Editorials 2

Voice of the people 2

Stephen Chapman 3

Clarence Page 3

Thomas Hardy 4

Votl

often block path to referendums

By lanan Hanna

The recent debate over expandblg riverbo gambling in IHinois has fueled another, long­standing debate: When should elect' officials seek public opinions through re terendilms and when should they simply take the lead and act?

From Rockfbrd to Springfleld, citizens groups are screaming tbr the right to vote on whether they want gambling in their communities, just a~ in earlier years, they screamed for their right to vote on whether their taxes should go up.

As has often happened in the past, they're bein ignored by elected otlicials WtlO say: "Trust us. \' know how to make important decisions."

It is an argument that tlies in the face of Amer can tradition. After all, this is a nation that was founded on town meetings and citizen participation.

But from a practical perspective, the politician have a point.

Atter all, most referendums are not binding on elected otficials, and essentially they serve the same purpose as public opinion polls and intere~ group lobbying.

Legislato? s, silch as state Rep. Louis Lang, (DSkokie), contencl that lawmakers know very well how to measme voter sentiment, thank you very much.

Besides, he adds it's diftlclllt to educate an entire VOtilig population about complex policy issu Without t'acts, people will Itkely vote with their emotions.

"We are elected by districts of about 97,000 peo pie. We're elected to make hard decisions on gaming, guns, abortion. It's not the right directio to go turn these decisions back to the voter," he says.

On the other side of the argument is Illinots Treasurer Patrick Quflul, a self:proclaimed polit: cat maverick.

"No one wants government exclusively by refe endum, but I don't thhlk anyone wants it exclm sively without referendll?n,'' Quinn said, noting that women were given the right to vote in IHinc through the referendum process.

"Too many officeholders have this attitude the referendun~s are not good or healthy. But it's thc ultimate expression ot people in a democracy."

Quinn has fought tbr referendumls throughout his political career. He currently heads a movement that collected petitions tbr a statewide refe endum on term limits tbr legislators. The succes of his petition drive is still in doubt.

The philosophical argument over referendums has risen in vohlme as the battle for Chicago casinos has been waged in the General Assembl! over the last two years.

Mayor Richard Daley wants noating casinos near the Loop. With millions of dollars and jobs stake, he and other casino supporters don't wan' to risk a referendum that could uncover strong voter opposition.

"It's a hard sell to argue to the public that we': the elected leaders, and we know best," noted P

Janan llanna is a 7'ribune sta~ writer.

~.l~11111311~1~

~s stop here:

Fricsellla, professor of political scie'lce at Northwestern University. "There's a general distrust of government and a strong feeling on the part of many that we need to have a direct involvement in a number of major public policy issues."

Yet at some point in a democracy, lawmakers have to lead. They already have direct voter input when they rlm for otlice and h1 opinion polls and commlmity meetings while they're in office.

And, local lawmakers often argue, Itlinois isn't Calilbrnia.

In California, everything from spending meas ures to auto insurance regulations to smoking bans have been decided by referendum-or the threat of one.

The government­by­initiative craze began there in 1978 when voters passed a property tax cap measure known as Proposition 13. Since then voter initiatives have become an established vehicle of decision­making.

"Here, the initiative is used as a chlb,'' said Arthur Lupia, assistant professor of political science at the University of Calilbrnia at San Diego. "Legislators may hem and hew, but these initiatives get the wheels turning."

­ In other words, tt i? referendum movement

functions as an 800­pound lobbyist Oll bellalf of the

avel l~ge ( iti Y.CI1.

Last week in the lilinots Hmlse, the Judiciary I Committee voted against a Senate­passed bill that called tbr a statewide gambling referendum.

"I believe in representative democracy," quipped Lang, chairman of the committee. He voted against the measure.

Also last week, the Des Plaines City Colmcil refused to place a referendum proposal on the Novernber ballot and refused to make any casino plan contilIgellt on voter approval. The issue was prompted by news that city officials were quietly talking with a Nevada casino company and had begun lobbying Springfleld tbr a piece of the gam bring pie.

