Ordination paper for Chicago Metropolitan Association, of Illinois Conference, of United Church of Christ

 * This ordination paper has been read and spread among UCC in public. Thanks for all the comments that made this paper better than my imagination.

Ordination Paper (for Chicago Metropolitan Association, of Illinois Conference, of United Church of Christ)

Submitted in Dec 2020.

Author: Charing Wei-Jen Chen

My background and faith journey –

an intersectional observation in ethnicity, class, language/culture, religion, and sexuality

I was born and raised in a Buddhist family in Tainan, Taiwan. My parents are from two different ethnicities: Ho-Lok (河洛) and Hak-Ka (客家). Although these two ethnicities cover most of the population (72% Ho-Lok and 14% Hak-Ka) and share lots of things, they still have too many differences between them; even my father could not understand the language from my mother’s side at all. At their time, the cross-ethnicity marriage was not welcomed. I also noticed cultural conflicts and tension in visiting different families.

Before policy of demanding education and the unifying language (Mandarin) executed by the Nationalist Party government, the majority spoke Japanese and their ethnic languages. However, before I started college, it was still not allowed to use either Taiwanese, Hakkanese, or other native languages in the formal education system. When another party took power, the Democratic Progress Party, the government started to change the language policy and allow different languages been spoken in the formal education system. It was a huge difference: now, people are welcomed to use their mother tongue language to develop/continue the tradition and to express their own identity. There are 32 different national languages recognized in Taiwan. I realized that institutional power dominates daily life, including the language you can use and your thoughts. The differences between assimilation and collective/autonomy were afterward much clear to me. My mother still can speak three languages today and her cooking combining three cultures is amazing; however, I can only speak Taiwanese and Mandarin (and English if it counts). I don’t think I could restore my Hak-Ka heritage easily now. If there is only one value or ideology allowed, it’s cultural and spiritual genocide. I did suffer from that.

Growing up in a working-class family had financial challenges all the time. While I studied at senior high school, Buddhism (Zen) became part of my life, and that brought me some consolation. I learned to practice vegetarian life, meditation regularly, study the cannon with colleagues and friends, and explore the mystery of energy and transcendence. It was a path among many that gave me a direction and a place of seeking inner peace. I also realized my path is not my parents’ (Pure Land), although our readings have something in common. The ways of practice and theology might be quite different. The religious engagement also shows it: my parents had a more open mind to embrace the differences, and they did not force me to follow their path. In the meantime, I also found that there was a kind of religious hybridity in my family: Buddhism (35% of the population) and Daoism (33% population), after I had explored more. But, at that time, I seldom considered beyond myself.

It was also the same time that I was attracted by a young male student in my school. There was no sex or gender education then. I did know the word “gay” and “homosexual,” but it was not for me, I thought. On the other hand, it is a quite common idea in Buddhism that this world is not divided into two opposite concepts: masculinity and femininity. There are still many possibilities and in-betweens. Nothing is absolute under this concept, a fluid, and non-fixed viewpoint. I believe this philosophy influenced my parents, and they gave me more space to explore myself. It wasn’t until my late 20s that I came out; my mother told me they had been discussing my gender identity and sexual orientation since I was a kid. “Finally, you told me. We have been waiting for too long a time. We are glad you have found your path.”

Encounter Christianity

It was during my service in the military that I had “the first contact” with Christianity. My father was sent to ICU and diagnosed with a severe heart attack. I spent nights meditating via the Buddhist way I had known; however, I could not sleep. The anxiety caught me, and I fell in panic. I had no idea why I eventually picked up the phone and called a friend I met at the church. She listened to me and led a prayer with me on the phone. At night, I slept very well. This incident opened the door to Christianity that I had known for several years since college. I kept reading the Christian Bible and practicing the Christian prayer along with my Zen Buddhist way. “There might be an approach to work them out at the same time,” although I was not so sure about it.

Soon after I retired from the military, I attended a Lutheran church regularly for Sunday services and other gatherings during the week. It was fortunate that I got involved in a young group. But, in the meantime, the Buddhist prayer beads, and my long hair won notoriety and criticism. I was told those expressed the connection with the devil and wrong gender performance. When I shared my concerns about the family gathering and the liturgy of respecting ancestors during the lunar new year, my church members responded to me The Ten Commandants and “for you shall worship no other god, because the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God” from Exodus 34. For that Lutheran congregation, there was no gray space in-between. The worst thing was the isolation from the tradition, culture, and family values. Once, my great uncle felt disappointed about my absence at that most important annual gathering. My parents said to the whole family that the boy needs more time.

In 2003, I attended the first LGBTQ Pride Parade in Taiwan, and it was the first Pride in Asia as well. I was a volunteer. I met a friend there who was in my church group before. She told me she had left that congregation while I was serving in the military. She came out as a lesbian to the congregation. However, she got frustrated by the minister and leaders, and she felt incredibly guilty and upset toward Christianity. And she became a Buddhist and lived with her partner since then. All my uncomfortable concerns and worries were triggered. That conversation justified a thought long in my heart: Christianity (in Taiwan) has zero-tolerance toward non-Christian elements and LG(BTQ) issues.

