We are All in the Same Boat Now

“As a faithful member of the Presbyterian Church, USA, you know the importance of community.” This was the opening sentence of a letter I received from Presbyterian World Mission last month. I smiled when I read this because (although “I have friends who are Presbyterians” as the old line goes) I have always belonged to a Baptist church. Of course, the reason I was on their mailing list was that my wife and I provided some financial support several years ago to the daughter of friends who was working with migrants in the Southwest under a Presbyterian program. I suppose the assumption of the letter’s composer was that you have to be part of the Presbyterian ”tribe” to support their missions program. Not true.

Although I love my Baptist tribe (most days), I have found it refreshing to work across tribal lines with those of other faiths. In my work with Pinnacle Leadership Associates, I am currently doing projects with Lutheran, United Church of Christ, and American Baptist entities. In my teaching at Central Seminary (Shawnee, KS), my students come from at least a dozen faith traditions. This has certainly broadened my understanding of the Christian faith and its various expressions.

Today Pinnacle Leadership Associates hosted a webinar on Emerging Church Practices in the COVID-19 Era. You can access a recording here. Almost 60 participants from a dozen or more states and a number of denominations joined the session. There was great discussion, but my big takeaway was a renewed understanding that we are all dealing with the same issues and concerns. Perhaps these are more pronounced in a time of crisis, but the challenges of ministry are really the same whether you are a Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Moravian, UCC, or Baptist.

Martin Luther King, Jr., is reported to have said, “We all came over in different boats, but we are all in the same boat now.” Our mission is to work toward the coming of the Reign of God, whatever our tradition, tribe, or theology. We can do so much more when we come to realize that we are all in the same boat. As the author of the letter I received affirmed, community is important. I hope we can continue to find ways to practice it.

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