Earlier this year, in neighboring Arlington Heights, village fathers-intent on keeping Arlington International Racecourse owner Richard Duchossois happy-ret'used to place a measure on the last primary ballot.

But infuriated citizens have launched referendum petition campaigns throughout the state to do what their elected officials won't.

"The modus operandi of promoters is to meet with politicians behind closed doors and come out and announce that they know what's best for a

SEE vorEus. PAGS 4

IMMEDIATE

r ISSUES

~vide range of churches throughout the continent to bring further concretion to the tactical system and prepare literally any and every congregation in the world for a similar process of reconstruction. The consensus of the movement concerning this timeline of inclusive phases of reconstruction is a means of holding accountability to the decision that new hope shall be brought to the Bodv of Christ bv means of the reconstruction of the Local Church

4. The completion of the tactical documents and the development of a phase timeline make imperative the delineation of immediate steps that must be taken to initiate and sustain the project in Local Church reconstruction. The spirit movement must take responsibility for training the continental, regional, and local leadership necessary to sustain such a massive project. Adequate avenues for securing the support and authorization of the historic denominations on all levels must be sought with love and care for the sustenance of the Historical Church. Criteria must be outlined which will guide the selection of initial and subsequent participating congregations, maintaining a style of flexibility within the vision of controlled experimentation. Finally, an inclusive design for the operation of the experiment must be developed which will delineate the support machinery necessary to hold accountability for the experimental goals at all levels including an adequate field complex and a series of comprehensive back­up systems. This single thrust design is created to concretize the movemental decision to reconstruct the Local Church.

5. The Church has always understood her key role in enabling humanness in history by means of the extension of the Word and the catalyzing of human social structures. This historical mission is once again enbodied in the initiation of Phase 11, the Local Church experiment, through a tactical socio­spiritual reconstruction of the Local Church. This statement spells out the imperatives which are upon the Movemental Church as it seeks to embody the practical means for the humanizing process. This policy statement symbolizes the decision, born of fire to reconstruct the Local Church.

CADRE

PREPARATION

relationship. Profile forms must be completed by members of local congregations, regional leadership, local pastors, and religious house personnel in order to have a continual flow of data regarding experiment criteria. These criteria have been developed only for the sake of being able to make a decision concerning the experimental design, not for the sake of evaluating congregations. The data gathered will be considered and a recommendation made to the December, 1970 Continental Presidium for consensus.

10. The nature of the experiment in Local Church reconstruction demands openness and flexibility. The rationale for the experimental design is created only to enable decisions and to develop a method of experimental control. The fact that the Historical Church is now ready for such a comprehensive step indicates the wide possibilities open to the Movemental Church. As decisions are made concerning the future and action taken, the will of the Lord is being done, and the project in Local Church reconstruction is engaged on behalf of the Church and the world

II. PROJECT AUTHORIZATION

11. While specific support of this experiment is necessary from all levels of the Historical Church, the spirit of the times indicates that the Church is ready and eager for a project in socio­spiritual reconstruction. The advent spirit is moving in the Church, anticipating the birthing of a new sign of hope for the world through the historical vehicle of the Established Church. This experiment is conducted, therefore, in full view and with the authorization of the Established Church. It is a comprehensive experiment, ecumenical in scope, futuric in its vision, and spiritual at its base.

12. Authorization begins with a vision of hope among the leadership dynamic of the local congregation. Once again it is clear that such awakened forces are moving in historical congregations across the continent and await only the possibility of being engaged in the reconstruction process. Some kind of signal experience must be given that awakened group in the congregation that will crystallize their embryonic vision. This will enable the cadre group to take an effective stance toward the congregation as they develop their corporate pastoral relationships. It is important that whole families be nurtured to participate in the cadre as it prepares for project participation. Basic training in theology and methodology can begin immediately as the spirit, corporate life of the cadre is nurtured. Participation in regional movemental structures will also create the global aspect of the cadre vision which is vital to the sustaining of the experiment. This group must be given a thorough grounding in the experimental design and the tactical process in order to enable them to see the possibility of reconstructing the form of their congregation for the sake of the community and the world. Nurture of the local congregation cadre group is finally for the sake of enabling their decision to give committed support to the experiment within their congregation involving a commitment of their time and financial resources.

