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Wednesday, May 09 2012 17:53 |
The congregational meeting is a central aspect of our identity as both a Unitarian Universalist church and as an historic New England congregation. When the Puritans came to these shores from England, they were hoping to establish a society shaped by their values. These values included a desire to not be governed by arbitrary individuals or bodies from above as well as the understanding that the Holy Spirit was available to all as comforter, guide and inspiration.
This resulted in the congregational form of church governance. There was no authority, the Puritans affirmed, outside the local church. Congregationalism is an essentially democratic form of church polity. The Puritan ideals informed the emerging American democracy and shaped such institutions such as Town Meeting.
The Puritan founders of First Parish in Lexington have bequeathed to us, among other things, our congregationalism. We are in charge of conducting the affairs of this congregation, we and nobody else. It always surprises me when only a third or a quarter of a congregation shows up for congregational meetings. Why is this? Is there something about the way that we do church together that fails to communicate the importance—indeed, the sanctity—of our meeting for business?
When I look at the state of the democracy in this republic as a whole, I wonder if democracy is too demanding, that most ordinary people do not actually want the responsibility of governing themselves. Maybe we should just hand the whole thing over to an elite few who can run the place for us. The very idea makes me shudder!
The membership of First Parish in Lexington gathers twice a year for a congregational meeting. On Sunday, May 20, after the worship service, members will gather to approve the annual budget (the fiscal year begins July 1) and elect board members and officers. Please don’t leave this duty up to somebody else. It is your responsibility as a member of a democratic, congregational church to be an informed participant in these semi-annual meetings.
Our Puritan founders believed that we had access to a higher power and wisdom and could discern among ourselves which direction to take when making decisions together. Though we may use different language, the essential truth is the same. As a central expression of our personal and collective spirituality, we come together for decision-making. I trust I will see you there. |
