Comments/Response from Timothy Downs

September 27, 2008

I read the "Call to Action for the UCC Proposed Restructure" petition with interest. I believe that those who drafted it have been listened to, understood, and there is genuine disagreement on the part of many with their understanding of the facts, and their conclusions. This is different than not having voice. The voices have been heard clearly. Some disagree.

The conversation they have raised is not new to the UCC or its predecessor denominations. I believe that at its heart is the dynamic between autonomy and covenant. How do we preserve enough freedom to permit all voices to be heard, and maintain enough order so that neither majorities or minorities can exercise tyranny, and governance can proceed toward a greater good? Let me respond to the five points in the petition:

1. "The process has been unjust"

• The process has been in fact very just, and has sought to include voices from national settings, conferences, local churches, and Historically Underrepresented Groups (HUGS) The Executive Council designated funds for a gathering of representatives of the HUGS to discuss this. Concerns have been heard.

• There have been numerous people consulted in this process, not "one consultant". I have myself sat in meetings with attorneys, and advocates of differing perspectives. This has been well considered by thoughtful professional people

• I have also sat in meetings where respected elders and leaders have spoken. That is a public claim because it is a true claim.

2. "We have been a church that has historically chosen not to place power in any one place"

• That continues to be true in the recommendations of the Governance Follow-up Team. As Davida Crabtree noted in her responses, we have natural checks and balances throughout our structure… in the General Synod, in the representation from conferences on GS, and in other national settings. Further in the nominating processes through which people are elected to General Synod and the Boards of the Covenanted Ministries, there are assurances of representation of diverse constituencies. The HUGS are not the only source of diverse representation

3. "We have always been a church (which) has fought and continues to fight against elitism".

• The recommendations that are before us from the GFT assure that there will be a wide range of diversity of interests in the structure of the UCC moving forward. This openness and democratic spirit is evident not just in numbers, but in the nominating processes.

• As noted above elitism, or tyranny, in a system can be exercised from many quarters. One interesting form of tyranny is when the system is so chaotic that a democratic minority with a vigorous voice can keep the will of a majority from being exercised. We see this in our congregations often. A handful of people tie them up in knots.

• One of the ways in which we work to oppose elitism is to assure that our local congregations are well represented on General Synod. This happens through the representation from the Conferences who represent the local churches "the basic unit of the life and organization of the United Church of Christ".

4. "This has not been a mission-drive restructure; it has been a financially-driven restructure"

• Jon Stewart would ask us to show a little "truthiness" here. From the inception this conversation has been driven by trying to develop a structure as Davida noted in her statement that draws us into more effective mission. What we have currently is a balkanized structure which been a stumbling block to effective mission and witness, with different entities pulling in different directions. This structure was based on a 19th century structure for mission rather than effective and faithful witness in the 21st. for those of us who speak about the "flattening of the world", this structure will allow us that capacity to move resolutely together in mission, while attentive to the many voices that shape it.

5. "it is as if we are erasing the rich history of our church and are starting from scratch."

• The rich history of our church is one well captured in the phrase from our Reformed tradition; "always reformed always reforming", that is rooted in our past and pressing toward our future. We are always reaching to live out the line from the old hymn "new occasions teach new duties, time make ancient good uncouth". I believe that we honor our history by naming covenant as being at the heart of being the "body of Christ", and by seeking new ways to live out of that covenant.

Timothy Downs

Conference Minister

Southeast Conference, United Church of Christ

www.secucc.org