13. Authorization of the project in and by the local congregation will differ according to the particular situation. Certainly the signal established leadership of the congregation must be consulted and given a vision of the experimental possibility. A plan must be drawn up that would include the membership of the congregation in arriving at an indication of CONGREGATIONAL readiness. A sign of authorization must be given the movement from each local con~re~ation

ClrN

which is to be engaged in tactical development. This sign may be in the form of an official decision or an indication on the part of established leadership that such a project is possible. The congregation must be prepared to give its share of financial support to the experiment as a visible sign of its willingness to be engaged.

14. In order for the experiment in reconstruction to be the sign of hope for the whole Historical Church, permission must be granted by the Established Church for such

PROJ ECT

FUNDING

PLC

EMPHASI S

GALAXY

FORMATI ON

l9. The understanding that the Historical Church is ready to embark on foundational .renewal is also an indication that at every level it is prepared to enable such a project .financially. In order for the whole Church to see itself as sharing significantly in the renewal process, the cost of such a project must be widely shared. The estimated cost for a congregation actually engaged in the project is $6000 annually. The congregation that is at a later level of preparation and soon to be activated in the project will cost $3000. This cost is determined by the costs of program and training on the field and by the research and evaluation process continentally as well as by stipends for the auxiliary priors. The cost for a congregation in tactical development can be shared as ­follows: $1200 from the congregation; $1200 from the ccrnmited leadership and the clergy family; $1200 from national denominational boards; $1200 from regional offices; and $1200 from a special national fund established by concerned churchmen. Financial participation at all levels concretely symbolizes the decision to exrJeriment.

20. The Enablement Systems for the project in Local Church reconstruction place immediate imperatives on the Movemental Church to develop highly trained, experienced personnel for both the immediate and long­range future. The time and resources required to produce this kind of leadership indicate the need for a thorough analysis of the present and projected personnel needs. The Enablement Systems are a vital support dynamic to the whole experiment that will give the possibility for a comprehensive, continental project to be sustained.

IV. PENETRATION PROCEDURE

21. Future operations and phases of the project will demand continuing, systematic penetration of local congregations. Recruitment of local churchmen for basic and advanced training is a vital element in creating and sustaining the spiritual development of the whole Church out of which the climate for renewal must come. The Movemental Church must be concerned that every man have the opportunity to hear the gospel spoken afresh to his life in our times. Recruitment therefore takes place on both a massive and selective basis. It is important that the movement take into consideration possible galaxy configurations as it does recruiting so that churches are actually prepared to engage in the reconstruction process at a later time. Recruitment must continue to be ecumenical in nature and coordinated on the continental level.

22. The Parish Leadership Colloquy for clergy and lay congregational leaders is an essential element of the penetration system. This basic course of theory and practice for the local churchman must become an increasingly important tactical tool in preparing churches for project engagement. The Parish Leadership Colloquy will enable the clergy family to focus its symbolic power while at the same time forging a vision for a corporate pastorale in the congregation among committed laymen. The stylistic intent of the Colloquy must now be to create a broad body of spirit colleagues across the continent. The regions of the movement must develop plans for comprehensive and intentional PLC recruitment and then must be prepared for personal and group follow­up tactics which will further enlist support in movement missional goals. The necessity­ of nurturing and training clergy colleagues across the globe has never been more crucial than it is as the movement embraces the reconstruction of the Local Church.

23. The preparation of congregations for participation in a galaxy of the project will require extensive nurture on the part of the regional movement. A visitation network must engage the clergy family and key laymen in a process of continual care which includes recruitment and planning for the future. As data is gathered on the congregational situation the future shape of the galaxy can be determined, always using the criteria of cultural, denominational, and geographical diversity as a guideline for continued penetration and

appropriation of religious exercises. The image that the congregation has of itself must be

given wide possibility in order for the whole body to embrace a new sense of mission.

