How to Keep 390,319 Sheep in Green Pastures

A failure to communicate will always lead to a failure in shepherding. We cannot expect our Permanent Committees to prosper year after year if we fail to follow-up throughout the year. Whether this takes the shape of informal channels such as phone calls and letters or more formal channels such as invitations to our presbytery meetings, we must use our authority to care for them well.

The greatest guardrail entrusted to us is the “unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3). We cannot allow the demands of growth to deter us from a proper use of our authority, from striving to maintain this bond of peace. The question thus becomes: how can we use our authority shepherd our Permanent Committees and develop the mutual trust and support required for us to be more effective in our mission? How can we make General Assembly less of a surprise and more of a continuing conversation? Our Permanent Committees are not independent bodies, they are arms of our denomination vitally connected and receiving their strength from the body as a whole. As this body continues to grow, our arms must be arms, and our body must be a body: clearly defined, vitally connected, and working together.