A lot has happened in the last two days, including me running out of gas. I've got a family to take care of when I get home and a worship service to lead on Sunday. My note taking plummeted after about noon yesterday. More lessons for the day when I get to be a commissioner--many of the most important decisions are finalized in the last 48 hours...a commissioner needs to pace him/herself to finish strong.
Signing off from San Jose.
I'll try to get some reflections up mid-week after returning.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
Day 7
REFLECTION:
A few tests for whether I am being guided by the Spirit:
- I’m being led in a direction very different from what I was raised to believe.
- I’m being led in a direction that would put me at odds with people whose affirmation means a lot to me.
- I’m being led in a direction opposed to my secular political leanings.
- I did not come to this conclusion easily.
- It did not require me to sing Kum-ba-yah
The presence of any, or even all, of these elements does not mean that I am being led by the Spirit. It could simply demonstrate a spirit of rebelliousness that is not of God. The spirit is consistent in where it leads us, I believe. Where our past has been effectively and fully guided by the Spirit, turning against it represents no act of faithfulness.
The absence of any, or even all, of these elements does not mean that I’m not being led by the Spirit. However, it should give me pause to consider whether I might simply be following the biases of my upbringing, my social circles, and my political party affiliation. It’s not so much that the Spirit changes where it leads humans (at least in broad senses) at different times in history, but that we have more of our biases exposed so that they no longer masquerade as absolute truth and the Spirit of Truth can be heard more clearly.
Long Meetings...
The motion to reconsider a motion that has already been passed. WOW! What a headache! Just when you think an item has been put to rest, you can find there’s almost no limit to how long a body of almost 1000 people can spend trying to tweak it in one direction or another. One blogger referred to it as the hokey-pokey. You put the motion in, you put take the motion out…
I think I’ve had a taste of what it feels like to be A.D.D. Any time we have breaks, I find myself swaying from side to side or pacing. This whole evening I’ve done my share of pacing or mentally checking out. Once again, the challenge is great on the commissioners. The meeting ended tonight at 11:00 p.m.
Positively, people are working through differences in fair, open ways. While there are obviously politics as work, I sense no effort by the leadership on stage (stated clerk, moderator, etc.) to manipulate the process.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Day 6
REFLECTION:
WOW! Motions are made (by referring to a number, i.e. “We move to approve item 15-01”) and passed so quickly that there is no time to even find and read the motion, much less the rationale for it, etc. If commissioners didn’t read and study all the overtures (motions to GA) before coming and check to see what action the different committees recommended last night/this morning, they don’t even know what they’re voting on! One more witness to the strong need for advanced preparation.
If we’re approaching evangelism based on our needing more people in church, in the choir, in our SS classes, etc., we’re approaching evangelism the wrong way. Evangelism is not for the sake of recruiting people to support our institutions or our ministries, but rather for the sake of obedience to Christ’s call to make disciples of all nations and out of a desire for others to discover the reality of the God of creation made flesh in Jesus—a reality that calls us into lives of joy, peace, courage, and hope as we learn to love the world as God loves it and as we discover God's saving power in Christ making us new.
We heard about the 100 year anniversary of the beginning of camps and conferences in the PCUSA. Commissioners were asked to stand who had been drawn closer to God through an experience at a Presbyterian camp or conference. Most stood, but I was surprised how many did not. Granted, many may have had camp experiences in other denominations. Still, I have heard some of our adult members mention never having had such an experience as a youth or young adult. It made me think how valuable it would be to have an all-church retreat. Having had so many deeply meaningful camp/conference center experiences in my life, I hate the thought that anyone has been left out of that!
“The world is too strong for a divided church.” A quote of the General Secretary of the National Council of Churches. Great quote. I didn’t hear him really go anywhere with it, but it is oh-so-true. Divided, our witness is weakened and the voice of “the world” is louder and, for too many people, more compelling or enticing.
There were some gaps in my attention tonight. I have one foot in an effort to walk through this assembly as though I were a commissioner so that I can learn as much as possible about what it takes to be an effective commissioner. I’m giving myself some slack at times, though, as well. Tonight, I let my attention wander while in the meeting and had no idea what was going on when I clued back in. You know, “The mind can only absorb what the rear can endure.” The commissioners really have a challenging week. (I wonder how many times I’ll say this before the week’s out!)
Work done today included: sharing the estimated costs to accomplish everything that the committees are recommending at this point (approx. $825,000 over the next 2 years); a variety of actions to promote church growth and Christian education (including the addition of Goodland Academy in Hugo, OK to the list of secondary schools related to the PCUSA and the creation of a new curriculum on adolescent human development and human sexuality); statements on ecumenical and interfaith relations; and actions intended to support youth ministry (including the release of a DVD on faith that received rave reviews from the committee, esp. from the YADs, encouraging congregations to actively recruit and train mentors to work with youth, and the creation of a youth ministry task force).
Oh, I was informed that I was going to hell on the way into the convention center after dinner. A really belligerent handful of protesters held large signs and screamed (really!) things like “Where’s your Bible! You need to read your Bible!” (The guy yelling this at me didn’t have a Bible with him, either) and “You’re going to hell!! You’re all going to hell!!” at everyone walking past them to the convention center. (One of their signs declared, "We don't hate homos"--Hmmm, what would have made anyone think they did?!) Meanwhile, representatives from Presbyterian groups lobbying for allowing openly practicing gays and lesbians to be ordained as deacons, elders, and pastors quietly and warmly offered cookies and smiles to all who passed them on the way into the convention center. The contrast was unbelievably stark.
WOW! Motions are made (by referring to a number, i.e. “We move to approve item 15-01”) and passed so quickly that there is no time to even find and read the motion, much less the rationale for it, etc. If commissioners didn’t read and study all the overtures (motions to GA) before coming and check to see what action the different committees recommended last night/this morning, they don’t even know what they’re voting on! One more witness to the strong need for advanced preparation.
If we’re approaching evangelism based on our needing more people in church, in the choir, in our SS classes, etc., we’re approaching evangelism the wrong way. Evangelism is not for the sake of recruiting people to support our institutions or our ministries, but rather for the sake of obedience to Christ’s call to make disciples of all nations and out of a desire for others to discover the reality of the God of creation made flesh in Jesus—a reality that calls us into lives of joy, peace, courage, and hope as we learn to love the world as God loves it and as we discover God's saving power in Christ making us new.
We heard about the 100 year anniversary of the beginning of camps and conferences in the PCUSA. Commissioners were asked to stand who had been drawn closer to God through an experience at a Presbyterian camp or conference. Most stood, but I was surprised how many did not. Granted, many may have had camp experiences in other denominations. Still, I have heard some of our adult members mention never having had such an experience as a youth or young adult. It made me think how valuable it would be to have an all-church retreat. Having had so many deeply meaningful camp/conference center experiences in my life, I hate the thought that anyone has been left out of that!
“The world is too strong for a divided church.” A quote of the General Secretary of the National Council of Churches. Great quote. I didn’t hear him really go anywhere with it, but it is oh-so-true. Divided, our witness is weakened and the voice of “the world” is louder and, for too many people, more compelling or enticing.
