Rev Bill

Noel Anderson at Andersonspeak is posting answers to points that people are making about why churches should leave the Presbyterian Church (USA). The first point he answers is the one that we should leave because we are ticked off. The second he answers is the one that we should leave because we can. The third reason he answers is that we should leave because we are afraid. The fourth reason he answers is that Churches could attract new, younger people if they were not in the denomination.

He now responds to another reason he hears people giving for pulling out of the denomination: Because every congregation is it’s own entity.

To this, he responds:

Congregations, like individuals, can suffer narcissism. They can become so self-sufficient and powerful that they feel they need no one else. Congregational narcissism is usually manifested in our large, evangelical congregations that have built their ministries “on their own”—that is, without presbytery loans, resources, or other advices. On the positive side, this usually means that these congregations are shaping their work and mission right out of scripture and backing up their operations with the best principles of the PCUSA Constitution. But that doesn’t mean they’re not narcissistic.

I can’t agree more! While it might be a sign of strength that a congregation can “get along without the denomination” as far as finances and mission, pulling out because you don’t need the denomination is not as important as staying in because the denomination needs you — and we all need each other.

You can read Anderson’s entire response here.

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.