“Conservative Presbyterians launched a new denomination on Thursday (Jan. 19), saying that the Presbyterian Church (USA) is too consumed by internal conflicts and bureaucracy to nurture healthy congregations. “(source)

 

Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians: Cowardly Lions   read more, link

clipped:

“Back in August, Rev. John Crosby, now the president of ECO, said, "We [the Presbyterians] have tried to create such a big tent trying to make everybody happy theologically. I fear the tent has collapsed without a center."”

cw- The Cowardly Lions analogy refers to the following sour grapes rant.

ECO honchos! Just say you've formed because you believe that gays shouldn't be ordained! If your convictions are so great they've compelled you to found a "breakaway movement," why aren't they great enough for you to be explicit about what it is you're breaking away from?

That said, though, I'm heartened by the leaders of ECO being so afraid of proclaiming their true nature and purpose. It means they're as uncomfortable as, God knows, they should be, about excluding gay people from full participation in the life that Jesus so passionately offered to all.

It's always encouraging when someone can't force their mouth to say what their heart knows is wrong. It means there's hope for them yet.

In the meantime our would-be friends at ECO are stuck, as it were, inartfully singing along with the Cowardly Lion:

I'm sure I could show my prowess / Be a lion, not a mouse / If I only had the nerve.

(another snipet)

(UPDATE: A commenter to this post wrote: "As a PCUSA pastor I can tell you a big reason why ECO was formed was because the pastors in the anti-gay lobby receives very generous pension and medical benefits from the PCUSA that they are afraid to leave behind should they follow their conscience to disaffiliate from the denomination. ... Our pension plan is the envy of most denominations and our benefits are generous. Any minister can leave at any time to seek a call in another Presbyterian denomination that would have them [PCA, OPC, EPC, RCA, CRC, etc.]. But they don't want to give up the perks.")

Who’s John Ortberg? 

“John Ortberg, once teaching pastor at Willow Creek, now at Menlo Park Presbyterian has some interesting things to say.
Look who he quotes favorably in this book....” source 

Are you ready for a miracle?

Introducing ECO: the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians

By Carmen Fowler LaBerge, The Layman, Posted Thursday, January 19, 2012

ORLANDO, Fla. -- "Are you ready for a miracle?" was the opening worship song and the question in the room at the Thursday morning worship service of the Fellowship of Presbyterians Covenanting Conference in Orlando.  The miracle in the making is called The Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians, the name of the new Reformed body of the Fellowship of Presbyterians.

Wil Brown, Christian recording artist and worship leader at First Presbyterian Church Orlando, led the more than 2,100 congregants in exuberant song before Dr. John Ortberg, pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, opened the Word.

After reciting Acts 2:42-47, Ortberg cast the vision for what he revealed would be called "ECO," The Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians.  Ortberg said, "This is not just a denominational alternative but a structure that enables ministry."

The origin of the word ecology comes from the Greek oikos, Ortberg explained, "Every organism lives in a larger system. A healthy ecosystem filters out toxins so that organisms can thrive." That, Ortberg says, is the vision of the new reformed body. Specifically he said, "the goal is to build a spiritual ecosystem that in turn builds flourishing churches that make disciples of Jesus Christ."

Ortberg then acknowledged that "it's going to be messy" in part because "decision-making in Presbyterian churches can be complex." He reiterated the tone of the Fellowship to "walk through all this in such a way that honors God and respects our brothers and sisters in the PCUSA and bears positive witness to the world."

The speaker then acknowledged that some may ask, "Why bother?" and pushed those present to genuinely examine "what problem are you trying to solve?"

Ortberg's pace of speech accelerated further and his fervor rose as he declared the truth that, "The problem is not denominational ambiguity or ecclesiastical dividedness or even ineffectiveness.  The problem is that people are going to hell."

He continued, "Our problem is hell," and "our job is to put hell out of business – that's why Jesus went to the cross on a Friday and laid in a tomb and rose on Easter morning."

He concluded by challenging all those present, "I wonder, will we give everything we have -- not based on the pensions and benefits that are going to be provided – but I wonder who is ready to be a servant and a partner and soldier in an army that is advancing against hell?...Will you devote the rest of your life to be part of such a church?"

Those present rose to their feet in spontaneous standing ovation, giving the speaker his answer.

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The dumbed down bruised and confused laity, in any church transformation process, is socialized through the popularized forms of Freemasonry and manipulated by very sophisticated social science craft to move disaffected people to accept a new and peculiar civil religion that puts their followers in a backward condition. This is everywhere, all denominations and community churches.  

Transformational social science and Organizational Development is technical jargon for manipulation techniques based on Alchemy-(Manly Hall). The practitioners of same aren’t really aware of that, but that is what it is.

Bending people’s will to do your bidding is Magick. These are crafts, techniques and cosmological philosophies of antiquity.

There is a direct correlation between member shrinkage and the level of change instruments applied to the large group population over the last 30+ years.

Pastors that indulge in serial conferencing, are intentionally snared for an ego trap (Leadership); they really do not understand the agenda they are truly serving. The purpose is an attack on religion. Taking that leadership concept to the next step is that it creates a social space between the leaders and the followers. It is a natural consequence that leaders enjoying the elevated status, take themselves too seriously and they end up treating the people they are supposed to care for like property.

It is de-humanizing.

A person could reasonably assume that for some reason organized religion is perceived as a threat by powers and principalities; social engineering through various conferences, think tanks, foundations, major corporations  promotes works and virtue to  make people passive and compliant. 

Here is a sketch on how large group intervention, for optimizing, (of course!) caused accelerated deterioration.  The reader has to do their own dot connecting this paper was written from a change is favorable perspective.

(An Outline of the History of Congregational Development in the Episcopal Church, link, take notice of NTL-National Training Lab).

By historical and normative church standards The Episcopal Church has been in a state of declination since the onset of Project Test Pattern.  

  “World Healing Model. Bob Rouda (1995) has developed a revolutionary model based on a combination of ancient and modern wisdom applied to repairing the world. (cw-Alchemical Social Engineering, i.e .“Cast a Vision”?). This begins with ourselves and progresses through organizations to communities and our ecological system. This model is guaranteed produce long-term results, but this success requires that the details of the theory and methodology not be revealed in advance. Trust me.” 

source: Cal Tech read more

“This is a summary of many of the most widely used methods for managing organizational change with large groups. Much of this information was gathered by Smith and Smith (1994), and by Bunker and Alban (1992). “ source:  Cal Tech, read more

(cw_Bunker & Alban consultants to Alban Institute which is consultant to LCMS, ELCA, TEC & Presbyterians. Bunker & Alban specialize in large group interventions for faith based communities. On whose behalf they are intervening is questionable.  Alban is acknowledge social science expert associated with the Tavistock Institute.