Moravian Struggles
Winston-Salem Journal editorial
The Moravian Church's differences have intensified, and its members must work all the harder to stop breakaway actions by conservatives.
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The executive director of the Moravian mission board and most of his small staff resigned last year, prompting denominational leaders to restaff that agency. The former pastor of Mizpah Moravian Church started his own nondenominational church in Tobaccoville about a year and a half ago and was followed by several Mizpah members. Now, several members of Macedonia Moravian Church in Advance - one of the largest churches in the region - may form their own church because province officials removed the Macedonia pastor last week.
All these actions are rooted in growing frustration by conservatives who say their province hasn't emphasized enough that Christ is the only way to heaven. For the Moravians, whose practical nature and hard work helped build Forsyth County, these developments are particularly troubling. The Southern Province of the Moravian Church, with most of its congregations in this region, has long prided itself on loving fellowship and has little experience in dealing with conflict resolution. But now, as the Moravians face issues that have split other denominations, it's crucial that they find ways of living together with differences that aren't going away.
Province officials ousted the Macedonia pastor, the Rev. Greg Little, because his church had been withholding required dues to the province as a protest, mainly to demand that the province take a firmer stand on salvation. Province officials say they met with Little for more than a year but were unable to resolve the conflict with him. But given the fragile nature of the province's relationship with its conservatives, province officials should have extended their time of meeting with Little before taking action.
Province leaders have repeatedly emphasized that Jesus is the only way to salvation. But some conservatives say church officials haven't backed their words by taking action - including opposing homosexuality. These conservatives aren't backing down, and theirs have long been the loudest voices in this debate. They're threatening the unity that the province has long celebrated, and a few conservatives even hint that a widespread denominational split may be in the future. Many other conservatives, just as many moderates and liberals, say they want to retain unity. How to do that poses huge challenges: It's hard to emphasize unity in Christ when not all parties can agree on the exact nature of that Christ.
Yet it's hoped that conservatives, moderates and liberals - especially ones who have heretofore stayed silent - will come to province officials with new ideas about saving the unity of a province that continues to do many good works for this region. And officials should listen carefully.
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