Beyond Business As Usual - A Call To Leadership

The reelection of Barack Obama will certainly be 2012's most remembered story - but in my mind, two other events are more indicative of the situations facing both the church and the government in America.

In June and July, several mainline denominations including the Methodists, Episcopals, and Presbyterians held their national conventions. Each devolved into the ugly sort of infighting over hot-button issues that we've grown to expect from such meetings.

Frustrated with "business as usual," a group of participants and online observers (mostly comprised of younger adults) banded together in concurrent movements that became known as "The Mainline Summer." The purpose, as I understood it, was to focus on prayer and Scripture, and to invite the Holy Spirit to move our church bodies beyond the the partisan bickering and into a more hopeful and Spirit-led future.

Six-months later, many of us are feeling that same anger and frustration toward our nation's leaders. The now infamous "Fiscal Cliff" negotiations have not brought us the compromise and pragmatic bi-parisanship they were supposed to. Instead, it's been more "business as usual," featuring the same posturing and brinksmanship that has prevented our nation's fiscal problems from being addressed for years.

It's only been a few hours since the "Fiscal Cliff" dealine passed without a resolution, and many partisan folks are predictably laying all the blame on the other party - but I'm also noticing a current bubbling up that is similar to what produced "The Mainline Summer."

Many people are frustrated with the system as a whole. They understand that the two sides are so consumed with defeating one another that they can't see how they are harming the entire body. They are longing for leaders who can transcend the partisan warfare and can lead the nation into a more hopeful and more unified future.

So as 2013 begins, both the church and the nation find themselves with similar challenges and opportunities. Both find themselves mired in old categories and old partisan struggles, and both need fresh voices, fresh ideas, and fresh methods for dealing with their problems.

With this in mind, I am calling on myself and on my generation to make 2013 a year to step up and step into a new level of leadership, and a new type of leadership. Movements like "The Mainline Summer" are a great start, but we need much more - and we need to be more intentional and more practically-oriented about it.

Over the coming weeks and months, I invite you to join me in a conversation that is more than just talk - but that is action and talk,  where we can share our experiences in seeking this new type of leadership.  Let's work together in leading our church and our nation beyond the "business as usual" that is crippling us.

Bored of the Dance

(Sung to the tune of "Lord of the Dance" - my apologies to Sydney Carter)

I danced in November when the budget talks began

I danced when Obama told the House, “I have a plan.”

I danced when Republicans, they said “No way!”

And we knew the debate was here to stay.

 

Dance, dance, wherever you may be. I am so bored of the dance, said he.

And I’ll lead you off the fiscal cliff, said he, and I’ll lead you off if we can’t agree.

 

I danced for McConnell, Boehner, and Reagan’s ghost

They said, “No new taxes on those who make the most.”

I danced for Harry Reid, who finally had the guts.

To tell the GOP, “You can’t have those spending cuts.”

 

Dance, dance, wherever you may be. I am so bored of the dance, said he.

And I’ll lead you off the fiscal cliff, said he, and I’ll lead you off if we can’t agree.

 

I danced for O’Reilly, for Jon Stewart, and for Rush.

They danced with me, just to send their ratings up.

But they could not tell us what we already know,

That this whole debate is just one big show.

 

Dance, dance, wherever you may be. I am so bored with the dance, said he.

And I’ll lead you off the fiscal cliff, said he, and I’ll lead you off if you we can’t agree.

 

(Slowly and mournfully)

I danced for the lobbyists and all of the PAC’s

It’s hard to dance with Grover Norquist on your back.

From the way they all were fighting, it began to appear

That another Great Recession, it would soon be here.

 

Dance, dance, wherever you may be. I am so bored of the dance, said he.

And I’ll lead you off the fiscal cliff, said he, and I’ll lead you off if we can’t agree.

 

But just before we plunged into the breach

The announcement came, a compromise, it had been reached

That allowed each side to sing a victory song,

Kick the can down the road, and let the dance go on!

 

Dance, dance, wherever you may be. I am so bored with the dance, said he.

And I’ll lead you off the fiscal cliff, said he. And I’ll lead you off if you can’t agree.

 

Evangelism, or Membership Transfer?

Evangelism is the way we help spread the good news that is faith in Jesus Christ. Within mainline churches, however, there are two distinct attitudes for how this is done:


1) Evangelism as Membership Transfer This method operates on the assumption that there are already people in our community who are looking for a church, possibly even a church of our particular denomination. The job of the church, then, is to:

A) Make the church building clean, neat, and welcoming to visitors .