29. The clergyman, and his family if applicable, is. a collegial unit which loves the Church

and has a vital role jto play in preparing the congregation for engagement in the

experimental project. Each clergy family is unique and must be nurtured according to its

level of readiness for commitment. Above all, the clergyman must be given the imaginal and

practical means to re­establish and appropriate his role as the symbolic leader of the

CLERGY congregation. The recontextualizing task is enabled as the pastor and his wife are recruited

ROLE for a Parish Leadership Colloquy and then as advanced courses are encouraged. The

Academy is valuable training for the clergyman as a way to grasp afresh the significance of

his seminary education and thrust it into a new, missional context. The clergy family is the

key to the congregation's decision to risk being missional people. Regional structures must

be actively engaged in the nurture of clergy and their families through educational and

spiritual resources and structured collegiality.

SPI RIT

NURTURE

30. The task of those movemental churchmen who would prepare congregations for reconstruction engagement is to broaden the vision of pastor, cadre, and congregation. Careful nurture must be given and models built for such nurture so that the Established Church can see the concern which the movement has for Historical Christianity for the sake of the whole earth. Only as this kind of care is given the Historical Church will a ground swell of hope rise from the despair of the Church as it sees anew what it means to be the body of Christ.

Vl. AUXILIARY TRAINING

31. The reconstruction of the Local Church demands trained auxiliary forces who embody the style of the new religious, train the cadre to sustain the congregation in the struggle of the spirit, and stand in the congregation as a spirit presence in every situation. The spiritual stance is demanded of clergy and lay auxiliaries on the congregational level as well as the auxiliary prior couple who stand as a sign to the whole auxiliary dynamic. The auxiliary must develop expertise as a prior, pedagogue, and model builder. The auxiliary is sensitive to the gifts and limits of the Local Church and responds with deep embracement of the situation as it is. The auxiliary style which breathes new spirit into life struggles will enable the preparation for and tactical engagement in the project of reconstruction. Structures must be provided in the movement which will prepare auxiliary priors and local auxiliary personnel for their unique task.

32. The key to the auxiliary training program is spiritual grounding which pushes a man to the depths of his mystery and being. The auxiliary is enabled to become the spirit man required of our time through the Odyssey experience and the daily practice of solitary exercises. His decision to embrace poverty, chastity, and obedience can be symbolized and intensified by an Order internship or sojourning which provides the corporate discipline demanded by the mission. His training should include the experience of cadre priorship involving him in the life struggle of that local situation. The mark of this spirit training is the auxiliary's embodiment of the secular­religious style.

33. The auxiliary must develop a functional grasp of the wisdom and methods necessary for Local Church reconstruction. Academy participation enables him to appropriate the

METHODOLOGICAL basic theoretical and practical wisdom of the Movemental Church. A tactical skills colloauy

SKILLS would be specially designed to ground the auxiliary in a short time in tactical action and in the complex system of tactical reconstruction for the Local Church. Continental teaching experience provides pedagogical objectivity on the local situation through contact with the wisdom and experience of churchmen throughout the continent. The auxiliarY must develoD

RELIGIOUS

LIFE

REGIONAL

ORI ENTATIoN

cOLLEGIAL

DECISION

36. The Local Church experiment is the key decision of the Movemental Church to move from the theoretics of Council IV and the practical documentation of the tactical system developed in the 1970 Research Assembly to grass roots reconstructive action in the Local Church. The decision has been made to give form to the activity of God in our time and to respond to the demands of global civilization. What it means to be the Movemental Church has now become very clear, and the implications for the future are wide­ranging as the movement seeks to carry on its function within the Historical Church.

37. The movement must be grounded in the religious deeps and trained extensively in the discipline of the religious exercises. The center for holding the religious dimension is the religious house. A comprehensive plan for establishing houses strategically in every region on the continent must be developed. This means that the movement colleagues must make definite plans for supporting the houses and make specific decisions about training in the religious house. Training in priorship is needed by movement leadership, and it is available through the residential training of the houses. The intentional recruitment for the Odyssey must be in each regional plan annually to ground movement colleagues in the religious life. Following the Odyssey, regions must develop follow­up structures and succeeding Odysseys that will extend the religious discipline to a wide body of movement churchmen. The structures of the religious life must continue and increase in sustaining the very clear missional task which is the Movemental Church.

