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Four Models for Sacred Reading

In 1963 Martin Luther King, Jr. eloquently shared his vision of the future. His faith-filled dream of freedom, dignity, and justice continues to inspire with courageous hope all who hear his words. The creative force of his vision comes not from his realistic talk about jobs, housing, and education, but because his words are filled with future-oriented images and symbols which appeal to the heart and stimulate the imagination.

Days pass a11d the years vanish, and we walk sightless among miracles. God, fill our eyes with seeing and our minds with knowing;

Developing fresh vision and practices for being church in the 21st Century will often involve cultivating a new way of talking together. Like a garden, the distinctive nature and manner of the church's conversation must first be desired and planned for. It doesn't just happen. Then it is sown into all occasions when the church gathers – for worship, learning, and decision‐making. Then it is tended to and pruned so that it grows and flourishes. And as a result, the fruits of love, joy, and peace will be harvested in the life of the gathered people.

A missional hermeneutic will incorporate and then ultimately move beyond broad overviews of biblical mission toward a focused and contextualized exegetical engagement with particular texts, including those that are not usually understood in terms of mission. This approach is rooted in the conviction that God has a mission in the world and that Christians read Scripture as those called and sent to participate in those divine purposes.

Win-lose, in one form or another, appears to be the prevailing strategy for making decisions and resolving conflicts in the church. This is true of local churches, regional church bodies such as Presbyteries, conferences, districts, synods, or dioceses, and it is true of national agency staffs and boards. Without counting the costs of win-lose, church members and leaders have tended to create competitive norms and operating procedures within their organizations.

1. Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s “The Ministry of Listening” Life Together
1. “Christians have forgotten that the ministry of listening has been committed to us by Him who is Himself the great listener and whose work we should share.” (p. 98-99)
2. “It is God’s love for us that He not only gives us His Word but also lends us His ear…Christians, especially ministers, so often think they must always contribute something when they are in the company of others, that this is the one service they have to render. They forget that listening can be a greater service than speaking.” (p.97)

In the midst of a particularly troublesome conflict situation, a church group decided to utilize the services of an outside consultant. As the consultant sought information about the nature and scope of the problem, one of the members strongly objected to questions concerning the management processes and decision-making practices of the group.

1. Pay attention to my intentions.
What do I want from this conversation? Am I willing to be influenced?
2. Balance advocacy with inquiry.
"What led you to that view?" "What do you mean by that view?"

Some passages from Scripture and PCUSA’s Constitution you may want to consider and study as you encounter divisive conflict in the church. It may be helpful to study and reflect on these passages or portions of these passages individually or as group through the process of Lectio Divina. Additionally, you may want to consider if certain passages would be helpful to be read as part of the negotiation process. For example, you may choose to begin and end each negotiation session with certain passages.