This is a guest article by Pastor Lincoln Winter
I’m not plugged in to the politics of the synod these days. I live far from Saint Louis, and spend my days tending to my parish. So, when I was sitting in my study in Wyoming, and heard the boom noise all the way from 1333 S. Kirkwood, I knew something big was happening. (Ok, so it was facebook, but you get the idea.) What was all the hubbub about?
This past weekend, floor committees for the upcoming convention met. And, thanks to the wonder of technology, the resolutions were already ready already by Wednesday. That’s fast! But, as happens every three years, the publication of Today’s Business is followed by the traditional weeping and gnashing of teeth.
“THESE ARE TERRIBLE!!!
WHAT WERE THEY THINKING!!!
WHY ARE THEY REPLACING BYLAW 3.14.15.92.65.A! THAT WAS MY FAVORITE!!!!”
And so on.
This happens every three years. It usually happens closer to the convention. And it’s true that it’s never happened this close to the election for President. You’ll hear people on both sides calling for you to vote for this person or that person based on what’s in Today’s Business, issue 1. But that’s silly.
Yes. There are things to fix. Yes, some of it could have been written better. Because it’s issue 1 of Today’s Business. It’s a rough draft. And if you vote for President based solely on what’s in this rough draft, which the President has not even seen, let alone written, then imagine a world where your first grade teacher gets to pick your lifelong career based on that show and tell you did about your pet Hamster Fluffy-Bunnikins III. I’m sure President Harrison has things he’d like to see improved. I’ve talked to committee members and they’ve agreed that they still have work to do. So don’t get too bothered.
Come convention time, the people who wrote these will sit and listen to comments about this or that. Even now, you can write to the chairman of the floor committee with your thoughts.
Then they publish the second draft. It’s always much better. Problems, both large and small, are fixed. Trust me, the people on these committees want to do a good job. They want good resolutions. These are published in advance so that you can see them early, carefully consider their work, and respond with helpful comments. There is no great plot among the floor committees to sabotage the synod. It’s their synod too.
And once we get over our initial rage, we can all settle down, take a breath, and fix WHATEVER IT IS THAT ANNOYED YOU THAT WILL SPELL THE DEATH OF THE SYNOD!!!!!
I promise, it won’t be that bad come July. So, if you are the sort to read through all the resolutions, take the weekend, read through them, and next week, compose your thoughts in a helpful letter explaining your concerns. But for now, let’s all just remain calm.