38. The movement must alter its model building and time line planning to reimage ail that it does in terms of the vision of the reconstruction of the Local Church. The particular Local Church experiment is seen as a deed done on behalf of the movement, first of all. The fact that it is carried out is a signal to the movement for more intensive work. Every movement colleague in the Local Church is intimately involved with the experiment whether his congregation is in an experimental galaxy or not. The imperative is upon movement churchmen to become highly trained persons who can serve the auxiliary function in their local churches, preparing them for future experimentation and involving the congregations in tactical reconstructive change. Regiona must, of course, plan with and nurture congregations which are selected for involvement in the Local Church project in Phase II or Phase lilt Regional structures of penetration and formulation must be highly developed to give the context and possibility for determining experimental congregations. The regions must develop networks of care and nurture for clergy and laymen in local congregations to symbolize the movement's decision to love the Established Church. The decision to reconstruct the Local Church requires the deepening of pedagogical and tactical skills available in the Academy and advanced training courses. The new wind of hope which is loose in the Church and the world is the wind of fire upon the movement as movemental churchmen discover the intensification of beine the new reliaious.

39. The movement has become self­conscious. It has begun to see itself as not only a sociological thrust, but a spiritual entity: a worldwide, socio­spiritual movement. The forming of a unique, historical religious order makes clear the richness of the movemental dynamic. Clarity on the dynamics of the Movemental Church calls forth a demand for deepening collegiality as a concrete sign of the discipline which has now been embraced. The collegiality of the spirit movement is history­long and worldwide. The movement in our time is intimately linked with the movement of the spirit which has waxed and waned throughout all the ages. The decision is upon the churchman today to stand as an utterly solitary religious man, committed to injecting the Word into the structures of mankind. The imperative is also upon the colleagues of the movemental dynamic to be utterly corporate, creating a time design and discipline which will sustain the mission and thus transform the life of the spirit movement.

40. Spirit churchmen have decided to expend their goods, their time, their whole lives to create the sign of hope in the Local Church, the body of Christ, the hope of the world.

Fl ELD

TRAINING

his global outlook by means of intentional study and missional travel in order to give a ~broad, global scope to his priorship task in the Local Church. Methodological skills equip the auxiliary to implement the tactics of reconstruction and the tools to interpret and evaluate Practical exPerience.

34. The auxiliary training needs to be grounded in practical field experience. This is particularly important for auxiliary priors before they become actually engaged in an experimental field assignment. Local auxiliaries will gain field experience as they participate in the experiment. The assignment of the auxiliary prior to a particular congregation allows him to experience the gifts and limits of a given local congregation and denomination: history, present structures and needs, and possibilities. Auxiliary involvement in community structures will lend a new grasp to the parish dynamic. To expand his experience beyond the local situation the auxiliary must participate in rnovemental activities on a regional and continental basis. The operating context of the auxiliary must be shifted from the solely local to a broad appreciation for global need and a comprehensive grasp of the project as a continental experiment on behalf of the whole Church.

35. The suggestions for auxiliary training are guidelines within which plans must be made for particular training for auxiliary priors and a different emphasis for local auxiliary persons. The Local Church experiment is grounded in the understanding that the spirit dimension must be interwoven into the tactical procedures. It is important that in training auxiliaries the demand be upon the movement to create depth spirit leadership far beyond mere methodological and practical expertise. The fulfillment of training requirements produces auxiliary personnel only as they make a self­conscious vocational decision to perform this role and as their colleagues agree that they do, indeed, embody this vocation. The movement must nurture scores of persons who will decide to embrace the role of

auxiliary p­rior, in particular, in order for galactic development to take place in succeedin~ years of the experiment.

