Emu and Formalised Factions

 I happened to  be sitting in the Maughan Church balcony next to Don Hopgood, later a South Australian Moderator, when a group of people asked Synod to give its blessing to the formation of EMU.  Don, then a newly retired Labor politician and cabinet minister, leapt to his feet and strongly encouraged us not to go down the path of formalising factions.  He spoke of the bitter experience of Labor.  We did not listen, and permission was given.  So now we have EMU.  Fortunately we do not have just two formal factions, and total polarisation.  It is noticeable, however, that EMU is always considered as a block in this debate.   I don't think this was necessarily EMU's intention, but Don has been right.  The formalisation of factions, (which always exist informally,) causes polarisation.  There is always the temptation to respond to an issue on the basis of one's faction, and the temptation to dismiss someone, or assume we know their position on the basis of their faction.

Despite the propaganda of some conservatives that the Uniting Church is "overwhelmed" with homosexual supporters, support groups like Unity, Uniting Network, and Friends of Unity, seem to me to have gained very little profile in the church.  I think this has been extremely fortunate in limiting the polarisation of the church.

EMU later moved to form a congregational based movement.  The three snippets below show the polarisation which began to occur.

Emu Media Release

MEDIA RELEASE  February 4, 1999

Evangelical congregations in the Uniting church of Australia (sic) are to form their own association.

Joining the Association will mean:

* Using the Title on notice-boards and letter-heads - “An Evangelical Congregation of the Uniting Church”

* informing the UCA that an evangelical minister/ministry is required

* Refusing to support financially any agency within the Uniting Church which endorses or affirms homosexuality

* Adopting its own faith statement.

At the Eighth Assembly of the UCA in 1997 the Assembly chose to make no definitive decisions about homosexuality.

It has become apparent since then that the Assembly’s policy of ‘Unity in diversity’ has allowed things to happen in the Uniting Church from which many Uniting Church members would want to disassociate themselves.

Rev. Rod James will act as a National Registrar of the AEC for the present time.
 

Rev. Rod James, 61 Dartmouth Street, Port Augusta 5799, South Australia
Phone (outdated) email: (outdated)
 

The Assembly Response

From: Stephen Webb (Uniting Church Journalist) posted to Insights Mailing list Wednesday 24 March 1999
Assembly Standing Committee made a resolution on "Association of Evangelical Congregations" thus:
It was resolved to:
1. Receive the reports;
2. Note the advice of the Church Polity Reference Committee that the declaration of the Association of Evangelical Congregations is inconsistent with the Basis of Union;
3. (a) Affirm that membership in Uniting Church congregations is "open to all who are baptised into the Holy Catholic Church in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" (Basis of Union para 12); and therefore (b) Express concern that some church members may be effectively excluded from full participation in congregations which have adopted the declaration of the Association;
4. Request the leaders and members of Evangelical Members within the Uniting Church to withhold further promotion of the Association;
5. Request the President and General Secretary to continue conversations on these matters between Assembly leaders and national leaders of EMU;
6. Convey the above decisions to Synods and encourage Moderators and General Secretaries to arrange for conversations on these matters between Synod leaders and leaders of EMU within their Synod.

 

The Uniting Network response

Be Aware of the real danger lurking among you!
The AECs [An Evangelical Congregation] create a truly grave and a profound injustice.   They seek to exclude homosexual people and their families, friends and supporters.  They impose a reductionist view of what it means to be "evangelical" and thus discriminate against all those who feel unable to name themselves as evangelical in the narrow EMU definition.   The EMU move is an attempt to "storm the castle" and raise their own banner of exclusion.   It must be resisted for the sake of the Church, the Gospel and evangelical goodwill, least we be taken outside of the mainstream of Christianity.
There is a particular urgency for our members to be aware of the alarming move to exclusivity that the AECs place upon our country churches in particular.   Rural congregations, as well as those that are remote and isolated, provide little choice for dissenting voices.   By putting up labels on their churches are announcing that they only minister to their own definition of "evangelicals", the church ceases to be ecumenical (of the whole world).  It smacks of sectarianism and such moves will be felt more by persons living in rural areas than city locations.  Where people have no choice because diversity is curbed and controlled, freedom to participate in church life is eroded and may be prevented all together.
"Editor, Uniting Network Web Pages"