Soon after I got baptized, I switched to an independent LGBT affirming congregation, which had a strong Presbyterian background. The founders of this congregation were Presbyterians (The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, PCT), but they got sick of the homophobic atmosphere in their local congregations. Rev. Ya-Hui Yang, who served as the first senior minister at that congregation, was an ordained pastor from PCT. She graduated from Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS) with a Master of Sacred Theology (STM) degree. It was CTS that she explored a different understanding of theology and biblical interpretation between the Christian Bible and homosexuality. In her biography, she mentioned her first contact with a gay seminarian couple who were sitting on the bench in front of CTS. She gathered LGBT folks after she went back to Taiwan. The first LGBTQ student fellowship started in 1995, and soon became the first LGBTQ affirming congregation in Taiwan in 1996.

Faith formation in LGBTQ congregation

I constructed my Christian faith in this congregation. I was soon elected the deacon and then was ordained as an elder. I oversaw several ministries and leaders of several groups. The congregation learned from evangelicals and adopted their church growth strategies, especially from the mega-churches in South Korea and Singapore. The congregation did experience some kinds of growth. Sunday service attendees were 30-ish before and turned out more than 100-ish by 2005. There were 10 Cell Groups at one time. The group, under my leadership, had 30-ish attendees. The outreach was successful, especially when our program got accepted in the largest LGBTQ institution’s annual fundraising party. This congregation was a hub and a shelter that gathered Christians from different faith traditions. The core value was pursuing the liberation from homophobia.

This congregation was always willing to try something new. While the congregation started to learn about charismatic discipline, I experienced a more profound desire to know more. Being touched by The Spirit was impressive and new to me. At a prayer meeting, I suddenly spoke in tongue and then saw visions. In the meantime, some charismatic ministers and leaders encouraged people to live a sacred life, which includes fasting regularly, meditating daily, giving offerings generously, and no sexual fantasy or wrong conduct related to sex. I had no idea how I could survive. However, the charismatic movement also brought other impacts, especially the enhancement of the leadership and accumulation of personal followers.

I was aware too late to avoid those disasters and misfortunes made by the leadership where I got involved -- for example, the cell group. Although there were 30-ish folks in my group, while I investigated their profiles and compared to the other groups and then to the whole congregation, I realized this congregation had become an alternative non-affirming space for many, especially the minorities. The cell group was the system providing a more efficient pastoring in a hierarchal way: the minister, the committee of leaders, cell group leader, and then participants. It might bring flexibility to each group, but it also hid the issues among the whole congregation, such as social class, economic condition, disability, and mental status, and gender/sexuality. While some groups were one gender only, elites only, healthy, and perfect body shape alone, spending 50% of the gathering on talking about red wine, the cell group system had formed a place for xenophobia intuitionally. “The others could find and start their cell group. We are not alike. They are not expected to be here,” I heard from the meetings. While the Sunday worship adopted evangelical gospel music, and most of them from Right-Wing Christians, a robust single value of theology and the only model of the good Christian life were imported and embedded. While the charismatic leader said to a member that you should obey God’s will to do so and so, it turned out to be exploitation, manipulation, and spiritual abuse. Why didn’t I open my eyes to see that those charismatic leaders we learned from and the gospel music we sang were part of the homophobic campaign? Why didn’t I challenge the homonormativity formed and enhanced in this congregation, which excluded non-gay or non-lesbian folks? Why didn’t I sense that the message on Sunday was worshiping the capitalism and heteronormative theology, which led to the worship of the prosperity gospel and caused self-hatred? Why didn’t I know my tradition was fading, and the Westernize ideologies had taken over theologically, culturally, mentally, and spiritually? Why didn’t I recognize that I did call the other devil unconsciously while I led the prayer and worship? What else had I done? I should have realized those earlier.

The calling and the death of a minister

If my baptism provided me the impression of the sacred ministry that I envied, Rev. Yang’s death brought me to formal theological education. She committed suicide in 2008. At her funeral, I experienced the hatred and hypocritical speech from her colleagues, who condemned her to death. I also realized her love toward LGBTQ was assumed as the reason for God’s punishment done to her. I felt heartbroken, angry, and hopeless. Right in the cremation room, I could not stop crying, and an internal calling and feeling came to me: this is time to learn, to follow, and to proclaim.

I did have serious discussions with Rev. Yang about attending the seminary with an out identity. She did feel worried. “It’s too risky, and that will cause more troubles for us.” I was told something like this by my congregation when I expressed my intention. They might have been entirely correct. My Master of Divinity (MDiv) application was rejected by the same Presbyterian seminary three times, for the same reason, in 2008, 2009, and 2011. A friend of mine suggested me to apply to another seminary’s MDiv program, saying, “Give it a try, it might be different; however, no one can guarantee.” Then, I got enrolled, the first out seminarian in Taiwan.