DIVERSE

PA RTICI PATION

CADRE

JOURNEY

formulation. The visitation network will also require follow­up of individuals attending courses and the Odyssey. The religious house and the region must work in close collegiality as penetration continues in order that nurture for the sake of the future takes place.

24. As Phase 111 nears, the ~movement must continue its focus on providing a wide diversity of participation in the project of reconstruction so that the models tested can be seen as applicable to any situation in the globe. Participating churches should manifest wide­ranging denominational, cultural, and geo­social diversity. Congregations of varying sizes and economic levels must be a part of the future experiment. The movement must require continual accumulation­ of information about congregations and communities through parish analyses and the cultivation of denominational leaders and course participants.

25. Systematic penetration is strategic to the developing spirit of the whole Historical Church. The value of the thousands of course participants who have seen a new vision for the Church and society cannot be counted as one analyzes the present mood of the Church. Massive recruitment must continue. At the same time, intentional investigation and preparation of congregations through the recruitment process is important. Penetration is to be regarded as structural evangelism, a witness in itself to the Good News. Penetration is a key strategy in the future of the Local Church reconstruction project.

V. LOCAL NURTURE

26. Great care must be given signal individuals and congregations that are developing to the point of experimental engagement. The regional dynamic of the movement must take particular responsibility for the nurturing of local churches that may be part of Phase 111 replication. If massive testing is to occur in Phase 111, the preparation plans must be laid now in order that congregations will be in a position to embrace the project at that time. A rationale for selection of churches for particular nurture will be based on criteria similar tc those used for selection of Phase 11 churches: the cadre stance, the congregational image,~ and the role of the clergy. The regions must also concern themselves with nurturing signal individuals who, with training, can serve as part of the continental auxiliary process. The demand is upon every region to build the foundation for the future of the project in Local Church reconstruction

27. The journey of the core leadership of the congregation must be fostered whether that group is a self­conscious movemental cadre or an informal group. The experiment in reconstruction will demand of the cadre an intensification of missional vision as they see the possibilities for new humanness in their community. The reflective prowess of the corporate pastorale must be nurtured through attendance at basic and advanced courses and corporate and individual study plans. The discipline and the spirit journey of the cadre will occur in the midst of commonly assigned tasks and corporate/solitary religious exercises. Rich, corporate fellowhood must be nurtured in the cadre group in order for them to develop into the corporate pastorale ready to lead the congregation in a new venture for the sake of mission.

28. The congregation must begin to develop an image of itself as mission as it works to shed any parochial mindset concerning its role in history. Nurture must be given emerging lay leadership in the congregation that will imaginally develop the missional stance. Regional

CONGREGATIONAL leadership can help members of the congregation to appropriate a self­understanding as the

I MAGE

People of God through creation of a denominational story and reappropriation of their cultural and liturgical heritage. Tactical steps can be initiated which will allow the congregation to engage in depth study which impacts the body with the local need through the vehicle of a global demand. It is equally important that congregational nurture includethe sustenance of a developing spiritual life as new possibilities are given for th,

DENOMINATIONAL

PERMISSION

TRAINING

NETWORK

CON S U LTATI ON

& COORDINATION

comprehensive experimentation. The historical gifts and traditions of the denominational diversity of the Church must be recognized as this permission is sought. Attention will be ~ven to the operational patterns and missional concerns of the denominations at national and regional levels in order that an effective visitation can be conducted among denominational leaders. A continuing plan for denominational nurture will be developed that will initiate affirmation of the experiment and continue a creative relationship to the Movemental Church.

15. Planning for project authorization must be intensively carried on during the fall of 1970 so that the project can be effectively initiated in eighty congregations of a wide diversity of denominations after January 1, 1971. The authorization guidelines signal the fundamental decision of the Movemental Church to engage itself on behalf of the Historical Church. The specific means and signs of authorization will vary according to the needs of the national, regional, or local unit involved.

III. ENABLEMENT SYSTEMS

16. Where actual tactical engagement will take place in the experiment will be in the field on the local level. The field complex design requires a network of enablement systems that will allow significant engagement to take place. The back­up, support systems will free the local galaxies to focus their energies on their particular situations on behalf of the global mission. These support structures are the cementing relationships which will hold the continuity of the continental experiment and will enable constant refinement of the model and therefore immediate new experimentation. Training, consultation, coordination, and fundine are vital elements in the suDDortina framework.