B) Do advertising and publicity of worship times, Bible studies, and special events.

C) Encourage and educate members how to invite friends, neighbors, and new residents who might be looking for a church.

D) Make the worship experience for visitors as welcoming and meaningful as possible.

E) Follow-up with visitors through contact by pastor and church members, and by cultivating them toward the decision to join the church.

The Membership Transfer method is focused on convincing people who are already disciples of Christ to attend our church instead of another church. It can also be good for re-energizing the faith of those who have drifted away from church. It rarely, however, helps new believers to make a confession of faith.

　

2) Evangelism As Reaching Out To Those Who Do Not Know Christ We can no longer assume that most people in our community have a background in church - especially younger people. The mainline church essentially lost a generation (ages 25-45), and now this generation is raising a lot of children who have no church experience. In this new environment, the job of the church is to:

A) Be a visible example in the community of what it means to follow Christ and love one another as he loved us. (We must counter a lot of negative media coverage.)

B) Listen to young adults and their attitudes about church and faith (to them, those are two very different things). Understand why they don‘t attend without pressuring or judging. Take seriously the unique concerns of their generation, and what they say about where they find spiritual fulfillment.

C) Be willing to “think outside the box” (and willing to fail) when it comes to reaching the missing generation and their children. What worked 20 or 30 years ago might not work today. We are exploring new territory without a map.

D) Continue to be welcoming and affirming to those who do have a church background and are looking for a congregation.

E) Be willing to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, and to resist the temptation to be “numbers-oriented.” Understand the difference between keeping the church vibrant and functioning and becoming too focused on attendance figures.

　

　
So is your church doing evangelism, or just membership transfer?

From The Pulpit: From Cynicism To Wonder

Several years ago, when Margaret and I were living in South Carolina, I was sitting in my office on a hot summer afternoon when I heard a rumble of thunder. I ran outside to the parking lot, and sure enough, an ominous black cloud was rapidly beginning to fill up the western sky.

 Now the church just happened to sit at the top of a small hill on the eastern end of the downtown area, so I had the perfect vantage point to watch the storm roll in. It was awe-inspiring to experience first the building of the dark clouds until the entire sky was covered, then the flashes of lightning and rumblings of thunder, then the wind whipping in, and then the line of heavy rain marching right up Main Street and over the church.

 It was an experience  that was both thrilling and frightening at the same time, and was probably quite similar to what the author of Psalm 29 wrote about in the Old Testament reading for today. For he writes about what must have been a massive storm using images such as these:

 “The voice of the Lord is over the waters. The God of glory thunders.”

“The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars, the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon” – which, by the way, were considered some of the strongest trees in that part of the world.

“The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness.”

“The voice of the Lord cause the oaks to whirl, and strips the forest bare” – which brings to mind the devastating images of hurricane and tornado damage that we often see today.

 Now speaking of tornadoes, Margaret is always horrified that whenever we get a tornado warning, I don’t run for the closest room without windows. Instead, I head out the front door to get a good look at what is going on!

 But this storm on that day at my old church wasn’t a dangerous situation. It was just some moderate wind and a lot of rain. And the people rushing indoors didn’t look very awe-struck -  just annoyed. They weren’t rushing inside to jot down a powerful piece of poetry like Psalm 29. They were simply trying to stay dry, to keep their hair from getting messed up, and to maybe find someone to listen to their complaints about having their busy day interrupted.

 And how often are we like that? How often, when God’s power is so close and so immediate that it literally moves and shakes us and gets us soaking wet? How often, when we have the chance to run outside, and be a witness to that power, or to run inside so we don’t have to feel it – how often do we choose the indoor option?

Of course, when we ask ourselves this question, we’re talking about a lot more than thunderstorms. We’re talking about all the ways God’s power and God’s transforming grace are made manifest in our lives. How often, because we don’t want to feel the winds that the Holy Spirit is blowing, or because we might be afraid of what that wind brings, or because we might just be too busy to want to deal with it – how often do we, in our faith lives, choose a safe, indoor, out of the way place to hide when the storm rolls in?