The struggling of colonization

It was also during a one-year-long placement education and the interim at an indigenous church (Siraya tribe) that brought me into a deeper reflection on ministry and missiology. That tribe was the earliest group encountered by the Dutch Reformed missionaries in the 17^th century who came with Dutch East India Company, Vereenig de Oostindische Compagnie. One of the largest Christian congregations, named Tayouan, had its own native ordained ministers, elders, and deacons trained by Dutch ministers before they were expelled in the late 17^th century. This congregation had 400 members according to the church documents kept in The Royal Library of the Netherlands today. Tayouan, also called Taiwan in later days, was known by the public from missionaries’ letters. While the Scottish Presbyterian missionaries came back to Taiwan in the late 19^th century, they were called “our red hair relatives and friends” by Siraya folks. Soon, the whole tribe became Christian again and brought the first fruit to modern Christianity in Taiwan.

The Siraya tribe tried to restore their language via the earlier Dutch-Siraya New Testament translated in the 17^th century. This language project was successful. However, Siraya Christian churches face the conflicts between Christian culture and traditional culture (the mixture of customs and daily identity), religion (pan-nature worship and female priests), and social system (matriarchal society). Until today, it is still challenging to use any traditional icons to decorate the church properties. Some might argue it is an issue of Gospel and Culture. The concept of inculturalization[1] is just like creolization, the Christianity in Taiwan has been transformed and combined with traditional customs, memories, and native religious elements in the past three hundred years. But, it is still a complicated postcolonial topic for me: who you are and what you can be? This debate became a more national broad issue in the 1970s. It was the time of White Horror while The Nationalist Party controlled the government and ran the Martial Law (1949 to 1987) for almost 40 years. Should a good Christian collaborate with the oppressive and colonial power or stand out to fight for the justice and self-determination in politics, culture, language, religion, etc.? Those debates and theological reflections enlightened me.

The pilgrim journeys

I realized four essential things from my MDiv study. (1) The contextualization matters. Professors there held a perspective of contextual theology, which let the marginalized and silenced be seen and heard. (2) Courage and patience matters. This is the first time in history a seminary in Taiwan accepted an out seminarian. It took lots of courage and patience for the school to communicate and listen to all voices. (3) Time matters. In my first year, none of my cohorts would sit next to me or work with me. However, although homophobia and fake rumors might be able to bother folks, real interaction could explain and clarify those misunderstandings. It turned out I was the valedictorian on my graduation. (4) CTS matters. Some of my professors graduated from CTS, inspired by their mentors and they insisted on creating a space for all.

My mentors encouraged me to continue my education at CTS. They also introduced the United Church of Christ (UCC) to me while I was still discerning my ministry and future. “It’s the denomination that you should not ignore.” That suggestion and my inner impulse brought me to Chicago. I finished my first degree (STM) at CTS in 2016 and continued doctoral program (Doctor of Philosophy focusing on Sacred Texts and Hermeneutical Strategies) in the same year.

While I just arrived at Hyde Park, Chicago, I got lost one day. A sign labeled “Taizé Prayer Tonight” drew my attention. I walked in, sat down, and join the peaceful evening prayer. I became a member of Hyde Park Union Church (affiliated with UCC and American Baptist Churches, ABC) in Sep 2015. I transferred to the United Church of Hyde Park (affiliates with UCC, Presbyterian Church, and United Methodist Church) in November 2019 for preparing my ordination. I was accepted to be a member of The Church Council in February 2020 and now serve as Minister of Media.

A theologian and the writing that shapes my thought

    Among progressive theologians, Choan-Seng Song (1929-) is one of the theologians who influences my theological thinking, especially his Story Theology. As a student of the late theologian James H. Cone (1938-2018), C.S. Song devoted to telling the ignored stories. As a theologian from Taiwan, he claimed to do theology from the Asian context rather than duplicating Western theology.[2] Song argues the understanding of theology as God-Talk might mean, “‘God said,’ we are told,” just like the story in the Garden in the Book of Genesis. “Talk about God” brings us problems that Christians speak in God’s name and “just using the name of God to give credence to what we are saying.”[3] Then, Song turns to “Theology as Human-Talk” that via the communication in the daily language (cultural determined) and life (religious experiences) within a community to “testify” the faith.[4] And this is beyond the limits of being a particular religious belief, such as a John Calvin, because (Christian) theology is “human action and human talk,” which Jesus was engaged in.[5]

What touches my heart is Song’s effort to get rid of Christocentrism[6] that was formed and enhanced by the privileged and mandated to the rest of the world. Song suggests to reverse people’s anxiety, people’s distress, poor and disinherited people, and people in suffering to the beginning of theology, because Jesus himself got involved in those situations, with people, experienced the same conditions to testify his understanding of God’s words, rather than quoting the rigid idea or regulations (Theology) to explain or interpret the contexts.[7] It is a progressive theology that describes or reveals the interaction between God and humanity, and “how the love of the God-humanity expresses itself in the life of human beings and the world.”[8] Song argues humanity is a context of relations, and Jesus is the power of love to unite between God and humanity in action.[9]

I realized Song’s theological method resonates with UCC “God is Still Speaking” in continuing re-shaping the understanding of God’s love in everyone’s journey[10] and could expand UCC’s spectrum theologically and practically in ministry while UCC is now on the journey toward diversity. My approach of the deconstruction of the biblical authority is influenced profoundly by Song’s concepts.

