The Rev. Dr. Robert E Sawyer is the President of the Provincial Elders Conference of the Southern Province. He writes this letter to active pastors under call in response to growing concerns from congregations over the position that the PEC is taking over the teachings of one minister in the Province who denies that Christ is the only way to salvation.

Dear brothers and sisters,

This letter is being sent to active pastors under call, but you should feel free to use it with others if you think it will be helpful. Many pastors, especially those in the Winston-Salem area, have been dealing with questions arising from local media publicity as well as ones from within congregations. I appreciate all that you are doing to help people understand and to give them a sense of confidence about the future. Clearly we have much ahead of us. Many of you have given me suggestions on how we can move ahead, and I am grateful. Many have asked questions, and I hope you will continue to do that as needed. Meanwhile I want to take this opportunity to address a few questions that have come to us in recent conversations.

At least one person asked for some clarification about the decision to end Brother Truman Dunn's pastorate at Messiah Church. Br. Dunn has pointed out the importance of being able to ask questions openly. But he has also said that people should have the freedom to come to different conclusions from those expressed in the doctrinal statements of the church, and he as a pastor has done that. Therein lies the difficulty. The Ground of the Unity draws a distinction between The Belief of the Church and Personal Belief. It says, "the belief of the Church is effected and preserved through the testimony of Jesus Christ and through the work of the Holy Spirit." This belief of the church, the Moravian community, needs the commitment of all of us, especially as pastors, regardless of the individual journey.

We understand the belief of the church to be grounded in scripture and the tradition of our church, but also dynamic and living, addressing the day in which we live. The Ground of the Unity can be, and has been reformulated when the church sees the need to address something more precisely. That happened most recently in 1995, but happens only through a process which our worldwide Unity Synod ultimately determines. None of us as individual servants determines the belief of the church.

Brother Dunn gave several examples of doctrinal positions that, in his opinion, are no longer adequate. The public discussion in recent weeks has focused mainly on one statement in The Ground of the Unity, namely, "that there is no salvation apart from Him" [Jesus Christ]. The PEC has been pressed to affirm that statement. We have resisted a singular focus on that statement alone for two reasons.

First, we live in a society that is increasingly diverse ethnically, religiously, and in many other ways. For many this particular doctrinal affirmation is closely linked to understandings of how people of other faiths relate to God and how we relate to them. Many important questions are facing today's church that were not directly addressed in 1957, when The Ground of the Unity was created. They are questions that need to be addressed in the light of what we say in The Ground of the Unity. We do affirm "that there is no salvation apart from Jesus Christ" but we understand that this important affirmation does not address all the issues it brings to mind for many.

Second, the Unity Synod of 1957 adopted The Ground of the Unity to supercede what previous synods had known as "basic truths," which have appeared in some of our publications as eight "essentials" of doctrine. Again, these basic truths were in no way repudiated, but our church decided that the new statement was more consistent with how Moravians understand doctrine than a list of eight statements or propositions. We have an opportunity in this context not only to affirm the centrality of Christ' s life and work, but also to talk about the nature of doctrinal statements in our church.

Some feel strongly that the decision to end Br. Dunn's pastorate should have been implemented immediately. The PEC chose to give some time for implementation in part because the board of the congregation requested it, and to provide opportunity for time with one of our bishops. While issuing and rescinding calls is the prerogative of the PEC, our process does call for consultation with local boards. Some people have even expressed concern that Br. Dunn's continuing ministry will "lead people astray. " We have a deep respect for Br. Dunn' s integrity and for the members of Messiah Church. Like Moravians across this province, they are secure with respect to their beliefs and able to engage in healthy conversation while grounded in their personal belief. Some have come to a closer relationship with Christ and the church because they have experienced the freedom to ask their questions openly. Others are very disturbed by what Br. Dunn has written. Br. Dunn himself has recognized the need to affirm the belief of the church in his ministry at Messiah. One of the tasks of the bishop who will meet with Br. Dunn will be to take into consideration the effect of Br. Dunn's ministry in the congregation and in our province, as well as to talk about his personal spiritual journey.

In another matter, some Moravians are also aware of conversations I have had with Brother Luke Bell following a mailing from members at Mizpah Church to all pastors and some others. In those conversations I have affirmed Br. Bell's personal belief with respect to Christ Jesus as our Savior. Our differences have had to do with decisions and procedures related to church order , and we are working on resolving them. He was never asked to apologize for his beliefs, even though that is a widely held assumption. He was asked to abide by the same decisions of synod that apply to us all.

In closing, let me refer to a conversation I had earlier today with an older member of one of our churches. She talked about the stress and anxiety under which people are living today. For many people, she said, the church is the only place of strength in a very hard life. When the church seems to be losing its strength, it gets very scary .

She is a wise and understanding woman. For a lot of people it feels like the church is losing its strength. But we all know that there is a big difference between feeling and faith. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the certainty of things not seen (Hebrews 11: 1). It's hard to see where all this will come out. It's disheartening to see those who seem to prefer to draw lines in the sand and strike out on an offensive. This is precisely what our synod asked not to do. My eyes of faith tell me that the God who established our church in 1457 and helped us identify our Chief Elder in 1741 has a lot more in store for us. And so I urge you join me in doing all we can to be a province and allow our Lord to use the present to strengthen us for the future.

Your brother in Christ, 

Bob Sawyer