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Moving forward...
Church Minister describes how church, a one-time ‘Problem Child,’
now embraces bing part of Rocky Mountain Conference.

By David Shaw
It wasn't that long ago that I wrote an article for our congregation's newsletter that described the ways in which our congregation has interacted with the Conference over the past 10 years or so. It's not unfair to say that 10 years ago we were a problem child. Nobody could tell us what to do, how to think, or who to follow. The congregation very nearly left the denomination eight years ago and when it decided to stay many members decided to hit the road rather than hang on to a church that would be odd enough to align itself with the United Church of Christ.

Things clearly have changed for Church in the Wildwood UCC over the past eight years and the congregation has had a number of ups and downs. Faces used to be long and worship was monotony for most members; only loyalty kept them around. That is, until the church realized that the Rocky Mountain Conference was not its enemy. When the church realized that the Conference could help them find a good interim minister and a full-time pastor a couple of years later, things began to change for the better.

With the arguments over doctrinal, scriptural, and theological authority over the course of the last decade in particular, a great deal of suspicion has sprouted among our ranks. Additionally, because the UCC tends to place itself on the forefront of social justice issues, one can hear the word "agenda" being tossed around frequently. The Church in the Wildwood was convinced that both Denver and Cleveland desired to squash our congregational authority with an agenda we could not claim as our own. It took some dialogue and some time, but eventually most members here came to believe that actually more than anything, the conference wants the best for The Church in the Wildwood and all the other congregations in the conference. It sounds simple enough, but a lot of the time it's a straightforward message that is easy to forget.

Once the Church in the Wildwood progressed into a healthier place it realized that it needed the common support and understanding of other congregations who face similar challenges and are asking similar questions. This is only one benefit of being in something like a Conference or Association. We pay the Conference to help us. We pay the Conference to support us. We covenant with the Conference to work together in Kingdom building. The member congregations are supposed to recognize that God's mission involves more people than just the ones we know. The Conference is there for that. The member congregations all want to grow. The Conference is there for that. The member congregations want to learn about outreach efforts that work. The Conference is there for that. The member congregations want a place to call their own to camp, hike, and enjoy together. The Conference is there for that and much more.

As the Conference moves toward a system of temporary Associate Conference Ministers I hope the Church in the Wildwood and all those other congregations that have had their doubts about their covenant relationship with the greater church, lean more on the Conference. It does and will continue to have much to offer. The Church in the Wildwood has benefited immensely over the past few years by being in closer relationship with the Conference and has learned that there is much to be gained by having a conduit for sharing important tools and information. Nobody likes a problem child and we're glad we're not viewed that way these days- how about you?