The ecumenical movement has brought different traditions within one united congregation or members with diverse backgrounds. Such as UCC, four different traditions merged into one denomination in 1957.[11] In this “non-creedal” church (UCC), the biblical authority relies on individual freedom of interpretation, not doctrinal orientation, which provides more space for folks of different backgrounds and traditions to implement their own faiths based on individuals’ creeds rather than manipulating or enforcing.[12] Wesleyan quadrilateral can help to bring the scriptures, traditions, reasons, and experiences into the debates which can reveal “the multiple authorities in a community” and the mutual relations between readers and texts.[13]

I do believe in The Bible and the power of it. For now, my application of biblical authority to preaching and writing is hypertextuality which is through the understanding of the biblical authorities applied between different communities’ daily life, the approaches that biblical meanings constructed and inter-referencing, and the analysis of social-economical-racial-cultural-abled-gender-intersectional influences. One of my favorite scriptures, saying “[T]he Lord said to him (Moses), This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.” (Deuteronomy 34:4) The world of the full acceptance of LGBTQ folks might be near; however, I might not be able to see it in my own eye, but I am part of that world and time to come.

On the other hand, while my aboriginal siblings are still suffering from the displacement and Doctrine of Discovery, I would rather stand away from that promised land and seek the sound from the marginalized, especially those silenced by institutional violence. That land is the ground pre-determined to be conquered due to their religions, race, cultures, non-Israelite customs, and the benefits of the chosen one. G*d is asking me to do so from taking anything for granted. I felt caught in-between. This is precisely the liminal experience of postcolonization: the kingdom of (Christian-male-patriarchal-cis-gender) God, the same genocidal God but was transfigured. Suppose one of the goals of hermeneutic is to liberate the oppressed from the abuse of biblical authority. In that case, my approach is to deconstruct the liberation itself from the power dynamic and lift the oppressed voices. However, this is only the first step for the liberation. And I believe this resonates with UCC’s long heritage.

My reflections and understanding regarding UCC

Long before I knew UCC, folks who received degrees from a UCC affiliated seminary have influenced my theological perspectives and the Christian life. My Presbyterian background helps me to fit in part of UCC’s heritage, the Reformed tradition.[14] When I realized that the first high education institute, Gallaudet University (since 1864), was established by a congregational minister, after I have translated two books of deaf ministry into Mandarin,[15] I was moved and had to admit the special connection: work and fight with the minority. Otherwise, the strong character of the anti-creedal spirit encouraged biblical liberalism. The egalitarian idealism also supplanted the authority of tradition. Everyone has the right to private judgment, scriptural interpretation, and the liberty of conscience, which forms the character of a Christian within the Congregationalist Church and tradition. This spirit is shown in the Constitution of the General Council of Congregational Christian Church in 1931, and that lead the adoption of the spirits of radical inclusiveness in UCC (1961).[16]

My passion and ministry – digital and LGBTQ ministry

Jesus left us the command in Matthew 28:19-20, saying “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” In this section, I would like to address my passion and response to Jesus’ command regarding “make them disciples” and “to the end of the age/world”.

The digital revolution means the process of the mechanical and analog electronic technology to digital electronic technology, which happened since the late 1950s till today. In the 1980s, the invention of the personal computer speeded it up. While the World Wide Web (WWW) came out to the public in the 1990s, internet technology has built up the prototype of the digital environment. Today, we are in the post-industrial era and the early digital era. Just like the industrial revolution impacted the economic and social structure in the late 18^th to 19^th centuries, the digital age has changed our world.[17] Digital tools bring human convenience, but they also create new challenges to human society and individuals, including the church.

According to UCC Everywhere (2019), fewer than 30% of the UCC congregations have their websites. However, the behavior of younger churchgoers and seeker has changed. Most of them read digital church profiles before they decided to pay a visit. 89% of the 30-ish and below folks treat digital devices as part of their daily life and companion. The way of connection between individuals and the faith communities has changed too. Via a YouTube video and Facebook post, people write, read, and interact with different identities locally and globally. That also reveals the dissolving of the physical distance and barrier. Digital communication is now part of the Message proclaimed and delivered by the church.[18] However, even though 30% of churches have a website, digital tools, such as social media, are problems to them: it is out of control and difficult to manage.[19] Our church needs to catch up with this world, which has been transformed, primarily social media could provide “interactivity, personalization, ubiquity/connectedness, and sharing,”[20] which might be the Chicago Street Preacher today.

