22 Dec The Ecclesiastical Route 13
13. Efficient?
We concluded the previous article noting that it is claimed the ecclesiastical route creates efficiency. I hypothesized: if all the churches did due diligence with respect to all overtures at all major assemblies they are part of, there is hardly any efficiency gain. In this article we’ll crunch the numbers on this.
Not efficient if adopted
We will look at two figures: the number of times churches had to consider an overture, with each time being a “church unit” and the number of times delegates had to consider an overture, with each time being a “delegate unit”. To illustrate what those numbers mean, let’s use a concrete example.
To explain the figures: The CanRC are quite uniform in that both regional synods comprise 4 classes. However, classes vary in size from 5 churches (Classis Manitoba) to 10 churches (Classis Alberta). The average number of churches in a classis is a touch over 8, so, to keep things simple, we’ll assume 8 for the exercise.
Step 1: overture at council: 1 church unit
Step 2: overture at classis: 8 church units + 16 delegate units
Step 3: overture at regional synod: 30 church units + 16 delegate units
Step 4: overture at general synod: 64 church units + 24 delegate units
Totals: 103 church units and 56 delegate units
Had this overture not traveled the ecclesiastical route but gone straight to synod, the picture would be:
Step 1: overture at council: 1 church unit
Step 2: overture at general synod: 75 church units + 24 delegate units
Totals: 76 church units and 24 delegate units
Clearly not going the ecclesiastical route is more efficient if an overture is forwarded.
So, how many not-forwarded overtures does it take to tip the balance of efficiency in favour of the ecclesiastical route?
Overtures halt at regional synod
We’ll first assume the most common scenario, where a regional synod halts an overture on the ecclesiastical route.
Where church units are concerned, the two processes are equally efficient when for every 3 overtures that are forwarded to general synod there are 5 overtures that are rejected by regional synod. Roughly put, the ecclesiastical route is more efficient in church units if for every overture that makes it to general synod there are two that do not.
Where delegate units are concerned, the two processes are never equally efficient. If there is one overture that is forwarded to general synod, the ecclesiastical route involves 56 delegate units and the direct route involves 24 delegate units. If there is just one overture that is rejected, the ecclesiastical route involves 32 delegates and the direct route involves 24 delegates.
In other words, if the overture makes it to regional synod, for the ecclesiastical route to be more efficient for individual churches, the “pass rate” at regional synod for overtures must be below 33%. The route is never more efficient where time taken at a major assembly is concerned.
Overtures halt at classis
What if the overture is halted on the ecclesiastical route by a classis?
Where church units are concerned, the two processes are close to being equally efficient when for every 3 overtures that are forwarded to general synod there are 2 overtures that are rejected by classis. If there is 1 overture that reaches general synod and 1 overture that is rejected by classis, the ecclesiastical route is more efficient.
Where delegate units are concerned, the two processes are equally efficient when, for every overture that reaches general synod there are 4 overtures that are halted at classes. If there is 1 overture that reaches general synod and there are 5 overtures that are halted at classes, going the ecclesiastical route is more efficient.
In other words, if the overture makes it to classis, for the ecclesiastical route to be more efficient for individual churches, the “pass rate” at a classis for overtures must be below 60%. For it be more efficient in terms of time taken at a major assembly, the “pass rate” needs to be less than 20%.
Only half
While it is a complex process to create a single number, the foregoing makes clear that for the ecclesiastical route to have any measure of efficiency, more than half of the overtures placed on the route need to be halted on that route before they reach general synod.
GS 2019 and GS 2022
In the run up to GS 2019, 5 overtures were forwarded and 1 was halted by regional synods. That’s a “pass rate” of 83%, way higher than 33%. Assuming our stylized numbers for classis size, not following the ecclesiastical route would have saved the church federation 176 church units and 168 delegate units.
In the run up to GS 2022, 5 overtures were forwarded and 5 were halted by regional synods. That’s a “pass rate” of 50%, which is higher than 33%. Assuming our stylized numbers for classis size, not following the ecclesiastical route would have saved the church federation 80 church units and 200 delegate units.
Note: I have not yet researched what happened at the various classes, as the term used at classis for an overture tends to be “proposal” or the verb “propose”. It implies the time-consuming effort of reading every press release of every classis since GS 2016. If I find time to do that, this paragraph will be replaced with the results of that research. However, given my experience in Classes Pacific East and Pacific West, I am fairly confident that the “pass rate” at classes is well over 75%, while it should be below 60% for the ecclesiastical route to be efficient.
Stock take
We have seen that the ecclesiastical route is not necessarily fully in line with principles of Doleantie Dort Polity. It suggests that major assemblies are assemblies of minor assemblies, not of churches. It allows a minor broader assembly to lord it over churches that are not “its churches”. Though in principle the ecclesiastical route should ensure broader support for a proposal, in practice it has not.
As to practice, the ecclesiastical route ensures the involvement of the churches but it is not efficient in doing so. It creates a time consuming bureaucracy that is proving confusing.
Scripture tell us that God is not a God of confusion but of peace, and thus in the church, all things should be done decently in order (1Cor. 14:33,40). Is there not a better way to do this? We’ll reflect on that next time.