Since the fall of 2008, our church has been engaged in a conversation about if, when, and how the church should take stands on issues being discussed in the “marketplace.”  These issues are sometimes labeled as “political,” sometimes as “moral,” and sometimes as both.  As our discussion has continued, two themes have emerged:

1.   A question of the church’s role, or identity:  How much of it is prophetic and so we should take stands on issues and how much of it is nurturing and thus we should avoid taking stands on issues (because if we do, we will likely alienate people with a minority opinion)?

2.   A question about decision making:  We currently decide things by majority rule (with only a few exceptions that are detailed in our by-laws).  Could moving to another decision model – such as formal consensus decision making, for some or all of our decisions allow us to take stands without taking (or at least minimizing) the chance of alienating people?

Click Here Member Opinion and Discussion Posted by Cindy Sojourner

Click Here Member Opinion and Discussion Posted by Ron Adamson

Click Here Member Opinion and Discussion Posted by Ray Kingsley

Click Here Member Opinion and Discussion Posted by Marilyn Rasler

Our discussions continue.  If you would like to be involved in the discussion, please speak with our moderator, Doug Swint.