To be fair, the leaders of the Fellowship would bristle at the characterization of it as a “denomination”, considering their desire for a flat leadership structure.

Their website explicates their story:

The Fellowship of Presbyterians began in January 2011 as a conversation between seven PC(USA) pastors who wanted to find new ways to encourage each other in common faith, ministry, and mission. These pastors were concerned about the health of the PC(USA) as a denomination, where membership has dropped steadily over 40 years and ongoing disputes over theology and bureaucracy create a culture of contention more than vitality. They talked of reclaiming a covenanted biblical community, where unity is derived from a shared mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ, not from structural affiliation, and where young leaders are nurtured to speak the gospel into a rapidly-changing world. The pastors issued a nationwide call to others of like mind who envisioned a new future for congregations to connect and grow while sharing a Presbyterian, Reformed, Evangelical heritage.

Initially, I had very little interest in the Fellowship, especially considering it’s name. I couldn’t help thinking about it outside of the right wing Christian political group, known also as “The Family”, as infiltrated by Jeff Sharlet.

Once I got over that, however, I simply thought of the Fellowship as a reaction to 10-A, a recent national vote which allows ordaining bodies (churchy lingo for churches and groups of church in a given locale) to ordain openly gay and lesbian pastors, elders and deacons.

And frankly, though I’m more or less in agreement with the Fellowship’s stance, I couldn’t get excited about the time, energy, effort and money to trade one institutional framework for another, simply to communicate something I’m against. Throughout history, churches have divided over cultural and theological issues over and over and over – and I had no interest in being a part of another split.

Luckily, however, a friend, mentor and former supervisor of mine has stayed on top of the inner workings of the Fellowship, and is now serving on the board. He’s kept me updated on the ways in which the Fellowship is actually moving the conversation on what it means to be church forward, by decreasing the space between clergy and laity, emphasizing church planting and rethinking levels of education for ordination (where were they five years ago?!). In short, the Fellowship isn’t just a reaction to what’s happened in the past, it’s a movement for the future.

All that to say, I’m heading out to Orlando on Tuesday, as a sort of representative of our pastoral staff and church board. While I’m still a bit cautious of the idea that we need to spend time, energy, effort and money to earn God’s blessing to move forward, I am thankful to be a part of the conversation.