We all drink the “Koolaid” of our own world view . . .  

Yesterday Governor Inslee from Washington State declared his candidacy for president. His platform is Climate Change which he believes is the root of many of the world’s economic, political and social problems – which is why that is his only platform issue.  

I have been thinking about PCUSA’s world view in general and the Presbytery of Baltimore’s in particular. What kind of “Koolaid” are we drinking – if we are drinking the same beverage at all? For the most part we are all in line with the basic tenets of the reformed faith. We use the Book of Order for most things and we support our long-standing traditions of forming committees!  

However, we are becoming more contextualized in our ministries and what was a “given” about support of the Presbytery (tithe, time and talent) is now shifting (as J. Herbert Nelson would say) from “Institution to Movement”. Congregations save many of their resources, human and otherwise, for the work in their churches. Our Presbytery’s collective work, though impressive, is being accomplished by fewer and fewer people.  

At the intersection of the rank and file, creeping congregationalism, competing world views and the emerging need for a different type of community engagement, is a call for a revised vision for our Presbytery. Even if we drink from different glasses, it should be the same flavor!   

I am not proposing to throw the baby out with the bathwater, but look again at whether our vision statement:  

1) speaks to our congregations  
2) asserts what is really happening, and  
3) is a realistic reflection of our work in these times.   

We start with the question: what do you need from your presbytery?