I once served in a middle judicatory setting in my denomination, overseeing pastoral searches. Pastoral search teams were charged with creating a document called a profile, which explained the history, demographics, and aspirations of their congregation. Many churches described themselves as progressive. The adjective was sometimes paired with other descriptors: open, inclusive, liberal.
Pressing for precision, I’d ask: Open to what? Inclusive of whom? Progressing toward what? Progressive functioned as shorthand by which a pastoral candidate might recognize a desirable call. Asking for further definition was not an editorial exercise meant to frustrate search committees. It was born out of a desire to help congregations articulate their unique missions, gifts, and contexts as clearly as possible and to hold up a mirror of self-inventory and self-critique.
I pointed congregations to the Phoenix Affirmations, a set of statements articulated at a 2006 mainline Protestant gathering and later published by pastor and biblical scholar Eric Elnes. I suggested that this document might help them more vividly illustrate their ecclesial life and commitments.
