The Providential Loophole: Union Church
The strategy paper for the development of new congregations passed in
1967 by the General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church in the
U.S.A. expressed a clear desire for ecumenical witness.
Joint development of new congregations with other denominations shall be
explored as united ministries. When new congregations are
to be developed cooperatively a clear and acceptable statement of the
relationship of the proposed congregation to the sponsoring
denominations [shall be stated] so that it can draw on the heritage and
resources of [both] the sponsors.
[7]
The Presbytery plan for the Congregation for Reconciliation had also
encouraged such a united ministry.
This loophole finally allowed the Congregation not to compromise its
membership and polity statements, a compromise practically impossible to
make. The dilemma was resolved when the United Church of Christ,
shopping for a new mission project in Dayton and having been impressed
with the social action accomplished by the Congregation in its first
year, expressed interest in supporting it as a union church. Even the
secularists must have considered this event providential.
Since the procedure for incorporation as a union church permitted the
Congregation to pick and choose from the requirements of the
participating denominations, they were released from the restrictive
requirements of the Presbyterians. Though formally they chose structural
elements from both denominations, in reality most of the elements were
UCC since their constitutional requirements did not call for a statement
of faith and specified that authority should be vested in the,
congregation rather than in the elders. As a token gesture toward the
Presbyterians, the constitution called for the pastor to be subject to
their tenure procedure and for a council to be established as an
executive board of elders.
In March of 1970 both denominations approved the constitution, and on
May 17 the Congregation for Reconciliation was formally organized. But
this was not until a year and a half after its first meeting. Their
viability as a social-action group had long since been established.
