If 25-11 is no-fault divorce, the rest of the BCO is a pre-nuptial written by attorneys who figured the couple would split up one day. If they were right, part of the reason will be that self-assured men know how to get what they want even if 49% of the room is shut down and sent home. That might be an acceptable option when 70 Commissioners are at the mics and 1,200 voting clickers are locked and loaded, but let’s not pretend it’s ideal. And let’s remember that like constitutional cover, parliamentary compliance does not confer moral authority. A well-timed motion or artful procedure can be quite elegant and occasionally save the Church from even more stupid stuff. However, motions and substitutes, committee reports, and floor examinations too often serve as placebos for working things out with one another.
Sadly, rules meant for decency and good order are often used to manage family members; whether the cranky uncle or the cynical nephew. A motion to dismiss, for example, might be effective, but it is never relationally free. Regardless of whether the maneuver is constitutional, or its cause is righteous, once the parliamentary knives are out, there will be much phileo to repair afterwards. There’s no Robert’s Rules exemption for the Fruit of the Spirit. Kindness matters in Church courts because it matters to the King. It is very unlikely that he doesn’t care how we treat or feel about one another provided we follow Rules for Assembly Operation.
They can’t seem to realize the tragic irony that they achieve pitch-perfect harmony while they complain about each other. The PCA is that couple.
We would do well to apply the principle of proximity. Ask yourself, “Would I manage a brother on my Session in the way my motion or speech is about to manage a brother at Presbytery? Once again, what is accepted practice among Presbyters is lamented in our congregations. We don’t see any irony when a member disrupts a congregational meeting with a complaint, she had only mentioned in passing. “They didn’t even send us an email,” we say in somber shepherd tones.
Many of us have pastored couples who become so frustrated that they adopt each other’s dysfunctions in a vortex of relational pathology. They can’t seem to realize the tragic irony that they achieve pitch-perfect harmony while they complain about each other. The PCA is that couple.
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Next: Thoughts on Losing Votes (and something even harder) scheduled for 2/1