There were some gaps in my attention tonight. I have one foot in an effort to walk through this assembly as though I were a commissioner so that I can learn as much as possible about what it takes to be an effective commissioner. I’m giving myself some slack at times, though, as well. Tonight, I let my attention wander while in the meeting and had no idea what was going on when I clued back in. You know, “The mind can only absorb what the rear can endure.” The commissioners really have a challenging week. (I wonder how many times I’ll say this before the week’s out!)
Work done today included: sharing the estimated costs to accomplish everything that the committees are recommending at this point (approx. $825,000 over the next 2 years); a variety of actions to promote church growth and Christian education (including the addition of Goodland Academy in Hugo, OK to the list of secondary schools related to the PCUSA and the creation of a new curriculum on adolescent human development and human sexuality); statements on ecumenical and interfaith relations; and actions intended to support youth ministry (including the release of a DVD on faith that received rave reviews from the committee, esp. from the YADs, encouraging congregations to actively recruit and train mentors to work with youth, and the creation of a youth ministry task force).
Oh, I was informed that I was going to hell on the way into the convention center after dinner. A really belligerent handful of protesters held large signs and screamed (really!) things like “Where’s your Bible! You need to read your Bible!” (The guy yelling this at me didn’t have a Bible with him, either) and “You’re going to hell!! You’re all going to hell!!” at everyone walking past them to the convention center. (One of their signs declared, "We don't hate homos"--Hmmm, what would have made anyone think they did?!) Meanwhile, representatives from Presbyterian groups lobbying for allowing openly practicing gays and lesbians to be ordained as deacons, elders, and pastors quietly and warmly offered cookies and smiles to all who passed them on the way into the convention center. The contrast was unbelievably stark.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Day 5
REFLECTIONS (from an observer to the Form of Government Committee)
Negatively, there is a fair amount of confusion regarding how to proceed since the moderator opened up the option of not requiring the committee to work on amendments prior to making a decision about what to do with their final product (i.e. send it to the GA for approval or to the presbyteries for study). Too many options makes it hard for a large body to proceed, but having the options narrowed may eliminate the best decision before the committee has a chance to consider it. It also raises suspicion about moderators controlling the outcome of a committee's work by controlling the options and/or the process. The moderators of this committee have truly moderated the committee's work without trying to control it or its outcomes.
Positively, order and good will have not been broken in this committee. With such a controversial and complex task before them, simply avoiding pandemonium is at least half the battle for this committee. Towards the end of the day, Terry Schlossberg, with the Presbyterian Coalition (an evangelical affinity group), told me that she thought the moderators had done the most fair and able job of leading a committee that she’s ever seen (and she’s been attending GA’s regularly for many years.)
“Friendly amendments” don’t exist in Robert’s Rules of Order, nor can someone withdraw their motion once it’s been seconded (it then “belongs” to the committee). Motions are requested in writing. Knowing how to use Robert’s Rules of Order is important for commissioners. Patience in teaching Robert's Rules of Order is critical for the moderator and vice-moderator. We saw amendments of amendments, substitute motions, amendments of substitute motions, points of order, call for the question, etc. today--most of which are never used in the session meetings of most congregations. A lot of time was lost from trying to help the commissioners learn and effectively use Robert's Rules.
The main focus of this committee today has been to try to discern what process would best allow presbyteries and sessions to have time to digest the nFOG and have input into it, and then to have some task force distill feedback and send to the next GA a second draft of a Form of Government that has buy-in and wisdom from the ground roots. They finally reached their conclusion at about 5 p.m.
To refer and recommend the nFOG to the GA for a period of consultation and study with churches and presbyteries through a system or systems designed and implemented by the Task Force that has designed the nFOG to the 218th GA and members of the 218th GA committee on the nFOG. The participation of every presbytery in the period of consultation and study will be strongly urged. New members of this expanded Task Force are to be chosen from the Committee on the FOG of the 218th GA by the Moderator of the 218th GA on consultation with the moderator and vice moderator of the GA Committee on FOG.
The new task force will revise the nFOG taking in to account the concerns and suggestions gleaned from the consultation and study process. The guidance of the ACC and the overtures and testimony received by the FOG Committee of the 218th GA and is will be referred to the task force for serious and studied consideration.
The revised nFOG is to be submitted to the stated clerk of the GA no later than October 15, 2009 for distribution to the church at large no later than January 15, 2010 for consideration to the 219th GA.
Once they got this done, their work on the overtures sent to them went very quickly. I left before they began the work of creating comments to add to the discussion about the new FOG.
Negatively, there is a fair amount of confusion regarding how to proceed since the moderator opened up the option of not requiring the committee to work on amendments prior to making a decision about what to do with their final product (i.e. send it to the GA for approval or to the presbyteries for study). Too many options makes it hard for a large body to proceed, but having the options narrowed may eliminate the best decision before the committee has a chance to consider it. It also raises suspicion about moderators controlling the outcome of a committee's work by controlling the options and/or the process. The moderators of this committee have truly moderated the committee's work without trying to control it or its outcomes.
Positively, order and good will have not been broken in this committee. With such a controversial and complex task before them, simply avoiding pandemonium is at least half the battle for this committee. Towards the end of the day, Terry Schlossberg, with the Presbyterian Coalition (an evangelical affinity group), told me that she thought the moderators had done the most fair and able job of leading a committee that she’s ever seen (and she’s been attending GA’s regularly for many years.)
“Friendly amendments” don’t exist in Robert’s Rules of Order, nor can someone withdraw their motion once it’s been seconded (it then “belongs” to the committee). Motions are requested in writing. Knowing how to use Robert’s Rules of Order is important for commissioners. Patience in teaching Robert's Rules of Order is critical for the moderator and vice-moderator. We saw amendments of amendments, substitute motions, amendments of substitute motions, points of order, call for the question, etc. today--most of which are never used in the session meetings of most congregations. A lot of time was lost from trying to help the commissioners learn and effectively use Robert's Rules.
The main focus of this committee today has been to try to discern what process would best allow presbyteries and sessions to have time to digest the nFOG and have input into it, and then to have some task force distill feedback and send to the next GA a second draft of a Form of Government that has buy-in and wisdom from the ground roots. They finally reached their conclusion at about 5 p.m.
To refer and recommend the nFOG to the GA for a period of consultation and study with churches and presbyteries through a system or systems designed and implemented by the Task Force that has designed the nFOG to the 218th GA and members of the 218th GA committee on the nFOG. The participation of every presbytery in the period of consultation and study will be strongly urged. New members of this expanded Task Force are to be chosen from the Committee on the FOG of the 218th GA by the Moderator of the 218th GA on consultation with the moderator and vice moderator of the GA Committee on FOG.
The new task force will revise the nFOG taking in to account the concerns and suggestions gleaned from the consultation and study process. The guidance of the ACC and the overtures and testimony received by the FOG Committee of the 218th GA and is will be referred to the task force for serious and studied consideration.
The revised nFOG is to be submitted to the stated clerk of the GA no later than October 15, 2009 for distribution to the church at large no later than January 15, 2010 for consideration to the 219th GA.
Once they got this done, their work on the overtures sent to them went very quickly. I left before they began the work of creating comments to add to the discussion about the new FOG.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Day 4
Monday morning, June 23, Form of Government (FOG) Committee
The opening devotional was led by one of the YADs. She taught us a simple song in an African language that essentially proclaimed, “I believe.” Catchy tune, we were accompanied on a jimbe (a kind of African drum). We repeated it multiple times until we had it down. She and another YAD then began reading a Psalm (96?) simultaneously: one in English and one in Spanish.
