new church life: march / april 2014
of any age and the ministry to mean the General Church priesthood.
(Interestingly, the General Church did not exist at the time of the
Charter. All but one of the founders were members of Convention. Their
view of the New Church that was to be established certainly included
more than the two extant organizations at the time: Conference and
Convention.)
In time those who follow us will make other interpretations of what the
Charter permits; they will revise and update the mission statements, hopefully
in an orderly and fruitful way that will stay true to the core purpose. There is,
after all, a Core or Ch \