ReformationUCC.org

An interesting phenomenon has occurred across the United States in the mainline renewal movements except, it seems, in the case of the United Church of Christ.

That phenomenon is the Networking of Global Orthodoxy.

Anglicans, Presbyterians and Methodist renewal movements in the United States have found the tables turned on them.

Where once we were the “Mission Sending” nation sending out “missionaries” to the “heathen” in order to convert them, in recent years, the daughter churches we planted have come of age and returned to the United States to convert us. Throughout the mainline renewal, beleaguered renewalists here have found themselves called to new faithfulness and given renewed energy thanks to the evangelistic zeal and fervent orthodoxy of our brothers and sisters in Christ in what is usually called the “Global South”.

The Global South has given ecclesiastical credibility to the mainline renewal as in the case of the Anglicans by supporting orthodox congregations and bishops in the United States and providing a legitimate historic continuity essential to their existence as Anglicans while seeking to influence the Anglican Communion in the renewalists’ favor. Third World Methodists are providing their own pressure to call back a wavering US mother church by asserting their rights to influence World Methodism in its global judicatory. African Presbyterians have explored options for creating US presbyteries to support reformed Christians here.

No matter what the outcome of these structural moves, the primary benefit provided by Global South evangelicals is their moral and theological guidance. 80% of US churches are at a plateau or decline. By reconnecting with with these daughter churches as recipients of their ministry and encouragement to us a number of good things result. First, years of paternalism are being rapidly overturned. Suddenly our foreign brothers and sisters are welcomed as partners instead of being patronized as dependents. Indeed, it is the progressive element in the mainline that insists on paternalizing Global South Christians as immature and deficient because they recognize America’s moral decline for what it is - resurgent paganism. Secondly, we, the dead and dying church of the West are being challenged to look outward in ministry to keep up with Global Christians in their evangelistic zeal so that we might regain our own. In the process, these Global churches are developing new long term partnership relationships with tjeir counterparts that will provide mission development funds without the former patronizing taint.

The rest of the mainline has enjoyed these beneficial relationships for quite some time. Unfortunately there seems to be no equivalent relationship for churches and renewal groups in the United Church of Christ. Where are the daughter churches - or even the sister churches - and their influence?
The UCC has contacts within it to potential “sister churches” world wide via its Hungarian congregations and Armenian congregations.  These sister churches are suffering but have much to teach materialistic Western congregations about faithfulness to Christ and many opportunities for partnership. The most dire missiological problem facing Wester Christianity today is the onslaught of Islam. Some of our potential sister churches with Armenian links are strategically located in Islamic lands.  At the very least they must be strengthened to serve the traditionally Christian minorities in those lands. But perhaps the Lord will be pleased to revive and extend them to have an influence in those Muslim lands?

Other potential leads regarding daughter churches should be easy to find. The Church of South India was formed as a merger between Anglicans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Methodist, and Congregationalist churches. One CSI related ministry that would provide an excellent partner relationship for UCC renewalists is the Bihar Outreach Network headed by S. D. Ponraj. Serving a populace of 90 million people, they model the motto of the United Church of Christ “That all may be one” by allowing a variety of denominations to work together in a massive task of evangelism.

Undoubtedly other excellent examples could be noted. The Bihar Outreach Network is only mentioned because of its existing relationship with reformed churches in the US already and their connections to US mainline leaders.  As yet though, the UCC renewal has not seemingly connected with potential international partners as the other mainline renewal elements have. Surely these lines of communication already exist or could be easily created if we have the will and desire to move ahead in this area. Will we who claim to seek reformation in the UCC miss the blessing that is coming to other renewalists in the mainline that comes by relating to world wide partners so that in serving with them we may be renewed?