By Rev. Dr. Jim Lawrence
The Swedenborgian Church of North America is the only one of the five Swedenborgian denominations worldwide to be officially involved in ecumenical work in their country. The National Council of Churches in Christ (NCC) in the U.S. arose as a place for Christian denominations to have a structure for common work and vision in culture. Only a small percentage of Christian denominations belong to the NCC: currently, thirty-eight of the approximately 1,200 Christian denominations in the United States. The NCC represents a significant history of ecumenical faith witness to the larger culture around important questions of the social good.
Swedenborgians had, a half-century earlier, been the beacon tradition for the World Parliament of Religions, the first multifaith gathering in the world that met in Chicago in 1893 as the brainchild of Charles Carroll Bonney, who sat on the Illinois Supreme Court and was an ardent Swedenborgian. After the two World Wars, an effort arose in response to the socio-political challenges of the time to create a national federation of Christian denominations to promote unity amidst diversity and to address social justice together.
We were there right from the beginning due to the vision and passion of such leaders as Rev. William Wunsch and Rev. Edwin Capon. Despite falling far below the then minimum threshold of members, the early NCC made an exception following a seven-year exploration period as a prospective member denomination with a delegation that also included Dr. Dorothea Harvey, Margaret Briggs, and Rev. David Johnson as our Canadian liaison. Admitted in 1966, we are now approaching our seventieth anniversary.
In addition to the General Governing board, there are also four “Convening Tables” that are the topical work groups who pursue various projects together under the rubrics Faith & Order, Interreligious Relations, Justice and Advocacy, and Christian Education. Along the way, we have been faithful and active contributors, with many being somewhat passionately involved. In recent years, we’ve been very ably represented by Rev. Rich Tafel, Rev. Robert McCluskey, and Rev. Dr. David Fekete.
I’m now delighted to be naming Rev. Jay Barry as my proxy at the Governing Board and appointing Licensed Pastor Tassy Farwell to the Interreligious Relations Convening Table, while also reappointing Alex Gayheart, who has already been serving ably on the Justice and Advocacy Convening Table and who confers regularly with our Social Justice Committee for our voice in those efforts and conversations. As one well-nurtured in the mainline tradition of my upbringing, I have always valued our history of acting way above our numbers in supporting multifaith and ecumenical relationships, and I thank deeply these current colleagues for giving of their time and energy to our witness and presence at the NCC
—Jim Lawrence
Read the full issue of the November/December Messenger
Meet Jim Lawrence
Rev. Dr. Jim Lawrence is the president of the Swedenborgian Church of North America. He was the dean of the Center for Swedenborgian Studies for 21 years prior to being elected President in 2022.
