Should Our Churches Merge?
Monday, June 19, 2006
There is without question an historic and profound shift in our religious life occurring in the United States. Our nation is religiously pluralistic (Diane Eck will tell you there are more Muslims in America than Presbyterians) and our mainline churches - as Christian always have - are experiencing theological disputes and dwindling resources.
At the same time, I would argue that there is an emerging consensus developing in the mainline tradition over issues of sexuality, nationality and our roles as stewards of God's earth. Maybe there is more that unites us than divides us.
Just a generation ago there were widespread and serious discussions in the United States among mainline churches about the merger of denominations. During the mid-part of the last century there were many such mergers around the world. The United Church of Christ (UCC) was the result of one church merger in 1957.
One of the reasons those discussions stopped is that there was a concern that the distinctiveness brought to the table by our denominational bodies would be lost in a mass merger of churches. A decision was made to focus on collaboration instead of consolidation. To represent that collaboration we have relationships of full communion.
“Full communion means that divided churches recognize each others' sacraments and provide for the orderly transfer of ministers from one denomination to another. For example, Disciples of Christ ministers frequently serve UCC congregations, and UCC ministers can be called by Disciples congregations,” according to the UCC website.
Churches Uniting in Christ is the ecumenical vehicle that inherited those conversations about merger and that now works on those still critical issues of collaboration.
But do we need more? Is it time - in this moment in history - to think again about merger?
The simple fact is that our mainline churches cannot afford financially to sustain their national structures. With many more evangelical or conservative parishioners leaving the mainline new possibilities are emerging for how the mainline does church.
I'm convinced that denominations like the UCC, Episcopal Church, Disciples, and PCUSA, maybe half of the United Methodist congregations, and others could in fact overcome divisions concerning polity and those we do have over theology to work together in a unified body. Why not gather up all the progressive Christians and boldly proclaim the Gospel message in new ways?