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Feature Article

Who Is My Presbyterian Neighbor?

Look around you at people on the street corner, at the ballpark and in the mall. Can you pick out members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) from the rest of the crowd?

Presbyterians living in the 21st century display a richness of shapes and sizes, historical roots and theological interpretations. We live in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. We worship God in a variety of styles and buildings. We bear witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed around the world. We are overwhelmingly Caucasian (at last count, 93 percent)---a challenging statistic, given that we live in a society in which, if present trends continue, there will be no dominant racial ethnic group in the near future. Yet, despite the array of differences among us, we are still neighbors to one another. We can call each other "neighbor" because of the many things we have in common.

The structures in our neighborhood and many fellow citizens have come and gone during the past few centuries of Presbyterianism, but the primary streets and points of orientation remain fixed, firm and familiar.

Main Street is, has been and always will be, Jesus Christ---the Head of the Church and the living Word of God. Our neighborhood map is scripture, as well as our creeds and confessions that lift up the essential truths of the gospel and give us direction within our neighborhood. Our map also points us outward, beyond our own neighborhood, to the richness of the full body of Christ, of which Presbyterians are only one member among many around the world.

Presbyterians are a trusting bunch of neighbors. We trust our tried-and-proven processes of ordaining elders, deacons and ministers of Word and Sacrament to positions of leadership within the church. We trust the leaders elected from among us to come together in governing bodies to discern what is the mind of Christ and to make decisions on our behalf, so that we can become a "demonstration of what God intends for all of humanity" (Book of Order, G-3.0200). We trust that the resources of time and talents we offer are used to further the work of God's realm in our communities, our country and our world.

We remember with great affection the neighbors who have gone before us and who are now part of the communion of saints. With such a rich heritage and vibrant present, as disciples of Christ in general and as Presbyterians in particular, we cannot help but look with eager anticipation to where God leads us in the future.

"In life and in death we belong to God. Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, we trust in the one triune God, the Holy One of Israel, whom alone we worship and serve" (A Brief Statement of Faith, ll. 1--6).

We have a generous orthodoxy that grows out of scripture and the confessions and affirms the great themes of the Reformed faith.

We have an ecclesiology that is built on covenant community and a commitment to Christian unity. What an exciting neighborhood this is!

Presbyterians celebrated ecumenism at the 215th General Assembly in Denver. Participants in this special worship service represented many denominations and came from locations all around the world, including India, Nigeria, Cuba, Guatemala, Japan and Korea.

Clifton Kirkpatrick is serving his second term as stated clerk of the office of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).