As the 50th anniversary General Synod nears, we are excited to share below a statement from 2030 clergy about the NEXT 50 years of the United Church of Christ.

On this 50^th birthday of the United Church of Christ, we, the 2030 Clergy Network of the UCC, celebrate the gift of our beloved church and begin to dream of the ministry and mission we will share in the next 50 years.

We dream of greater unity.

“In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, diversity; in all things, charity.”  What are the “essentials” of our ancient Christian faith, of our unique denominational identity, of the way that we live with one another on the journey as followers of Christ?  In these next fifty years, we hope that questions about what we hold in common will take a central place in our conversations.  As clergy leaders, we are deeply concerned about the sense of disconnection and even mistrust that can characterize relationships between the various settings of our church-- local churches, associations, conferences, and the national church.  We believe that we need to work together to create dynamic connections and clear communication which honors local churches of all sizes and traditions, and honors each person’s ministry within the church and world.  We seek to develop respectful and loving ways to live more fully into our mutual covenants.   We want to create resources that will help our leaders and members to understand, explore, live out and explain the “essentials” that we share, in order to strengthen our mission and witness in the world.   

Even as we seek greater unity, we wish to do so in the strength and the giftedness of our diversity.  The realities of racism, heterosexism and class distinctions still deeply divide us as a church and a society.  The legacy of some gaining privileges at the expense of others continues to wound our relationships with one another. We struggle to hear and understand one another amid our varied points of view:  rural, urban, and suburban, “liberal” and “conservative.”  A wonderful opportunity lies before us: to deal openly and intentionally with the challenges of truly being a multi-racial and multi-cultural church.  In a deeply polarized society, we, as a church, can share our gift of holding difference together in love.  We can engage complex issues through multiple points of view and lift up “third way” options that step out of dichotomies and nurture difference and hope.  We can develop creative, high tech and low-tech ways to include all voices, making connections where lines were once drawn.  We can nurture a church culture that values prayer and spiritual practices of discernment.  Together, we can listen for God to speak in our diversity.

We dream of new ways to “be church.” 

In the United Church of Christ, only 4% of our clergy are currently under the age of 40.  .  The membership of our churches also mirrors this reality.  We (along with other “mainline” denominations) have lost almost a whole generation of believers and leaders.  We grieve this loss and we see it as a sign that God is calling us, as a church, to open ourselves to transformation.  As our UCC constitution states, the Church has a responsibility, in each generation, to make this faith our own.  We envision a church that is rooted in the ancient practices and traditions of our faith, but which interprets these foundational “essentials” in a truly authentic and prophetic way for people today.   In a deeply fragmented world, we dream of a strong emphasis on the value of intergenerational relationships.  We dream of a church in which youth and young adults are central members of the community and their visions are woven together with the wisdom of their elders into a strong and beautiful tapestry.  We dream of strong emphasis on the value of local, particular, real communities of faith, communities of all sizes and kinds, which nurture faith in practical, everyday ways. We seek forms of worship that offer people the living Christ rather than stale bread, that build on the best of tradition and also nurture creative possibilities that are relevant to contemporary life.  We do not deny the value of institutional structures (both physical and organizational) but we need structures that permit flexibility in a rapidly changing culture and that allow us to focus clearly on ministry and mission.  As 2030 clergy, we are collaborative leaders who wish to take seriously the call of all the baptized.  We believe that the work of the church is to equip each person to live out our vocations in the world. 

As a vital, vibrant church, growing into the next 50 years, we will need resources of all kinds.  We will need money.  We will need to discern, develop and draw upon the gifts of those among us.   We will need to nurture and renew leadership.  We will need to create practical tools, for Bible study, education, spiritual growth, worship and evangelism.  We will need to continue to engage new technologies, marketing concepts, and communication tools.  We will need to embrace artists and enter the artistic process, so that we can move beyond our conventional ways of thinking and imagining.  As our church faces declines in membership and giving, it is easy for us to become fearful, to get caught in a mindset of scarcity.   Above all, we have to remember that God is a God of abundance.  God’s abundance may not appear to us in the way that we expect, but it is always there. In a world in which fierce competition exists for people’s time and resources, we have to help one another understand that the church is not simply one more organization among many calling for our attention.  The church is a way of being together that shapes our identity and sense of belonging in the deepest possible way.  The church is the vibrant and vital community which nurtures us to live whole and meaningful lives rooted in faith.

We dream of living out our prophetic voice in a global society.

We live in a truly interconnected, globalized society.  Amid the vast economic inequities, the warfare, and the environmental threats that characterize our world, there is a growing sense of hopelessness in our global village.  How will we, as the United Church of Christ, speak and act for a world of justice and sustainability in the next fifty years?   How will we continue to change our old patterns of relationship with our neighbors around the globe—characterized by theological and cultural imperialism, racism, greed and overconsumption?  We dream of working alongside Christians and people of all faiths worldwide—joining together to learn from one another, to address crucial issues of faith, mission, and justice, and to seek forgiveness and transformation.  We dream of boldly sharing Christ’s message together.

We can barely begin to imagine what God has in mind for the United Church of Christ in the next 50 years.  As pastors who will be walking with the church through these times, we commit ourselves to this vision and invite all of our companions to dream with us.  May God bless, keep, and renew our church in all its settings.

The 2030 Clergy Network is an emerging group of ordained UCC pastors in their 20’s and 30’s.  This is only one vision of the next 50 years, and we invite all UCC members, clergy and lay, of every generation, to respond to this vision with your own dreams.  Go to www.2030clergy.net for more information about how to add your dreams of our unfolding future together.

This vision statement process began with the gift to us of the use of an online collaborative writing tool called Synanim, which is available as a ministry tool for your use.  For more information go to synanim.com.