They’re off! The race is on. The kickoff is in the air. The puck is on the ice. The first pitch is thrown.

Choose your favorite athletic metaphor. Easter is behind us and the 218th General Assembly looms on the horizon — awaiting us on June 20 in San Jose, Calif. The season of contesting legislation and campaigning leaders has been launched.

In my more sarcastic moments I’ve thought of these biennial Eastertides as “ … the spring of the year, the time when [Presbyterians] go out to battle … ” (2 Samuel 11:1). In my more “it’s a God-thing” moments I recognize it to be the season for the Presbyterians to go out to learn. And to discern. And to strategize. And to galvanize. And to do so constructively.

In reality the ball started rolling when the 217th General Assembly, meeting in Birmingham, Ala., adjourned on June 22, 2006. The decisions made there led to many actions taking place throughout the church. In the national office, the staff was restructured and Middle Eastern peacemaking was attenuated. Presbyteries organized theological reflection groups, retooled the way they examine ministerial candidates and, in some locations, engaged disaffected congregations’ efforts to transfer to another denomination. Sessions studied to assess just what those actions of that GA really mean.

Through these past two years, scores of those sessions, presbyteries, and synods have formulated overtures to introduce business to this next Assembly. Designated groups like the New Form of Government task force, the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy, the Stated Clerk Search Committee, and the Department of Ecumenical and Agency Relations have dug through piles of assignments to prepare proposals to come before this national meeting.

Now we all get down to the business of testing those proposals, seeking understanding, assessing candidates, and listening with our God-made ears to hear God’s voice in all of this.

Life would be much simpler if we didn’t need to hold meetings such as General Assemblies. Published reports of our deliberations can embarrass us. Non-denominational, i.e., disconnectional, churches don’t have to explain to their people why eccentric things are being said on their behalf which, no doubt, is one growth advantage those churches have over us. But, we do this for the best reason: We want to discern God’s will as it applies to the big issues of our day. We want to obey God’s will and be faithful to God’s intentions — and we want to do that together, connected with the larger body of Christ.

But isn’t that will already clear? Why do we need to meet so often to discern the will of God for us?

When the Apostle John wrote the book of Revelation, the churches there already had in hand the Hebrew Scriptures, the writings of countless rabbis, and most, if not all, of the epistles and gospels. What more did they need? Well one thing they needed was to hear what the Spirit was saying to the churches then and there. So, before unveiling his apocalyptic visions, John first spoke seven specific words to seven specific churches. Each time he concludes with the words, “Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”

For the past 500 years, when we in the Presbyterian and Reformed church community have opened the Scriptures to seek to know God’s Word to guide us, we have sought the Spirit’s illumination. Lacking the magisterial authority of a writing apostle, we have followed the other New Testament model of discernment — the Jerusalem Council (see Acts. 15) — by gathering to pray, to worship, to study, and to deliberate. Whether by forming and amending motions or by seeking consensus, we have listened for the voices of the prophets, we have sought experts’ opinions, we have deliberated, and we have taken action. Most such discernment processes have produced good fruit.

But those processes don’t begin when the commissioners and advisory delegates arrive in San Jose. The discernment for this General Assembly began on June 22, 2006. As the next GA approaches, our hope to be faithful to the mission of God requires us all to study, to pray, to listen, to deliberate, and to discern the will of God to be lived through us and beyond us into the creation. Through the next two months, The Presbyterian Outlook will provide many analyses and guest commentaries to help you engage in that discernment process.

Let the games, er uh, discernment begin.

— JHH

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wrote on April 29, 2008

Title: Discernment over Politics Perhaps there would be the option for the ideal discernment you share if the sheer volume of material we expect delegates to GA to read, absorb, process, and pray about were reduced to a more reasonable load. Perhaps your lovely vision would come to pass if those who hold fast to a position on an issue (any position on any issue) were to come to GA with an open mind, an open heart, open ears, a more often closed mouth, and a deep desire to know and do God's will. Perhaps if elections for denominational leaders resembled a true effort to discern whose gifts most closely match the needs of the church for this period of time rather than who has the right answers to the litmus test questions for enough voting delegates to get themselves elected we would all find a way to support those chosen to lead. Too often, I fear, people come with their own agendas informed more by experience and logic than by what Scripture says or the still, small voice of God. Too often they come with their minds made up on the issues about which they are most passionate and little concern for others issues and the unintended consequences of their votes. Too often votes are taken with many people still confused or missing or misled by convoluted wording for us to know what God's will really might be. Too often people are so worn out by the conflict and anxiety that they will vote whatever way they think will simply stop the fighting. Perhaps one day your vision will come to fruition and we can be about Kingdom work instead of church work. Till that day, we must all pray that the decisions those we elect will make in June will truly reflect the will of God, in spite of our fallen humanity.

wrote on April 29, 2008

Title: Atta Boy Jack Once again Dr. Jack Haberer has done us a favor. Too many Presbyterians get all fired up when they hear that a General Assembly has made 'such and such' a pronouncement which they can't agree with. I've always reminded my new member's classes that our General Assembles speak TO the church, not FOR the church. It is up to all of us together to discern where God may be leading us next. Our great strength is to have regional bodies (Presbyteries) weigh in through nation wide votes on the major changes which may take place. We also allow local sessions to discern with their congregation's offerings were we believe God is calling us. Both have worked well to block the 'gamesmanship' of some GAs and to allow discernment to emerge from the WHOLE church. Atta boy, Jack! I sincerely hope that the readers are listening to the Spirit and Truth.

wrote on April 28, 2008

Title: Pastor, Oak Island Presbyterian Church I hope that Jack Haberer did not intend to compare the decisions of the General Assembly to the content of the New Testament canon, which he seems to do when he states: 'When the Apostle John wrote the book of Revelation, the churches there already had in hand the Hebrew Scriptures, the writings of countless rabbis, and most, if not all, of the epistles and gospels. What more did they need? Well one thing they needed was to hear what the Spirit was saying to the churches then and there. So, before unveiling his apocalyptic visions, John first spoke seven specific words to seven specific churches. Each time he concludes with the words, "Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.' To compare the 'discernment' of any or all General Assembies to the New Testament would be a most 'un-Presbyterian' thing to do.

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