Too often, it seems. And that goes for all of us, including myself. In today’s church – and I’m speaking of churches all over the country – in today’s church, we’ve lost in many ways the ability to embrace the storm, to have faith that God is at work in the wind and the rain, and to stand and witness to the storm in awe and in wonder like the author of Psalm 29 did. Because I have a feeling that when he wrote that powerful piece of poetry, he wasn’t just talking about a literal thunderstorm, either. Certainly, he was thinking about some sort of chaos or conflict that was going on in his life or in his religious community or in his nation.

And the reason that we might lose the ability to be amazed by the power of God is because, in many ways, we have grown cynical. According to Webster’s dictionary, cynicism is the belief that the human condition is motivated wholly by self-interest – that there really is no virtue or no good or no decency in the world – that anyone who appears to be doing something loving or compassionate is really just trying to get something for themselves. In other words, a cynic believes that the world is dominated by sinfulness, and that anything we might want to call grace or the goodness of God is an illusion.

Cynicism, therefore, is the opposite of wonder. It’s the opposite of the child-like faith that Luke talks about in today’s Gospel reading, when he says this: that “whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God as a child will never enter it.” That doesn’t mean that we should be childish or immature in our faith, but rather that we should look at the world and look at what God is doing in the world with a child-like sense of awe and wonder – that we should strive to find the heavenly point of view that allows us see that the world is more than just a sinful mess - that even though we are sinful, and even though there are storms, there is also a lot of grace and a lot of goodness to be found if only we open our eyes to it.

As some of you might know, this past week was when the Presbyterian Church USA held its General Assembly. This a gathering of commissioners from Presbyteries all over the nation, and it meets once every two years to make important decisions regarding national church policy. As expected, it was a rather contentious assembly, because the Presbyterian Church, much like our country in general, is sharply split along partisan lines. I won’t go into the details of the controversies, other than to say that people on both sides left the meeting feeling angry, bitter, and cynical – as if the church body could never come together, even as if the future of the denomination itself might be in jeopardy.

Now I was not at the assembly, but thanks to the marvels of modern technology, I was able to follow some of the debates on Twitter, which is an Internet social media site. By Friday night, after perhaps the most contentious debate was held on an extremely controversial issue, I too was feeling quite cynical. I, too, was beginning to believe that no amount of God’s grace could ever overcome the bad feelings coming out of this conflict. I found myself wanting just to turn the computer off, and to seek shelter from our denominational storm by ignoring what was going on.

But then, yesterday morning something amazing happened. I logged onto Twitter just to see what people were saying in the aftermath of Friday’s storm, and I was blown away. I learned that two young women – one a youth minister who just recently graduated from seminary, and the other still in seminary – were inviting people to join them for an online prayer meeting to be held later in the evening. I logged on last night not sure what to expect, concerned that it might end up being a partisan rally, or even a continuation of the debate.

But joyfully, my fears were misguided. It turned out to be a beautiful moment where Presbyterians from all over the nation, and even some folks from other denominations, gathered together and poured their hearts out in prayer for the future of God’s church. Now I don’t know how any of these folks feel about the controversial issues of the day, and that didn’t really matter - because here are a few examples of the types of prayers people lifted to God:

 “God, enable us to speak and listen to one another, to gain understanding.”

“God, give hope to those who are called to lead others to hope.”

“God, give us courage and wisdom to know when to speak and when to be silent.”

“God, help us to grow and go deeper in faith through study, prayer, and discernment.”

And finally, my favorite one – “God, may your will be done, whether in me, through me, around me, or in spite of me.”

When the prayer ended, it was amazing to see a chorus of “Amens” floating across my computer screen. For me, it truly was a moment where God transformed my cynicism into wonder.

And perhaps the most amazing aspect of that prayer service is that I was one of the oldest people participating in it. It was organized by two young women in their 20’s, and although there were a couple of 40ish and 50ish folks there, it was mostly young adults, and even a few teenagers who had gone to the assembly as youth advisory delegates. While not children in the technical sense, this was a prayer that was lifted by a group representing the youngest generation of leaders in the church – and the fact that they lifted such a beautiful, honest, non-partisan, non-divisive, non-selfish prayer for the future of God’s church gave me a palpable sense of awe and wonder – enough to bring me to tears as I sat in front of my computer last night.

That’s the kind of feeling that inspired the author of Psalm 29, and I pray that each one of us, if we find ourselves succumbing to the cynicism that is so common these days. I pray that each one of us can have these beautiful kinds of moments where God moves us back to a place of awe and child-like wonder. Amen.

