If virtue is a stable disposition to act and feel according to some idea or model of excellence, cultivated over time, then surely virtue is cultivated no more acutely than in the ordinary church business meeting.

“Church business” is itself something of an oxymoron. What is the “business” of a church anyway? It’s not business. It’s ministry. It’s the ordinary stuff of agendas, budgets, motions, seconds, and votes, all for the purpose—we pray—of building God’s church and hence glorifying Him. A church business meeting requires that we talk to one another, listen to one another, and disagree when necessary, all while paying attention, taking turns, and sitting up straight. A church business meeting is a sanctifying experience.

A week ago today, I moderated a presbytery meeting. A presbytery is a regional [Read more…]