[Oe List ...] Jim Bishop

[David Walters]

In boiling hot summer on the west side of Chicago in 1970 there was a great collegium of Christians from around the globe. 

They had assembled to create a Great new experiment in local church renewal. One of the congregations met in Room A in the base of an old worn out former seminary of the Church of the Brethren. One of the leaders of this particular congregation was Presbyterian minister from Australia named

James  T. (I won't even attempt to spell his middle name, but is sounded like Togawin)  Bishop.. The good reverend was small in statue but large in the spirit. There was no mistaking when he was in the room.

 

As we all struggled daily to  complete our assigned tasks, James Bishop would constantly interrupt, saying " The model is all wrong. We have got it backwards.  Swimming against the tidal wave of consensus, he keep insisting forget the Cadre, forget the Congregation that the Parish Dynamic in our model was of paramount importance. No one would listen. He would walk into meeting held in Room A after we had finished for the evening. He would argue still more with the leaders from all three congregations - even to point of engaging the Dean himself. All of his efforts were for naught. No one would listen. 

 

Finally work of the great assembly was finished and all of the participants departed with copies of the great plans to homes around the world.

The Local Church Experiment commence in the fall had begun and a four year long journey of renewing local churches all over the world was in full swing.

 

A funny thing happened the next year when it was discovered that the experiment was not working. James Bishop was right. The model was wrong.

The Parish was the key that would open the door. But nobody would listen. To do so would admit to failure and that was not acceptable.

 

The next year some one came up with a brilliant idea. Let's have a Primal Community Experiment. Wonder of wonders, the parish is the key after all, but we can't call it that. Let's call it Primal Community instead.

 

 

Jim,

 

I hope you and Isobel enjoy my little story. For the last 32 years, I was looking for a good opportunity to tell it.

 

David Walters