Elder Resignation
On Sunday, September 12th we shared with our members that Mike Luna had resigned from eldership at Church in the Square. He's resignation took place on Tuesday, September 7th. Change like what we're experiencing (and unfortunately will again) is not new. But it's hard.
Luke records a painful separation between Barnabas and Paul in the early church. "And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches" (Acts 15:36-41). We take comfort as we continue to read Barnabas' and Paul's respective stories. Jesus was true to his promise to both men. Jesus was always with them.
In the past two weeks we've uncovered a significant discord between our elders. Our elders' disunity surfaced through discussions about race and discipling children. However the nature of the disunity centers on what it means to shepherd the flock of God (1 Peter 5:2). That's really important to keep in mind, but it's also fruitful to address what has surfaced.
In light of the diverse nature of our church family and neighbors, discussions about ethnicity, culture, and things like white privilege are common in our elder meetings. We believe that Scripture makes our responsibility plain: to do justice means to seek racial reconciliation by dismantling white supremacy and repenting of racism wherever and however these may wield their evil power (Micah 6:8 and Ephesians 2:11-22). In a 2014 interview with George Yancy, professor Naomi Zack explained, "The term 'white privilege' is misleading. A privilege is special treatment that goes beyond a right. It’s not so much that being white confers privilege but that not being white means being without rights in many cases." We must confess this can be hard for white people to see, acknowledge, and understand. Author Korie L. Edwards observed that white people "perceive themselves as cultureless and racial minority groups as possessing distinctive cultural practices ... it is difficult for whites to explain what it means to be white" (The Elusive Dream). Consequently many of the things white people enjoy are not only not afforded to people of color, but these distinctions are often dismissed by white people when a clear cultural narrative is being exposed. This then does lead many white people to wittingly and unwittingly grow entitled to things which are not rights, but luxuries.
The Bible teaches us to, "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves" (Philippians 2:3). When we count others as more significant than ourselves we not only are eager to admit our privilege and confess our sins of entitlement, but we are also ready to lay down our rights and power (1 Corinthians 9:1-14). White people bear both a numeric and cultural power in our county. White people bear a similar power in our city and church family. That means the gospel mandate upon the life of our white brothers and sisters is to lay down our perspectives, preferences, and power for the sake of others. Pastor Rich Villodas says, "This is the work of reconciliation–not that we despise ourselves or others but that we listen and live humbly and incarnationally and through that process see the image of God in one another" (The Deeply Formed Life). He goes on to say that one of the most powerful things white people can do in a church like ours is "to lead in listening deeply to the stories and experiences of people of color and listening more often." That's the way of Jesus Paul describes in Philippians 2, "though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:6-8).
All this to say, while we did agree that privilege was and is at play within the dynamics of our community, we did not agree that this was the primary issue within our conversations about discipling our parents and children. We also did not agree on the manner in which we ought to care for and disciple our church family through such vital issues with truth and compassion and love. We shared in more detail with our members that as we pressed toward biblical understanding in this process, deeper issues of character, misalignment, and discord in our elder team were revealed which warranted an immediate change.
Where do we go from here?
Three things.
First, we're going to disciple our children in a new way at Church in the Square. While we deeply value having everyone in the gathering it has become abundantly clear our parents in particular and all adults in general need a space to receive from God's Word weekly. So on November 7th we'll be changing our Sunday liturgy a bit and providing specific time and context for discipling our children on Sunday. We'll spend about 20-30 minutes singing, reading, praying, confessing, and sharing the Lord's Supper together. Then our children and adults will have separate times of teaching and discussion for about 45 minutes. We are still considering a volunteering plan, the number of classes, the number and age of children in respective classes, and the specific curriculum we'll be utilizing. More of those details will be available soon.
Second, we need more elders. Our by-laws call for three elders. While we do not want to rush this important process we have begun talking with a few potential elder candidates and we're seeking the Lord's will together about their potential appointment. In the meantime Juan and Jason (our two remaining elders) will begin to meet with our deacon team. This will provide additional wisdom and support in caring for the needs of the body as well as accountability for our elder team. Right now our plan is to meet every other Monday through the fall.
Third, there's more here than an announcement and a plan. There's likely frustration and pain and disagreement and questions and sadness. That's okay. In fact, these are good and welcomed. We should be grieved. We should be angry. We should be grateful. We should be curious. And we believe the beauty of the Church is that we do all those things together (1 Corinthians 12:26). So, if you have something you'd like to share with our elder team, we're listening. We have and will contin ue to reach out to members who we know have been deeply impacted and affected by this situation. And we want to be open to the Lord’s correction and receive you in your pain. If there is any way we can care for you and pray with you, please let our deacon team know. We're still in this together. And more importantly, Jesus has promised, "I am with you always" (Matthew 28:20).
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With changes coming to our Sunday gathering––like a time and space for discipling our children––we need more people to serve. Sign up and we’ll follow up soon with next steps.
This is a revised and edited note that was sent to the members of Church in the Square on Monday, September 14th.
