Covenanter Witness Vol. 86 - Rparchives.org

1971 SummerTrainingProgramBy Rev. Ken SmithIn his most recent book THE CHURCH AT THEEND OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, Dr. FrancisSchaeffer speaks of "form and freedom." The distinctionhe makes will challenge Covenanters to think; andwhether we agree with all of his conclusions or not, wemust recognize the soundness of the concept.S.T.P. would, in the framework of Schaeffer'spremise, come under the category of freedom. There aresome things which the Word of God commands whichmust at all times characterize the form of the church. Butthere are those aspects of its life and ministry which canand do change. Problem is when persons forget which iswhich.With that rather formal introduction, I would like toannounce that Synod's Board of Education andPublication will not be sponsoring a denominationalSummer Training Program this year. Instead, the Boardencourages congregations, pastors and sessions, toconsider providing a special opportunity for personsdesiring such specialized training in Christian life andservice. The "summer" season also comes in the area offreedom; for training such as this can come any time. Wejust gravitated to this time since it coincided with theavailability of students for whom the programs weregenerally designed. But we are aware of the fact that somecongregations already provide personalized trainingthroughout the year. The Board therefore feels that it istime to refer S.T.P. back to congregations where help of'his kind should come. It really belongs under thesupervision of the Session.And at this point I have introduced form. God hasnot made it optional whether Sessions take the oversightover their flocks. And difficult as it may seem, this includescollegians and servicemen. Neither has God notmade optional the whole matter of training in Christiangrowth and service which becomes the responsibility ofeveryone who has named the name of Christ as his own. Inother words, what S.T.P. has been trying to do in principleis not a matter of freedom. Furthermore who must takeresponsibility for it cannot be termed a matter of freedomeither. That is the reason persons attending S.T.P. in thepast have been required to present a recommendationsigned by their Session.This year Synod's Board does not just step out of thepicture, but steps out so others can step in. Last summerwe set up our Program in Pittsburgh with thiscongregational context in mind. God prospered theprogram, and we encourage this context as having manypractical advantages, especially in the light of the needs ofpresent-day youth. We are not suggesting that the onlypersons in such a program should all be from thatcongregation. Here again there can be freedom, and somenew Christians looking for this kind of help have nocongregation to which to turn. (We majored last summerin inviting persons from Reformed Presbyterianbackgrounds. God gave us persons from manydenominations, some of whom are now being led to unitewith our denomination.) So the Board should not be interpretedas saying that the need for such a program nolonger exists. It is saying that need is so greatit can only bemet by many churches getting involved, and it can in ouropinion be done best on the congregation level.The Board stands by with some guidelines for settingup such a program, actual materials that can be used, andeven personal help for those who want it. We make thisdecision to encourage the true form of the church, andwith the freedom to do so.•••Thinking through on a Christian approach to "work", 1970S.T.P. L to R: Bessie Morrow, Gail Spencer, DonnaBriscoe, Ken Olmstead, and Ron Homa.JUNE 2, 1971 7