Introduction to the work of the committee
The moderator revealed that someone had come to him saying that they had a group together and they were going to “throw this thing out.” He asked all the commissioners to come with their opinions and conclusions, but to remain open to learning something new, to having an opinion changed, and to being engaged in the process. He cautioned that when they get to the point of making their motion (I haven’t pulled up the agenda, but I’m sensing that’s late in the process), if it doesn’t rule the day, an amended document may go to the GA that won’t have their input.
Introduction and questions from a representative from the Advisory Committee on the Constitution
The ACC rep gave a history showing that there have been requests from GA’s going back 15 years or more to have the Form of Government changed. He shared that the FOG Task Force had shared an initial document with them, they had studied it thoroughly and given feedback, most of which had been incorporated. He indicated that he would be bringing recommendations to the committee from the ACC for some additional changes. He made it clear that there are times that the committees have to receive advice from the ACC but that they are never required to follow it. He also outlined that they have the following options for action:
1. Approval of the new Form of Government
2. Disapproval of the new Form of Government
3. Approval with amendment
· Rewording of report
· Change procedure for approval
· Provide provisional adoption
4. Referral for study
· Without a plan for study
· With a plan for study
Small Group Work
The committee meets around tables. They began at about 10:30 a.m. sharing with one another their greatest concerns regarding the FOG. They reported the top concerns to the moderator in writing.
Reports from Each of the Overture Advocates
Presbyteries send overtures to the General Assembly, especially when something big like the proposed new FOG is coming through. Each presbytery sending an overture gets to send an advocate to speak to why they think their overture should be taken seriously and to clarify questions about its intent. Presbyteries that concur with someone else’s overture also get to send advocates to speak. There were scads of overtures, a handful of concurrances, and lots of advocates lined up to speak. This took most of the afternoon.
REFLECTIONS
The members of this committee have their work cut out for them! That may well be the case for all of the committees, but it’s pretty overwhelming to try to understand what all is being proposed in this significant overhaul of the Book of Order and what the ramifications of it will be. For example, to do their job adequately, committee members should have read the side-by-side copy sent to them showing everything in the current Book of Order and everything in the new Form of Government. Additions and deletions become clearer in this light. Then, they needed to read the advice of the ACC on the whole thing. On top of that, they needed to read each of the overtures and try to discern what God’s will is on them. Ideally, they would have also read critiques of the FOG from lobby groups in the denomination from across the theological spectrum. That could help them understand perspectives different from their own and open them further to the Spirit’s leading. In short, preparation for attending a GA as a commissioner needs to be taken seriously and started well in advance.
On the value of Overtures to the GA from Presbyteries. (When a presbytery sends an overture to GA, they get to send an “overture advocate” to speak for a period of time—5 min. here, I believe—to clarify why the committee should consider their overture) This committee has just heard from 30-40 people bringing overtures, etc. many of which have urged the committee NOT to send this to the presbyteries for approval or disapproval this year. Some suggested sending it to the presbyteries to be studied for two years. A few recommended disapproving it altogether. All had done their homework and were very convincing. I can’t help but think the commissioners must be pretty heavily influenced by such a witness. The major points/concerns have been the following:
1. The current Book of Order doesn’t hamper churches from doing ministry, including doing missional ministry. (Giving us a more missional polity has been a major selling point.) A number of overture advocates and commissioners bore witness to churches that are successfully doing missional ministry under (or around?) the current Book of Order.
2. The new FOG lacks clarity/adds ambiguity—to intentionally add ambiguity assumes that we have a high level of trust or can develop one in short order. That assumption is inaccurate and would likely mean that changing to a FOG that is “more flexible” would probably result in chaos. One person shared that we need things more defined because people tend to manipulate things. Another indicated that flexibility isn’t always a good thing, as with a cane, a cast, or a skeleton—all of which need to be pretty rigid to fulfill their functions.
3. The claim of the FOG helping us become missional (outwardly focused) is self-defeating in that it will require pastors and elders hours of study to be prepared to vote on it at presbytery meetings. Then it will require hours of time for handbooks to be created to replace sections deleted. Then it will require hours of learning to use a new book. Then it will require discovering where its weaknesses are through subsequent trials, failures, etc. All of this takes energy away from serving the world Christ loves. Dave Wilkinson, Overture Advocate from the Presbytery of Santa Barbara, had some colorful phrases for us: “This FOG is not so much missional as it is omissional.” “If you teach a bear to dance, you have to dance as long as the bear wants to.” “Don’t pull the trigger until you know where you’re going to put the body.”
4. Concerns about the status of past Permanent Judicial Commission (PJC) rulings and past Authoritative Interpretations (AI’s). Would they still have authority if the constitution changes? There were concerns expressed, including from a member of the GAPJC, that even subtle changes in wording could invalidate PJC rulings and AI’s.
5. The comment that our problem isn’t structural, but theological. Changing the structure doesn’t solve the theological problems.
At the end of Monday, the new FOG appears to have quite an uphill battle, though there are clearly commissioners that want to advocate for it or at least give it a full and fair hearing. And some of the task force members are clearly bright and extremely eloquent. They obviously didn’t spend hours working together to try to find the quickest way to ruin the church. Tomorrow will involve more opportunities to hear the positive aspects of the FOG. One final comment: the moderator and vice-moderator are doing a great job of teaching the committee how to do their work with patience, clear direction where needed, and humor to help keep the anxiety level down.
The opening devotional was led by one of the YADs. She taught us a simple song in an African language that essentially proclaimed, “I believe.” Catchy tune, we were accompanied on a jimbe (a kind of African drum). We repeated it multiple times until we had it down. She and another YAD then began reading a Psalm (96?) simultaneously: one in English and one in Spanish.
Introduction to the work of the committee
The moderator revealed that someone had come to him saying that they had a group together and they were going to “throw this thing out.” He asked all the commissioners to come with their opinions and conclusions, but to remain open to learning something new, to having an opinion changed, and to being engaged in the process. He cautioned that when they get to the point of making their motion (I haven’t pulled up the agenda, but I’m sensing that’s late in the process), if it doesn’t rule the day, an amended document may go to the GA that won’t have their input.
Introduction and questions from a representative from the Advisory Committee on the Constitution
The ACC rep gave a history showing that there have been requests from GA’s going back 15 years or more to have the Form of Government changed. He shared that the FOG Task Force had shared an initial document with them, they had studied it thoroughly and given feedback, most of which had been incorporated. He indicated that he would be bringing recommendations to the committee from the ACC for some additional changes. He made it clear that there are times that the committees have to receive advice from the ACC but that they are never required to follow it. He also outlined that they have the following options for action:
1. Approval of the new Form of Government
2. Disapproval of the new Form of Government
3. Approval with amendment
· Rewording of report
· Change procedure for approval
· Provide provisional adoption
4. Referral for study
· Without a plan for study
· With a plan for study
Small Group Work
The committee meets around tables. They began at about 10:30 a.m. sharing with one another their greatest concerns regarding the FOG. They reported the top concerns to the moderator in writing.
Reports from Each of the Overture Advocates
Presbyteries send overtures to the General Assembly, especially when something big like the proposed new FOG is coming through. Each presbytery sending an overture gets to send an advocate to speak to why they think their overture should be taken seriously and to clarify questions about its intent. Presbyteries that concur with someone else’s overture also get to send advocates to speak. There were scads of overtures, a handful of concurrances, and lots of advocates lined up to speak. This took most of the afternoon.
