Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - May/94

Contributor - A. Gardiner Skelly

Title - Wise or Otherwise

Topic -

It was one of the most masterly exhibitions of ecclesiastical diplomacy you could possibly imagine. Let me tell you about it.

Away back in 1949 when I was in final year theology in the Presbyterian College in Belfast, a classmate and I journeyed across the city, by bus, one a winter's night. There was a mild hint of intrigue attached to our nocturnal pilgrimage for we were on our way to attend, uninvited, a meeting of one of our largest Presbyterian congregations which was being convened for the purpose of issuing a call to a new pastor. The candidate, a wonderful man, richly experienced in ministry, was a close and treasured friend of ours and so we were admittedly very curious (in the best Christian sense, of course!) to listen in upon the proceedings and to see the eventual outcome; for in Ireland such crucial issues were never definitely settled until the last vote was counted!

It was a remarkable meeting which lasted more than two hours. The chairman of the Search Committee presented the name of our friend as sole nominee for the vacancy and then spoke at considerable length about his personal, spiritual and intellectual qualities. Then the leader of a small but vocal conservative minority spoke against the nomination and volunteered the information that "his party" had hoped to present an alternative candidate but that very afternoon their nominee had withdrawn. Wise man! There then followed still more speeches for and against the official nominee of the committee. But eventually even the Irish do run out of words and so it was time to vote.

The statutes of the Irish Presbyterian Church, at that period, required that a candidate must receive a two thirds majority of the votes cast before a call could be issued. The ballots were distributed to the several hundred persons present. Of course my friend and I did not vote for we were there only in the interests of extending our Theological education!

Eventually when the count was completed the candidate had far in excess of the required two-thirds majority. At that point the leader of the "opposition" with a commendable display of Christian grace, rose and moved that the call be made unanimous. This motion was put immediately and when the interim-moderator, a very able pastor, called for those in favour to say "Aye" there was a great chorus of approval. But that was not the end of it, for when, as required by law, he called for those opposed, to our utter dismay one solitary female voice called out "Nay". Now the "fat was in the fire" for it meant that the call could not be described as unanimous and, in those days, few self-respecting minister would have accepted it.

It was in this moment of impasse that the moderator rose to the pinnacle of his administrative career. Looking in the direction from whence the solitary voice had come, he said "Ali, madam, is it worth it; is it worth it?" Then he continued, "What shall I do? Shall I, like Nelson, put the glass to my sightless eye"? And then he concluded "I'll tell you what I'll do; I will call again for the negative vote". It was a brilliant strategy for by this time the "negative lady" didn't have the courage to call out a second time. So the call went through unanimously and resulted in more than a dozen years of happy and blessed ministry.

My friend and I learned the salutary lesson that there are times when for the greater Glory of God it is necessary and valid to turn a deaf ear to the carpings of the legalists. Certainly Our Lord seemed to think so.

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