When an Irresistible Force Collides with an Immovable Object

On Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend, clerks and others from thirteen congregations gathered under the hospitality of St. John's United Church in Chesterton to tell of the exciting things happening in their congregations, to explore resources available and conversation about electronic records and electronic meetings, and to exchange for review the minutes and registers of their congregations. Some themes:

• With only four of the congregations led by called-and-installed pastors, most reported that they were in transition. Some had PNCs in place seeking new pastoral leadership, some were congregations with interim pastors, and others were in transition with departing pastors living with pulpit supply or the impending arrival of a new pastor. Ruling elders realized that they are the leaders who step forward to take leadership in congregational life and ongoing efforts of outreach, and are empowered to live out their vows of leading with "energy, intelligence, imagination, and love!"
• Personal relationships and communication are key to living out ministry, from the location congregation to working with neighboring Presbyterian churches and community groups, and reaching others with the Gospel in word and deed. It takes the personal connection.
• Though second best to face-to-face meetings and direct interpersonal communication, email and e-meetings are an essential part of being church in today's rapidly changing American society. So there were discussions of ways to email votes, Facebook connections, GoToMeeting video conferencing, and meetings-by-conference-calls. The balance between honoring our Presbyterian principles of democratic decision-making, assuring that minority voices have a fair opportunity to be heard, then moving forward after a decisions with unity as Body of Christ even with diverse opinions remaining.
• Maintaining accurate membership rolls is important work of Sessions, and recording and reporting by Clerks helps keep the congregation and presbytery in touch with reality, and assures more reliable budgeting based upon per capita contributions. Maintaining connections to members removed from the "active rolls" into other categories assures ongoing pastoral care when desired, without distorting reports of accurate engagement in the congregation's ministry. Several shared their relational processes for reviewing their rolls. Connected to the relationship nature of our denomination and its shared per capita funding was assuring continuity that leads to celebration of ministries of 50 years up to 175 years as Presbyterian congregations.
• Clerks shared several stories of sharing ministry with other congregations, some Presbyterian, some ecumenical.
• Finally, the clerks exchanged their books of minutes and registers and coached one another on options for recording, reporting and preserving their records.

Remaining schedule for annual Gathering of Clerks:

• August 23, 9:00 am EDT in NE Indiana at Ligonier Presbyterian Church.
• September 6, 9:00 am EDT at Elston Presbyterian Church, 375 Elston Rd, Lafayette 47909 
• Afternoon of Friday, September 12 at Geneva Center, 2:00 pm EDT prior to Assembly retreat.

- Linda Long, Stated Clerk

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