REFLECTIONS
The members of this committee have their work cut out for them! That may well be the case for all of the committees, but it’s pretty overwhelming to try to understand what all is being proposed in this significant overhaul of the Book of Order and what the ramifications of it will be. For example, to do their job adequately, committee members should have read the side-by-side copy sent to them showing everything in the current Book of Order and everything in the new Form of Government. Additions and deletions become clearer in this light. Then, they needed to read the advice of the ACC on the whole thing. On top of that, they needed to read each of the overtures and try to discern what God’s will is on them. Ideally, they would have also read critiques of the FOG from lobby groups in the denomination from across the theological spectrum. That could help them understand perspectives different from their own and open them further to the Spirit’s leading. In short, preparation for attending a GA as a commissioner needs to be taken seriously and started well in advance.
On the value of Overtures to the GA from Presbyteries. (When a presbytery sends an overture to GA, they get to send an “overture advocate” to speak for a period of time—5 min. here, I believe—to clarify why the committee should consider their overture) This committee has just heard from 30-40 people bringing overtures, etc. many of which have urged the committee NOT to send this to the presbyteries for approval or disapproval this year. Some suggested sending it to the presbyteries to be studied for two years. A few recommended disapproving it altogether. All had done their homework and were very convincing. I can’t help but think the commissioners must be pretty heavily influenced by such a witness. The major points/concerns have been the following:
1. The current Book of Order doesn’t hamper churches from doing ministry, including doing missional ministry. (Giving us a more missional polity has been a major selling point.) A number of overture advocates and commissioners bore witness to churches that are successfully doing missional ministry under (or around?) the current Book of Order.
2. The new FOG lacks clarity/adds ambiguity—to intentionally add ambiguity assumes that we have a high level of trust or can develop one in short order. That assumption is inaccurate and would likely mean that changing to a FOG that is “more flexible” would probably result in chaos. One person shared that we need things more defined because people tend to manipulate things. Another indicated that flexibility isn’t always a good thing, as with a cane, a cast, or a skeleton—all of which need to be pretty rigid to fulfill their functions.
3. The claim of the FOG helping us become missional (outwardly focused) is self-defeating in that it will require pastors and elders hours of study to be prepared to vote on it at presbytery meetings. Then it will require hours of time for handbooks to be created to replace sections deleted. Then it will require hours of learning to use a new book. Then it will require discovering where its weaknesses are through subsequent trials, failures, etc. All of this takes energy away from serving the world Christ loves. Dave Wilkinson, Overture Advocate from the Presbytery of Santa Barbara, had some colorful phrases for us: “This FOG is not so much missional as it is omissional.” “If you teach a bear to dance, you have to dance as long as the bear wants to.” “Don’t pull the trigger until you know where you’re going to put the body.”
4. Concerns about the status of past Permanent Judicial Commission (PJC) rulings and past Authoritative Interpretations (AI’s). Would they still have authority if the constitution changes? There were concerns expressed, including from a member of the GAPJC, that even subtle changes in wording could invalidate PJC rulings and AI’s.
5. The comment that our problem isn’t structural, but theological. Changing the structure doesn’t solve the theological problems.
At the end of Monday, the new FOG appears to have quite an uphill battle, though there are clearly commissioners that want to advocate for it or at least give it a full and fair hearing. And some of the task force members are clearly bright and extremely eloquent. They obviously didn’t spend hours working together to try to find the quickest way to ruin the church. Tomorrow will involve more opportunities to hear the positive aspects of the FOG. One final comment: the moderator and vice-moderator are doing a great job of teaching the committee how to do their work with patience, clear direction where needed, and humor to help keep the anxiety level down.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Day 3
Reading
I read two publications by Presbyterians for Renewal yesterday, both of which I found insightful. First, a brochure entitled, "Why Stay PC(USA)?" It is available online at http://www.pfrenew.org/images/pdfdownloads/WhyStayBrochure.pdf. There is a button on the Adobe toolbar (on my computer it is the 4th icon from the right) that allows you to turn the document 90 degrees for easier reading. It's good food for thought.
The second was a booklet about the 12 issues they consider most important at this GA. I don't believe it's accessible online. It's helpful to have someone who's spent time studying all of the issues to some degree sort through what is most critical and what is more mundane.
Worship
What a joy to simply worship with no responsibilities for leadership! My mom is a great cook who enjoys putting out a special meal for guests. I sense that when she eats in restaurants, there are times she thinks, "I know how to do this meal better," other times she thinks, "This dish is great; I've got to get the recipe," and still other times she simply enjoys eating food she didn't have to prepare and doesn't have to clean up after.
For me, worshipping as a participant rather than a leader is a fairly rare treat. When I get it, it's so easy to become a critic (I can do that better) or a connoisseur (I want to do this at home!). Today, I simply enjoyed being open to God and grateful to God in a service I didn't have to prepare or clean up after. Ahhh!
Rev. Joan Gray, the moderator for the 2006 GA and a pastor I worked under for almost a year, preached. I will still describe her preaching as being extremely challenging but where you know that the challenge comes from someone who loves you and wants something better for you. That's a recipe I'd love to be able to prepare as consistently well as Joan.
Committee Meetings Tomorrow
I'll be attending the meetings for the Form of Government Revision, as that is likely to be the hardest thing to understand and one of the more important ones coming out of this assembly. What is very unclear to me at this point is how accountability will take place if the FOG Task Force's work is adopted. Other church governments (Epsicopal, Methodist, Catholic, etc.) have a more top-down government where an individual (bishop, district superintendent, etc.) can quickly and efficiently reign in pastors or governing bodies that act outside of the church's polity. We don't do that well in the PCUSA. Of course, less I wax too longingly for a more authoritarian system, it must be noted that those systems are only as good as the individual in whom all the authority has been placed. Learning to exercise a love that includes accountability [hey, that's inclusiveness, isn't it? ;-) ] may well be one of the hardest things we are called to do as Christians.
I read two publications by Presbyterians for Renewal yesterday, both of which I found insightful. First, a brochure entitled, "Why Stay PC(USA)?" It is available online at http://www.pfrenew.org/images/pdfdownloads/WhyStayBrochure.pdf. There is a button on the Adobe toolbar (on my computer it is the 4th icon from the right) that allows you to turn the document 90 degrees for easier reading. It's good food for thought.
The second was a booklet about the 12 issues they consider most important at this GA. I don't believe it's accessible online. It's helpful to have someone who's spent time studying all of the issues to some degree sort through what is most critical and what is more mundane.
Worship
What a joy to simply worship with no responsibilities for leadership! My mom is a great cook who enjoys putting out a special meal for guests. I sense that when she eats in restaurants, there are times she thinks, "I know how to do this meal better," other times she thinks, "This dish is great; I've got to get the recipe," and still other times she simply enjoys eating food she didn't have to prepare and doesn't have to clean up after.
For me, worshipping as a participant rather than a leader is a fairly rare treat. When I get it, it's so easy to become a critic (I can do that better) or a connoisseur (I want to do this at home!). Today, I simply enjoyed being open to God and grateful to God in a service I didn't have to prepare or clean up after. Ahhh!
