In praise of institutions
I am a part of some very old institutions. I am a pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA). I write for the Christian Century (the “Century” refers to the 1900s). My next book is on HarperOne. I subscribe to the New York Times. I belong to a political party. I consult, coach, and speak across the ecumenical church. I talk about new church developments and other ministry innovations that will further our institutions.
Many people in my line of work are anti-institutional. I am not. Even though my mission in life is not to save the institutional church (it is to love God and people, first and foremost), I believe in institutions.
Why? It grew out of my personal story. When I was a child, we had a pedophile pastor. There were no checks and balances in place, so even though our nondenominational church leadership knew what happened, they encouraged the parents and children to forgive him, and the pedophile kept pastoring. There was nothing to stop him.
