It is taken for granted that ministry is adaptable to the location within which it is rendered, however, there is the presence of a resistance with what might appear to be a glaring inconsistencies in practice. The reality is, the "tried and true" "tradition" is not easily changed, and challenges to these practices, if tolerated, are not readily acted on without opposition whether overt, subtle or covert.
Opposition to changing the tried and true tradition is good. Simply jumping up and changing systems and structures can lead to breakdown and or destruction of these systems or structures.
One of the many criticism levelled at the Moravian Church is its seeming constancy in the face of change. Often the Moravian Church is derided because it has maintained the "liturgical" form of worship, instead of the more "free" form of worship. What appeared to be evident at the Twenty-fourth Provincial Synod is the growing dynamism which accompanies the "free" form of worship. This has led me to wonder if in fact I am witnessing a changing of the guard, an exchange of the old for the new, a breaking of a dawn.
At first glance it is possible to arrive at the above conclusion based on the mood which prevailed for the duration of synod. An emphasis on the "leading of the spirit", viewed against the backdrop of a more modern-day charismatic-style form of worship, as against the more traditional, conservative mode of worship, created an atmosphere alive with excitement and expectation. For some people, many of whom advocate a change in the present conservative mode of worship, an experience such as that of synod would give credence to their call for change. Such persons have called our present mode of worship "dead", "boring", "without the spirit of God". However, I must say that there is the possibility of saying we have been wasting our time over the centuries, during which time we used the now traditional conservative mode of worship if that argument is pushed to the limit.
An analysis of the synod experience yields among other things, a desire for worship to be relevant. This has been the challenge to the Church through the centuries. We in the Moravian Church also have accepted this challenge seeing that it is the challenge to each member of our clergy, one which each cleric has embraced and is meeting.
What is understood to be a "relevant ministry" varies between clergy and laity. The clergy see a relevant ministry as one which meets the needs of the members. Many members view a relevant ministry to be a contemporary form of ministering to them.
One of the many demands voiced is the abandonment of the "liturgy" for "free" worship, as was stated earlier. Little do many advocates for such a change realise that they in fact are requesting a change in liturgical form, instead of a movement from liturgical practice. It appears that the use of printed liturgies is understood to be liturgical practice. However the form of worship of all churches wherein a set mode of worship is followed is in fact a liturgy. The Oxford Encyclopedic English Directory defines the word `liturgy' as. "1 (a) - a form of public worship. (b) - a set of formularies for this. (c) - public worship in accordance with a prescribed form."
The word `liturgical' is defined by the same dictionary as, "of or related to liturgies or public worship".
Thus a call for the abandonment of liturgies is in actual fact a call to abandon form and organisation in public worship. We would come to church and worship in as many different ways as there are worship days.
Such a call is thought provoking to put it mildly. What I recognised at Synod was a movement toward spontaneous praise and extemporaneous prayer. To over emphasise these areas of worship as manifestations of the movement and working of the Spirit, is to run the risk of saying that the conservative element of our worship and life is void of the spirit of God. It would generally be agreed that such a statement would not accurately reflect the mind set of Synod, however it is difficult to resist the urge to point out the possibility of such an interpretation.
What is easily recognised as coming out of the Twenty-fourth Synod is a desire for change - the breaking of a new dawn. It seems evident that we as members of the body of Christ are no longer content to stifle our feelings on issues. One such issue which engendered much debate was baptism. Just to say the word seems enough to spark lengthy and involved debate. Some of our members are of the belief that our present mode of baptism is questionable. In fact, many of this belief actually questioned our mode of baptism. Though a definitive statement was made concerning our present mode of baptism, namely, our mode shall remain the same, it is clear from the attitude of some synodals that members who are re-baptised will not be disciplined, and that there is a movement to deal with the needs of our members.
Lest it be thought that this movement is new, be not misled. Our clerics have been addressing this issue for many years. One of the requests coming out of the synod is for more to be done to address the issue. What is heartening about this debate is that many of our members are getting involved. However, our clergy can only do so much. There is little that can be done beyond teaching the truth concerning this issue. Our clergy has reiterated on countless occasions, they have taught, and are teaching the truth. Little more can be done to ensure that this truth is believed. There is a proverb which states "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink". Our clergy can teach, but we can't compel belief.
A similar issue is the issue of tithing. It stands beyond argument that tithing is the desired manner of giving in our congregations. The need to carry out our biblical mandate is of paramount importance. This movement to fulfil this mandate has been interpreted by many as a deepening of the spirituality of our members. Yet others see this as the movement of the Spirit in our midst. Maybe it is a combination of both - our spirituality has been deepened because God has moved in our midst. Indeed it is written, "in the last days I will pour out of my Spirit on all flesh."
I believe we are witnessing the breaking of a new dawn. What is happening in the Moravian Church is not the arrival of the Spirit of God, neither is it the first movement of the Spirit of God in our midst. We are witnessing the fruit of many hard years of labour. Thanks must be given to God yes, for the response of His people to the movement of His Spirit. We must thank God for the men and women who have laboured tirelessly to prepare the way for our Lord. Those ministers and church workers who have insisted that we open our hearts and lives to the working of God's Spirit led by example in the way they followed the directives of our Lord, sticking to their calling when they were not sure if they would have the means to support themselves and their families.
What we are witnessing in our congregations is a blessed thing because we are watching the rewards of the sacrifice of John Hus. Hus died because he believed Christians must be allowed to worship God out of their own sitz im leben; they should be allowed to read and study the scriptures for themselves, thus permitting them to verify the truths of God for themselves. Note carefully that this is verification of the truth. Our members are at present wrestling with the truths that they are verifying, whether it be the issue of baptism, worship form, tithing or the movement of God's Spirit. We as the church of Christ are placed at a crucial position. As with the breaking of a new dawn comes the light of a new day and the endless possibilities of that day, so too is our church rising with the light of a new day, an era of endless possibilities. The darkness has lifted and we now stand in the glow of the Son, Jesus the Christ. A new dawn has broken, what shall we make of the day?
Rev. Winston Jones is the Assistant Pastor of the Spring Gardens
Moravian Church in Antigua. This article was prepared as a reflection on
the 24th Synod of the Moravian Church held in St. Croix, U.S.V.I.
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