The Fellowship of Presbyterians

Continuing our commitment to nurturing a new way of being church, The Fellowship and ECO are offering virtually identical gatherings in two different locations this summer–August 20-21 in Colorado Springs and August 23-24 in Atlanta. At each conference there will also be a pre-conference event focused on global mission relationships the nights of Sunday, August 19th and Wednesday, August 22nd. Space is limited to the first 1,000 completed registrations at each location so register early to secure your place.
We are delighted to announce three keynote speakers for August:

• Tim Keller, author, teacher, and senior pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, NYC. Tim will challenge us to deepen our commitment to the reality that the gospel of Jesus Christ changes everything! He will be speaking live in Colorado Springs and by video in Atlanta.
• Terry Gyger, Executive Director for Church Planting for Redeemer City to City. To date, Redeemer church planting initiatives have helped start over 150 different churches across a dozen different denominations. Terry will focus us on the realities and opportunities of church planting and nurturing our missional passion.
• Richard Mouw, President of Fuller Theological Seminary, returns by popular request to lead us in theological and confessional study as part of our commitment to forming a strong common theology.

Specific information on hotels and other gathering details and registration can be found by clicking here for Colorado Springs and clicking here for Atlanta.  If you are wondering what you might experience at these conferences, click here to see a video of the January gathering in Florida.

Registration will open next Monday, May 7, for the combined Fellowship of Presbyterians and ECO summer conferences. If you are located west of the Mississippi, consider signing up and attending the conference hosted by First Presbyterian Church of Colorado Springs, August 20 – 21. If you are east of the Mississippi, Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, August 23 – 24 is possibly a more convenient location. Both conferences will be similar in content and speakers, both conferences will offer celebration worship, opportunities for deep theological and practical discussions, and a place for you develop relationships with pastors and elders alike. Both conferences will offer a special global mission event presented by the Antioch Partners on the evening before (Sunday the 19th in Colorado Springs and Wednesday the 22nd in Atlanta). Mark your calendars, pick your site, and check back here Monday!

As spring is emerging in its various forms across the country, we want to update you on ECO. The months since the Orlando conference have been filled with questions and answers, planning and preparation: many developments you will start to see more clearly in the very near future. These same months have also been filled with our observance of Lent and the joyful celebration of Easter. These themes of death and resurrection, and spiritual discernment, restoration, hope and new life, are permeating our lives. We continue to be excited to see what God is bringing about in our midst.

There are currently 47 congregations in the process of seeking release from the PC(USA) to join ECO. This process is different in the context of each presbytery, but always involves careful discernment, discussion, prayer, and several congregational meetings. Trinity Presbyterian Church, Satellite Beach Florida was the first congregation to complete the voting process. This past weekend two other congregations, Indian River Presbyterian Church in Fort Pierce, Florida and First Presbyterian Church of Colorado Springs, Colorado cast their official congregational votes—95% to come to ECO in each case. Other congregations will be voting in coming weeks. Another group of congregations are in the process of discernment with their session. After each congregation votes there still needs to be a vote to approve release by their presbytery. We will keep you updated.

Being received into ECO takes time. An application must first be completed. Representatives of ECO’s Committee on Assimilation will then conduct personal interviews with the pastor(s) and session. These interviews focus on a series of narrative questions that help the session determine:

• their level of comfort with the unique missional focus of ECO
• their understanding and affirmation of the theological essentials, and
• their understanding of ECO polity.

When the ECO representatives feel the pastors and session fully grasp the nature and purpose of ECO and are committed to this new way of being Church, the application will be sent to the ECO Board for approval. ECO leaders take this process very seriously, and realize that some congregations who are initially exploring ECO may discover this is not a fit.  This is all part of the discernment process.

It was December, December 6th to be precise, in Chicago, where those of us who had been wrestling for months to come up with a name for the baby we affectionately referred to as the “new Reformed body” returned to the table, committed to its Christening. We had come up with all kinds of names, but nothing had really stuck. To that point we had assembled collections of words, accurate in meaning but uninspired. We wanted a name that caused us to think and live differently, embrace a larger mission and higher calling with more creativity. We wanted a name that was God-inspired.

As we talked and prayed that morning, three descriptive words emerged – evangelical, covenant and order. Evangelical directs us to be witnesses to the hope of the gospel, engaged in our culture and planting missional communities. Order is a word rich in heritage but not typically used in American denominational circles these days. It conveys commitment to live life together around a common theological core. Covenant reminds us that God initiated a relationship with us that then connects us to each other. We added Presbyterian. Presbyterian certainly describes our style of government, but even more it describes our continuity with a larger, global family of faith.

As we continued our discussion, these words took hold of us. We began to see the beauty of the message they conveyed. We left Chicago in agreement on Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians, ECO for short to bring to mind our desire to create an ecosystem for flourishing congregations. We announced the name at the January conference in Orlando. John Ortberg outlined the vision for ECO in his opening presentation. Since then ECO has taken hold of the imagination of many individuals and congregations.

Shortly after the Orlando conference, we were contacted by the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC), a denomination of 800 congregations based in Chicago, expressing a concern that that our new name is too close to the ECC and has the potential to cause confusion. Our subsequent conversations with the ECC have been nothing but beautiful and respectful. We have looked at our core values and tried to live into our relationships as Christian brothers and sisters with mutual respect and affirmation of ministry.

Because we value this relationship and want to honor their concerns, we have agreed to modify our name slightly. We will keep the acronym ECO, but we will change the descriptors. Beginning today, April 9, 2012, we will be known as ECO: a Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians. It is a small change for us but has major significance for our partners in ministry in the ECC.

What’s in a name? A good name communicates identity. We are and want to be an accountable community of Resurrection people. ECO: a Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians.

Dear Friends in Christ,

As we start the weekend where many people will be “springing forward” into Daylight Savings Time, I want to catch you up on what is springing forward with both The Fellowship and ECO.

Every week, interest and activity around The Fellowship and ECO are increasing. Hundreds of individuals and many sessions have already signed the Covenant and joined The Fellowship.  We have received nearly 100 requests for applications for ECO from individual pastors and from Sessions.

In the meantime, the ground within the PC(USA) is still shifting. The ruling by the GAPJC and the action of the Board of Pensions have sent a new wave of concern through the evangelical community. Whether your focus is within or beyond the PC(USA), building a flourishing congregation that makes disciples of Jesus Christ is a challenging and demanding call. (more…)