While COVID-19 attacked the US, churches were forced to adjust their worship service and ministry. Some churches did an excellent job; however, 50% of the congregations in IL Conference still could not do live streaming service. While folks could not meet in person, virtual pastoral care is needed, but some churches did not work it through. Besides the IT aspect, the ministry in a non-in-person contact framework has come and shaped church ministry. According to the Northern Illinois Conference, United Methodist Church, around 30% of the church members would like to stay online only after the pandemic. I took action after the TPIRC Annual Summit 2020. I received 15 hours training of in Reboot Worship from Worship Design Studio (with the certificate, dated Nov 12 2020) to enhance worship engagement and IT integration on both in-person and virtual service.[21] It is urgent to transform the worship design and experience to current and the context to come. I am on this journey now, “to the end of the age/world.”

As a member of the LGBTQ community, which is still seen as an outcast and is excluded from many Christian worlds, I also am working on LGBTQ digital ministry. Although the internet does provide the tool for proclaiming the transformative message beyond the physical limitation and let the minorities and marginalized have alternative virtual space, for LGBTQ people, it is still problematic: “feelings of isolation, stereotypes regarding sex/sexuality/gender that reinforce patriarchal, misogynistic systems of power, and strong connections between queer identity and capitalist consumption to assimilate to a heterosexual ‘norm.’”[22] Surveys also point out, besides the cyber community, a physical hub of interaction, fellowship, and joining the Communion together is essential and desired. Church in the digital era needs to play a better role both in virtual and physical community gathering, and the more important of all is to build the bridge in-between. While digital gods could provide the answers to life, community, and sense of belonging, the church is no longer the place for gathering or redemption/truth providers. Holding a physical building is a burden, financially, psychologically, and theologically. It’s urgent to investigate a theology which could reflect on the digital incarnation and wisdom of the crowd, and then, put those insights into ministry.[23] In the meantime, the generational gaps between folks born in the digital era and folks who need to learn a digital culture as adults influence their ideas, values, comment, and behavior in sharing and interacting with communities, either physical or virtual.[24]

From the Statement of Faith, several keywords appear and disappear to create a border space. Such as using the idea of “Trinity” by mentioning “We believe in you, O God, Eternal Spirit, God of our Savior Jesus Christ and our God,”[25] but not fixing of that doctrine, provides flexibility rather than a more static doctrine. “[Y]ou call the worlds into being, create persons in your image, and set before each one the ways of life and death” express the diversities created by God, not merely only one possibility. The spirit of the covenant between “all ages, tongues, and races” expresses the histories of the immigrants from the colony period. This is essential for LGBTQ and the marginalized community to seek their spiritual belonging because the doctrines have done harm and excluded them from the faith communities.

In the 18^th century, the Church of England ignored the impacts done by the industrial revolution but benefited from the accumulation of wealth. John Wesley noticed that the change in economics and society did cause sufferings to the working class and an unjust social structure. However, the Church of England did not make enough effort for those people. Wesley’s efforts revived the Church by directly approaching the people who were outside the church. John Wesley’s story inspires me to utilize my IT background to do digital ministry in the digital era. It is also my honor to serve as Minister of Media at my current church, United Church of Hyde Park, to put my thought into practice for the first step.

Bi-vocational call and Four-Way Covenant

I am pursuing a bi-vocational work style as an academic worker and minister at the same time. Keeping academic work on the one hand and ministry on the other could enhance my ability to transform filed experiences and issues into the academic projects, and vice-versa. I also got accepted to Master of Science in Strategic Brand Communication at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, starting in fall 2020. I would like to enhance the application of communicative behavior, psychologically, sociologically, profitably (from that new program) and theologically (from my reflection) doing ministry in the digital era. Live streaming is only a part of digital communication. I would like to make the Good News proclaimed more efficiently, in deep heart and need. I expect to finish my Ph.D. in hermeneutics and LGBTQ study in 2023 and Master of Science in 2021. I am preparing myself to be a higher education administrator and instructor, a brand communicator and strategist, and digital minister.

 I also know my call should be understood under the concept of the Four-Way Covenant[26] and I would like to keep working with local congregation (United Church of Hyde Park, UCHP), association (Chicago Metropolitan Association, CMA) and the ministry settings (digital ministry). My digital ministry could be either recognized and accepted by my local congregation or provided by another existing agency. Besides, I will keep serving in my local congregation via preaching regularly and conduct Sacrament to fulfill and maximize the expectations towards an ordained minister.

