August 12; 5:30 PM, Social Hall

September 9; 5:30 PM, Social Hall

October 14; 5:30 PM, Social Hall

November 11; 5:30 PM, Social Hall

December 2; 5:30 PM, Place TBA

If you attended the Peacemaking Conference, "Uncommon Ground", we'd love to have you join us at our September meeting to share what you learned with our chapter. For the potluck, A-H bring a main dish, I-Q a desert, and R-Z a salad.

Also, we do not charge membership dues, so we rely on contributions to keep us going. Our financial resources are running very thin, and we could really use donations to help us continue our mailings and cover our other expenses. Please make checks payable to "More Light Presbyterians", and mail them to Linda A. Malcor, P.O. Box 749, Laguna Beach, CA 92652.

Articles or opinion pieces written by group members are welcome. Please e-mail, send on disk, or hand write your article and get it to Linda Malcor.

Aren't We Already Congreterian?

By Gene Huff

As what are usually referred to as ordination standards continue to be a hot topic for Presbyterian discussion, the danger of congregationalism frequently emerges. Opponents of allowing congregations and presbyteries to make the decisions about whom to ordain often hold up the specter of dire consequences should Presbyterians permit a flexibility which they say would lead us down a path toward our becoming congregational.

The implication of such an argument is that our congregations and presbyteries are now uniformly locked into identical policies and practices as they pursue their versions of Christian ministry in today’s world. A further implication is that a strict pattern of doing things alike is essential to being Presbyterian.

An examination of how congregations and presbyteries operate today, however, suggests that in many ways we are already congreterian. The truth is that Presbyterians already experience wide variations in the acceptable norms for how we do things. Some congregations rely heavily on Presbyterian curriculum and program materials; others do not. Some channel most of their mission dollars through the General Assembly general mission system; an increasing number do not. Some presbyteries are tough on allowing candidates to attend non-Presbyterian seminaries; some are not at all. Some work hard to promote Presbyterian mission causes among their congregations; some are more relaxed about that. Some congregations demonstrate strong denominational loyalty, being deeply involved with Presbyterian program emphases; others are more committed to the programs of para-church organizations. The list goes on.

Is it not ironic that opponents of allowing congregations and presbyteries to make the decisions as to whom to ordain, due to an alleged risk of congregationalism, are so often the same Presbyterians who insist on freedom for congregations and presbyteries to reach their own decisions about other key issues? There are of course many central themes related to being Presbyterian about which most Presbyterians agree. Even today there is little, if any, debate over the basic principles of Presbyterianism as found in the opening chapters of the Book of Order. By and large, progressive Presbyterians in recent years have withstood the temptation to enforce upon conservative Presbyterians a rigid adherence by all congregations and presbyteries in the use of Presbyterian curriculum, seminary attendance, general mission giving or other program emphases. In other words, a blend of congreterianism has already been found compatible within the Presbyterian family. Think how much grief and struggle will finally be avoided when congregations and presbyteries have the same freedom regarding ordination that so many now experience in other vital areas of our life together in the church.