Rev. Joan Gray, the moderator for the 2006 GA and a pastor I worked under for almost a year, preached. I will still describe her preaching as being extremely challenging but where you know that the challenge comes from someone who loves you and wants something better for you. That's a recipe I'd love to be able to prepare as consistently well as Joan.
Committee Meetings Tomorrow
I'll be attending the meetings for the Form of Government Revision, as that is likely to be the hardest thing to understand and one of the more important ones coming out of this assembly. What is very unclear to me at this point is how accountability will take place if the FOG Task Force's work is adopted. Other church governments (Epsicopal, Methodist, Catholic, etc.) have a more top-down government where an individual (bishop, district superintendent, etc.) can quickly and efficiently reign in pastors or governing bodies that act outside of the church's polity. We don't do that well in the PCUSA. Of course, less I wax too longingly for a more authoritarian system, it must be noted that those systems are only as good as the individual in whom all the authority has been placed. Learning to exercise a love that includes accountability [hey, that's inclusiveness, isn't it? ;-) ] may well be one of the hardest things we are called to do as Christians.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Day 2
The Wonders of Technology—In years past, GA commissioners have had a small tree worth of paper documents sent to them prior to the meeting for them to study, lug to the site, and be able to access as needed. Thanks to the wonders of computers, wireless networks, and the internet, those items have simply been posted online for anyone (commissioners or not) to download as they have interest. The system is ideal, saving a small forest of trees, making it much easier for commissioners and others to access documents they need, and sparing them the hassle of carrying reams of paper with them.
Except when the system doesn’t work. Like this morning. After spending about an hour trying to get connected, I finally went for help and was relieved to hear it wasn’t me. I guess they have a day or two to get the system ironed out before it begins to be critical. Glad I’m not in charge of that!
I finally got on to the pc-biz system in the afternoon. Hopefully things will work smoothly for the rest of the week.
PCUSA Video—Overview of the denomination through a look at all that is done through the six areas under the General Assembly Council. It was very well done and made it easier to see how our denomination is doing much more than just the sum of what all the individual churches and presbyteries do (which in itself is massive and would make for an impressive video from each presbytery). I wonder if we can get a copy of this? It was probably about 20-30 minutes in length and would be great to show at a fellowship dinner.
General Assembly Council (GAC)—Evangelism & Church Development; Theology Worship & Education; Vocation (Military Chaplians, etc), Compassion: Peace & Justice (such as Presbyterian Disaster Assistance), World Mission (partnerships in 100+ countries).
Office of the General Assembly (OGA)—Helps the church be the church; under the leadership of the clerk of the GA. Publishes the constitution & helps interpret it. Keeps annual stats. Preserves the church’s heritage. Partners w/ecumenical churches worldwide. Plans/organizes the GA and other national meetings.
Presbyterian Publishing Company (PPC)—Geneva Press (Hymnal), The Thoughtful Christian (Bible and theology Christian Living, Religion and Popular culture, youth, etc.), Westminster/John Knox Press—Self-sustaining, one of the top 5 religious publishers.
Presbyterian Foundation—like Texas Presbyterian Foundation (TPF) that we’ve started a permanent funds ministry with, but on a national scale.
Presbyterian Investment and Loan Program (PILP)—Low-interest loans for construction, land, and refinancing loans. Funded through Presbyterian endowment funds and Presbyterian investors.
Board of Pensions—oversees benefits for ministers and other church staff. 1000+ grants awarded each years. See board’s new website. Offers seminars for plan members, encourages self-care to improve health and well-being.
Moderator Election
Four candidates put their names in the hat for moderator. All impressed me as being people of deep faith and great commitment to the church.
One, Carl Mazza, had an amazing story of having been homeless as a youth when a group of Presbyterian youth from a small church reached out to him with the gospel and ultimately welcomed him into the family of God as he gave his life to Christ. The majority of his years of service as a pastor have been dedicated to the ministry to homeless people that he founded 20+ years ago. It has drawn in churches from across the denominational spectrum to serve the homeless and work together. Great story.
Another, Bill Teng, had served as a moderator of National Presbytery (Washington D.C. area) and impressed me as mature, even-keeled, and likely to be quite good at moderating the General Assembly. There were some key aspects of his theology I was attracted to, as well.
A third, Bruce Reyes-Chow, was young (39), enthusiastic, and eloquent. He seems to have one foot in our church’s tradition and another in the future to which God is leading us (though not all of what he believes is where God is calling us—of course that’s true for everyone; none have perfectly grasped God’s vision for our future). He also seems to be living out the missional church theology that will be the future of our church, understanding that God calls us together to send us into the world to bear witness to the gospel in all kinds of ways. (Theologians are reminding us that “mission” means “sent”.) I think he will be quite effective after the assembly in the role of ambassador that the moderator takes on for two years. I especially think that youth and young adults will be drawn to him across the church, as they overwhelmingly were here. Where I sense I differ with him theologically I’m not too concerned, first, because I don’t believe the moderator influences the theology of the assembly very much and second, because I don’t believe his theology was what got him elected, so it doesn’t serve as much of a bellwether for where this assembly is headed.
Except when the system doesn’t work. Like this morning. After spending about an hour trying to get connected, I finally went for help and was relieved to hear it wasn’t me. I guess they have a day or two to get the system ironed out before it begins to be critical. Glad I’m not in charge of that!
I finally got on to the pc-biz system in the afternoon. Hopefully things will work smoothly for the rest of the week.
PCUSA Video—Overview of the denomination through a look at all that is done through the six areas under the General Assembly Council. It was very well done and made it easier to see how our denomination is doing much more than just the sum of what all the individual churches and presbyteries do (which in itself is massive and would make for an impressive video from each presbytery). I wonder if we can get a copy of this? It was probably about 20-30 minutes in length and would be great to show at a fellowship dinner.
General Assembly Council (GAC)—Evangelism & Church Development; Theology Worship & Education; Vocation (Military Chaplians, etc), Compassion: Peace & Justice (such as Presbyterian Disaster Assistance), World Mission (partnerships in 100+ countries).
Office of the General Assembly (OGA)—Helps the church be the church; under the leadership of the clerk of the GA. Publishes the constitution & helps interpret it. Keeps annual stats. Preserves the church’s heritage. Partners w/ecumenical churches worldwide. Plans/organizes the GA and other national meetings.
Presbyterian Publishing Company (PPC)—Geneva Press (Hymnal), The Thoughtful Christian (Bible and theology Christian Living, Religion and Popular culture, youth, etc.), Westminster/John Knox Press—Self-sustaining, one of the top 5 religious publishers.
Presbyterian Foundation—like Texas Presbyterian Foundation (TPF) that we’ve started a permanent funds ministry with, but on a national scale.
Presbyterian Investment and Loan Program (PILP)—Low-interest loans for construction, land, and refinancing loans. Funded through Presbyterian endowment funds and Presbyterian investors.
Board of Pensions—oversees benefits for ministers and other church staff. 1000+ grants awarded each years. See board’s new website. Offers seminars for plan members, encourages self-care to improve health and well-being.
Moderator Election
Four candidates put their names in the hat for moderator. All impressed me as being people of deep faith and great commitment to the church.
One, Carl Mazza, had an amazing story of having been homeless as a youth when a group of Presbyterian youth from a small church reached out to him with the gospel and ultimately welcomed him into the family of God as he gave his life to Christ. The majority of his years of service as a pastor have been dedicated to the ministry to homeless people that he founded 20+ years ago. It has drawn in churches from across the denominational spectrum to serve the homeless and work together. Great story.
