Questions from March 6th Congregational Conversation
Q: A petition was mentioned during the first session. For those who didn’t see it, what did the petition actually say and request?
A: Here is the exact wording from the petition which was shared with the Leadership Board:
Request for Change in Electronic Signage.
1. Either just remove “Black Lives Matter” or Replace it with “All Lives Matter”. Singling out that “Black Lives Matter” may have seemed necessary as a supportive action at that time; however, it is time to acknowledge that “All Lives Matter”.
2. Instead of displaying a welcome message specific to the LBGTQIA community, replace the message to read “ALL ARE WELCOME”.
Both requests are for the purpose of “ALL” feeling welcome and that they matter; “ALL” being inclusive and representative of all races, relitions, ethnicities, gender and such, without the need to be specific.
These requests are in keeping with the teaching of Jesus and the congregation’s mission toward ALL.
Other questions and answers:
Q: We didn’t discuss the petition at the first session. Why not? Why is this discussion taking so long to complete? I thought having a Leadership Board was supposed to streamline decision making processes.
A: In response to the petition, the Leadership Board decided to invite the congregation into a process of discussions and education about the things brought up in the petition. The Board felt that bringing the church together and creating space for conversation and mutual learning and listening was most important to help address this conflict. The petition covers several subjects and thus requires ample conversation. This is a process and as such, takes time. The Board is listening to the conversations and helping to lead the church and keep it faithful to God’s preferred mission and purpose.
The first session’s focus was on how Christians are to talk with one another when we have disagreements. The next 3 sessions cover subjects brought up in the petition.
When compared with the legacy structure of church governance, the Leadership Board’s decision making process, which will be discussed in the final session on May 22nd, is very much streamlined. However, addressing this issue is a process, rather than a bureaucratic decision, so we need to go slower to include as many people as possible.
Q: What led up to the petition? How did it come about?
A: A request and discussion about the messages on the electronic sign was brought to the Leadership Board at the last meeting of 2021 in December. Due to the number of items on the board’s agenda for that meeting, there was not sufficient time to fully discuss the matter, so the board tabled the discussion until the January meeting. Unfortunately the tabling of this matter was interpreted by the organizers of the petition as a refusal to discuss the issue. The organizers then circulated the petition during the first 2 weeks of January and presented it to the Leadership Board. The original request and the petition were presented and addressed by one of the petition organizers at the January meeting and in response, the Board formed a dedicated team to help work on a process to respond to the original request and to the petition.
Q: Jesus has instructed us to welcome all people to learn about God, not just the blacks and the LBQGT communities. What about Asians, Mexicans and whites? I could go on. God is welcoming to all people. Why doesn’t our sign address welcoming all people and how can it be changed to do so?
A: At Nardin Park we follow Jesus’ commandment to love our neighbors. We also follow our welcome statement that was adopted after it was passed by 88% of those present and voting in January 2020. This statement clearly states that all people are welcome. You can find a copy of our welcome statement on the front cover of our bulletins and also on our website at https://nardinpark.org/about/new/
When we launched our new worship service in March of 2020, the demographic information from MissionInsite about the people we are trying to reach stated that our welcome, especially to marginalized communities, such as LGBTQ+ persons and African and African Americans needed to be very explicit and clear. Nearly 65% of our new members mention the electronic sign messages as a reason they first came to Nardin Park.
Q: I, for one, am frustrated by the process of this governance model. The Leadership Board does not appear to accurately reflect the entire Nardin Park congregation. This ‘conversation’ about one issue will only make people less likely to express their opinions in the future. I think it is past time that we know the process of the Leadership Board. Why is this the last congregational conversation?
A: The order of the conversation topics was considered by the planning team and it was felt that the order of the conversation topics would help us to gain a better understanding of the matters at hand.
Q: This was called “Conversation.” According to Webster, a conversation involves 2 people having a discussion, BACK & FORTH , not one person preaching. If your format changes, more people might want to join you.
A: Each session is designed to have time for an invited speaker or speakers to share and then for there to be discussion around the tables. There was, in fact, discussion and conversation at the tables and there will be at each subsequent session as well.
Q: Our table wanted clarification on the part of the scripture from Matthew 18 as to what it means if someone doesn’t pay attention to treat them like a Gentile or a tax collector.
A: The most well known biblical passage on conflict resolution is Matthew 18:15-21. Jesus clearly lays out the steps to take to handle someone who has sinned against you. Tax collectors were hated in biblical times because they collected taxes on behalf of the Roman empire which was oppressing the Jews of that time. They were looked upon as sinners because of this. To treat someone as a Gentile or Tax Collector means to cease contact with that person. NOTE: This course of action is suggested only AFTER one has gone through the process of trying to resolve the conflict by talking with them and working through the church. It is a last resort after all other avenues of resolution have been exhausted.