21^st century. I am ready and willing to put together a monthly meeting of such pastors who covenant to grow together and/or clergy-lay teams who want to covenant together to redevelop or transform how they function as a vehicle for God’s activity in the world—bringing in leadership beyond the presbytery. (3)I also will be asking staff and unit chairs to identify networks of common ministries, local and global, that we support one another in our congregation witness in the world. While I will remain available for preaching, perhaps monthly, I also am willing to negotiate an extended relationship with perhaps 2 congregations this year who have solo pastors around a specific ministry/leadership need. (4) Work with Council to develop clarity of mission and strategy, and follow-up mission strategies still to be implemented; (5) Finally, in order to support the presbytery mission, in addition to gifts given to the church where my family worships, I, as an individual, will make a pledge to this presbytery. I know that if even 10% of our presbytery membership (1600 persons) gave $100 to this presbytery’s mission, every ministry missed by the 2003 budget would be realized with the additional $160,000. (Or if all 16,000 would give the $10 that they might spend on a single meal eaten out this year, we could realize the same goal.)

 Change? I’ll go first.  I covet your prayers that, above all, I be grounded in God’s redeeming grace in Jesus Christ, Christ’s love for the Church, and the creative work of the Holy Spirit; then secondly, in my love for you, as brothers and sisters in faith, and for neighbors who have never known the love of God in Christ that might know that love through you and the witness of our congregations.

                                                             The Rev. Robert Foltz-Morrison
                                                                        Executive Presbyter
                                                                        The Presbytery of Elizabeth