17. A training network is needed to provide comprehensive development in the theoretical and methodological skills necessary for the auxiliary personnel. On the congregational level the committed leadership and auxiliary persons must be given a missional image of the Church through the grounding of the basic theological and cultural curriculum. Training in the nature and process of the reconstruction experiment is necessary for the particular vision­building process. Plans must be made to see that the clergy and cadre leadership will have the intensified advanced training done in the Movement Academy. Special schools will be held regularly on the local, galactic level which will give further training in pedagogy, tactical procedure, or specialized skills needed for the particular local project. The training network is an important link in the initiating and sustaining decision of the experimental leadership.

18. The keystone of the experiment is the auxiliary construct which ties together the continental and local dimensions of the reconstruction process. An auxiliary couple, members of the Order of The Ecumenical Institute, will be the auxiliary prior to the galaxy of experimental churches. In each local church there will be an auxiliary dynamic consisting of the clergy couple and two laymen who will have a vital, consulting role to play in the experimental process. A total of eighteen persons fulfill the auxiliary consulting process for the local galaxy. They will enable the comprehensive, continental aspect of the experiment to be coordinated with the local process of tactical engagement, enabling adequate data exchange and holding the commonality of the whole experiment. In addition to the auxiliary function the continental experiment will employ a consultation system which will make available on a regular basis throughout the experiment persons with expertise and new insights into experimental tactical procedures who will travel to the galaxies or clusters of congregations. Continual research will take place as data is received from the congregations and as the continental coordination unfolds. New models and plans for succeeding years will be developed on the basis of detailed evaluation of the experimental progress.

MINIMUM

CRITERIA

LOCATION

PATTE RN

SE LECTION

P ROCESS

1. COMPREHENSIVE RATIONALE

6. The rationale for engaging congregations at any level of the experiment must include all aspects necessary to ensure the most significant sign of reconstruction for the Church in North America and the entire globe. The congregations involved in the experiment must therefore be representative of the Established Church meeting minimum criteria in their internal stance and external relations. These criteria are by no means intended to place an evaluation on any congregation, but are a means of bringing rationality and controlled experimentation to the project for the sake of developing a sign of hope for all men. Relative control of the experiment will enable the kind of data collection and model re­creation that will ensure the possibility of reconstruction for every congregation on earth. The replication phase will depend on the experimentation and demonstration of congregations in Phase 11.

7. Congregations participating in the experiment will enter the design at various levels. Some congregations will be actually engaged in depth tactical development, while others will be in levels of preparation for tactical engagement. Movemental selection will be based on the level of commitment of the clergy and cadre as a minimum basis for consideration. The clergyman and his wife, if applicable, will be an awakened sign to the cadre and congregation of commitment to the reconstructive process. Congregational and denominational relationships must be built on mutual respect and missional concern. The congregation must have a cadre in development which, by the time actual tactical engagement is anticipated, will be a self­conscious, movemental cadre, creatively engaged in the congregation and prepared to assume corporate pastoral leadership for the experiment. The congregation, clergy, and cadre at each level must be prepared to provide the financial support necessary to the monetary enablement of the experiment. These criteria allow the movement to intensively nurture congregations toward the point of final decision and engagement in the project through the use of continental guidelines that will assure experimental control and thus great Promise for the whole Church in North Am~ri~;i

8. A serious experiment in Local Church reconstruction demands that it be seen as a continental experiment rather than a series of local, independent projects. Therefore, attention must be given to how congregations are to be related to each other for the sake of the experiment. To enable experimental objectivity and local data­sharing four congregations will work together in an experimental configuration known as a galaxy. Throughout the continent and within each galaxy there must be concern for diversity in socio­economic levels and denominational representation to provide the sign of possibility for the congregations involved as well as to broaden their missional stance. Experiments will be initiated, to begin with, in eighty congregations in strategic locations across North America, including suburban and exurban congregations as well as signal inner­urban situations. The hub of each galaxy will be the religious house in which the auxiliary prior couple will reside for the sake of a feasible working relationship with each congregation. The four galactic congregations, then, must be within reasonable distance from the religious house, one hundred miles being an outside guideline. Controlled diversity within a unified thrust is possible in a continental experiment using a comprehensive location rationale.