From the Pulpit: Stumbling Blocks

(These excerpts are from a sermon preached on Sunday, March 18, 2012. Text = Romans 14: 13-19)

To us, it might seem like a silly conflict. But to them, it was dreadfully important. Members of the early Roman church had different ideas about what they should eat, when they should eat, and where they should eat. And both sides are looking to Paul for vindication, for the assurance that their side is right and that the other side is wrong.

Paul, however, takes neither side. Instead, he says this:

“Let us therefore no longer pass judgment on one another, but resolve instead never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of another. I know that I am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. If your brother or sister is being injured by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not let what you eat cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died.”

Now again, Paul’s focus on the issue of food as a source of division, as something that can be a stumbling block to faith, might seem silly to us. In every church I’ve ever been to, food is a powerful source of unity. It’s just about the only thing everyone can agree on. Let’s get together and share some good food, and let’s do it as often as we can. It’s practically our 11th Commandment. We can’t imagine food ever being a source of major conflict.

But change the word “food” in Paul’s letter to something else, and it makes perfect sense for us. What if he said, “If your brother or sister is being injured by the type of music you use in worship, you are no longer walking in love.” Or, “If your brother or sister is injured by the way you dress in church, you are no longer walking in love.” Or, “If your brother or sister is injured by the type of furniture you buy for the church parlor, you are no longer walking in love.”

All of these things are real sources of conflicts that happen in churches today, and each one has the potential to divide and distract just as much as the food issue divided and distracted the early Christians...

... Occasionally, someone will ask me what I think is the appropriate standard of dress for church. Usually, the person is hoping I’ll agree with their opinion, whether they’re in favor of suits and dresses or simply say, "As long as you've got something on." And they’re usually surprised when I give my response, because I try to reflect what Paul is saying to the Romans. I say that it really isn’t that important whether someone dresses formally or casually for church. It’s no more important than whether 1st century Christians followed the Jewish or the Gentile traditions about food.

What’s important is what Paul says in the latter part of today’s passage when he says this: “Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but is wrong for you to make others fall by what you eat. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or not to do anything that makes your brother or sister stumble.”...

... When I was in South Carolina, I had to call a locksmith one day to repair the deadbolt on our back door. We got to talking, and when he found out I’m a minister, he confessed that he used to go to church, to a Presbyterian church that was about 10miles down the road. But he had stopped attending a couple of years ago.

When I asked him why, he explained that he had been asked to be an usher and was thrilled with the opportunity to serve. One Sunday, however, as he was passing the offering plates, he overheard a woman say that they shouldn’t be letting someone like him be an usher. She had seen the tattoos that he has on each of his forearms, and did not think they were appropriate. The left after that service and never went back, and as he explained to me, the experience was so painful he wasn’t sure if he would ever go back to any church.

Now whether or not the tattoos were appropriate is not the issue. The issue is that by making her comment, the woman placed a stumbling block between this young man and Jesus. In her act of judgment, she was more concerned about the church’s unwritten rules on physical appearance than she was about how to help nurture this man along in his faith...

... Again, it all boils down to the standard that Paul creates in Romans 14. “Let us therefore no longer pass judgment on one another, but resolve instead never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of another.” It’s an approach that requires both humility and compassion, especially in this day and age when the new people who are coming to faith might have little or no understanding of what it means to be a Christian and to be part of a worshipping community.

As we continue through this season of Lent, may we confess the ways that we are placing stumbling blocks in front of each other. And with humility and faith, may we remember that it is only through Christ that these blocks will be removed. Amen.

Our Schools Need Our Money, Our Time, and Our Voices

(The following is a speech to be given on March 12 at the meeting of the Mecklenburg County (VA) Board of Supervisors)


I come to speak to you tonight in two capacities. First, I come as a parent. I have two sons who are in first grade and kindergarten at Clarksville Elementary. Like all parents, I want the best for my children, and a quality education is at the top of my list. But like many parents, I have taken that education for granted. I have assumed that my role is to get them dressed and to school on time, and to make sure they have done their homework. Beyond that, I have left it all in the hands of the teachers and school administrators.

And as far as I have seen, our teachers and administrators have been doing a great job. They deserve our thanks and praise. But it takes more than good teachers to have good schools. It takes a lot more.

First and foremost, it takes money. I am in full agreement that increasing tax revenues is a key part of the effort to save our schools. The crisis we are facing right now, and that is having an immediate impact on our children, is financial – and the only way to stop the bleeding is to improve funding.

