What is the heart of a UCA congregation/community?
If you were asked to name the values, ways and practices that are core to being a UCA what would they be?
Yes yes the Basis of Union, but how is that lived out?
There have been some interesting discussions on this topic in meetings of late. One very good idea suggested is that we have various approaches, flavours and styles that are quite different but a shared core to our movement. Try picturing a bell curve to start with. Rather than saying there is one UCA and we all move out from the middle bump what if we have a few bumps. Say an evangelical bump, an orthodox bump and a progressive bump. They are distinct expressions of the Christian faith and our UCA movement has all of them.
Inside each bump… What is the core identity of an evangelical pentecostal UCA congregation/community? What is the core identity of a progressive UCA congregation/community? What is the core identity of an orthodox UCA congregation/community?
Each bump should be able to articulate to others in that grouping what makes them UCA and different or similar to others. Right?
i.e. If a gender or culture was refused to participate in leadership because of sexist racist ideals in any of these bumps – I would say you are not part of our UCA movement.
The draft (very unofficial Age authorised) version of our core goes a little something like this 
- We recognise that God is bigger than our understanding – so we hold to a “reforming” theological view (see Dutney article below) with an appropriate looseness that aims to allow the Spirit to move.
- We understand that God is engaged in and calling us to be part of the renewal and reconciliation of all of creation. i.e. Good News
- That following Jesus will involve engaging in justice for others and caring for the planet.
- We believe in equality and look to make that operational in our practices. Again stemming from seeing the image of God in all people and the priesthood of all believers etc etc
So if you believe you have all the answers and God has stopped speaking then – are you in our movement? If you refuse to see the connection of the good news to the poor and working to be good news to the poor – are you with us? If you exclude people made in the image of God because of race and gender – are you part of our movement?
Plenty of churches in each bump will believe this way but I think UCA people’s identity floats around here – somehow. Also in this mix is the feeling that because we hold these core ways we don’t fit anywhere. We are ‘border land dwellers’ with one foot in different camps. Often I hear we are not churchy enough for the radical ecumenical group and in the same week that we are too churchy for the NGO social services groups. Some groups hear they are too open to contemporary interpretations of the Bible as an evangelical UCA congregation but they are definitely not a progressive UCA congregation.
What do you think?
Is there something to be reflected on in all this?
If you want to “preload” on this conversation from a theological side then consider reading the following:
- “Is there a Uniting Church Theology?” Andrew Dutney, Uniting Church Studies Vol2 1996 (pp17-35)
- “The Formation of the Basis of Union” J.D McCaughey, ‘Fresh Words & Deeds 2004 (11-21)
- “The Uniting Church and the Reformed Evangelical Tradition” Chris Walker, 2013 Assembly
