Twenty-eight relatives. Seven days and nights. One house. Chaos.

Nevertheless, we think we top all others who have made the claim, “We put the fun into dysfunctional.”

Among those who also could, indeed should, have made that claim are the 1,700 Presbyterians who attended the Big Tent event in Indianapolis. This convention, aggregated from nine separate conferences, showcased how much fun dysfunctional Presbyterians can have under one roof.

Yes, the crowd there was mostly Euro-Americans — the Multicultural Convocation and Immigrant Ministries Conferences being colorful exceptions.

But the diversity of gifts and callings — from peacemakers to evangelists, from global missions co-workers to pastoral caregivers, from ruling elders to women in ministry — guaranteed a clash of conflicting visions for the church. This, it would seem, could only generate sheer ecclesiastical chaos.

The reality was quite the contrary.

Enthusiastic singing lifted the roof in the plenary worship services. Furious notetaking occupied participants in the scores of workshops. High schoolers engaged mission efforts in the city. And firebrands of each gift/ministry/calling intermingled in hallways, throughout the exhibit center and over meals.

How did that happen? Two fundamental realities present within our family here on the Outer Banks were also at work in Indy.

First, the Haberer clan gathered in a big house. While we all share one kitchen, living room, pool and beach, every couple and older single has a private bedroom and bath (the younger singles share a bunk room). In other words, our common life balances with each one’s need for freedom to self-define and self-manage.

Second, we’re family. Some were born into this mess. Others married one member and accepted the familial strings that came attached that came attached. But nobody stormed out the door. Divorce was not an option. So, too, the Big Tent event was held in a huge conference center hotel: lots of common areas for meals, meetings and wor ship; private rooms for each participant or couple to bunk down. And everybody wore the Presbyterian label as their own — even though they’d come into that family by every possible route.

Robert Johnson, a longtime friend of the Outlook, suggests that these two realities can and ought to guide the future of our dysfunctional denominational life together (pp. 18-19). That is, we can renovate our organizational house so that it allows folks with diverse visions of the church to operate somewhat separately, somewhat together. We can make our connectionalism non-coercive, allowing us to follow our informed consciences.

Johnson suggests the polity steps needed for such reorganization must be implemented organically. Like sisters sharing a house, we can recreate the common areas and separate quarters necessary to facilitate both our relatedness and our individuality, without threatening divorce.

Two million Presbyterians. Generations together. One family. Chaotically dysfunctional, yet relatedly connected. Why not?

—JHH

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