NACC Facts
Spring, 2008
You may not know that –
1.. . . the National Alliance of Covenanting Congregations was founded in 1991 and is still actively engaged in defending the United Church’s historic Christian faith and position on morality.
2.. . . it has about 75 member congregations, reaching from Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula to BC’s Vancouver Island.
3.. . . the NACC offers a pastoral relations service to help member congregations (and others with similar theology) to find ministers with compatible views on the faith.
4.. . . it offers advice and help to congregations and ministers who are at odds with their Presbyteries, particularly when their conservative theology is the root issue.
5.. . . that the NACC’s Legal Defence Fund has so far assisted one such minister by raising over $175,000 for legal fees.
6.. . . the Alliance puts out a quarterly electronic newsletter, News Briefs, which is emailed to a contact each congregation for copying and distribution to the people. (It also goes to a number of interested individuals, some as far away as Australia.)
7.. . . the Alliance has developed legally sound language for churches wishing to prohibit same-sex marriages/services of blessing on their premises and by their ministers.
8.. . . news and reference materials of many kinds are posted at the NACC website, www.unitedrenewal.org/. Posted there is the video of a tv interview with the National Chairman.
9.. . . through its membership in the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, the NACC has been able to advise the Supreme Court of Canada and Parliament on the need to maintain the traditional one-man-one-woman definition of marriage, raise the age of consent, and other matters.
10.. . . as the UCC has advanced some disturbing positions on core theology, the NACC has issued pamphlets making clear its own more traditional beliefs – e.g. “Who Is Jesus?”, “Authority and Interpretation of Scripture”, “Morality and the Family”. Most are posted on the NCC website
11.. . . yet other pamphlets speak of congregational life – e.g. “You Asked? (on congregational rights and responsibilities), “So, Your Minister is Leaving . . .” (on handling the pastoral relations process), and “Your Next Minister” (advice on interviewing a prospective minister: what to ask and how).
12.. . . working through just three of its congregations, the Alliance was able to block the UCC from authorizing three new baptismal formulae, including one that read, “We baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, Mother of us all.”
13.. . . it maintains a considerable library of materials in a variety of media, available free to congregations and individuals.
14.. . . the Alliance stays in close, active touch with a number of other North American renewal groups in mainline denominations, meeting twice yearly with them to share experiences and advice.
15.. . . the NACC Chairman visited twice with the UCC’s last Moderator. On the first occasion Peter Short said, with some emphasis, that he sees the NACC as an important theologically conservative voice in our denomination. A meeting with David Giuliano has yet to be scheduled .
16.. . . the NACC rotates its AGMs across the country (e.g. 2004 – Ferintosh, AB; 2005 – Lewisporte, NL; 2006 - Toronto, ON; 2007 – Lillooet, BC; 2008 – Debert, NS). In conjunction with them, the Chairman visits as many local congregations as possible - e.g. 15 in Newfoundland in 2005.
17. . . . the NACC made available “study helps” for churches and individuals drafting feedback on “Faith Talk II”, the UCC’s proposed new statement of faith, now approved by the last General Council as “Song of Faith”.
18. . . . in 2007 the NACC asked the General Secretary to rule whether this
new statement could be approved by the Council without a Remit, i.e. by a vote by the whole church. (The Basis of Union states any “change of doctrine” should go to such a vote. A “Song” arguably contains major doctrinal changes.) The General Secretary’s Ruling was that a Remit was not required. The Judicial Committee of General Council refused to hear the NACC’s Appeal. Other options are now in process of being pursued.
19. . . . the NACC’s 2006 AGM broadened the bounds of membership to include groups (of six or more) in non-NACC congregations, as well as individuals in the wider United Church. (Previously, only congregations could belong.)