As a bi-vocational minister, probably part-time in both or many occupations, especially in the digital era, one of my core ministries is to equip lay folks with the knowledge to run a local congregation well and build a border community together, “make them disciples.” The “physical hub” I mentioned earlier could be my congregation, an activist event, a protest, and a demonstration that those quipped lay folks shall meet. I would like to be a “part-time minister” just like most laypeople to equip, share, and support each other in the church ministries. Through the preaching at a local congregation and broadcasting the queer bible commentaries online, The Word could be proclaimed everywhere in person and digitally. So far, my podcast, Queer of God,[27] has 76 episodes, and one of them has 11 thousand people reached on Facebook (Dec 3 2020). I also received feedback from folks worldwide, some of them are appreciation, and some of them are denouncements. This is a continuing process of reconciliation and mutual understanding of God’s kingdom: what will that look like? Believe it or not, a friend of mine in Australia needs to drive an hour to another town for LGBTQ friendly worship today.

During the COVID-19 period in 2020, churches have experienced “virtual sacrament” in diverse approaches. Digital ministry covers doing Word proclamation and the Sacrament. New members might join in the digital community intentionally, actively, preferably been bounded in a particular local congregation, reluctantly. The essential factor is the Communion is sharing the wound and burden, enjoying the Life and Covenant, and connecting, either in-person or virtually. While folks are separated, the accessible materials of bread and cup will be the essential sharing substances. Some might bake their bread and prepare the fresh juice from the backyard to join. For me, the most impressive experience is using sweet potato and the Oolong tea: the daily food of the poor and customed drink for the labor providers in Taiwan. We share the table with diverse experiences remotely, via the help of digital tools.

The Baptism is, traditionally, through water, which represents the death and resurrection with Jesus. In my theological reflection and practice, baptism could be through the physical water, an incident, a social movement that folks experienced the death and resurrection. Through the digital network, each of the equipped participants would become the new node to connect and to build a new local network and community. They can keep sharing the Love and Word of G*d,[28] experiencing their bodies broken, and the power of solidarity and love G*d has put in each individual. My role is to assist folks in recognizing and confirming one thing: it is the resurrected Christ who has led and saved me. While in the church, the live streaming can provide the presence of the congregation remotely, and they are still the witness of this moment. I also would like to propose that under some circumstances, such as there is not any LGBTQ affirming congregation or ordained minister around, I, a ordained minister, will direct another baptized Christian, a disciple of Christ, to conduct the baptism for a seeker via digital tools as well, in the name of God, Son, and Spirit, according to the Book of Worship. Digital ministry could be able to exceed the physical barriers and be able to welcome the new member to the virtual and physical congregation and fellowship. “Coming-Out” as a sacrament for LGBTQ people, and I believe as an LGBTQ affirmative minister like me shall embrace and honor this.

From the Statement of Mission, UCC participates in universal missions for all people. The spirit of social justice is not only mentioned but also stressed by “[to] repent[ing] our silence and complicity with the forces of chaos and death.” In 1969, "Resolution on Homosexuals and the Law" was addressed by Council for Christian Social Action. In 1972, the first openly gay minister, Rev. William R. Johnson, was ordained. In 1982, the first lesbian minister, Rev. Anne Holmes, was ordained. The Open and Affirming Project (ONA) started in 1985 (Bailey and Golder 2006).[29] The ordination is essential to my ministry regarding my LGBTQ ministry and discerning the coming reign of G*d in the digital era.[30] Into this new frontier, I will act on behalf of UCC, under the inspection of the association, to “serve G*d and the world in humility, able and willing to offer and receive wisdom”[31] faithfully and collectively together with my UCC colleagues. I will follow the vow of ordination in UCC according to the Book of Worship, to persuade the call from G*d, preach the Word, pray continually, speak in love to keep the peace of the church, practice the preaching and sacrament faithfully, and keep silence who shared with me in confidence.[32] I also know my colleagues and my congregation have quite different understanding of theologies. By following vows, I believe that the diverse thoughts and practices could be united.

I also realize boundary and ethics training is a required one, which I should keep renewing every other year for helping me to “maintain a healthy relationship and practice self-differentiation in both my personal and professional life, including within the Local Church where I hold membership.”[33] That is essential for a bi-vocational minister, not only in my personal and family life but also among different occupations. It is also important to me to keep enlarging boundary training into the digital environment. The latest training that I took at Convergence (August 23 2020) did cover this topic and opened an entrance to it. As to self-care, I learned to maintain a regular daily scheduled life during the weekday: breakfast, podcast recording, exercise, break, study, lunch, tea-time, digital ministry-related works, preparing dinner, and time with my husband. I love to cook pan-Asian creative meals combining with various ingredients, which keeps discovering more about myself. This schedule is flexible and always brings me energy. 

I would like to use one of my stories to close my paper. While I was a chaplain at Rush University Medical Center receiving my CPE training, I was assigned to two units and had a couple of nights of on-call shift alone. One of those nights, I encountered nine deaths from different families. I ran from one building to another, cried with the families, and prayed together. I felt the whole world was against me, and God was hiding. However, one lady who lost her twin infants called me and asked for her children’s baptism. We named them LaLaila (The Beautiful Night) and LaMichael (The One God Loves). At that moment, I realized that it was God/G*d who still guided and comforted us, no matter in what situations, although I might not be able to be aware of.

