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We are currently approaching the end of the first phase of the PFR Regional Gatherings, having offered nearly three dozen events across the PC(USA) since late August.  By Thanksgiving PFR gatherings will have attracted nearly 2500 Presbyterians to meetings coast to coast in sanctuaries, classrooms, fellowship halls, and even one church-owned night club!  We have at least this many events coming in another wave after the first of the year. 

Through these Regional Gatherings, PFR has learned a great deal.  First, we have learned that the caricature of the “angry” or “disheartened” Evangelical portrayed by some in the denomination does not fit with reality—at least among the people showing up for PFR events.   We have met deeply committed Christ followers—elders, deacons, pastors, and just plain church members—who love Jesus, love the fellowship and “communion” of his Body, and have a compassion for people who do not yet know him.  Many of these people have been faithful in ministry for years and they are not about to change that commitment to faithfulness any time soon.  They are long-view people who have watched their beloved denomination change around them, and by and large they now realize that regardless of any given vote on any given issue, Christ followers in our current time are living and ministering in a new and unfamiliar place.  They want to know which way to turn to recapture traction in their ministry, and to fulfill Christ’s Great Commission in their own particular calling.

WHAT HAPPENS AT A PFR REGIONAL GATHERING?

1. Worship and prayer—singing and praise—remembering who we are and Whose we are


2. We share four core observations:
   
   
   1. The denomination we know and love has changed. This change has been a long time in coming. It was not the product of any one General Assembly, and it is not going away any time soon.
   
   
   2. This change is not a uniquely PC(USA) phenomenon. It is a culture-driven reality that every Christ follower in the Western world must deal with at some level. There is no escaping the ramifications of this change no matter where we “go.”
   
   
   3. God’s sovereignty is greater than any challenge we face, however daunting that challenge might seem at the time, Nothing that is happening in the PC(USA) is a surprise to God, nor is it beyond God’s redeeming, or his capability to use it for his glory.
   
   
   4. It is no accident that we are here. We are called and equipped by God for ministry in his name, in this time and place. The Spirit has prepared us to “run the race marked out before us” (Hebrews 12).
   
   
3. We then turn the conversation around and spend the next 90 minutes addressing the particular questions and concerns of the people at that gathering.


4. We share literature created by PFR to help Presbyterian leaders navigate the changes and challenges ahead of us.  (See “Where Do We Go From Here?” downloadable here).


5. We share a prayer and blessing, and usually a great deal of follow-up casual conversation.
   

WHAT ARE THE COMMONALITIES? WHAT ARE THE FAQ’S?

Every gathering is different. Some people have questions about the exact actions and implications of the 218th General Assembly. Others express deep concern about departing congregations or unfortunate responses by presbyteries. But sooner or later, people want to move into an in-depth discussion of the possibility of a new way of life within the PC(USA)—PFR’s commitment to “realignment” or “reshaping the denomination.” The vision of ministry beyond the issues that currently confront us seems compelling. The possibility of a strong Evangelical identity within the denomination’s structure, ministering both to and out of the PC(USA) is being enthusiastically embraced.

These are people committed to Jesus Christ and equally committed to proclaiming the Good News of his transforming love—a gospel that goes far beyond personal relationship into biblically faithful evangelism, social witness, justice, environmental care, and partnerships in global mission. These people represent the core of a vibrant and dynamic church—and they deeply desire to stay connected with the PC(USA) if at all possible.

WHAT ARE WE LEARNING?

1. The current opportunity is remarkable. There is still a great opportunity to harness the spiritual dynamism and evangelistic zeal of thousands of Presbyterians for ministry and mission in the 21st Century within the PC(USA). If we are to do so, what needs to happen?
   
   
   1. There must be a clear and distinctive Evangelical identity within the PC(USA)—the opportunity to live and minister within a church order that supports faithfulness to Scripture and orthodox, scriptural standards of moral leadership.
   
   
   2. This distinctive identity must include a mutual accountability and a commitment to the whole gospel with all its implications for personal and corporate life.
   
   
   3. We must keep the horizon broad, not merely rebuilding an outmoded structure, but moving boldly into God’s future with new vision for congregational and denominational affiliations, mission partnerships, and seminaries. As a significant factor of this new “way of being,” affinity groups, including PFR, must be ready to relinquish their current identity or even disappear altogether, discarding the baggage of our past and preparing for God’s future. We believe that as God makes his plan apparent, it will become a unifying vision, and will energize us to move forward together.
   
   
2. The window of opportunity is small.
   
   
   1. The need for denominational realignment is not determined by one issue, nor is it dependent on the outcome of one presbytery vote. PFR’s determination to help create a place of clear identity for Evangelicals is not dependent on the future of 08-B. Realignment is a project that is long overdue and has the potential to catalyze the ministry and mission of countless congregations both large and small.
   
   
   2. The reality of the current denominational climate is such that, should for some reason the presbyteries sustain the actions of the 218th General Assembly on key confessional or constitutional questions, an intense turmoil will follow, so intense in fact that no organization, amalgamation of affinity groups, or barrage of legislative dicta will be able to control it.
   
   
   3. The regrettably named posture of “stay, fight, win,” if it was ever helpful to the cause of Christ, is so no more. For the vast majority who are called at this time to remain in the structure of the PC(USA), our call must now be to “stay and minister,” and let God prosper what he will prosper.