Moving Toward Creative Change

by Rev. Dr. Hans Kouwenberg, Abbotsford, B.C.

posted on January 1, 2010 in Letters | Read the First Comment | Print

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I really appreciated the October Record, especially David Harris’ editorial, Start Something Unthinkable, reflecting on the past moderator, Rev. Cheol Soon Park’s excellent 135th assembly sermon, and David Webber’s reflection on his recent trip to observe a number of New Zealand Presbyterian churches, entitled The Rural Church. Of course, Webber’s article isn’t just about rural churches but about “doing church” in a much different, more entrepreneurial, more flexible, yet profoundly biblical way. I am convinced, as both of these writers seem to be, that the Presbyterian Church in Canada needs to hurry up and recover what it means to be a “movement” rather than grinding along as an “institution” as Kennon Callahan puts it. A movement wants to be adaptable; an institution has trouble changing anything. The only problem is that being as institutional as we are, these changes can only come about by legislation within our presbyteries and assemblies. That takes a long time. In the meantime, those of us who care for creative change are working, and praying, as hard as we can to bring it about.    

  • Rev. David M. Crawford, Canmore, Ab. said,

    I remember very clearly Rev. Park’s sermon – its vision, its passion, its Reformed and reforming faithfulness! Yet as a denomination the P.C.C. has dropped over the past 15 years by an average of 2500 – 3000 professing members each year, according to the statistics in the Acts and Proceedings. Our institution is dying off. Sadly many in leadership positions, both clergy and lay, lack the vision or the courage to embrace Rev. Park’s inspiring words. Clergy persons are more concerned with pensions than prophetic leadership, lay persons more concerned with revisiting church memories of the 1970′s or 50′s than seeking spiritual relevance for seekers in a contemporary context. Some colleagues have suggested to me that perhaps we need to embrace a palliative care approach to our churches and our denomination, avoiding change, allowing our Church to live out its existence and die comfortably. Is this really what the gospel of Christ summons forth from us? Is this what God has in store for presbyterians?

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