Selected references

Bailey, J. Martin, and W. Evan Golder. Ucc @ 50: Our History--Our Future. Cleveland, OH: United Church of Christ, 2006.

Bonner, Steven D. "The Social Church: A Theology of Digital Communication." Journal of Youth Ministry 15, no. 1 (Fall2016 2016): 161-63. https://cts.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=119263366&site=eds-live.

Detweiler, Craig. Igods: How Technology Shapes Our Spiritual and Social Lives. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Brazos Press, 2013. https://cts.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=665920&site=eds-live.

Doukidis, Georgios I. , Nikolaos  Mylonopoulos, and Nancy  Pouloudi. Social and Economic Transformation in the Digital Era. Hershey, Pennsylvania: IGI Global, 2003.

Endō, Shūsaku. Silence. London, UK: Parkwest Publications, 1980.

"Pope Francis and Japan: A Wish Come True." Vatican News, Updated September 13 2019, 2019, accessed Feb 15, 2020, https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-09/pope-francis-japan-visit-wish-come-true.html.

Gunnemann, Louis H., and Charles Shelby Rooks. The Shaping of the United Church of Christ: An Essay in the History of American Christianity. Cleveland, Ohio: United Church Press, 1999.

Johnson, Daniel L., and Charles Hambrick-Stowe. Theology and Identity: Traditions, Movements, and Polity in the United Church of Christ. Edited by Daniel L. Johnson and Charles Hambrick-Stowe. Cleveland: Pilgrim Press, 2007.

Lancaster, Sarah Heaner. "Authority and Narrative." Chap. 10 In Engaging Biblical Authority: Perspectives on the Bible as Scripture, edited by William P. Brown, 81-89. Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox Press, 2007.

Marzouk, Safwat. Intercultural Church : A Biblical Vision for an Age of Migration. Word & World Books : Theology for Christian Ministry. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Fortress Press, 2019. https://cts.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat06027a&AN=llcc.592284&site=eds-live.

"The Industrial Era Ended, and So Will the Digital Era." Harvard Business Publishing, 2018, accessed Feb 14, 2020, https://hbr.org/2018/07/the-industrial-era-ended-and-so-will-the-digital-era.

Siebler, Kay. Learning Queer Identity in the Digital Age. London, United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016.

Song, Choan-Seng. The Believing Heart: An Invitation to Story Theology. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1999.

———. Theology from the Womb of Asia. Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 1986.

———. Third-Eye Theology: Theology in Formation in Asian Settings. revised ed. Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Book, 1979.

"Multiply-Affiliated Congregations in the United Church of Christ." Center for Analytics, Research and Data (CARD), United Church of Christ, 2015, accessed April 30, 2017, 2017.

 

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[1] In the past, especially under the perspective of Doctrine of Discovery, the monocultural model was the model for ministry and missionary. Multicultural model might be used in some churches and denominations which respects the differences, allows the co-existence and celebrates the different races, cultures, and theology in the church. Intercultural model could be seen based on multicultural model, but, members from diverse background keep in covenant with one another and “create a space for interaction of diverse cultural groups within a society…to embrace the differences…grow together and become transformed.” Although there are three models now, the presupposition is still the supremacy of Western Christianity. However, the hidden Christians in Japan are rediscovered as Catholic. They hid Icons in their closet and transformed St. Mary into Bodhisattva during the period with no missionaries for two hundred years. Rosary was misread and mixed with different words rather than the original Latin version. It’s hardly to admit it’s a Catholic congregation. Pope Francis eventually met their offspring in 2019. See Safwat Marzouk, Intercultural church : a biblical vision for an age of migration, Word & world books : theology for Christian ministry, (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Fortress Press, 2019), 15. https://cts.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat06027a&AN=llcc.592284&site=eds-live. And Shūsaku Endō, Silence (London, UK: Parkwest Publications, 1980). And "Pope Francis and Japan: a wish come true," Vatican News, updated September 13 2019, 2019, accessed Feb 15, 2020, https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-09/pope-francis-japan-visit-wish-come-true.html.

[2] Choan-Seng Song, Theology from the Womb of Asia (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 1986).

[3] The Believing Heart: An Invitation to Story Theology (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1999), 24.

[4] Ibid., 27-8.

[5] Ibid., 30.

[6] Choan-Seng Song, The Believing Heart: An Invitation to Story Theology (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1999), 62-3.

[7] Song, The Believing Heart: An Invitation to Story Theology, 31-49.

[8] Choan-Seng Song, Third-eye Theology: Theology in Formation in Asian Settings, revised ed. (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Book, 1979), 95-96.

[9] Song, Third-eye Theology: Theology in Formation in Asian Settings, 105-6, 13.

