Almost every year around this time I am asked to explain why we need a presbytery. It usually comes as anxious session members start to look at their budgets for the coming year and question the line item for supporting the presbytery through per capita assessments and mission contributions. What benefit do we derive from the presbytery, or for that matter the synod or the General Assembly?
There are often unspoken assumptions behind the question: that the only “real” form of the church is the congregation, and the only congregation that matters is the one where I worship; that church hierarchies (“councils” in our lingo) are corrupt, bloated, out of touch, or too political; or that a congregation or member should not be expected to support programs or policies with which they disagree. Sometimes, it is simply a desire for greater transparency and accountability from those to whom we entrust our gifts.
The first reason for having a presbytery is theological: that we are saved by Christ not as isolated individuals, but into a community of faith that is “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic,” in the words of the Nicene Creed. That is, we are connected to one another through Christ in our faith, our mission, and our order. At its core, the presbytery is the collective steward of the faith, mission, and order of the church in a particular region.
The presbytery is a steward of our faith by ensuring that those entrusted to preach the gospel are qualified and of sound faith and motive. We facilitate individual congregations to identify the qualities most needed in their pastoral leaders, and the people best suited to serve. We nurture and encourage those with gifts for pastoral leadership. We ensure that pastoral leaders are properly compensated and supported for their work. We care for and oversee churches without pastoral leaders. Our Commission on Ministry and Ministry Preparation has primary responsibility for these tasks.
The presbytery is a steward of the church’s mission by connecting us to the mission and resources of the wider church, and by facilitating the mission of congregations individually and together. This is a two-way relationship: we collectively support mission beyond our bounds through church-related colleges like Alma College; missionaries like the Chang-Lopez family in the Philippines and Lucy Der-Garabedian in Lebanon; networks and partnerships like the Niger Mission Network; programs like Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, the Presbyterian Hunger Program, and Self-Development of People; and more.
We also support the mission of congregations within our bounds through mission grants, church transformation and technology grants; emergency assistance grants; building loans; and other forms of direct assistance. We are a conduit for the resources of the larger church like church school curriculum, leadership training workshops, low-cost construction loans, disaster-assistance grants, racial ethnic church grants, and more. All of these are made possible through the work of the Mission Coordination Committee, the Presbytery Council, and the Presbytery Board of Trustees. In addition, Presbyterian Women is a valuable partner in our mission work.
The presbytery is also the principal steward of the order of the church in our region. All churches are imperfect expressions of God’s will. When people or sessions act unjustly, or sow discord, or violate the peace, unity, and purity of the Church, it is often the presbytery which helps restore peace and order. This can happen pastorally through Listening Teams of the Commission on Ministry and Ministry Preparation and Administrative Commissions established by the Presbytery; or judicially through remedial and disciplinary cases adjudicated by our Permanent Judicial Commission.
The greatness of the Presbyterian system lies in the fact that when we speak of the presbytery, synod, or General Assembly, we are speaking not of some alien, arbitrary authority— we are speaking of ourselves. In our system, all authority rests in groups of leaders elected by (and usually staffed by) the people themselves, not in individuals. Leadership is shared by both ruling elders and ministers of the Word and Sacrament in nearly equal numbers. The Presbytery of Lake Huron engages the work of over fifty different volunteers and staff elected by the representatives of our congregations. The work of identifying, discerning, and nominating these servants is principally the work of the Presbytery Nominating Committee.
In short, the presbytery is Presbyterians serving Christ so that we can do more together than we can individually. In our Presbytery, the cost of this process is among the lowest in our denomination. We maintain quality paid staff, resource our volunteers, and administer our mission funds at a cost of only $28.76 per member, plus voluntary mission contributions from sessions and individuals. The per capita rate is proposed to increase to $29.00 in 2022, the same level it was in 2020.
In the Presbytery of Lake Huron, the faith, mission, and order of the Church in mid-Michigan are maintained and developed wisely, faithfully, and responsibly. Thank you for your faithful support of and participation in this shared task.
Faithfully,
Dan Saperstein, Executive Presbyter
