A new M.A.C.C. Disciple Creed?

Re: Mission Alignment Coordinating Council

It has taken two hundred years but I believe the Christian Church Disciples of Christ has come full circle. We started off as a movement which rejected all denominational creeds and embraced the freedom to interpret scripture for ourselves. Today there is a call to bring all expressions of the church and ethnic minority ministries under tighter reign and subject them to a certification process in order to recieve adequate funding.

Although my initial reactions to the possibility of the sharing of power and better opportunities for funding were positive, I have some reservations regarding the statement which proposes certification of General Ministries based on an accreditation system. I ask that we share our insights. I know I may sound a bit adversarial but I’ve noticed that serious issues are sometimes ignored because they are too difficult or distasteful to confront, especially when dealing with race and theology.

First, is an accreditation system by which general and other DMF recipient ministries would be certified as official ministries of the church in light of the church’s current mission priorities as well as its ongoing identity and purpose. This certification process would review strategic mission plans, financial reports, and adherence to other governance documents and policies of the church. Taken from MACC document outcome #1.

I have always been proud of the freedom that being a Disciple represents. One of the historical core beliefs that I find admirable is the belief that we all have the right and responsibility to interpret scripture for ourselves. We have become accustomed to hearing “No Creed But Christ” and the principle of congregational autonomy has always been central to Disciple Heritage. These foundational principals have allowed the Hispanic expression of the Christian Church Disciples of Christ, Hobra Hispana to grow whether we have been adequately funded or not.

The anglo church finds itself suffering form a silent internal battle which pitches a majority comprised of conservative churches against an elite ruling liberal leadership which advocates its brand of social justice based on Manifest Destiny principals. The situation has been aggravated by the fact that a large number of churches have chosen to stay away from General Assemblies and ignore any of the mandates and resolutions passed by it. Ethnic Minority Ministries seem to be the scapegoats and are racialized to represent the enemy of the liberal institution that the leadership of the Christian Church Disciples of Christ desires it to become.

I believe that the accreditation system being proposed by MACC is a ploy to strong arm all General Ministries including Hobra Hispana into accepting more liberal theologies advocated by the national leadership of our denomination. The intention of the restructuring under an accreditation system is not to share power. The intention is to control ethnic minority ministries under a more colonial form of ecclesial governance by dangling the promise of funding in front of them. Under the plan being proposed, ethnic minority ministries will receive certification and funding by adhering to a new creed being orchestrated by an alien identity which has supplanted recognizable historical foundational Disciple traits.

I am concerned about what is meant by governance documents and policies of the church. Do these documents include past controversial Assembly resolutions passed with minute ethnic minority representation? I also have concerns over who has been given the privilege of defining Disciple identity. I believe that a identidad Discípulos has been instilled in me by the testimonies of past Ancianos y Pastores/Pastoras de Hobra Hispana. Sometimes it seems like contemporary Disciple identity conflicts with my identidad Discípulos de Cristo.

I would like to suggest a restructuring that would allow us to more adequately live into our belief of being one church. I believe that each representation of the church should have a national pastor and the position of GMP should be shared and rotated by terms among the national pastors. No one expression should be over another but all in submission to God and each other.

If more funding for ethnic minority ministries is one of the goals of this restructuring, will local Hispanic churches who struggle with DHM debt, a leaky roof, and a pastor with no medical benefits be the recipients of this new funding? Will funding go to strengthen growing local Hispanic churches or is the funding only intended to reinforce the national leadership?

I am concerned with what we are willing to do in order to receive funding. I would rather be an underfunded, ignored, growing branch of the Disciples of Christ than receive funding by relinquishing our principles, sound doctrine, and adhering to an oppressive structure that uses its financial might to force others into accepting its way.

Bendiciones,

Joel Moisés Saucedo