UCC leaders, partners gather to vision for a more inclusive version of the church

No two United Church of Christ congregations are alike, and not all UCC congregations identify with the progressive ideologies and statements from the National Ministries or General Synod, the national decision-making body of the denomination.

While the UCC is known for its bold stances on climate change, immigration policies, racial inequities, and LGBTQIA+ issues, there are many congregations that don’t share those same ideals, and sometimes feel disconnected from the National church and other settings within the denomination.

Within these contexts, the Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson, General Minister and President/CEO of the United Church of Christ convened more than 50 people representing multiple ministries across the UCC, April 23-25 in Cleveland, Ohio, for “dialogue and visioning,” called A Tent of Our Own Making.

Since taking office in August 2023, Thompson has described the UCC as a “big-tent church,” meaning the church is representative of a diverse multitude of views, opinions, and ideals, some of which may differ from the progressive stance the National Ministries takes on hot-topic issues of today.

Over the course of several months, conversations took place internally to determine how this time together would look, including who would be present to take part in the conversations. Invitations were extended, and by the end, over 50 people had made the commitment to participate in the initial meetings. 

Attendees spent the several days engaged in intentional conversations, ranging from hopes for the church to the challenges with living into the idea of a big-tent church to reshaping the narrative on how the church speaks about itself in public. 

Offering multiple perspectives

One of the highlights of the visioning retreat was a panel discussion facilitated by Thompson that focused on the challenges facing the UCC because of the multiplicities of diversities represented. The Rev. David Popham, conference minister for the Hawai’i Conference, Rev. Shari Prestemon, Acting Associate General Minister and Co-Executive of Global Ministries, Rev. Geoffrey Black and Rev. John Dorhauer, both former UCC General Minister and President, and Rev. Toni Hawkins, conference minister of the Southwest Conference, took part in the hour-long conversation.

“I’ve been invited into these big festive, formal spaces where I’ve been the only woman allowed to speak,” said Prestemon on her experiences traveling and meeting with global partners connected to the work of Global Ministries. 

“I was representing something that I was not expecting to represent that day,” Prestemon said of her experience, noting that some of the partners told her that while they ordain women, they don’t hold high enough positions to have any power within their churches and organizations.

Prestemon said the work of Global Ministries provides a model for the UCC to make room for all voices, stressing that “we cannot go to impose what we think they ought to do in their ministry to be more successful.”

Hawkins then discussed the Southwest Conference’s quest to “decenter whiteness,” which was a project the Conference voted to tackle prior to Hawkins’ appointment in 2023 as the first Black American to hold the position.

“Decentering whiteness will allow us to be able to embrace diversity,” Hawkins said, adding, it is “one of the biggest challenges” when working with congregations.

‘Are we ready for this Jesus we keep asking about?’ 

In her closing remarks to the group, Thompson said the UCC has the opportunities to be “co-creators with the divine for this moment.” She then told a story of how she envisioned the idea of a big tent church, sharing how her family struggled to pitch a tent on a beach, and the selfless actions of one person made the difference. 

“We don’t get to step back and have one person put the tent up, because the rest of us can’t figure it out,” Thompson said. “I experience this moment as a journey we’re about to take together.” 

Thompson said in order for this work to continue, the church will have to enter into the space with open minds and open hearts, noting to not take a passive aggressive approach in being in conversation with one another. 

“We need to be willing to hear each other, and be willing to learn from each other,” Thompson said.

Thompson challenged the leaders to prepare themselves and be willing to answer the call for what is being asked of the church at this moment. She said the church have to be willing to allow God to move in ways that will make space for something new. 

“Are we ready for this Jesus we keep asking about,” Thompson said. “We have to be able to talk about the Holy Spirit in this church in meaningful ways. We have to be willing to talk about Jesus outside of this room in ways that help people understand that the Gospel we bring is antithetical to things that are being weaponized around this country and around the globe.” 

Thompson noted the programmatic priorities that were introduced to the church earlier this year, and how there is a need to live into those priorities as conversations about this work continue, with one being on reshaping the narrative, and how the church talks about itself. 

There are plans to continue discussions with other stakeholders in the church, with Thompson noting, like General Synod, the location will have to shift in order to accommodate a vast array of voices. 

“Trust that God has brought you here for a reason. Trust the power of the Holy Spirit and that there’s something beyond us that is guiding us in this moment,” Thompson said.

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