It was 1993 and a group of mission leaders were gathered to wrestle with some of the big issues facing our global movement. Thanks to the God’s blessing and the sacrificial work of many faithful men and women, new fellowships of Grace Brethren churches had been planted around the world. Quality leaders were emerging, and we knew that the role of Grace Brethren International Missions needed to change.
Out of those strategic meetings was birthed a commitment to creating meaningful ways for Grace Brethren churches and leaders to connect with one another. The first significant step forward took place the following year, when representatives of our churches from around the world met at the Chateau de St. Albain in France. It was an historic moment for many reasons. Perhaps the most significant was our mutual commitment to abandon the idea that the North American church was the parent, and to affirm the equality of all of our churches by inviting them to join us as ‘equals at the round table.’
While space limitations prevent us from retelling the fascinating journey of Charis International since its inception in 1994, we can celebrate the reality that we succeeded in creating viable ways for us to communicate, to cooperate and to encourage one another as a global movement of churches. Subsequent global and regional gatherings built upon those commitments and led to multiple cooperative ministry efforts. Most importantly, the 2008 Charis International Leadership Encounter, held simultaneously with the 300th anniversary of our movement, created a set of common ministry goals that unite us.[1]
At the same event, delegates representing our churches around the world unanimously agreed to charge the Charis Steering Committee with the responsibility to continue leading our movement. Current members represent the five continents where we have churches, and most have held key positions in leading Charis in the past. Over the past few years, we have labored together to chart out a preferred path forward for the global Grace Brethren Church.
The Identity Initiative
Building upon the success of creating the Charis Commitment to Common Mission, we are now turning our attention to creating a Charis Commitment to Common Identity. Background and details concerning the why and who for this initiative are found in other articles in this magazine. We now turn our attention to the what, where, when and how.
The Charis Steering Committee began by creating a goal: by October, 2015, delegates from around the Grace Brethren world will be fully prepared to engage in a dialogue resulting the adoption of a Charis Commitment to Common Identity. Working backwards, we carefully identified the steps it would take to achieve this noble goal. We understood that the process might be as important as the product. In other words, the how might be as important as the what. In contrast to the ways our movement engaged theological questions in the past, we committed to creating pathways for healthy dialogue, appropriate debate, and resolutions that would be meaningful to our global family of churches.
Taking a cue from the excellent work done by Grace Brethren churches in France, we developed the concept of Truth Clusters. Then we appointed a Task Force, representing Africa, Asia, Latin America, and North America, and charged them with creating the first two Clusters. After all, we reasoned, our affirmations about Jesus Christ and historic orthodox doctrines are not on the table for debate. In these two areas, the question is not what do we believe, but rather, what is the best way to summarize what we believe. Using current Grace Brethren statements of faith and other globally recognized summaries of evangelical doctrine, the Task Force created the First and Second Truth Clusters. While we recognize these documents can always be improved, we agreed to focus our attentions elsewhere.
We concluded that the priority task before us was the creation of a globally acceptable Third, or Charis Truth Cluster. To succeed, we determined to create an orderly way in which the greatest number of Grace Brethren ‘voices’ would be invited to the table. Here is a summary of the process:
Cycle One |
Sept 2013 – April 2014 |
Regional Task Forces |
Task Force answers the question, “What are the distinguishing marks of the Grace Brethren movement?” |
Round Table One |
July 2014 |
International Task Force |
Data gathered from Regional Task Forces is used to create a single Charis Truth Cluster |
Cycle Two |
Sept 2014 – April 2015 |
Regional Leadership Discussions (held within each country) |
The Charis Truth Cluster is discussed, debated and suggestions for improvement are gathered |
Round Table Two |
July 2015 |
International Task Force |
Data gathered from Regional Leadership Discussions is used to create a final proposal for the Charis Truth Cluster |
Charis International |
October 2015 |
Delegates representing National Conferences |
The Charis Truth Cluster |
National Conferences |
As soon as possible |
National Conferences of Grace Brethren Churches are encouraged to endorse the three Truth Clusters |
Recently I was asked if I was worried someone might ‘hijack’ this process in favor of promoting a personal agenda. I smiled to myself, thought about the many checks and balances incorporated into this process, and replied that it was extremely unlikely. After all, there is no single person, committee, or even national conference that controls the agenda. As you can see, this is an inclusive and international process that invites observation and scrutiny on every level. We believe that trust will flow in every direction due to the high levels of transparency and inclusion outlined above.
On a personal note, it was in September 2010 that I began praying daily for God to lead us to renewed expressions of our core values and beliefs. As I looked across the global Grace Brethren movement, I sensed the time had arrived for us take concrete steps to reach in at least two directions: toward younger leaders and toward the many national leaders that God is raising up among us. These same stirrings were happening in the hearts of other leaders, and they are reflected in the direction in which the Charis Steering Committee is leading us.
Now it is time to broaden that circle. Will you join us in regular prayer as we move steadily toward an historic encounter in October 2015? Will you pray regularly and participate helpfully in the creation of the Charis Commitment to Common Identity?