Family, let's be honest. This is not easy time for us. We are truly at a decisive moment in the life of the United Church of Christ. All areas of the church are waking up and engaging in a very critical dialog. The future of this denomination remains to be seen. The question is what are we going to do?
Restructuring. Some of us are well aware of the overview of this picture. An even smaller group of us are intimately aware of its every detail. Most of us, however, have not even been remotely aware of the fact that the national UCC is undergoing a restructuring process. What does that say about how we are operating as a community of God?
As citizens of the United States of America, we would most definitely want to know if our legislative, judicial, and executive branches were being merged into one body. Not only would we want to know what was going on every step of the way, but we would also demand the right to participate in that very dialog! If that is the case, then as local church members, why shouldn't we know if the national body that governs our church was going through a drastic makeover? Why shouldn't we be able to discern, discuss, and contribute throughout the process? Did you know that, up until last Thursday (two days after we made documents public), the national offices had not posted any of the restructuring documents for public viewing on the UCC website?
In an effort of transparency, it is one of the missions of the Joshua Generation Leadership Team to bring that information to YOU, which is why we have posted the materials from the beginning. We want you, as a local church member, to have access to all aspects of the discussion. So many have been removed from the process and whether intentional or not, that is simply not fair. Whether you are in the pews, at the pulpit, or are serving the wider community, it is important that ALL members of the UCC know that at the national level there has been long discussions, heated debates, polarized positions, and some down right difficult conversations going on regarding the fate of the national church, all happening in a vacuum. We feel that you deserve the right to know what has been going on. Click here to review the documents regarding the proposed restructure.
Please take the time to carefully review the correspondence, to read the proposals, to see the voices that have cried out concerns. Just as we know certain media outlets glaze over the truth, it must be said that certain people's truths in this denomination has too been glazed over. The press releases reporting on the governance process have not adequately reflected the reality of the discussion because the details have been left out. Those details are critical pieces that must not be disregarded or overlooked.
This is not a war being waged by a disgruntled few. This is not an effort to divide the church. This is an attempt to awaken every channel and to engage every person as to what is happening and why so many people feel strongly enough to speak up about the concerns in the governance proposal. Those concerns are real and they are valid. Before we move forward and drastically change the United Church of Christ as we know it, let's take the time to pause and reflect so all can be heard. If you agree with this, join us in signing A Call to Action Regarding Concerns about the UCC Proposed Restructure.
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