This week the Presbyterian Church in Canada, at its General Assembly, made a significant change in its polity. After a very long and challenging process, the denomination has discerned the Holy Spirit’s leading by making a way for the affirmation of LGBTQI+ persons in marriage and ordained ministry.
While we here at TRC have been a generous space community since the beginning, we are grateful that the denomination has now adopted an official position, while also allowing the freedom of conscience for those persons and congregations who have not arrived at the same conclusions. In other words, where you were not previously free to disagree with the traditional position (even though there were dissenting practitioners in the tribe), now we are trying to co-exist as a denomination that will allow disagreement and freedom to act according to one's discernment of the Spirit’s leading.
It may well lead to some congregations breaking away from the denomination, which would be sad, but not unprecedented. Our hope is that the people who are still willing to sit under the guidance and authority of our denomination’s polity, will treat each other with respect, love, and plenty of grace as we continue to pursue the mission of Christ's church.