Recently, I was privileged to spend a meal with one of the leading Christian leaders in America. For a generation, he has labored to equip lay leaders (like himself) to work for the expansion of the Kingdom of God through their everyday lives. It was inspiring to me to spend time with him. He was filled with vigor, vision and hope. And then talk turned to church. His church. His home church. Another church that was currently in the midst of division and decline because of the of pride and rancor of the leadership, both laity and clergy in his own church. He and I were both saddened--once again--at the loss of credible witness when the Church cannot deal with conflict in Biblical and God-honoring ways.
Two other lay leaders I know, both elders and bloggers are attempting to offer their humble perspectives on another well known church in the midst of division. And it happens to be my "home church." The First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood is dear to me. 
I was married there, ordained there, my son was baptized there. I was mentored and educated by that wonderful community of faith, almost everything I know about being a pastor I learned there. But now it is in the midst of a crisis of it's own.
Steve Norris and Rob Asghar offer their sober and candid perspectives. While news stories, websites, recent stories in Christianity Today and Presbyterian Laymen have sought to frame the issues as "worship wars", tradition vs. innovation and even liberal vs. conservative, Elders Norris and Asghar address more directly the specific concerns brought to the presbytery. (See this: Download voter_information_for_may_3rd_presbytery_meeting.pdf )
They point to far more human, and therefore, far more frightening reasons.
(To be sure, not everyone will agree with their perspectives. And there is plenty of blame to go around. But I am encouraged by the thoughtfulness and humility which both of these friends bring to the discussion. I encourage those who disagree with their assessments to respond to their websites with clarifying comments, but will pray that the conversation will be as edifying as possible for the sake of our common witness in the world.)
As one who labored and loves FPCH, I ask that interested parties read their assessments, pray for that great church and the witness of Christ in the world, and covenant with the members and pastors of their own churches to fulfill the biblical prescriptions of Ephesians 4:15 (But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ), especially amongst the church leaders and with the church pastors.
Personally, all of this discussion has made me shudder.
In a post on Asghar's site, one of my church members who has been privy to the inner workings of a number of churches made this sad observation: "What I have seen so far in the Hollywood story is common to the extent that weak sessions (church leadership boards) result in strong pastors and strong pastors demand weak sessions."
While this was not what I was taught in the years I was at FPCH, and was never the intention of my mentors and pastors, I fear that somehow unwittingly, I myself contributed to this painfully deadly dichotomy. As I seek to pastor and partner with my current session to lead SCPC and encourage churches to become genuinely life-transforming communities, I pray (for myself, first of all) that together pastors and church leaders can find the wisdom, spiritual maturity and humility to overcome this deadly dichotomy.
In an attempt to light a candle rather than simply curse or bemoan the darkness, I will begin tomorrow seeking to lay out more of what I believe the church should be and should look like in our world today. To some degree, I began this discussion on May 16 with this series of posts here.
But while praying with and for my friends embroiled in the pain at my "home church", I also want to keep holding up a vision for what all of us can do (including me) in the Communities of faith where we are called to be rooted and growing together.
And here's a hint: It has everything to do with heaven.
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