But as I have talked with folks all around our community, I have come to realize that the budget crisis is only the symptom of a much deeper issue. Money alone is not going to solve our problems. As someone who is just starting to educate himself about the issues, I won’t try to say what the answers are. But I will offer this quote from someone who is an expert on school reform. His name is Eric Schwarz, and he says this in an article entitled “Calling All Citizens”:

“More than any new curriculum, new funding source, or new management plan, what students need is more attention, love, teaching, and guidance from more adults. I remain convinced that if we are truly committed to dramatic learning gains for all children, then education must stop being a spectator sport. To turn around our schools, we need to move millions of citizens off the sidelines and into the game as tutors, mentors, citizen teachers, PTA members, education activists, and philanthropists.”

In short, we need to do two things: be willing to pay a little more in property taxes, and get more involved. We need to volunteer, to come to meetings, to speak up, to write letters to the editor, and to encourage our neighbors and friends to get involved with us.

Now for the second capacity in which I come before you tonight. In addition to being a parent, I am also the pastor at Clarksville Presbyterian Church – which means I have a deep concern for the spiritual health and overall well-being of our community.

I preached about the importance of public education a few Sundays ago. In that sermon, I talked about how we are called to serve the “least of these,” to help those who are the most vulnerable and powerless. I can’t think of anyone in our community who is more vulnerable and more helpless than a child. I can’t think of anyone that we are more compelled to look out for than the children in our midst. If we don’t fight for their futures, who will?

So in my opinion, preserving the quality of our schools is not just a civil duty that we have as parents, citizens, teachers, administrators, and elected officials. I believe that this is our sacred duty. I urge the Board to approve the tax increases that are necessary, and I urge all of us to get involved and stay involved. Thank you.

Blast From the Past: The Role of the Prophet

(The following is from “A Study of Christianity as Organized,” published in 1910 by Methodist theologian John A. Kern. The particular chapter that provides these quotes appears to be an overwrought defense of Wesleyan polity, but it contains some tantalizing reflection on the role of the prophet in church life. Please excuse the sexist language.)

“For the administration of government in the church there is demanded not only administrative skill, but at the same time a distinctly higher personal quality – namely, spiritual insight. In the Church of the Old Covenant, these two functions may be described as prophecy and kingship. In the Church of the New Covenant, essentially the same two functions, though of course under other than the ancient forms, made their appearance.

In brief, there was a prophetic ministry – Apostles, prophets, teachers; and there was also a ministry of government – presbyter-bishops and deacons. In the course of the second century, the prophetic ministry declined under the encroachments of the ministry of government. At the close of the second century, we find Iranaeus urging obedience not to the prophet, but to the presbyter in his office of both superintendency and teaching…

… It was only after a vigorous and prolonged protest, however, that prophetism yielded its position. And its defeat was due not wholly to episcopal domination, but in large measure to its own inherent weakness. For the prophet, like the bishop, was imperfect in spiritual character; and the heavenly light of truth that was in him proved sometimes to be darkness. He might be the subject of more or less serious error, vagaries, excesses…

… but the loss resulting from the suppression was irreparable. For eccelesiasticism had all things now in its hands, and the result in due course of time was Romanism with stereotyped dogmas of its teaching and ruling hierarchy. The prophet was slighted or forbidden, as an intruder: the priest claimed for himself every needed illumination and the absolute right to rule. Administration had become all; authority, the substitute for truth; the rulers, the Church…

… The Christian prophet may or may not be a man of conspicuous intellectual ability. He may or may not be an eloquent orator. He may either write or speak. The essential thing is that he shall live “as seeing Him who is invisible,” in personal communion with the Highest; and that he shall have the inner constraint and vocation to make known to others, so far as he himself may have received it, the mind of the Spirit…

… but what others may refuse to see or may see less clearly in this light of God, or may feel less keenly, or may hold as a creed of the intellect rather than a personal experience and law of daily life, becomes on the prophet’s fire-touched lips a present and tremendous reality…

… he will be a preacher of righteousness. Falsehood, dishonesty, unrighteous means for the gaining of even righteous ends, whether practiced by the individual or by the community, will not interpret to him in terms of bright-witted expediency or pardonable weakness, but as sin against God. The conventional morality of the world will acquire no sanctity in his eyes because of its intrusion into the Church. He will expose, not indeed without compassion and a painful sense of his own imperfections, the moral illusions and compromises of the heart.”