Reflecting on the Disciples General Assembly -- One Person's Perspective

I was asked by my friends at Word and Way Magazine, where I contribute weekly book reviews, to offer my perspective on the General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) that ran from July 29th through August 1 of this year. I participated in the Assembly as an ordained minister (though retired, I have standing and serve as a voting representative). I also participated as the Board Chair for the Disciples' Christian Unity and Interfaith Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada.  In the interest of supporting Word and Way, I've posted the opening paragraphs of the reflection and invite you to follow the link to my reflection on their site. While there you will find two other reflections from Disciples.  

 It is said that institutional religion is passé and irrelevant. These are indeed challenging times for religious institutions. We tend to make the news when a scandal hits or when religious leaders make outrageous statements. Mainline Protestantism once dominated the American religious scene, but that’s no longer true. The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a rather small denomination, and yet we seem to punch above our weight. In 2005, we elected the Rev. Sharon Watkins as the first woman to lead a Mainline denomination. And in 2017, we elected the Rev. Terri Hord Owens as the first African American woman to lead a mainline denomination. Many have heard the name of the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II — he too is a Disciple. 

While I don’t have that level of name recognition, I’m an ordained Disciples of Christ minister and board chair for the denomination’s Christian Unity and Interfaith Ministries. It is in that capacity that I participated in the 2023 General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), which met in Louisville, Kentucky from July 29 to August 1. The theme for the Assembly (denominational gatherings like this need a theme) was “The Kindom of God; Within Us, Among Us.” 

What follows is a personal reflection on what I saw happening, some parts of which I participated in. It needs to be said that people attend denominational gatherings like this for many different reasons, and Disciples gatherings include business — but also much more. I know that some denominational gatherings ask delegates to work from early morning to late at night on the business of the church. For some reason, we don’t have that much business to deal with. Perhaps that’s because we are, at our foundation, congregational. We can debate and vote on important matters, including matters of social justice, but congregations are free to adopt or reject what is voted on at the Assembly.  [To Continue Reading:  Go to the Word & Way page by clicking here].