Another, Bill Teng, had served as a moderator of National Presbytery (Washington D.C. area) and impressed me as mature, even-keeled, and likely to be quite good at moderating the General Assembly. There were some key aspects of his theology I was attracted to, as well.
A third, Bruce Reyes-Chow, was young (39), enthusiastic, and eloquent. He seems to have one foot in our church’s tradition and another in the future to which God is leading us (though not all of what he believes is where God is calling us—of course that’s true for everyone; none have perfectly grasped God’s vision for our future). He also seems to be living out the missional church theology that will be the future of our church, understanding that God calls us together to send us into the world to bear witness to the gospel in all kinds of ways. (Theologians are reminding us that “mission” means “sent”.) I think he will be quite effective after the assembly in the role of ambassador that the moderator takes on for two years. I especially think that youth and young adults will be drawn to him across the church, as they overwhelmingly were here. Where I sense I differ with him theologically I’m not too concerned, first, because I don’t believe the moderator influences the theology of the assembly very much and second, because I don’t believe his theology was what got him elected, so it doesn’t serve as much of a bellwether for where this assembly is headed.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Day 1 at General Assembly
Well, I made it safely and easily to San Jose, CA for the General Assembly meeting of the Presbyterian Church (USA) this afternoon (Fri.). It's a 9-day marathon of meetings that comes around every two years. This is my first experience with it, so you'll get a rookie's eye view at the event.
My first "event" (after checking in to the hotel, finding the light rail line and going downtown, and hitting the conference registration desk) was the "Meet the Candidates for Moderator" time that was planned to last from 6-8 p.m. I anticipated some kind of town hall meeting, presentation, or debate followed by a meet and greet. Don't know where that expectation came from, I just imagined it that way. Here's what I found, though. Each candidate was within about 10 feet of the next and in front of a small display. They all had something to hand out--a flyer, a button, a t-shirt--but none of them had spent much on such campaign kitch. Each candidate had a small group of 2-7 people around them. They visited, showed interest in the ministries of each person I overheard them talk to, and that was it.
On the plane, I did a lot of reflecting. I'm going to save most of that for later because despite it only being 10:45 p.m. in San Jose, my body and brain are well into Saturday on Central Time and I'm wiped out. I brainstormed, though, some of the ways in which our denomination is not like our country's democracy. As a point of context, I routinely tell officers and newcomers about how much our church's government is like our country's govt. I'm not changing my tune on that, but it is important, I think, to also point out the differences. Most of that for later, but for now, the moderator's "campaigning" was a good reminder of a difference between govt. in our church and in our country: in the church, it doesn't pay to show too much interest in attaining a position of leadership or power. People don't campaign to become elders, presbytery commissioners, or pastors. Even moderators of the General Assembly do little more than respond to some questions in advance for the "voter's guide"-type articles produced in a few publications and stand in front of a small booth. The folks in the exhibit hall are a lot more energetic in trying to get one's attention than the moderatorial candidates.
Anyway, I met each one and talked with them briefly. I've got a favorite candidate in terms of first impressions from my conversations with them and a brief article/interview in the Presbyterian Outlook http://www.pres-outlook.com/reports-a-resources/presbyterian-heritage-articles/2-presbyterian-heritage-articles/7421-moderator-candidates-discuss-their-plans-visions-for-church.html, but I want to learn more about them before naming my "horse." It just fascinated me that there is so little promotion of them.
Next came a first run at the exhibit hall. Looks like the granddaddy exhibitor is Cokesbury, with enough books to sink a ship. We pastors have a weakness for books...I resisted temptation on Day 1, though I did write down some titles for consideration...
Then I went to the Form of Government (FOG) Task Force Presentation. There were some very bright and eloquent folks on the task force. That was only the beginning of my education on the "FOG." I have to wonder how much the actual commissioners have studied it. I'll probably try to attend the committee meetings that deal with it so that I can learn more.
I closed out the meeting by going to the Presbyterians for Renewal (PFR) Welcome Reception. Nicely done. I hoped to see some folks I know from years past (o.k. mostly 10 years and more in the past) who have been involved with PFR. I didn't see anyone I knew so I didn't last long.
More to come tomorrow (meaning Saturday: looks like the posting time on this will be in Central Time rather than Pacific).
Peace,
Dan
My first "event" (after checking in to the hotel, finding the light rail line and going downtown, and hitting the conference registration desk) was the "Meet the Candidates for Moderator" time that was planned to last from 6-8 p.m. I anticipated some kind of town hall meeting, presentation, or debate followed by a meet and greet. Don't know where that expectation came from, I just imagined it that way. Here's what I found, though. Each candidate was within about 10 feet of the next and in front of a small display. They all had something to hand out--a flyer, a button, a t-shirt--but none of them had spent much on such campaign kitch. Each candidate had a small group of 2-7 people around them. They visited, showed interest in the ministries of each person I overheard them talk to, and that was it.
On the plane, I did a lot of reflecting. I'm going to save most of that for later because despite it only being 10:45 p.m. in San Jose, my body and brain are well into Saturday on Central Time and I'm wiped out. I brainstormed, though, some of the ways in which our denomination is not like our country's democracy. As a point of context, I routinely tell officers and newcomers about how much our church's government is like our country's govt. I'm not changing my tune on that, but it is important, I think, to also point out the differences. Most of that for later, but for now, the moderator's "campaigning" was a good reminder of a difference between govt. in our church and in our country: in the church, it doesn't pay to show too much interest in attaining a position of leadership or power. People don't campaign to become elders, presbytery commissioners, or pastors. Even moderators of the General Assembly do little more than respond to some questions in advance for the "voter's guide"-type articles produced in a few publications and stand in front of a small booth. The folks in the exhibit hall are a lot more energetic in trying to get one's attention than the moderatorial candidates.
Anyway, I met each one and talked with them briefly. I've got a favorite candidate in terms of first impressions from my conversations with them and a brief article/interview in the Presbyterian Outlook http://www.pres-outlook.com/reports-a-resources/presbyterian-heritage-articles/2-presbyterian-heritage-articles/7421-moderator-candidates-discuss-their-plans-visions-for-church.html, but I want to learn more about them before naming my "horse." It just fascinated me that there is so little promotion of them.
Next came a first run at the exhibit hall. Looks like the granddaddy exhibitor is Cokesbury, with enough books to sink a ship. We pastors have a weakness for books...I resisted temptation on Day 1, though I did write down some titles for consideration...
Then I went to the Form of Government (FOG) Task Force Presentation. There were some very bright and eloquent folks on the task force. That was only the beginning of my education on the "FOG." I have to wonder how much the actual commissioners have studied it. I'll probably try to attend the committee meetings that deal with it so that I can learn more.
I closed out the meeting by going to the Presbyterians for Renewal (PFR) Welcome Reception. Nicely done. I hoped to see some folks I know from years past (o.k. mostly 10 years and more in the past) who have been involved with PFR. I didn't see anyone I knew so I didn't last long.
More to come tomorrow (meaning Saturday: looks like the posting time on this will be in Central Time rather than Pacific).
Peace,
Dan
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Ahhh! Summer's Here!!
