Are Presbyterians a quickly fading form of “organized religion” or a living movement with something to contribute to new Christians and the healing and renewal of our societies? In other words, can something with roots in events that took place in Europe 505 years ago have any connections to today’s day and age? As our Presbytery prepares to charter a new church made up of young, energetic, and committed leaders that we have cultivated in partnership with Cyclical LA, I would dare answer with an emphatic “Yes!”.

First and foremost, more than just any organization, we are a Christian church that finds its reason for being and in the enduring presence of Jesus Christ. We join Reformers like Luther and Calvin to affirm that Christ alone (Solus Christus) is the head of the Church and the world’s Savior. Even more significantly, we join the first generations of his beleaguered followers by confidently confessing that “Jesus is Lord and Caesar is not.” As the beloved hymn puts it

“My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name

On Christ the solid rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand”

We also hold to the authority of Scriptures, both the Hebrew Bible and New Testament, to be “the unique and authoritative witness to Jesus Christ in the Church universal” and God’s word to us. We are a “Sola Scriptura” people, trusting that the Holy Spirit illuminates us and shape our “faith and conduct” according to its inspired words.

Is that “old-time religion” of any use in this day and age? Absolutely! Part of being Presbyterian is our identity as a people that retains confidence even through declining affiliation, deconstruction of assumptions, and divisive moral stances. Our work as a Presbytery is about holding fast to our ancient faith while planting seeds for how our churches will look in the future.

Will Presbyterianism look like it did in the times of the European Enlightenment or when our Presbytery started in early 1968? It already does not, except for rare exceptions. Yet, regardless of our changing form and presentation, we remain steadfast in our faith.

Do we need to do away with all traces of institutionality to “get on with the times”? Most of us attended institutions called schools and trust institutions called banks. Institutions are an essential aspect of community life. We could not function without the workload carried by seasoned, wise, generous folks with an outstanding level of institutional loyalty. However, if educational and financial institutions had not adapted tremendously in recent decades, they would no longer exist.

Indeed, society may see Presbyterianism as something other than the forward-moving force it was back when our predecessors started institutions such as Princeton University, Occidental College, or Van Nuys Presbyterian Hospital. However, our rare combination of gospel-driven creativity and meticulous attention to organizational dynamics has helped originate and sustain countless world-changing initiatives over the centuries.

At its best, our Reformed tradition is theologically grounded and historically dynamic. Because of that, I am not afraid of living in a “post-Christian” era as I am of us missing the opportunity of presenting a credible and compelling Christ-centered witness in our increasingly “post-secular” cities and neighborhoods.

What does that mean for us at the Presbytery of San Fernando? Even with may likely be a reduced budget for 2023. I firmly believe that we need to:

• Continue working hard towards bringing together the agility of our New Worshipping Communities and the work of our committees and stated meetings.
• Be decisive about securing the type of sustained funding required for Presbytery to ignite missional endeavors in future decades.
• Refine our committee structure and staffing to facilitate the goals of assisting our churches as they pursue increased vitality, add more people in worship, and draw from broader segments of our neighborhoods.

Our Presbytery is an organization that strives to be connected to the burgeoning global Christian movement. As such, we are committed to standing with our churches in navigating the disruptions of our times by innovating faithfully. We are a regional expression of the people that the Spirit has formed and is reforming to bring about transformation to lives and diverse communities according to the Word.