Reflections on Gather 2019 – Howard K. Burgoyne, Superintendent
Tuesday, July 2, 2019
Last week, a record number of voting delegates (1,051) from 50% of ECC churches across North America gathered for the 134th Annual Meeting in Omaha, NE. Among them were 61 voting delegates from 30 churches within the East Coast Conference and the Conference Board. At the Covenant Ministerium, 31 delegates from East Coast were credentialed for that meeting of about 500 ministers. Overall, it was the highest attendance ever at an ECC Annual Meeting, and the highest number of churches participating.
Historic actions at the meeting included significant changes to close the Covenant Pension Plan to any new enrollees at 12/31/19 (shifting new enrollees towards a new 403b9 plan as of 1/1/2020). We heard the announcement of a partnership for Swedish Covenant Hospital (Health) with North Shore University Health System, effectively a merger out to a new affiliation, necessary for survival of the mission. We celebrated the Ordination/Transfer of eight East Coast Pastors among 51 who took holy orders – Ancy Post, Cindy Comiso, Brynn Harrington, Angie Giancola, Phil Beatty, Joe Riffe, Dave Capozzi, and Bill Johnson (transfer). Our brothers and sisters from House of Praise and Worship Covenant Church (HOPAW) in Hartford were welcomed into membership in the ECC. North Park Seminary announced the appointment of Rev. Dr. Dennis Edwards to the seminary, where he will teach New Testament. 20 new church planters were celebrated, 5 new Covenant Agreements were signed at Gather, and 8 mIssionaries were consecrated for global service. Gather ‘20 will be held in Phoenix, Arizona, June 25-27, 2020.
In the Ministerium, the body approved a strong anti-racism resolution, and in continuing education reviewed the updated 6 fold test for intentional ethnic inclusion, led by the ECC Ethnic Commission leadership. This was a powerful time of witness, lament, and learning together.
You can read up on all of the business here.
As you have probably heard by now in various reports, news releases, and in social media posts, the Annual Meeting took actions in disciplinary matters. I feel the obligation of writing to you in greater detail for the majority of you who were not there, or if you would benefit from a summary of actions and some of the underlying dynamics that are causing pain within our fellowship. I hope in writing to you I can capture fairly and respectfully the procedural flow – and then will comment on the potential significance of these decisions coming out of the meeting.
COVENANT MINISTERIUM DELIBERATIONS
On Thursday, in the Covenant Ministerium, among other business, the discipline cases of two ministers who wished to appeal the recommendations of the Board of Ordered Ministry were undertaken in Executive Sessions by about 500 of their peers. Because this procedure has never occurred in our history, and is not detailed in the Constitution of the Ministerium, the procedures were led as outlined by Roberts Rules of Order. The community experienced this formality as unfamiliar. Procedural and parliamentary disagreements about the appropriate standard required for concurrence adds pain and confusion to the process behind the decisions themselves. As the proceedings of an Executive Session are off the record, I report here only that the two hearings concurred in approval of the recommendation of the Board of Ordered Ministry, which then proceeded to the Annual Meeting where the decision rests.
COVENANT ANNUAL MEETING DELIBERATIONS – clergy discipline
On Friday, at the Covenant Annual Meeting, in separate actions in Executive Sessions, the delegates received the report and recommendations from the Covenant Ministerium’s meetings on Thursday. Following rules adopted by the meeting, each case was considered respectfully, and each minister was given time to speak to the assembly. After deliberation, the assembly voted well above a super majority to remove the credential of these pastors. Love, respect, and sorrow were evidenced in the midst of deciding it was appropriate to withdraw the yoke of ordination from our pastors.
COVENANT ANNUAL MEETING DELIBERATIONS – church dismissal
Also on Friday, the delegates heard a report, made public late in May, that the ECC Executive Board had concluded in March, through an independent inquiry, that a member church, First Covenant Church of Minneapolis (FCCM), was out of harmony with the ECC on five inter-related matters of their local church policies, polity, doctrine, and ministry. In May, after making a further visit and appeal to FCCM, the ECC Board voted by a super majority to recommend their involuntary dismissal. The single issue submitted to the delegates was the consequence – whether the severity of discord warranted separation from the ECC. Our governance required that the 2019 session of Annual Meeting act on the motion.
Also conducted in an executive session, the appeals process of FCCM was heard and the meeting deliberated respectfully and painfully. Well above a super majority of delegates solemnly approved the recommendation to dismiss FCCM from the ECC. The discussion, while painful, was respectful. FCCM, with all of their property and assets, departs free to determine their future direction as a congregation. There were tears and grief experienced by the whole Church over the burden of this decision. The delegates joined in a time of collective lament and prayer.
A COMMENTARY ON THESE CASES
Together, these three cases represent two firsts in the history of the ECC. We have a long history of churches withdrawing from time to time, and pastors being disciplined for cause. These are the first cases where the church and pastors requested that their cases be appealed all the way to the Annual Meeting. By forcing deliberation on the merits of each recommended action, they inserted the underlying tensions in the Church and society regarding same sex marriage and inclusion of the LGBTQ community into the discussion. Those who disagree with the outcome may find it discouraging to accept the decision of the whole, while all of us will feel the anguish of the situation and the weight of such decisions. All were called to fast and pray for God’s Spirit to guide us together. We would do well to continue these disciplines over the coming weeks, now for healing and understanding.
