What constitutes a diagnosis of terminal?

First Edition, Article 1

I am a pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA).  I did not grow up Presbyterian though.  My father was a Congregational Church/United Church of Christ pastor, but I chose to join the Presbyterian Church (USA).  I would love to say that theology and polity drew me here, but in all reality it was an invite from a friend named Blake, and a youth pastor from South Africa.  But, it was the theology that kept me.  

Let me explain:
I am a Christian - a Follower of Jesus, who happens to enjoy the Presbyterian delivery system.  I happen to identify with John Calvin in my Reformed views and I am a supporter of the five buzz-words (phrases) of the reformation (ie. the five solas).  I believe that it is a sin to bore people with the Gospel, and I believe that the Gospel needs to be shared in a relevant way with each person, because the Gospel IS relevant today!

With that being said, my heart is breaking for the denomination that I love, while at the same time I am growing more and more frustrated with "Presbyterians."  

From the use of the word "Presbyterian" being synonymous with the Church, to the blinders being worn to avoid looking at the true health of our denomination, to the positive spin being put on everything shared out of Louisville and the "pride" shown and called for by Presbyterian leadership, I am sickened.  Please do not get me wrong, I love the Presbyterian Church.  But, I love Jesus more.  I am a Christian who happens to be Presbyterian.  And when people who claim to love this denomination make these kinds of statements, I get defensive and frustrated. 
 

Here's an example:

Bruce Reyes Chow (former moderator of the PC(USA)) and his friend Shawn Coons...
Rev. Coons recently wrote an article to all of those Presbyterians going to the Fellowship Event in Minnesota at the end of the month.  It was linked on Facebook by Rev. Reyes Chow, showing his support and agreement with the article and the plea.  The event in question and Rev. Coons request to those attending was just fine.  What frustrated me was his second sentence which said, "I will be watching as someone who does not believe the PC(USA) is "deathly ill"..."  This is just utterly frustrating!  But, Rev. Coons is not the only one who does not believe that the PC(USA) is deathly ill.  In fact, I have colleagues in ministry here in the Metroplex who would agree with him.  So, that beckons the question, "What constitutes a Diagnosis of Terminal?"

In medical terms, someone is diagnosed as terminally ill if the medical expert reasonably expects their illness to result in the death of the patient within a relatively short period of time. The term is more commonly used to refer to a patient with a progressive disease which will eventually end the life of the patient.  The key component to being terminally ill is that there is no cure for the disease which is slowly, progressively killing the patient. 
That is key - the reality of a cure (I would argue that our cure is found in the sharing of the Good News of Jesus with everyone!).  

Likewise, the diagnosis of "deathly ill" simply means that a patient is extremely ill, and unless something radically changes, the patient will eventually die.  

If we are not deathly ill as a denomination, then what signs of health are being seen.  When judging the health of an organism you look at certain criteria- the fruit being bore, the shape of the organism, for any signs of disease, and for shallow roots (or life supply).  

Let's examine the health of the PC(USA), shall we.  The most recent study shows that 82% of Presbyterians do not read their Bible outside of Sunday morning worship.  Hmmm.  That might qualify as shallow roots or a shallow life source, seeing as Presbyterians we believe that Scripture is the "only sufficient guide for the purposes of salvation and living the life of faith. No new revelations are needed." (Presbyterian Understanding of Holy Scripture, 123rd General Assembly - 1983).  

What about the shape of the denomination - we are currently loosing members at an alarming rate - over 2.4 million since 1960, and over 61,000 in 2010 alone.  In the last 5 years 80 churches have left.  Of the churches still here over 51% are under 100 members now.  Many of those can't afford a pastor.  We are not in very good shape.  

How about the fruit we are bearing?  Other than our ordination disagreements being placed in headlines, the PC(USA) made the Dec. 2010 issue of the Wall Street Journal with this article, "Presbyterians Against Israel"  Wow!  That is great fruit for people to see.  A culture in which the word Presbyterian is irrelevant already, we are now known as those Christians who do not support Israel.  Great.  That is not a good thing.  If that is not enough of a reason to see that our fruit is not good, ask Rev. Reyes Chow why his church plant does not have the word Presbyterian in the name, and he will tell you it carries too much baggage.

So, might there be some sign of disease within an organism that is bearing bad fruit, is in bad shape, and has shallow roots?  The answer is yes.  The organism of the PC(USA) is sick.  We have declined by 50% in 50 years.  If any other business or organization had printed an end of year report with the decline we have consistently shown, the entire staff of that company, or organization would be fired, or the company itself would close down.  

There might be glimpses of health here and there in the denomination, but for the most part, the sickness or unhealthiness is predominant.  Here is where it gets tough though...Without something drastically changing, the sickness will continue to grow, ultimately leading to death - thus the diagnosis of deathly ill.

I think that the diagnosis of the PC(USA) being deathly ill is a very accurate diagnosis.  I am afraid that Rev. Coons and Rev. Reyes Chow will be forced to re-examine their non-acceptance of this diagnosis in the near future.  It breaks my heart to see this denomination that I chose to be a part of (or as a good Presbyterian should say, I was predestined to be a part of) fall into such dire sickness.  My hope is that in the near future we will realize that the only cure for the PC(USA) is to do evangelism not only in the pews, but in the world, seeking to grow God's kingdom, and in doing so, see the denomination grow again.