Church And Politics

Yesterday our city mayor survived a motion of no confidence with 110 votes to 109 -- and her party’s provincial leader stated that she was now “governing without a party mandate”. Now consider the difference between this and Church processes. It is in fact poles apart. There are three things:

• The Church (the Congregational Church) would not go into a vote this divided. It would be very rare. One would gently defer it, and through prayer seek to reach consensus.
• The Church would not speak of a party mandate. One would diligently avoid that. In fact some Churches ban caucuses. There is only one power in the (Congregational) Church: the assembled members.
• One would not question the mayor’s mandate. In the Church, a vote of the assembled members is “the mind of Christ”, and is therefore sacred.

OBSERVATION: Looking at city politics through Church eyes, it is a bit of a shock. But many politicians, I think, would hardly notice it. It is completely different ways of doing things.