Out and About

by Phil Johnson

The Covenant Annual Meeting

I drove to Chicago the third week in June because it was the week of the Annual Meeting of the Covenant and of the Covenant Ministerium. These meetings have been a time and a place in which I could see old friends and peddle a few Pietistens. I went again with those intentions, though I was far less well-prepared or dedicated than I have been in the past.

Rather than staying near the North Park campus, site of the meetings, I stayed with our son Eric and his hospitable roommates at their apartment in Evanston. I spent little time at the meeting itself, so I deserved severe censure from the board of Pietisten! Fortunately, a few folks responded to our promotion. Based upon a noticeable increase in friendly smiles and nods and on a decrease in blank stares when the name Pietisten was mentioned, public awareness of Pietisten has definitely increased.

There are a few things that I can report from my detached observation post. The first and most important is that friends at North Park are as warm and welcoming as ever. Mel and Joanne Soderstrom are more gracious than can be described, and LeRoy Carlson made me welcome on the campus itself the moment he saw me in my Pietisten T-shirt with my Pietisten delivery bag hanging from my shoulder.

Second, ministers and delegates continue to gather at convivial places after Annual Meeting services. These gatherings are a lot of fun as old friendships are renewed, new and old stories and jokes are told, and critiques are freely shared.

Third, there was some talk among some ministers and delegates that President Paul Larsen’s unopposed candidacy for reelection (he had served two terms and was running for a third) might be derailed. The constitution provides, I was told, that should one-third of the delegates vote against the unopposed candidate, the candidate is not elected. It seems to me that it would be normal and healthful in an organization as large as the Covenant for there to be an opposing candidate under any circumstance, but that was not the case. Contemplating an unopposed candidate, the Constitution says: “A two-thirds vote of the delegates present and voting shall be required for election.” This two-thirds provision increases the possibility of ousting an incumbent because it could be done with the votes of one-third of the delegates rather than the majority vote that would be required for an opposing candidate to prevail.

I have witnessed very little explicit, open political activity or debate in the Covenant (not counting debate on ethical or theological issues). From what I have been able to learn, this meeting was no exception. The fact that there was fairly substantial opposition to the incumbent was one of the better kept secrets until the vote was taken (119 of 554 delegates voting — 21% — voted no to President Larsen’s reelection). After the meeting, I spoke with a delegate who was a member of a church whose pastor had expressed opposition and had voted no. This delegate had no idea that there was any opposition and had voted for the entire endorsed slate. The same delegate reported that there was no open discussion or expression of opposition at the time the vote was called. Regardless of right or wrong, of agreement or disagreement, why were these 119 publicly silent? Why am I often publicly silent when it comes to church politics?

Not prepared to give an answer, I have just one more comment. The coverage of the Annual Meeting in the August Covenant Companion by Jane Swanson-Nystrom is excellent. In addition to a full report sprinkled with a few questions and comments, Editor Swanson-Nystrom’s report includes the results of the vote for president, significant information that could have easily been omitted.

At the Lakes

I have attended church on beautiful Church Island on Bay Lake several times this summer. In the process, I heard two particularly outstanding Lutheran preachers. Paul Holmer, former Noah Porter Professor of Philosophy and Theology at Yale Divinity School, and Tom Tredway, President of Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, took the outdoor pulpit on successive Sundays. Journeying to and from worship across Bay Lake on the Carlson pontoon makes church more inviting than usual. It is appropriate that Pietisten’s Navigation Editor is at the controls for these trips.

Once again, Finn Point on Pine Lake in Northern Wisconsin was the venue for Pietisten’s copy editor and myself to celebrate our country’s independence. The weather was great this year, for a change, but there was no best-hat contest. Perhaps the criticism leveled in this column a year ago had some impact on the Finnish majority!

The report from Lake Superior is that the “Lady Hawk” is slipping gracefully through the waters of Lake Superior. This sailing vessel, captained by David Hawkinson, is Pietisten’s answer to readers who wonder if there are any non-motor-powered sailors in our midst. — PJ