Assembly Mod 99



Moderator's Address
Incoming Moderator Peter McIntosh challenged the Church to ‘get real’. Rather than the wisdom of the world, expressed in so many conflicting voices, we should seek the real wisdom of God – putting aside faction, phobia and half-truth in pursuit of the mind of Christ. We should get real in our local communities, tackling the real issues that affected people rather than bickering over irrelevant questions of seats or pews, or which hymn book to use. To get real means both seeing the pain and suffering of the world and recognising the places where Christ is already at work in the world. In the Church, to get real means dropping impractical expectations of leaders and councils and recognising that we are – and always will be – imperfect people who rely on God’s grace and not threatening ‘to take out bat home’ if not everything within the church is exactly as we would want it to be. To get real in many local churches would mean fundamental changes, leading to worship which is relevant to those ‘outside’ and to a style of church life which allows the members of a church to relate effectively to the community in which they are set. To get real in the wider Church requires us to see the body of Christ in all its fullness and with all its gifts, not only our small denominational part of it. We need to celebrate the gifts of other Christians, repent of past hostilities and even, if necessary, face up to the fact that the work of some local churches has come to an end and that the time has come to move on – perhaps uniting with other struggling congregations to create something new. It was – all in all, Peter McIntosh told Assembly – time to say goodbye to cynicism, pessimism and mistrust and get real: Renewed, Enlightened, Alongside and Loved. (To read full address click here)
Violence against women
After hearing a number of moving and harrowing stories of male violence against women, Assembly overwhelmingly passed a motion from the Church’s Northern Synod denouncing violence against women and expressing alarm at the tendency in society to accept excuses for such violence. Speakers urged churches to admit their own responsibility when women in abusive relationships were told to remain for the sake of the sanctity of marriage. Violence against women was, it was noted, a violation of their basic human rights – and not only physical violence: psychological violence and denigration can be equally damaging.
Children are unbeatable!
After a lively debate, but one where almost every contribution was in favour of a motion put jointly by the Youth and Children’s Committee and Church and Society Committee, Assembly committed the URC to membership of the ‘Children are Unbeatable’ Alliance. In doing so the Assembly implicitly endorsed the Alliance’s aim of eliminating the physical punishment of children. The Revd Derek Lindfield, Convenor of the Youth and Children’s Committee, spoke powerfully of the change in the culture of schools since corporal punishment was outlawed some 12 years ago. Other speakers backed the idea that violence was not a proper basis on which to encourage children to develop self-discipline.
What’s in a name?
Though many speakers expressed sympathy for the aims of the motion, Assembly decided in the end not to accept a motion from the Southern Synod calling on churches to avoid the use of names such ‘Mother and Toddler’ or ‘Parent and Toddler’ because they might be in danger of excluding other carers.
Ministers’ kids
Ministerial families with young children and no second income are experiencing considerable hardship and turning to state benefits, Assembly heard from the Ministries Committee. Assembly responded by passing a motion from the Committee which returns to the practice of paying ministers child allowances, provided that family income is less than £2000 above the level of the basic stipend. The allowance will be set at the level of £800 for the first child and £400 for subsequent children and will apply to all dependent children up to the age of 24.
Racial Justice
The Church and Society Committee’s motion on racial justice raised a considerable amount of passion as speaker after speaker came to the microphone to underline the commitment to fighting racism within society and even within the Church itself. Assembly was reminded by many speakers that racism is still a very real force impacting the lives of members of ethnic minority communities. The motion, which was overwhelmingly passed, encourages churches to mark Racial Justice Sunday on September 12^th. More importantly, churches were urged not simply to react to problems as they arise but to engage in active discussion on issues of racial justice both within and outside the church, and to be active in supporting those struggling for racial justice within their local communities.
