Yes, we're the church, together.

This is a blog post to a very specific group of people.  Which is not something I do, normally, but in this case, I feel that it is called for.

This is a blog post for those of us who are young people involved with the church.  Be that Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, whatever.  Young folks who are involved in the official organizations of the church. (I have tried to do my research to be able to explain these proceedings well.  However, I've never been to General Conference or General Assembly.  If anyone reading this notices any inaccuracies, please let me know and I will update the blog. Thanks.)

I have always been more aware about the logistical workings of the church than the average young-person-in-the-church.  Growing up super involved in my Methodist congregation, with parents working in the church, I was almost always aware of things like Annual Conference and General Conference.  I knew what the Book of Discipline was, the Social Principles, how they are revised at General Conference.

Now, working for Presbyterians, I am also aware of General Assembly (which is their version of the General Conference).  I know about Moderators and Vice-Moderators, I know about how Presbyteries interact with individual churches, I know the EXTREME importance of committees.  (I still have to look up "synod" every so often.)

And I, being a nerd and being involved with religious people, have kept up with these various events, because I am NOT someone who is "spiritual but not religious", I am a religious person involved with religions organizations and what's going on in those organizations matters to me.  Furthermore, it is
wonderfully conveinient that these things that most of the world (and frankly, many parishoners) doesn't keep up with or even know is happening, is also of interest to my friends and co-workers here.  There is something quite charming about sitting on a porch with friends, drinking extremely cheap alcohol, and discussing the gossip from General Assembly.

There have been a couple of tricky events recently in the Methodist and Presbyterian gatherings.  (My guess is that similar things are happening in other denominations, but these are the ones I am most familiar with.  I know a lot of these debates are mirrored in the debate that has been raging for a while
about the Anglican covenant in the Episcopalian church, but I don't have my head wrapped around the details of that yet... but the Episcopalian General Convention just authorized a liturgy for blessing same-sex unions, so yay!)

For years at the Methodist General Conference, the subject of homosexuality has been addressed.  They held small group discussions about identity and sexuality that many felt was not given adequate leadership or preparation, and hateful comments were allowed to permeate the conversations.  The General Conference decided to uphold the language in the Book of Discipline that homosexual acts are "incompatible with Christian teaching" (though it is worth mentioning that the Social Principles state, "Certain basic human rights and civil liberties are due all persons. We are committed to supporting those rights and liberties for homosexual persons."  Read the full text here)

The Presbyterian General Assembly had two major events happen.  The first surrounded the election of the new Moderator and Vice Moderator. The Moderator and Vice Moderator of the PC(USA) do just that... they moderate the assembly.  They are the highest elected officials in the PC(USA).  It's a big deal.  And it was an even bigger deal when Tara Spuhler McCabe, newly elected Vice-Moderator, resigned a couple days after her election.

Tara had recently officiated a wedding between two women.  She did this in Washington, DC, where it is legal.  However, it is not "legal" within the church for PC(USA) pastors to officiate same-sex marriages.  There are many who do, and often "get away" with it... but it's trickier to "get away" with it when you have been elected Vice Moderator.  Hateful comments were aimed at her, and it was getting in the way of the procedures of the Assembly, and since her job was to make sure the Assembly ran smoothly, she resigned, saying, "I am a pastor. That is who God has called me to be. As I reflect on what’s happening now, I think I am embodying the reality of a growing number of pastors who find ourselves caught. We are caught between being pastors – being with couples in those sacred moments when they make their vows to one another . . . and having a polity that restricts us from living out our pastoral calling – especially in states where it is legal for everyone to be married."

The other event at the GA was that a motion passed committee to change the definition of marriage in the Book of Order to being a union between "two people" instead of a union between "a man and a woman".  The motion did not pass assembly.

I was, nerdily, reading the tweets labeled #ga220 when this happened.  And the sentiment I saw over and over again in those tweets was the worry that young people were going to leave the PC(USA) because of this vote.  Because many people who were in support of the motion felt that the PC(USA) had shown itself to be on the wrong side of history, or that the church was failing to show support, love, and care for non-heterosexual children of God.  There is a worry that the church will lose us because, as a generation, we are more socially liberal, more open and accepting about issues like these, and it would be easy for those of us who believe strongly in equal rights and acceptance of all people, to become fed up with the church, say, "Screw it," and walk out.

And the reason I am writing this blog post for us is to say that we cannot do that.

