An Open Question: Who Are We? No, Seriously, Who?

A few days ago a Divinity school friend and I were strolling down a dusty, red-bricked sidewalk. As the greens, golds and maroon-browns of fall spiraled down from the trees around us, we started commiserating about a church service we had just attended. Naturally, we - being Presbyterians - jokingly hyper-analyzed the sermon and highlighted the theological conundrums brought up by the pastor. I had enjoyed the service, but my friend felt otherwise - she just “wasn’t a fan.” She explained that it had been a “somewhat unorthodox” Presbyterian service, complete with boisterous musical numbers (Johnny Cash) and a slightly-less-than-organized order of worship (I still have no idea what happened during the Children’s Sermon). As such, she seemed displeased and uncomfortable with the overall feel of the service. Given that I, admittedly, really like organic approaches to worship, I started to press my friend for a specific reason for discomfort.



“Look,” she finally replied, flustered, “It’s not that it wasn’t a good service, it’s just...it’s just not Presbyterian, you know? Like, seriously.”

Seriously. I gawked. What did she mean by “not Presbyterian?” Was there some golden standard of worship that I had missed? The pastor had hit all the necessary points that I could think of: there had been a passing of the peace, acolytes to light the candles, a prayer of confession, a reading from the lectionary, an offering, a sermon, a grape juice communion complete with tiny germ-free cups and all the other worshipy-accouterments that come standard with Presbyterian services. It was, in short, right where it “needed” to be Presbyterian-wise. So what, I wondered, was missing? Can a worship service be deemed “not Presbyterian” simply for how it feels?

It’s an odd idea, but it begs a larger question: do we even know what makes us “Presbyterian” in the first place? Granted, it’s not a new conundrum - even the Moderator of the PC(USA) has been asking it recently. But with the Christian tradition now being labeled as a “dying” faith, there seems to be a renewed interest in defining ourselves as Christians and - by extension - by individual denominations.

So where do we start? Are folks in the PC(USA) defined by our theology and doctrine? Presbyterians, after all, are known for our deep affection with the great movers and shakers of the Protestant Reformation - namely John Calvin and John Knox. In fact, it is our association with their views on predestination and the “elect” that make us theologically distinct, so is that what defines us - our espoused theology?

If that’s the case, then Presbyterianism might be in trouble: virtually every Presbyterian can name a friend (or themselves) who struggles with concept of predestination, and the majority of lay-Christians (and some pastors!) can’t even cite the ten commandments, much less main tenets of their tradition. And we’re not alone: a 1992 Gallup survey found that only 30% of Catholics believed in transubstantiation, and - despite the proclamations of the Pope - 67% believe that non-marital sex is just fine. Moreover, while the majority of Protestant denominations officially paint homosexuality as less-than-desirable, 45% of actual parishioners believe it's no big deal. Thus, if doctrine and theology are supposed to define a denomination, then churches might find their staple message doesn't resonate with every congregant.

But perhaps we’re looking in the wrong place - maybe our demographic makeup tells more about us. Presbyterians are, for instance, an overwhelmingly white congregation - 92.9% in fact. We are more female (58%) than male (42%). Almost 50% of our churches are between 1-100 members, with a mean of 208 members. Our highest concentration of members are in Pennsylvania and Southern California. Lastly, the PC(USA) is the wealthiest denomination - per congregant - in the United States. In other words, are Presbyterians wealthy, white women from small towns in Pennsylvania and Southern Californian who go to small churches?

Well, shucks...that sure leaves me out.

Well, then, perhaps it’s our style of worship that sets us apart! Most Presbyterian services, after all, follow a pretty straightforward system: you sing hymns from the blue (or red) hymnal, you follow the order of worship, and you read from the lectionary. But what does that make of those crazy emergent churches - the “Presbymergent” ones where people do all sorts of wild “non-Presbyterian” things in their services? What of Youth Sundays? If they sing out of a hymnal that isn’t blue (or even green!), does that make them less “Presbyterian?”

You know, this is harder than I thought.

So what, good community of Church is ALIVE readers, defines us as Presbyterian? Heck, what defines any Christian denomination? If it’s not theology, demographics, or style of worship, then what do we hold onto? What do we call our own, if anything? What makes us an “us?”

Are we defined by what we have been, what we are, or what we could be?

What do you think?