Synod Going Forward
2 Corinthians 5: 16 – 21; Matthew 28: 16 – 20
The Synod of Victorian & Tasmania gathered this past week for five days. 300 clergy and laity of the Church gathered under the rubric Following Christ, which signals a renewed direction in which the Church desires to go. A synod is not a block of offices with administrators ensconced therein, but a body of leaders of a church gathered to discuss matters pertaining to the Church as a whole. The Synod is members of the Church gathered to reflect on where the Church has come from and where it is going. As Uniting Church people we have our own peculiarities. One such peculiarity is our consensus decision making. We work very hard to arrive at consensus rather than push through decisions based on majority votes. That means the process is slow, at times tedious, but we get to respectfully hear each other and reach an agreement.
This Synod gathered under the rubric, Following Christ. Over the past few years our Church has recognised the need to review its structures and focus its response to the mission God gave to the Church through Christ Jesus. Also we gathered conscious of the issues that face our community and society about same-sex marriage and the 1st Peoples’ (the Aboriginal people) desire to be recognised within the constitution. Also the Synod gathers to worship, hear the Word preached, study the bible and reflect theologically. Our theological reflector, Dr Margaret Campbell, reminded us that our decisions need to be consistent with the Triune God we worship as God the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit. Our Bible studies reminded us of God’s grace and call. A number of speakers reminded us of the centrality of Christ.
The document, “Introducing the Vision and Mission Principles”, published by the Synod’s Major Strategic Review underpinned our deliberations. The churches in the VicTas Synod are requested to study this document and let the principles of mission direct our conversations and action. The document’s thesis is, Following Christ, walking together as First and Second Peoples, seeking community, compassion and justice for all creation. Those leading the Synod’s conversation and theological reflections referred constantly to the theme of Following Christ.
As we reflected on what it means to follow Christ as First and Second Peoples we were reminded that our Aboriginal sisters and brothers value the land differently. The 1st Peoples believe the land owns them. The 2nd Peoples believe they own land. When I was reminded of their perspective two things sprang to mind. First that the ancient followers of God had a concept that they never owned their land outright, but that it was given to them for their well-being. They divided land amongst the 12 tribes of Israel and the families within those tribes. Their task was to farm the land and provide well-being for all. So they were told they could not take everything from the land. They had to leave some for the poor, alien and widows and orphans. Secondly, it reminded me how land informs culture. The gentle green hills of Wales have formed a people with a lilt in their voices and a song in their hearts. I thought of the Dutch and their stubbornness mirrored in the mythic story of the lad who put his finger in the Dyke wall to stop the water coming in. Any people who must struggle against the sea to protect their low lying land must have strong determination. I thought of this hot arid land that has built a culture about mateship and ‘if it works don’t fix it’. We cannot follow Christ without listening to the traditional owners and new settlers. We cannot follow Christ without listening to the marginalised and the empowered. And we listen to be reconciled to each other.
Following Christ is the key to understanding the mission of God. Central to our faith is Christ Jesus. We were reminded in our Corinthian reading that Jesus came to reconcile us to God and gives us a ministry of reconciliation. The most important thing we do is to be reconciled to God and others, and to be reconcilers
Following Christ means we are to embrace the diversity of this God created world. The Uniting Church takes seriously the diverse and multi-cultural county we live in. Therefore the Uniting Church embraces diversity. I am reminded that the first Christian churches were very diverse stretching across an empire of peoples brought together by military strength and economic success of Rome, but they had differences that led to conflict at times. That diversity was only sustained by a unity in Christ Jesus. Jesus Christ was central to all things and so differences had to be experienced through the lens of Christ Jesus. We broke into small groups for 90 minutes to discuss the relationship of Aboriginal peoples and the peoples who have arrived in the past 200 years. The issue at stake is how a dominant people who conquered the Aboriginal peoples of this land might signal this in our Nation’s Constitution and our political practice. Opinions differed as to what precisely should be done and the task remains an important work in progress.
Following Christ means walking with others with compassion and justice. An easily reached consensus was achieved around a resolution calling our Federal & State Governments to establish “Medically Supervised Injecting Centres” to save lives of addicts who inadvertently overdose. It was noted that the national annual overdose death rate was higher than the road toll. Over 500 overdose deaths occurred in Victoria in 2016. It is a matter of compassion and concern for those who follow Christ to care for these people.
Following Christ also means we must look at our Synod’s structures. Long discussions took place over resolutions designed to streamline our key committees of the Synod. These decisions will also increase and sharpen the level of accountability in the Church. For example the Synod Standing Committee was reduced in number. Some resisted the potential loss of representation. The Synod Standing Committee, the number one executive committee of the Synod of VicTas, will be supported by two committees responsible for governance: the Ministry & Mission Committee and the Property & Operations Committee.
It is good to think that our Church is wrestling very seriously with a more clarified mission focus and a more sharpened accountability structure. Such clarity does not come easily to a community like the Uniting Church with its commitment to inclusivity and diversity. Our diversity and inclusivity can and do adversely affect our mission focus and accountability.
We also remembered this 500th year since the Reformation, which was ignited by Martin Luther. What Luther did for the Church was get the focus back on the Grace of God. It is by grace we are saved and Grace alone. Today Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church says that Luther reminded us that we can do nothing without the grace of God. Secondly, the Reformation heralded the democratisation of the Church. Up until Luther’s revolution the Church was truly hierarchical with the priest being the conduit through which forgiveness and leadership was exercised. The laity had no say in the affairs of the Church up until the time of Luther. Today we simply take the democratisation of Church and society for granted.
How much of a watershed this Synod will be only time will tell. But we are a church struggling with major decline, a lack of resources and a lack of energy. But I know this: in this time of decline the future of the Church lies with us, not the young, not those who are not present and not those who God is still to raise. The future of the Church will rely on the present faithful people irrespective of age. The future of the Church will depend upon our humility and not our ability. God doesn’t need able people God needs willing people. God doesn’t need our skills but our hearts. What is important for the Church is the quality of our faith not the quantity of faith.
I believe Synod has raised some important issues for us to face and address in the Church’s life.
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Peter C Whitaker, Leighmoor UC: 17/09/2017
pgwhitaker@tpg.com.au
/ www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au
