On numerous occasions over the past few years I have touched upon our identity as a Church of God movement. This is a recurring theme that seems to crop up regularly in our circles as we try to resolve our rich heritage and strong doctrinal convictions with the current reality of our impact and place within the larger Christian community. You can hardly participate in a Church of God gathering without this being discussed, either formally or informally, by our leaders and/or regular folk.
The matter of identity came up again in the most recent issue of
Communion, the bi-monthly publication sent to ministers and lay leaders across North America. The feature article, "Rediscovering our Purpose", attempts to tackle the identity problem from the vantage point of purpose. General Director, Ronald Duncan, writes that when we lose our purpose "we lose focus, suffer apathy, and become ineffective". While not directly stating that this fully describes the Church of God today, Duncan does indicate that our "movement needs to discover afresh the power and dynamic drive of a biblical purpose for existence", and he shares several insights about the discovery process. The remainder of the March-April issue contains other articles about rediscovering our purpose, specifically related to such topics as global missions, higher education and worship. Certainly Dr. Duncan is well aware of the crisis we find ourselves in and has been the leading voice in recent years to move us forward in this regard.
I too am concerned about our identity. And, clarity of purpose is an essential part of it. But, I wonder if all the talk about identity and purpose is really strengthening us as a movement. Could it be that the incessant chatter on this topic just reinforces our low corporate self-esteem, and drives us further into discouragement and despair? In fact, it is evident in viewing the lifecycle of any organization that the preoccupation with identity issues usually occurs during times of decline. An organization or movement that has a clear sense of identity, purpose and direction possesses these naturally, because they are inherent within its very culture, not as a result of simply trying to define it.
Our own history demonstrates that identity comes as the result of strong leaders who rally people around a clear, God-inspired vision that is readily understood, articulated and practiced. As we institutionalized and lost our movement impulse we have struggled to define ourselves and our place within the larger church. We are also a much more diverse group of people than what originally emerged from our largely rural, Midwestern roots. In the process we have failed to find a more enduring identity than what was easily formed in the period of sociological and religious upheaval of the late nineteenth century. What is needed is a new, compelling vision that integrates our past, is in sync with present realities, and works toward a new picture of the future.
In a subsequent post I will propose some courses for our identity quest. In the meantime, what do you think about all this preoccupation with rediscovering our purpose?
