Church Unity

I have some "stolen" time this morning compliments of a school delay and my children sleeping in, so I'll try to get down the post I've been writing in my head.

You know how ministers sometimes have reputations for their speaking style? Where you hear their name and it invokes an adjective in your mind (i.e. interesting, boring, loud, story-teller, etc.)? Since I didn't grow up in the Beachy circles, most names don't invoke anything for me. As a result, I am often blind-sided.
This was the case on Sunday. I was not familiar with the speakers and was not looking forward to the meetings with any particular anticipation. Wow! Was I blown away! When the 2nd minister said "It's time to close" I looked at the clock in shock; I wasn't near finished listening to what they had to say.
Some thoughts I gleaned- on the subject of Unity- we often view our Anabaptist churches like a see-saw with liberals on one end and conservatives on the other. How true that I then see myself as being in the center rather than on either end! But we're not on a see-saw, trying to find the balance between Grace & Truth. Grace & Truth are a Rock beneath us that we can rest on. Ah, that feels so restful to me.
We heard about power struggles. (I have long wondered how the minority can sometimes exert such power.) When we learn who we are in Christ, we lose the need to prove something. Jesus' temptation was used as an example. He didn't have to prove anything to Satan- He didn't have to turn stones into bread to prove that He had power, because He was secure in who He was. He knew He was Christ, and didn't allow himself to get pressured into proving it. That's the security -the rest- I want. I don't have to prove I'm a good parent, that I'm a sincere member of the constituency (aka the proverbial good little Beachy). Hmm, I suppose that means when someone is pushing their agenda, they're not secure in who they are. Interesting.
Furthermore, we heard 'I' am not the embodiment of Truth. I don't have to model truth- "ok, world. I've figured it out. This is truth. Follow me." The best we can do is to draw near to the One who is Truth. Ironically, as I pursue truth, I bear the image of God, attracting others to Truth.
Being neutral or splitting is not the answer to developing structure & unity. We need to figure out What is strong? What is weak? Strength was defined as "how much can I give?" not "how much can I take?"

I'm still trying to process all this and figuring out what it looks like in daily life. The issues we are facing in our church seem to be something of an epidemic, particularly for our age group. We have been observing friends from various communities dealing with them, trying to learn from their experiences. On assignment from the elders, we are supposed to be getting our vision for the church into words. We don't have it down pat yet, but part of our vision for the church is one where each person can share his/her perspective and feel heard & understood. Also that church would be a safe place for our family.