Quote:
Originally Posted by CaseyBessette  Quote:
Originally Posted by Poimen And, most important, the URCNA is way cooler than all the Presbyterian churches combined. | 
Thanks for the info you gave regarding appeals. 
I'm aware that there is dissatisfaction with the "voluntary federation" and congregational nature of the polity of the URC. Do you share these sentiments? Is there any work being done on a revision? |
I want to be careful what I say here since the Church Order is a matter of submission to an ecclesiastical document. However I think I am free to say that a Proposed Church Order has been put forth by a committee and some see it as an improvement upon the current one.
One has to remember that the URCNA (like my former federation the OCRC) came out of a hierarchical and almost tyrannical situation where the church leadership ruled top -> down and imposed many decisions on consistories and congregations without proper procedure and due process being followed.
This has led us, in my opinion, to overreact and create a Church Order that places the authority almost entirely in the hands of a consistory making them the
de facto authority that can thwart discipline and correction from the broader assemblies if they so please. Of course this is a general statement and should not be looked upon as authoritative in any degree.
But I think a more balanced approach is welcome and may indeed be adopted someday.