Members to decide on sexuality issue
After an eighteen month study by five working groups, General Assembly accepted the conclusions of a major report on human sexuality. The central recommendation of the report is that the URC’s members throughout the country should be asked to approve or reject a straightforward statement clarifying the Church’s policy. The statement, in two brief paragraphs, asserts that while the Church should welcome and affirm those of homosexual orientation, it is not in a position to depart from the view held in common by the Christian community on the issue of homosexual practice. The working groups, each carefully chosen to reflect the full spectrum of opinion within the Church, testified to the liberating experience of listening with respect to opposing opinions and recognising in others a shared commitment to seeking the mind of Christ for the Church. The reports submitted cover a wide range of issues related to the debate over the last three years within the URC, and though they reflect the diversity of view which has become apparent, all have the full backing of their respective members. The Revd Elizabeth Welch, Convener of the Core Group which co-ordinated the work of the more specialised working groups, told the Assembly that in a situation of uncertainty, with widely varying views being expressed strongly within the Church, it was not possible to justify a radical change in the Church's position at the present time. In drawing up their report, the Core Group had before it the results of the working group on Biblical Authority, which stated that 'Our examination of the key texts in regard to the homosexuality issue has failed to produce a consensus on their implications for Christians today.' The Core Group also consulted more than 30 denominations with whom the URC has close ecumenical or international links. The results in both cases had only confirmed the judgement that major change could not be justified. Over seven hours of debate, characterised by a combination of deeply-held conviction and respect for the wide diversity of views, Assembly decided that the time had come to ask the Church’s members to draw a line under the issue for the time being by adopting a policy which would be seen to command the support of the majority within the Church. The statement to be circulated for discussion reaffirms the broad sweep of traditional teaching on issues of sexuality and also 'affirms and welcomes people of homosexual orientation within the life of the church and society'. The statement concludes that there is not 'a sufficiently clear mind in the Church at this time to affirm the acceptability of homosexual practice.' The statement will be submitted to the whole church for approval or rejection over the next seven months. Provided that not more than one third of the bodies consulted – which include all local churches – object, General Assembly in the year 2000 will be invited to adopt the statement as the policy of the United Reformed Church. In subsequent debates later in the week, Assembly will discuss the consequences of the possible adoption of the policy by the Church, including its implications for existing members, elders, ministers and any in training who are practising homosexuals. The proposals include an acceptance that any new policy will not result in disciplinary action against existing ministers in homosexual relationships. The URC's General Secretary, Tony Burnham, said of the Assembly’s decision: 'This has been a long and admittedly difficult process for the Church and I believe that current proposal offers a way forward. It will come as a great relief when this single issue, important though it is, no longer overshadows the many vital initiatives the Church is taking in the field of mission.'
Growing Up
‘Isn’t it good to be talking about mission!’ asked one speaker -- and Assembly agreed with enthusiasm. The Growing Up report, which seeks to map out a mission strategy for the Church into the next millennium was endorsed by a wide range of speakers. The report recognises with great honesty some of the weaknesses of the Church in terms of mission over recent years and sets current numerical decline in the wider context of a long term decline in numbers across all the mainstream denominations. But beyond recognition of past failures, speakers welcomed the way that the report gathers together a wide range of issues on which the Church will be invited to commit itself to make progress over the next few years. Among particular emphases are the development of service to the local community, encouraging local churches in the desire and ability to witness to their faith, the progress being made by Pilots (the Church's growing non-uniformed youth and children's organisation) and the innovative Belonging to the World Church programme. Belonging to the World Church brings partners from around the world to work within the URC and offers overseas experience in appropriate forms to both lay workers and clergy from this country. (To read full address click here)
Union Proposals
Assembly ratified the proposals for the union of the Congregational Union of Scotland and the United Reformed Church and looked forward – should the CUS also approve the proposals – to the prospect of a uniting assembly in Glasgow on April 1^st 2000 (‘Fools for Christ’ was the Moderator’s comment). The Moderator paid fulsome tribute to the work of the Revd John Arthur, CUS General Secretary, and to the willingness of the CUS to undertake the risks and challenges of Union.
St Andrew’s Hall
The Ecumenical Committee received a rough ride from a number of speakers over the perceptions of the manner in which the decision was taken to close St Andrews Hall, the mission education centre shared between the URC, the Baptist Missionary Society and the Council for Word Mission. Several contributors argued that there had been too little consultation, both with churches in the Birmingham area and more widely at the national level. Others felt that ways ought to have been found to preserve the college’s unique contribution. The Committee’s Convener, the Revd Bob Andrews, regretted the fact that the College’s Council, on which the URC had only four representatives out of 25, had taken the decision so quickly. The URC had always maintained its financial commitment to the College and had made a number of suggestions which might have preserved the college or, at least, continued its work in another form but these had not been taken up. He apologised for any lack of consultation in a situation where the Committee had felt under pressure to react to a rapidly changing situation.
Moderator 2000
The Moderator of General Assembly for 2000-2001 will be the Revd Bill Mahood, minister at St Ives- only the fifth Moderator in the URC's 26-year history to be elected while in pastoral charge.
In Brief
They're not 'Provinces' any more, they're 'Synods'. If you think the change isn't important, try telling folk from Wales or Scotland that they live in provinces! Despite criticism over what was described as 'lack of consultation' Assembly accepted with sadness the Council of St Andrews's Hall to close the college but called for renewed effort to ensure that the work of mission education continued. Assembly approved a new proposal from the Communications and Editorial Committee for a five-year rolling programme designed to help the Church get it's message across, with advice and practical help on everything from church noticeboards to dealing with the press. Next year's Assembly will be held on 1-4th July in London. The 2001 Assembly will be in York, Assemblies will be residential, over a long weekend.