Friday, December 01, 2006

December 1 – To Withhold or Not to Withhold

Last night at the Session meeting (church board for those non-Presbyterians out there) I suggested that Evergreen Presbyterian Church withhold its General Assembly per capita for 2007. Most people around the table had no idea of the national struggles of our denomination. That’s my fault. For years I have shielded our congregation from all of the garbage that goes on in the PCUSA. I will never do that again. Most people were generally surprised by the items I have posted on this blog this past week.

Like most churches, the main concern of our elders is our local church. It is hard for members of a local church to see how what happens elsewhere in the country within the PCUSA impacts our local church.

Our elders are going to spend at least a month praying about withholding General Assembly per capita and giving it to Presbyterian mission.

I “hated” our meeting last night. It brings me only heartache to have to tell the elders of our church about the mess in our denomination. It will be a happy day when Christ either changes this denomination or he tells me it is time to leave. I am tired of the fight. Its killing the PCUSA. Its killing pastors. Its killing me.

posted by Pastor Lance @ 1:01 PM   3 Comments

3 Comments:

At 10:35 PM , Blogger Lori said...

My mom's church in Camarillo, CA, Trinity Presbyterian, has recently voted to withhold. For all the same reasons you have outlined. You're not alone. Don't get discouraged.

Peace

 
At 9:57 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Lance,
Don't beat yourself up for your elders failures to take it upon themselves to educate themselves about the denomination.

The Layman has published a newspaper for decades that describe in detail the malfeasence in Louisville.

In the past 10 years the amount of information immediately available to any Presbyterian has grown tremendously.

If Presbyterians spent 15 minutes each day reading the news posted on Presbyweb, the denomination would not be in the mess that it finds itself.

So when Presbyterians complain about what Louisville is doing, they have only themselves to blame for not giving 15 minutes each day to reading the news.

If Presbyterians really want to save the denomination from its impending bankruptcy, then they need to start behaving like its salvation is important to them.

 
At 1:54 PM , Blogger Bill Crawford said...

Come on all the cool churches are doing it!

I too struggled with the need for working through the case for with holding.

Then came the Apostasy of 2006. Case closed. vote to with hold? 9-0.

Kidding aside it is exhausting, tiring, and distracting - but what is a Presbyter to do?

 

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