In an email sent out to local pastors and religious professionals this past week the leaders of the Dane County Association of Evangelicals announced the group’s demise, calling it a "peaceful end." A group that began as a networking circle of local evangelical pastors 40-some years ago, when evangelical churches first started to grow and have an impact on the Madison area, is no more.
Most of the members and attenders at local evangelical churches probably know little about the DCAE. It started out as a place for evangelical pastors to get acquainted, when fellowship across denominational lines was less common than it is today. In the end it may have been diverging views over political statements that led to its end.
At one time the monthly meetings were well attended by several dozen local pastors representing charismatic and evangelical churches. The group sought out local political leaders such as Paul Soglin and Kathleen Falk for dialogue, getting their perspective on political issues and helping them better understand the evangelical population that makes up the city of Madison and Dane County.
DCAE welcomed Morlino to Madison
When new Catholic bishop Robert Morlino came to Madison six years ago the DCAE invited him to a get-acquainted meeting. "That was a ground-breaking meeting," said Ron Dobie, pastor of Christ the King Community Church in Stoughton, the last president of DCAE. It was also one of the last meetings that the group had.
Dobie says that interest in meeting together as DCAE seemed to wane after the organization’s leadership proposed that DCAE members sign and publicize a statement in response to a newspaper advertisment published by liberal, mainline pastors in support of Madison’s homosexual population. A group within DCAE felt a response should outline a more conservative position on homosexuality.
"We wanted to go public with the advertisement," Dobie said. "They (most of the other members) didn’t want to do that. They felt uncomfortable making a political statement. But I think that speaking out about the culture, being prophetic, is part of being a pastor." Ultimately there was a statement that was released.
Losing representation in the Madison School District
Dobie says one of the most important contributions the DCAE has made in recent years has been holding a position on the Madison School District’s Superintedent’s Human Relations Advisory Council (SHRAC). David Carlson, the pastor of Bethany Evangelical Free Church, and Rich Sicard, a campus staff member at the University of Wisconsin with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, have shared the seat.
"That was a place where the evangelical church had a voice," Dobie said. "That’s a voice we’re going to lose."
Dobie says he first attended a DCAE meeting about 30 years ago. "I’ve always had a desire to see churches work together," he said. Since then the evangelical presence in Madison has grown. A number of churches have gotten quite large. A few churches which grew quickly, such as Shalom Christian Fellowship, are no longer operating. "The evangelical church has grown in numbers but I’m not sure how much of an impact it has now," he said.
Other options are available
Even though the DCAE has expired there are other pastors groups that meet in the Madison area. The DCAE email message suggested that anyone who wishes to network with evangelical pastors contact Craig Robertson, the pastor of New Crossing Church. Robertson coordinates a group of pastors that meets regularly.
Despite the demise of DCAE there does seem to be a desire for unity among the evangelical pastors in Madison, as indicated by the turnout at the Seeking God Together event at Lake City Church on March 15th last winter. Almost two dozen pastors participated in prayer at the Sunday night gathering, which drew an audience of about 1,000 worshipers.