[10] “God is Still Speaking,” https://www.ucc.org/god-is-still-speaking

[11] Actually, UCC cooperates with different tradition after 1957. 12% of UCC churches affiliate with more than one (UCC) denominations in 2015 "MULTIPLY-AFFILIATED CONGREGATIONS IN THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST," Center for Analytics, Research and Data (CARD), United Church of Christ, 2015, accessed April 30, 2017, 2017.. Louis H. Gunnemann and Charles Shelby Rooks, The shaping of the United Church of Christ: an essay in the history of American Christianity (Cleveland, Ohio: United Church Press, 1999), 112.

[12] Daniel L. Johnson and Charles Hambrick-Stowe, Theology and identity: traditions, movements, and polity in the united church of christ, ed. Daniel L. Johnson and Charles Hambrick-Stowe (Cleveland: Pilgrim Press, 2007), 34-35.

[13] Sarah Heaner Lancaster, "Authority and Narrative," in Engaging Biblical Authority: Perspectives on the Bible as Scripture, ed. William P. Brown (Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox Press, 2007), 82-4.

[14] The four major strands of UCC history are Congregationalist Church, Christian Church, Evangelical Church, and Reformed Church.Gunnemann and Rooks, The shaping of the United Church of Christ: an essay in the history of American Christianity, 112.

[15] Translator of the Mandarin version. (1) Lori Buck. Signs of Love: A guide for deaf ministry (《手語之愛：聾人事工指南》). Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 2014. (Mandarin version published by Taiwan Sign Language Evangelical Center, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, January 2019, ISBN: 9789869043830) (2) Hannah Lewis. The Deaf Liberation Theology (《聾人解放神學》). United Kingdom: Routledge, 2007. (Mandarin version published by Taiwan Sign Language Evangelical Center, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, December 2016, ISBN: 9789869043823)

[16] Thanks for the notes from the lecture provided by Rev. Dr. Joseph M. Gustier. I summarize most of the materials within this project.

[17] This 2018 article mentioned we are just in the beginning of the digital era and there’ll be more changes and impacts to both economic and society. Although this article focuses mainly on economic and new technology applications, it also reveals the capitalism is enhancing itself through the application of digital tools. There are more to come. "The Industrial Era Ended, and So Will the Digital Era," Harvard Business Publishing, 2018, accessed Feb 14, 2020, https://hbr.org/2018/07/the-industrial-era-ended-and-so-will-the-digital-era.

[18] Steven D. Bonner, "The Social Church: A Theology of Digital Communication," Journal of Youth Ministry 15, no. 1 (Fall2016 2016), https://cts.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=119263366&site=eds-live.

[19] This book explores the impacts of digital era/tools in many dimensions. How to sustain a socio-economic relationship in digital era is the core concern of this book. I believe it’s also the core issue for our church at the present time. Georgios I.  Doukidis, Nikolaos  Mylonopoulos, and Nancy  Pouloudi, Social and Economic Transformation in the Digital Era (Hershey, Pennsylvania: IGI Global, 2003).

[20] Bonner, "The Social Church: A Theology of Digital Communication."

[21] Worship Design Studio, https://www.worshipdesignstudio.com/ .

[22] Kay Siebler, Learning queer identity in the digital age (London, United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016), 3.

[23] This author tried to answer the question of a theology of technology. He quoted from David Tracy “a shift from theo-logy to theo-logy, a shift from the study of God driven by reason, to the experience of God rooted in revelation.” And the wisdom of the online crowd could provide more creative ideas of the Spirit. Craig Detweiler, iGods: How Technology Shapes Our Spiritual and Social Lives (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Brazos Press, 2013), 11, 119. https://cts.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=665920&site=eds-live.

[24] Siebler, Learning queer identity in the digital age, 45.

[25] United Church of Christ Statement of Faith in the form of a doxology, https://www.ucc.org/beliefs_statement-of-faith#DOX

[26] Manual On Ministry: A Guide to Authorizing Ministry in the United Church of Christ (2018), section 2.5, page 88-90.

[27] Queer of God (podcast), https://queerofgod.com/ (launched on May 15 2020).

[28] “G*d” was delivered by the feminist theologian, Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza, who argues the Divine should not be fixed to male nor female. By using “G*d,” the concept of the Divine could be reconstructed and discussed rather than, especially, duplicating the harmful masculine/patriarchal figures. This is critical for LGBTQ Christians to rediscover our paths.

[29] J. Martin Bailey and W. Evan Golder, UCC @ 50: our history--our future (Cleveland, OH: United Church of Christ, 2006), 30.

[30] Statement of Mission, https://www.ucc.org/beliefs_statement-of-mission

[31] Manual On Ministry: A Guide to Authorizing Ministry in the United Church of Christ (2018), section 1, page 9.

[32] Book of Worship (2012), Section: Service of Recognition and Authorization of Ministries, page 406-408.

[33] “The Ordained Minister's Code,” https://www.ucc.org/ministers_ordained-ministers-code