9. Congregations will be selected for participation in the experiment on the basis of criteria which will indicate their level of preparation for actual experimental engagement. Broad consideration will be given to hundreds of congregations across the continent so that selection is made from as large a sampling as possible. In Phase 11 congregations will become part of a galaxy configuration at one of three levels of readiness to experiment. A fours, level of preparation is reserved for congregations with future possibilities for galactic

RESEA RCH ASSEM BLY

I NCLUSI VE PHASES

1. "The spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the humble, to bind up the broken­hearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and release those in prison; to proclaim a year of the Lord's favor." (Isaiah 61) The summer of 1970 was the creation of spirit, a signal eruption of the spiritual deeps of post­modern man, disclosing the presence of a unique, historical­religious order and the first observable forming of a new, worldwide, self­conscious, socio­spiritual movement within the journey of man. Council V of the Global Spirit Movement, North America, gathered to symbolize the decision of self­consciousness in uniting to reconstruct the Local Church for the sake of a new humanity. The great councils of the Church have always gathered to guard the deeps of the mystery and to make transparent the Word in the structures of mankind. The previous councils of the Global Spirit Movement, North America, gathered the theoretical and practical wisdom concerning the times and the Church and began to crystallize a vision of the movemental dynamic within the Church. Council IV, specifically, created a theoretical statement of the intricate dynamics of the Local Church within the People of God. Council V marks the turning of the Movemental Church from particular experiments and data gathering to a cohesive thrust of the spirit toward the foundational reconstruction of the Local Church. This experimental thrust is built on the foundations laid by those who have risked themselves in experimentation on behalf of the Local Church throughout history. Council V convened as a group of churchmen meeting on behalf of all the local congregations across the continent and the face of the earth.

2. The spirit eruption of the summer of 1970 was catalyzed by the presence of five hundred local churchmen who gathered for four weeks before Council V to give form to a tactical system for the reconstruction of the Local Church. The Research Assembly was an experiment in a massive problem­solving dynamic which created a form for data gathering,~­, consensus decision­making, and model building. The Assembly construct enabled the development of high corporatene is as work was created and recreated in a coordinated effort to accomplish the overall task. The time design of the Assembly intensified the corporate and solitary life of the man of faith as a key to Local Church reconstruction. The desert of the spirit which has been the experience of post­modern man cries out now for an authentic way to participate in all of life as a spiritual being. The churchman who decides to take on the task of reconstructing the Local Church through the use of complex procedures and comprehensive tactics must plumb the spiritual depths as a resource for sustaining his decision. The Research Assembly, with Council V, brought a self­consciousness to the dynamic of the Movemental Church that has not been seen since the pre­Reformation period.

3. The first four years of conscious history of the spirit movement have been spent in depth research. The fifty years of Church renewal prior to Council I in 1966 provided the theological articulation necessary to conduct, since 1966, major research and wide experimentation in all aspects of the Local Church dynamic: parish, congregation, and cadre. This data gathering has been Phase I of a three­phase project in the reconstruction of the Local Church. Phase II was initiated through the completion of the tactical system in 1970 and will be a six­year phase in experimentation and demonstration of the reconstructive process in the Local Church. This phase will see signal projects beginning in carefully selected congregations in January, 1971. The six­year experiment will be conducted in three two­year operations that will see churches in preparation gradually added to the experimental process. Eighty churches will be actively engaged at some level of the project as the experiment begins and by the end of 1976, 552 congregations will be engaged. Phase lil will span the years between 1976 and 1984. In this eight­year perio? controlled replication of the tactical system of reconstruction will be conducted. Th~ methods tested in the experimental and demonstration phase will be used in an extensive,