Written by Paul Detterman   
Thursday, 12 June 2008 00:00
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staff_p_detterman.jpgPurpose is everything. If we understand the purpose, we can usually make sense out of almost anything in life. Without purpose, nothing makes sense. A watch is a wonderful tool for telling time. But even the best wrist watch will only cause frustration if you try and use it to drive a nail.

As Christ followers, we have a purpose-to love God passionately and to enjoy to the fullest the life God has given us. Anything else, no matter how clever or enticing, will ultimately be like trying to drive the nail with the watch: frustrating and pointless, pointless, and distructive.

If Christ followers are created to love and enjoy God, then congregations of Christ followers are created to be places where the love of God and the joy in obeying and following him are like an irresistible magnetic force-attracting people of all ages, races, types, and conditions, into a community that embodies, to the best of our limited ability, God's Kingdom on earth; a place of safety and love, joy and laughter, music and dance, encouragement and hope. And these places would have one purpose only-to reach out into the world with reckless abandon to share everything they have and everything they are with as many people as they can reach.

That's the missional church-Christ followers loving God so much that we give God's love away like there was nothing to lose. It's happening, and this issue of ReNEWS will give just a teasing taste of how and where. This kind of radical obedience to the call and the purpose of God has always been the purpose of Christ's Church, and it is our only hope for a faithful future.

Helping pastors and elders, deacons and small group leaders become the leaders of congregations who own this mission and live like this-that's the purpose of PFR!

So what is PFR doing at the 218th General Assembly, and what message do we have for the denomination?

A large PFR team will be in San Jose to pray for, encourage, and equip commissioners to be biblically faithful and missionally minded. Many overtures coming to this Assembly would "tinker" with the denomination just at a time when new Christ-honoring, Shalombuilding, efforts are beginning to take root. We are recommending that many of these overtures be voted down, not because we are negative about our denomination-quite the opposite! We want to see the superb work of earlier assemblies, denomination-wide affirmations, and emerging initiatives stand. We want to see what potential there might be in a more missional form of government. But most of all, we want to help commissioners discern, protect, and promote the places where God is very much at work in and through the PC(USA). We ask you to join us in hope-filled prayer: eager anticipation to see what God will do next. See our special GA insert for more detailed information, and visit our dedicated GA website www.GA2008.com for all the business, full commentary, and realtime reporting from San Jose.

Glorifying, loving, serving, and enjoying God forever. What a purpose!

That is everything.

Your colleague in ministry,


Paul Detterman
Executive Director
Presbyterians For Renewal
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