Yes, here we go again.
Please consider the following an update on “Define ‘evangelical’,” “Define 'evangelical,' yet again,” “Define 'evangelical,' please,” “That same old question for 2016: What is an 'evangelical,' anyway?”, “Once again, journalists need to ponder this question: What is an 'evangelical'?” and lots of other GetReligion offerings on this topic over nearly 20 years.
Yes, this is tough work — but somebody has to do it.
In this case, former GetReligionista Mark Kellner sent me the following Duluth News Tribune story, while expressing “more than a little sympathy “ for the general-assignment reporter who got caught up in the whole “evangelical” self-definition puzzle. Here’s this complex, but vague, headline from the world of mainline Protestant decline:
New generation, denomination takes over Duluth church
Attendees of Westminster Presbyterian Church were dwindling over the years. They decided to gift their church to a younger crowd of Christians focused on inclusivity.
The clue that there are plot twists ahead? That would be the word “inclusivity.”
Think about it: More “inclusive” than a congregation in the liberal mainline Presbyterian Church (ISA)?
Hold that thought. Here is the overture:
DULUTH — It's not every day that an offer for a new church building lands in your lap.
But that's exactly what happened to Pastor Kris Sauter of Neighborhood Church in Cloquet. Sauter received a phone call from the Rev. Carolyn Mowchan, part-time pastor for Westminster Presbyterian Church in western Duluth.
"And I don't usually take cold calls," Sauter said. "But I happened to pick up this time and she was like, 'Hi Kris, I'm Carolyn. How would you like a free building?' And I was like ... 'Hi Carolyn, I'm Kris.' And that led to a really beautiful conversation and series of conversations about taking over the building."
Over the past year or so, Sauter and Mowchan have been meeting to discuss and plan the handover of Westminster's building to the Neighborhood Church. The process has been, as Sauter describes, "lengthy" as the churches are very different Christian denominations.
Now, brace yourself! Try to parse this next direct quotation.
"We're a very low church, as in, we're not quite Evangelical, we're more reconstructionist and we're not a mainline church. And they're more of a high church, more mainline," Sauter said. "So I've learned that changes come more slowly, intentionally. My experience is more like, 'Hey, let's do this' and then we just do it. So it's been a learning experience."
What in the world does “reconstructionist” mean in this context? I think that it’s safe to say that this isn’t a reference to the American Civil war or postmodern Judaism.
Also, there is the issue of “Presbyterian” — since there are a few brand names there to choose from. However, a few clicks of a computer mouse (the church’s own website no longer works) yielded ties to the oldline Presbyterian Church (USA). The reference to a female pastor also helped.
That leads us to the whole “evangelical” thing. What do readers know?
The key: What is the “denominational” affiliation of the Neighborhood Church? That’s important, when considering what it means to be “evangelical” or “not quite Evangelical” — with an upper-case “E,” no less.
Let’s walk through this. The story does give lots of clues what is going on.
The Neighborhood Church is a fairly new congregation which grew from a Vineyard church plant in Cloquet. Sauter and his wife started the Vineyard plant in 2015 but started down the path of deconstruction around early 2018.
Now, the Vineyard semi-denomination is, by all means, part of the wider world of “evangelical” and “charismatic” life, with a heavy dose of nondenominational-church life thrown into the mix, as well.
But, again, what does the “path of deconstruction” mean? Can anyone find a definition for that term in the ex-vangelical or “progressive,” evolving evangelical context?
Thus, the Neighborhood Church is no longer part of the Vineyard movement. But what IS this church’s denominational affiliation, since the story makes that a key element of the building-transfer equation. Did I miss something?
The following does, however, give readers some doctrinal context:
"I got to the point where I just couldn't hold it in anymore. The church I worked for held kind of an exclusionary view when it came to same-sex relationships and trans people. The Vineyard holds a position that basically says if you marry a same-sex couple, then you wouldn't be able to use the trademark of the Vineyard and you'd no longer be in the church," Sauter said. "We've always been very progressive and we decided it was time to leave."
The Neighborhood Church is an "inclusive, Christ-centered church committed to allyship and anti-racism work as our practice of liberation theology," according to the church's website.
So, readers, what does “evangelical” mean in this context? Also note the reference to race, which is interesting since Charismatic-Pentecostal flocks in America tend to be quite diverse. And “liberation theology”?
It’s safe to say that we are not talking about the whole “81% of white evangelicals love Donald Trump” news-media stereotype. Maybe the reporter needed to ask a fewm yes, questions about doctrine?