I’m departing from my usual “devotional” style this month to address our MCUSA and MCECR family’s commitment to “corporate Holy Spirit-led discernment.”
Our MCUSA denominational “polity”–“the way a Christian church is governed and organized, encompassing its structure, leadership, and decision-making processes”—reflects that we do not believe God directs exclusively through an individual leader who speaks God’s will to His people. Instead, we maintain the best way to discern God’s heart is through the shared wisdom of a group of God-seeking leaders chosen by the body as a whole.
This conviction flows from Scriptures like Proverbs 11.14, “For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers,” and John 16.13, “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth,” a promise not just for specific leaders but for each of us as Christians.
Our denominational family is structured for locally recognized team leadership rather than “top down” leadership. Yes, we elect denominational and regional leaders who are empowered to seek God’s heart for the greater church family; still, those leaders remain accountable to that larger church body for their decisions.
Missionary Church leaders are selected by gatherings of local-church recognized delegates at our annual local church business meetings, regional conferences and biennial denominational conferences. At those same conferences, these leaders report their work for the greater church family’s review and ratification. Indeed, even our denominational Articles of Faith and Practice are not “official” until they have been approved by a two-thirds majority of general conference delegates.
Every properly recognized local church member is entrusted to seek the Spirit’s guidance and then choose local leader teams at the annual local church business meeting, and every local church is invited to send a voting delegate to regional and biennial denominational conferences. Through this representation, all have a voice.
The leaders of the MCUSA and MCECR serve on behalf of and at the choice of the greater church community, not independent of them. Further, they do not “impose their will” on churches; instead, they serve the whole family by seeking God’s heart for the collective regional or denominational churches rather than for an individual person or particular local church.
The challenge comes when individual members or individual churches disagree with a decision the majority has ratified. In that case, it is critical to understand our church governance is built on the conviction that God leads through a collective majority of Holy Spirit-directed people rather than through specific individuals.
People often honestly disagree on a course of action; so, to assure that we continue to move forward with God’s heart, we seek His guidance collectively, share our thoughts, ideas and convictions, then trust God to guide us forward by leading the majority of us to His desired conclusion.
In weighing such outcomes, our primary question is not “do I agree with this decision,” but rather “did a duly recognized team seek the Holy Spirit to give direction on this decision and then come to a majority decision?” If we did that, then whether I personally agree or disagree with the outcome, I trust that God guided and that I can honor the decision as God’s direction.