The day will come when my life doesn’t revolve so much around the academic calendar. That day hasn’t arrived yet, though, and I can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. That makes summers precious to me.
We had all three kids in soccer in the fall and spring and in basketball during the winter. We had two taking piano, one in drawing, one in dance, and one in scouts. Throw in a meeting or two a week for me, WNL, and a bit of homework for the kids and the evenings became a blur of activity with us struggling to find evenings where we could all eat together, much less do things of our choosing. In short, exactly what I swore I would never allow to happen in my home when I was younger and knew a lot more.
Now I look at June 1st like the edge of an oasis in the middle of a dry desert. When I grow weary during the school year from the hectic schedule, I look up to see how close June 1st is on the horizon and keep plugging along.
Though we’re just a week into the month, our yard no longer looks like it only needs a ‘73 Impala on cinder blocks to finish the “look.” I’ve also hunted for worms, gone fishing, been to see a movie at the drive-in theater with the family, played some basketball, been “trained” in Jedi light saber dueling, and had a few good conversations with the kids. During the school year, I mostly watch them play. When school’s out, I get to play with them. Looks like it’s shaping up to be a good summer!
At church, it has intrigued me over the years to note that we often have more first-time visitors during the summer than I ever would have expected. Sometimes, it has seemed that we’ve had more visitors then than at any other time during the year. Now, I suspect I may know one of the reasons why.
When summer arrives, those of us who run frantically during the school year finally begin to catch our breath, slow down a bit, and take stock of life. Things that we’ve wanted to do but couldn’t find time to (like playing with the kids) get back on our schedules. Things we feel like we should be doing, whether we like them or not (like taking care of the yard for me), we also find time for. Likewise, whether from desire or from a sense of obligation, people often find their way back to church during the summer.
What will they find when they come? While few of us could achieve perfect attendance at church over the summer months, each of us can make a concerted effort to be present in worship whenever we’re in town. The pews empty somewhat simply because of members leaving town on vacations. If we also take a “vacation” from worship when we’re in town, the attendance can get pretty lean, giving the visitors the wrong impression about the size and commitment of our congregation.
If, on the other hand, we make a concerted effort to be present and to focus on welcoming people we don’t know into the church, we could give a visitor the encouragement they need to worship with us again. We could also find ourselves getting to know other members in new and deeper ways.
So, if the practice of being in worship regularly has slipped for you over the last few months, consider breathing a deep sigh of relief that summer has arrived. Life can finally slow down just a bit and you can rediscover the value and richness of regular worship attendance. Come, grow with us in faith as we practice the art of loving others as Christ loves us.
We had all three kids in soccer in the fall and spring and in basketball during the winter. We had two taking piano, one in drawing, one in dance, and one in scouts. Throw in a meeting or two a week for me, WNL, and a bit of homework for the kids and the evenings became a blur of activity with us struggling to find evenings where we could all eat together, much less do things of our choosing. In short, exactly what I swore I would never allow to happen in my home when I was younger and knew a lot more.
Now I look at June 1st like the edge of an oasis in the middle of a dry desert. When I grow weary during the school year from the hectic schedule, I look up to see how close June 1st is on the horizon and keep plugging along.
Though we’re just a week into the month, our yard no longer looks like it only needs a ‘73 Impala on cinder blocks to finish the “look.” I’ve also hunted for worms, gone fishing, been to see a movie at the drive-in theater with the family, played some basketball, been “trained” in Jedi light saber dueling, and had a few good conversations with the kids. During the school year, I mostly watch them play. When school’s out, I get to play with them. Looks like it’s shaping up to be a good summer!
At church, it has intrigued me over the years to note that we often have more first-time visitors during the summer than I ever would have expected. Sometimes, it has seemed that we’ve had more visitors then than at any other time during the year. Now, I suspect I may know one of the reasons why.
When summer arrives, those of us who run frantically during the school year finally begin to catch our breath, slow down a bit, and take stock of life. Things that we’ve wanted to do but couldn’t find time to (like playing with the kids) get back on our schedules. Things we feel like we should be doing, whether we like them or not (like taking care of the yard for me), we also find time for. Likewise, whether from desire or from a sense of obligation, people often find their way back to church during the summer.
What will they find when they come? While few of us could achieve perfect attendance at church over the summer months, each of us can make a concerted effort to be present in worship whenever we’re in town. The pews empty somewhat simply because of members leaving town on vacations. If we also take a “vacation” from worship when we’re in town, the attendance can get pretty lean, giving the visitors the wrong impression about the size and commitment of our congregation.
If, on the other hand, we make a concerted effort to be present and to focus on welcoming people we don’t know into the church, we could give a visitor the encouragement they need to worship with us again. We could also find ourselves getting to know other members in new and deeper ways.
So, if the practice of being in worship regularly has slipped for you over the last few months, consider breathing a deep sigh of relief that summer has arrived. Life can finally slow down just a bit and you can rediscover the value and richness of regular worship attendance. Come, grow with us in faith as we practice the art of loving others as Christ loves us.
Hypocrites All
Over the last 45 years or so, people have been leaving Christian churches much faster than they can be replaced. From figures one of our elders compiled a decade ago, it was clear that once our church reached 250 members, we have lost an average of 25 members per year. This includes deaths, relocation of families, students who graduate and move away, people who get frustrated and leave, people who become attracted to a different church in the area, and those whose commitment to worship and participation in the church begins to wane until the time arrives that they have become fully inactive.
That figure of 25 members lost per year to our congregation, though, represents our history from about 1918 through 1997. What if we looked just at the last 45 years? My guess is that we’d find the figure to be even higher.
One of the reasons cited by people who cease to be active in any Christian church is that they become weary of the hypocrisy that they encounter in the church. Sadly, they can often tell a number of stories that illustrate that hypocrisy all too vividly. It really is a problem in churches across the board.
I would define hypocrisy in two ways. First, it is when people profess to hold a standard of belief or behavior and then fail (especially when they do so dramatically) to actually live by it. Secondly, it is when someone seeks to hold others to be accountable to a certain standard of behavior, while at the same time failing to abide by that standard themselves.
In the church, there are countless examples of when pastors, church officers and leaders, and church members have acted hypocritically. It’s something we dare not take lightly. Our hypocrisy disillusions people and tempts them to give up on the church. One of our goals of Christian growth, then, should be to become more aware of the ways in which we act hypocritically and then try to get our actions more in line with what we profess we believe.
Certainly the time has come for us to really understand that being a member of a church or even being involved in a church no more makes us Christians than being in a garage or being involved with a car makes us an automobile. To be a Christian is to be one who relies on God’s grace, is open to the Spirit’s work of transformation, and strives to follow where Jesus leads, loving the people he loves and serving in the way he serves.
However, it also strikes me that the very accusation of hypocrisy upon one person or group puts the accuser at great risk of becoming a hypocrite him (or her)- self! After all, isn’t the accuser implying that he consistently lives up to the standard he proclaims he believes? If that’s actually true, might it just mean that he’s simply adopted really low standards?
No doubt, egregious sins are created in the church by members and leaders alike. This is no treatise being offered up to go soft on bad behavior.
It is also true that people outside the church live and act in ways that are often more inspiring than what one can see in most churches most of the time. Racial and socio-economic barriers are often crossed more easily outside the church than in it. People often live more sacrificially on behalf of the common good in the armed services or in an environmentalist group than in the church. The people with the greatest zeal in caring for those who are handicapped or otherwise “different” from the norm are often outside the church.
