The Church of God Convention this week has been monumental for several reasons, and that includes how we took on the challenge of conducting business within the new reality. Yes, there were glitches and awkward moments, but by leveraging technology Anderson was linked to Oklahoma City, and General Assembly was held.
This year's GA was not just about technology and two locations. As usual there is business to cover. And, that's about all we did this year. Except for a few brief PR moments from Christian Women Connection, Servant Solutions, and our colleges this was mainly about an agenda of business. That makes this probably the shortest GA ever, or at least in recent history. This is refreshing because in the past it had turned into a promotion fest for every program coming out of Anderson. This year, the memorial recognition was also no longer part of GA – it was appropriately moved to the first night of the Convention itself.
By far, the highlight of the meeting was on Wednesday afternoon when Jim Lyon gave a very direct, bold speech talking about the challenges facing the Church of God and how we might address them. I hope that is available on video somewhere – it needs to be watched. This is the backdrop to all the changes going on around us, and will likely generate some discussions going forward, especially his call for some kind of faith statement needed. This will not go over well for the anti-creedalists.
Overall, the agenda was pretty light, but not without some speed bumps. The item that got the most attention was a resolution recommending the opposition of same sex marriages being held in church facilities. Ultimately it passed, but not without some minor wranglings, including a motion to limit debate. This resolution appeared to be a more reasoned response to the ill-crafted same-sex marriage proposal the Assembly tabled last year, but still leaves questions in some people's minds.
My biggest beef is a concern I expressed last year, and that is the failure to send out reports and resolutions well in advance of the GA. We need to be informed of things before we walk in the door, and there should be opportunity for dialogue in advance on issues like the same sex marriage resolution. The way we've been doing it is not acceptable if we want to change the tone and effectiveness of how we do business in a revitalized movement.
2 comments:
Jim's report had everything...honesty, warning, reproof, and hope. It was certainly the highlight.
The marriage proposal was still horribly worded. First, in approving the first "whereas" paragraph, I think we became fundamentalists today by making biblical revelation the "ultimate authority" as opposed to God.
Second, the actual resolution states, "that the General Assembly, convened in June, 2014, hereby reaffirms its traditional understanding of...marriage and its related expectation of appropriate pastor/chaplain practices."
If that really is the case, I will need to go back to our traditions on marriage, follow Warner's and Byrum's lead and tell all people involved in second marriages (while the first spouse is still living) to get a divorce because they are living in a "state" of adultery. That would have been Warner's traditional understanding of marriage.
In all seriousness, more eyes on these documents and discussions beforehand would have been helpful. Plus, the discussion may have provided a more reasoned and focused debate.
Finally, limiting the debate...smh.
P.S. College presidents all had clear and succinct presentations. They carried themselves with dignity and class and gave us great hope for the future.
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