A GENERAL ASSEMBLY REFLECTION
By Grant VanderVelden, Summer Seminary Intern
No Presbyterian congregation stands alone. Individual congregations, wherever they are, together make up one Church. Together, we are the Body of Christ. I experienced a strong sense of this connection during my eight years of service with the Presbytery of Milwaukee prior to attending seminary. It was a great gift to have regular opportunities to be with the various parts of the Body of Christ in southeast Wisconsin. The blessings continue as I study and minister within the bounds of the John Knox Presbytery. So it was with joy and thanksgiving that I participated in the denomination's 218th General Assembly in San Jose, California, as a theological student advisory delegate.
For eight days in late June, mnore than 3,000 Presbyterians gathered to worship daily, to discern the will of Christ on more than 400 business items, and to give thanks for the many ways in which Presbyterians are proclaiming the Good News with people in all corners of the world. In the weeks since GA adjourned, many words have been spoken and written about the Assembly's actions, and much of the conversation has centered on proposed changes in ordination standards. We are not of one mind regarding these standards, but I am confident that, in the same way I felt the power of the Holy Spirit throughout General Assembly, the Spirit will be with sessions and presbyteries as those parts of the Body study the proposed changes in the coming year and discern the will of Christ.
What I hope doesn't get lost among those conversations are several exciting proposals that the Assembly approved. The body overwhelmingly adopted a denomination-wide commitment to "Grow Christ's Church Deep and Wide." The measure encourages all parts of the Body - synods, presbyteries, sessions and congregations - to grow Christ's Church through evangelism, discipleship, servanthood and diversity. It calls for the formation of new congregations and the transformation of existing congregations.
In a related action, the body approved an historic document, the "Invitation to Expanding Partnership in God's Mission." The document invites all Presbyterians to covenant to live and serve together, to commit to working cooperatively, and to celebrate diverse approaches to mission.
My personal understanding of mission comes from the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew makes it clear that Jesus came not just to redeem the world, but also to declare the arrival of God's Kingdom. God is at work in the world and invites each of us to participate in that work. I find my understanding of mission in the Great Ends of the Church: the proclamation of the Gospel for the salvation of humanity; the shelter, nurture and spiritual fellowship of God's children; the maintenance of worship; the preservation of the truth; the promotion of social righteousness; and the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world.
In the weeks since returning from General Assembly, my prayer for the Church is that all parts of the Body experience the love of God, the peace of Christ and the power of the Spirit in the same way that I did in San Jose. The Church affirms that people of good faith will, from time to time, disagree. But rather than focus on what separates us, I further pray that we will be the Body of Christ and remember our unity in "one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all" (Ephesians 4:5-6). And in our unity, we will respond faithfully to the instruction of Christ and the discernment of General Assembly to grow Christ's Church deep and wide.
