She also brings experience leading ecumenical organizations like the National Council of Churches, the Caribbean and North American Council of the World Communion of Reformed Churches and Churches Uniting in Christ, according to the UCC.
That is reflected in what the denomination described as the heart of Thompson’s work and her vision for the UCC: religious multiplicity and diversity, justice for marginalized communities worldwide and affirming spiritual practices beyond mainline Christianity.
“The United Church of Christ, I think, continues to live into and honor a legacy of what we call progressive engagement in the public sphere, and I would like to see that happen, and I do wonder what that means for our 21st-century existence. I think we’re only as progressive as the next thing that we encounter,” Thompson told RNS.
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She added, “I believe that when we talk about being progressive in the United Church of Christ, we talk about no matter who you are or where you are in life’s journey, all are welcome here. I want to push us to think about what it means for us to broaden that welcome in terms of how we understand hospitality in the church, who’s welcome, who’s invited. How do we ensure not that when people come, we’re making adjustments for their participation, but what do we need to do to ensure that when people come, we are already ready for their participation?”
Thompson will step into the role of general minister and president on Aug. 1. She follows the Rev. John Dorhauer, who is finishing eight years in the role.
The UCC’s General Synod is part business meeting, part worship service and part “family reunion,” as the Rev. Traci Blackmon, associate general minister, said before the last meeting in 2021.
That meeting was held online, making this the first time the UCC has gathered in person since 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic upended gatherings around the world.
The theme of this year’s General Synod, which runs June 30 to July 4, is “Making All Things New,” inspired by a passage in the biblical book of Isaiah: “Do not remember the former things or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
About 2,000 people — including 733 voting delegates — are attending the meeting, which kicked off with a message from keynote speaker the Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber, an ordained pastor in the mainline Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and a bestselling author.
This article originally appeared here.
