I am now attending the fall meeting of the Presbytery of Wyoming, which is being held at the Union Presbyterian Church in Powell, For those of you who are unfamiliar with such things, the Presbytery of a given area (in this case,Wyoming) consists of all the ministers (Teaching Elders) in the region (in this case, Wyoming), plus at least one Ruling Elder from each congregation. The Presbytery has authority over all ministers, and it exercises oversight of the churches as well. A Presbytery meeting is part fellowship, part inspiration, part education, part business, and part reconnecting. In a large area like Wyoming, the fifth part is especially important.
Today there was a four hour session on Change, from a systems perspective. (yes, there were the usual Presbyterian light-bulb jokes.) Since my project is much concerned with change in the denomination, congregations, and our larger culture, this was an interesting presentation for me. I learned that, the most important leverage point for effecting change is to recall the group's attention to its deepest values and purposes. Well, I really didn't learn that. I already knew it. But it was comforting to have this fact documented. The question of how exactly to do that remains.
Tonight there is dinner and worship; tomorrow there is business, which will end, supposedly, at lunch time. Then I will be off to Sheridan, to visit my final church.
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