There are many things wrong with the institution that is the church.  Of course there is.  It is a human institution and therefore imperfect.  It has caused a lot of hurt, and that hurt has been advertised across the world so we get a bad reputation, but I have also seen it do a lot of good.  I have seen the church band together in response to tragedy, both locally and globally.  I have seen the church genuinely connect with communities that are so far from the average attendee, and I have even seen the church be the accepting community when others have not been.  There is hope in the church, no matter how misguided it can be at times.

And frankly, the church is not going away.  Even though at times we can be frustrated with it and wonder if the world would be better without it... that's not going to happen. The church is, in fact, here to stay, even if denominations keep lamenting at the declining membership.  The church will still exist,
maybe in a new form, but somehow, for years to come.

And here's the truth about that vote in the General Assembly: the motion failed by 52%.  That's 30 votes.  The last time this motion was brought up, it didn't even make it out of committee.  That is a HUGE leap in a SHORT amount of time.

And here's what REALLY gets me.  There are some delegates to the conference who are there as "advisory delegates".  The PC(USA) says that they "are selected to attend the meeting of the General Assembly in an advisory role so that the assembly may be assured of hearing and taking cognizance of their special viewpoints."  Basically, it's a "we want to make sure your voice is heard" thing.  They do not vote, but they are given particular opportunities to speak and polled so that the conference knows their general viewpoints on issues.  Two of these groups are the YAADs (Young Adult Advisory Delegates) and the TSADs (Theological Student Advisory Delegates).  Basically, young people (23 and under) and seminary students.  When the YAADs were polled, they voted 75% for changing the language, and the TSADs (aka: the folks who will soon be ordained) voted 82% in favor.

WE are the ones who can change this.  We ARE the future of the church.  That's not me being inspirational, that's me speaking a proven fact that we will get older, we will have positions within this church, and we will eventually be the ones running it.  We have the power to provoke and eventually solidify change within the church.

But we lose that power if we leave.

It would be so much easier for us to throw in the towel.  I spend a lot of time defending the church, defending religion especially amongst people my age.  And the exhuasting thing is, most of their attacks against the church and religion are completely valid.  Most of my friends have been, in some way, scarred by the church.  I find myself surrounded by people who have been told by the church that they are irrepearably broken, fallen and sinful and past grace unless they do this specific list of things that will get them "saved".  Who have been told they are going to hell because they have a hard time believing in the idea that God came to Earth as a human about 2000 years ago and died and rose again.  People who have watched the church reject proven fact because it goes against an ancient text, instead of incorporating these discoveries of God's world into their theology.  People who have heard people do hateful things in the name of love.  And it takes a lot to say, "Yes, but there is also good."  With so much publicized about the awful things the church has done, it's difficult for people to believe that my friend said, "when I came out, and my family wasn't there for me, the church was."  It's hard to explain, with all of this about how Chik-Fil-A believes in the "Biblical" definition of marriage, that not everyone who reads, follows, and believes the Bible believes that this is the true "Biblical" definition or marriage.

But while it's tempting to step away, to go to "I'm spiritual but not religious" or even "I have problems with organized religion*", the fact is, if we stick around, if we use our voices, if we rally for what we believe is truly following Christ, if we speak the truths we have seen in our lives, if we share stories, if we love the imperfect organization of the church as God loves the imperfect people we are, we can work within our organizations so that, one day, the reputation of our churches may NOT be awful.  We can work towards the day when the church is truly seen as the hands and feet of God in the world--moving towards people in need, not away, standing on the side of the oppressed (as God has ALWAYS done throughout the Bible), and striving to live in love with all people.

*so does everyone involved with organized religion.

And furthermore, as I was reminded this morning at keynote, it is not that we are simply the church's future.  We are the church's present.  When I was in middle school, I had a letter to the editor published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.  It was about homosexuality.  And I received a note from my pastor shortly thereafter, expressing her appreciation for my letter and her hope that I would be open to sharing my views with her further, as General Conference was coming up.  And what that told me was that, even though I was young, I was, in fact, a full member of the church, with opinions and points of view that mattered.  That's what these advisory delegates the PC(USA) are: the church saying, "You matter.  We want to make sure we know what you have to say."

So, young religious folks.  Let's stick with this.  We are valued members of the church now, who can lead by example and conviction.  Tomorrow we will be the official leaders.  Let's seek justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God.  Let's work together to make the church what we know it can be, what drew us here in the first place, and what so many people in this world think it will never be.  Let's prove them wrong.