It’s been a Brian McLaren Day at General Assembly with lots of new ideas to ponder.
“The Traditional Protestant Identity” has involved Hostility (who/what we are protesting), Polity (How we’re properly structured), Legitimacy (What makes us superior) and Distinctiveness (What makes us different.)
“The Emerging Pro-Testifying Identity” is Affinity (What we love and value), Harmony (How we network to everyone), Fidelity (What makes us authentic), and Utility (What difference we make.) Amen to that.
Brian at lunch:
He elaborated on a morning topic of the need for Institutions and Movements to work together. We need both priests (Institutions) and Prophets (Movements) to be the future church. Leaning too heavily on one or the other creates problems.
Brian in the afternoon (addressing Presbytery Staffs):
We must be organized for doing mission – not for governing. Start with what is needed and then set up policies.
(I think of the church personnel policy I once served under that forbid people to bring dogs into the building. Random. And not exactly a pressing issue.)
My job as a Presbytery Staffer is to be a Launcher, not a Gatekeeper.
In summary: It’s been a great last day of GA.
Tomorrow: The beach for some essential debriefing.
Images are of 1) one of the morning presentation slides and 2) Brian McLaren and Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk of the PCUSA
A Church for Starving Artists 
Thanks for the update Jan. I certainly hope our GP was there to hear this. We “policy” everything…to death.
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