Presently EMU's website is here.
Uniting Network has a website here.
 I happened to  be sitting in the Maughan Church balcony next to Don Hopgood, later a South Australian Moderator, when a group of people asked Synod to give its blessing to the formation of EMU.  Don, then a newly retired Labor politician and cabinet minister, leapt to his feet and strongly encouraged us not to go down the path of formalising factions.  He spoke of the bitter experience of Labor.  We did not listen, and permission was given.  So now we have EMU.  Fortunately we do not have just two formal factions, and total polarisation.  It is noticeable, however, that EMU is always considered as a block in this debate.   I don't think this was necessarily EMU's intention, but Don has been right.  The formalisation of factions, (which always exist informally,) causes polarisation.  There is always the temptation to respond to an issue on the basis of one's faction, and the temptation to dismiss someone, or assume we know their position on the basis of their faction.

Despite the propaganda of some conservatives that the Uniting Church is "overwhelmed" with homosexual supporters, support groups like Unity, Uniting Network, and Friends of Unity, seem to me to have gained very little profile in the church.  I think this has been extremely fortunate in limiting the polarisation of the church.

EMU later moved to form a congregational based movement.  The three snippets below show the polarisation which began to occur.

Emu Media Release

MEDIA RELEASE  February 4, 1999

Evangelical congregations in the Uniting church of Australia (sic) are to form their own association.

Joining the Association will mean:

* Using the Title on notice-boards and letter-heads - “An Evangelical Congregation of the Uniting Church”

* informing the UCA that an evangelical minister/ministry is required

* Refusing to support financially any agency within the Uniting Church which endorses or affirms homosexuality

* Adopting its own faith statement.

At the Eighth Assembly of the UCA in 1997 the Assembly chose to make no definitive decisions about homosexuality.

It has become apparent since then that the Assembly’s policy of ‘Unity in diversity’ has allowed things to happen in the Uniting Church from which many Uniting Church members would want to disassociate themselves.

Rev. Rod James will act as a National Registrar of the AEC for the present time.
 

Rev. Rod James, 61 Dartmouth Street, Port Augusta 5799, South Australia
Phone (outdated) email: (outdated)
 

The Assembly Response

From: Stephen Webb (Uniting Church Journalist) posted to Insights Mailing list Wednesday 24 March 1999
Assembly Standing Committee made a resolution on "Association of Evangelical Congregations" thus:
It was resolved to:
1. Receive the reports;
2. Note the advice of the Church Polity Reference Committee that the declaration of the Association of Evangelical Congregations is inconsistent with the Basis of Union;
3. (a) Affirm that membership in Uniting Church congregations is "open to all who are baptised into the Holy Catholic Church in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" (Basis of Union para 12); and therefore (b) Express concern that some church members may be effectively excluded from full participation in congregations which have adopted the declaration of the Association;
4. Request the leaders and members of Evangelical Members within the Uniting Church to withhold further promotion of the Association;
5. Request the President and General Secretary to continue conversations on these matters between Assembly leaders and national leaders of EMU;
6. Convey the above decisions to Synods and encourage Moderators and General Secretaries to arrange for conversations on these matters between Synod leaders and leaders of EMU within their Synod.

 

The Uniting Network response

Be Aware of the real danger lurking among you!
The AECs [An Evangelical Congregation] create a truly grave and a profound injustice.   They seek to exclude homosexual people and their families, friends and supporters.  They impose a reductionist view of what it means to be "evangelical" and thus discriminate against all those who feel unable to name themselves as evangelical in the narrow EMU definition.   The EMU move is an attempt to "storm the castle" and raise their own banner of exclusion.   It must be resisted for the sake of the Church, the Gospel and evangelical goodwill, least we be taken outside of the mainstream of Christianity.
There is a particular urgency for our members to be aware of the alarming move to exclusivity that the AECs place upon our country churches in particular.   Rural congregations, as well as those that are remote and isolated, provide little choice for dissenting voices.   By putting up labels on their churches are announcing that they only minister to their own definition of "evangelicals", the church ceases to be ecumenical (of the whole world).  It smacks of sectarianism and such moves will be felt more by persons living in rural areas than city locations.  Where people have no choice because diversity is curbed and controlled, freedom to participate in church life is eroded and may be prevented all together.
"Editor, Uniting Network Web Pages"

Presently EMU's website is here.
Uniting Network has a website here.

 

     © Jan Thomas