Some called for delays in these proceedings until the Church better defines its terminology. The call for canonical definitions for “out of harmony” for congregations or for clergy discipline within the categories of, “indiscretion, immorality, doctrinal error, unethical behavior, or disloyalty to the ECC” misunderstand the heritage of the ECC’s Pietist history and communal ethos. Each of these situations, difficult and distressing as they are, are relational cases – this is case law, not statutory law. The broad category of “out of harmony” referenced in the bylaws resists a more airtight definition by design. It is situational, conceptual, and communal. To attempt to write it would invite a thousand contradictions.
Similarly, every case of clergy discipline is discerned within one or more of the broad categories from the Rules for Ordered Ministry. No case sets a hard precedent. Like a family, we establish few hard rules, and govern with love and respect case by case. Rules for discipline emerge when disregard for unity and justice exalts itself above the community. One case may be softly considered as informing of another, but that is nowhere written or required in our governance. Communal discernments on cases are conditioned by the Word of God and by diverse circumstances more than any exhaustive statute would provide. Most of the time we prefer it this way; but when we are looking to protect ourselves from discipline we may cry “unfair!” and ask, ironically, “where is it written?”
LOOKING AHEAD
As an action of the Annual Meeting, the decision about FCCM was discernment of a singular matter. This was the first time in ECC history that a regional Conference and Covenant Executive Board have separately, and after seven years of labor, found it necessary to advance such a matter to a recommendation for involuntary dismissal. Some may think these actions change the Covenant for worse or for better. Others may hope this action maintains the Covenant as before, even with clarity in this case determined. We now have an example in our history that there are boundaries to congregational freedom that the whole Church will not allow within her wide fellowship in matters of faith, doctrine, and conduct. The fact that it centered on sexuality does not raise that issue above others in the underlying values of the Church. The necessary attention around this theme came in response to these challenges, not from Conference or ECC leadership priorities.
The underlying challenges in all three of these cases, to the centrality and weight of the ECC’s doctrine of Christian marriage and the ethical boundaries for sexual practice have each found a discerned response. While the Annual Meeting did not vote anew on the 1996 and 2004 resolutions, the Executive Board, tethered to the 2004 standard, and the Annual Meeting (not bound to 2004 but free to discern afresh) have concurred beyond a super majority in all three cases. Their recommendations advanced in keeping with the 2004 standard and confirmed the 2015 ethical guidelines that flow out of the 2004 decision as a boundary to freedom. We remain persuaded in the ECC that our Affirmation of “freedom” is obligated to serve truth and love.
I observe now that more than a super majority of ECC congregations and Covenanters are resolved in maintaining the standards of the 2004 resolution on marriage and sexual practice. Together we continue to advance towards the best embrace of pastoral care, advocacy and discipleship of everyone who comes into our fellowship. How we do that should be the center of our ongoing discernment. As same sex marriage and practices are becoming more normative in the broader secularized culture, I do not see the holy estate of marriage co-existing and including same sex marriage and its assumed sexual practices within the remarkable cultural and theological diversity of the ECC. The historic views of same sex union as sin would be overlaid with redefined views of same sex union as sacred. To hold these conflicting definitions within the same congregation, conference and denomination is untenable. If there is a third way, this will not be it.
The ECC has never been a one issue denomination, save the central issue of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. Our comprehensive and unitive energies have always poured into Biblical evangelism, discipleship, justice, compassion, love and leadership – through local church and community development around the world.
MY INVITATION TO ALL OF YOU
This meeting will be discussed and debated for some time. I pray and ask now that we work to accept the decisions of this Annual Meeting and graciously allow the Covenant to move forward in mission. We need to focus our continuing efforts on the mission God has given us together, that we can agree upon, especially to the poor and marginalized, including the LGBTQ community among us, with renewed love, faithfulness and generosity of spirit. Unless we break out of the polarization of our own making we will spiral down into destruction. A house divided against itself will not stand.
Pastors or churches that wish for particular care, conversations, or consultation on this regarding their future are more than welcome to contact me or others on our Conference staff for pastoral care and respectful support. I beg no one to stay who cannot maintain their pledge, nor urge anyone to leave who is willing to remain in harmony. Self-determination is both an individual and communal right in a democratic culture, and is essential in our understanding of the freedom of the believer, and of the local church. We have an obligation to God to find spaces where the Word as we understand it, our convictions, and our consciences can cohere. We are called to peace, not to domineer or devour one another.
I bid you peace, in Jesus’ Name. You are Beloved; Let us love one another!
Since 1889, the East Coast Conference, as a movement of God, has worked together in common witness and mission, and we have weathered many challenges, endured seasons of perplexity, surmounted conflicts, yet we have overcome these intact by God’s grace and mercy. As we limp forward this summer, hurting together, let us pray for God to help us regain our capacity to love, to listen, to learn, and then to leap again – amazed by the touch of Jesus who raises us up with new sight and insight into His mercy and grace.
Yours because of Him,
Howard K. Burgoyne
Superintendent