But may part of the challenge be that in the church we are more open to the accusation of hypocrisy because we strive to hold ourselves to a much higher standard? There are many “dividing walls” that separate people: age, race, gender, economic status, education, and political ideology, just to name a few. While groups outside the church focus in on crossing one or two boundaries and do so in inspiring ways, are they also comfortably refusing to cross other “dividing walls”? For example, I heard the term “inclusive” used quite a bit in my seminary days, but found that those who used it most weren’t noticeably more inclusive; they simply drew their boundaries differently.
In short, living into the call of the gospel is hard work. While we don’t excuse away our failures to live consistently by Christ’s call, neither should we assume that hypocrisy is a condition unique to Christians. At least in the church, we are frequently confronted with our hypocrisy and challenged to overcome it. May we stay open to that challenge as we reach out in love to an equally flawed world.
That figure of 25 members lost per year to our congregation, though, represents our history from about 1918 through 1997. What if we looked just at the last 45 years? My guess is that we’d find the figure to be even higher.
One of the reasons cited by people who cease to be active in any Christian church is that they become weary of the hypocrisy that they encounter in the church. Sadly, they can often tell a number of stories that illustrate that hypocrisy all too vividly. It really is a problem in churches across the board.
I would define hypocrisy in two ways. First, it is when people profess to hold a standard of belief or behavior and then fail (especially when they do so dramatically) to actually live by it. Secondly, it is when someone seeks to hold others to be accountable to a certain standard of behavior, while at the same time failing to abide by that standard themselves.
In the church, there are countless examples of when pastors, church officers and leaders, and church members have acted hypocritically. It’s something we dare not take lightly. Our hypocrisy disillusions people and tempts them to give up on the church. One of our goals of Christian growth, then, should be to become more aware of the ways in which we act hypocritically and then try to get our actions more in line with what we profess we believe.
Certainly the time has come for us to really understand that being a member of a church or even being involved in a church no more makes us Christians than being in a garage or being involved with a car makes us an automobile. To be a Christian is to be one who relies on God’s grace, is open to the Spirit’s work of transformation, and strives to follow where Jesus leads, loving the people he loves and serving in the way he serves.
However, it also strikes me that the very accusation of hypocrisy upon one person or group puts the accuser at great risk of becoming a hypocrite him (or her)- self! After all, isn’t the accuser implying that he consistently lives up to the standard he proclaims he believes? If that’s actually true, might it just mean that he’s simply adopted really low standards?
No doubt, egregious sins are created in the church by members and leaders alike. This is no treatise being offered up to go soft on bad behavior.
It is also true that people outside the church live and act in ways that are often more inspiring than what one can see in most churches most of the time. Racial and socio-economic barriers are often crossed more easily outside the church than in it. People often live more sacrificially on behalf of the common good in the armed services or in an environmentalist group than in the church. The people with the greatest zeal in caring for those who are handicapped or otherwise “different” from the norm are often outside the church.
But may part of the challenge be that in the church we are more open to the accusation of hypocrisy because we strive to hold ourselves to a much higher standard? There are many “dividing walls” that separate people: age, race, gender, economic status, education, and political ideology, just to name a few. While groups outside the church focus in on crossing one or two boundaries and do so in inspiring ways, are they also comfortably refusing to cross other “dividing walls”? For example, I heard the term “inclusive” used quite a bit in my seminary days, but found that those who used it most weren’t noticeably more inclusive; they simply drew their boundaries differently.
In short, living into the call of the gospel is hard work. While we don’t excuse away our failures to live consistently by Christ’s call, neither should we assume that hypocrisy is a condition unique to Christians. At least in the church, we are frequently confronted with our hypocrisy and challenged to overcome it. May we stay open to that challenge as we reach out in love to an equally flawed world.
What's Next
Imagine yourself serving as an EMT (emergency medical technician) in a small rural community without easy access to physicians, much less specialists. Getting started, you find many ways in which your limited training in medicine, primarily related to first aid, can help the people in the community you serve.
Soon enough, though, you recognize that there are chronic health problems that need to be treated so that folks don’t keep ending up in the back of your ambulance. You realize that you don’t have the education you need to serve the people in the community in deeper ways. So you decide to go back to school.
Fortunately, there is a med school that allows you to stay on the job full-time and pick up your classes on the side. By going on short stints and studying on your own, either when you’re off work or between crises, you are bit-by-bit able to get through the schooling necessary to become a doctor. What then?
Part of the answer depends on why you were serving in this rural setting in the first place. Was it desperation, insufficient schooling to serve in a more urban setting, or an interest in serving precisely in the rural setting that led you there? If there was an aversion to the country scene and you were just paying the bills until you could get the sheepskin that would help you get out, you would probably work through the degree requirements as quickly as possible, making all other priorities take a back seat to the priority of getting the degree so that you could get a “better” job and move to where you really want to be. If you enjoyed serving in medicine there, though, your priority may have been more on trying to make sure you responded to every emergency, even if that delayed your graduation several years. After all, if you weren’t in a hurry to go somewhere else once the degree was in hand, what would it matter how long it took to get it?
Sand Springs is not a rural community. However, people who have a thorough education in theology, biblical studies, pastoral care, church history, polity and other subjects taught at seminary are probably significantly more scarce in our town than are EMT’s.
The place the image fits for me is in this: Nadia and I came to Sand Springs not as a stepping-stone or a move of desperation, but as a sense of God’s call into a different form of ministry after I had served about five years as an associate pastor in missions and Christian education. I took the maximum amount of time allowed to complete the degree, in large part, because I let ministry (and family) concerns take precedence at many points along the line. I did not rush through to complete the degree because I was not and am not in a rush to leave Sand Springs. Finally, I began the degree program out of a sense that I needed to know more to serve this congregation better.
Now at the end of the program and with the degree soon to be in hand, I’m like the EMT-become-physician in the rural setting that realizes that there’s still so much I don’t know that I wish I did in order to care for my community better. And learning becomes a life-long quest. Thankfully now, though, I can learn the way I graze at a buffet line—picking and choosing what strikes my fancy or meets an immediate need rather than being under the discipline of a program (which also has its place) that requires certain courses and deadlines.
Unlike in some other forms of church government, Presbyterian pastors aren’t moved around by bishops or other church officials. The term of service in a congregation is open-ended, with the congregation and pastor both having the power to end the relationship between them when it is no longer fulfilling the church’s needs or when there is a strong sense that God has something else in store. It is also generally believed that longer pastorates are good for the church when the relationship between pastor and church is healthy and invigorated.
There are many things that still excite me about ministry in Sand Springs. We have just restarted our Long Range Planning committee and have many ideas percolating about how we can strengthen the ministries of our church and improve the transitions that come as officers change each year. Our Christian Education committee has been doing great ministry for years, but is now on the brink of being able to step up the ministry we do to new levels. For the first time in many moons we are entering the summer with two great staff members who both have a year of experience in our church under their belts. We also have many members supporting the ministries we have to children and youth and many kids participating in those ministries.
Additionally, there is growing enthusiasm behind strengthening and broadening our missions ministries, reaching out in evangelism, and striving to shape our services on Sunday morning to provide the full breadth of our membership with an environment through which we can whole-heartedly worship God.
I’m also enjoying ministry in Sand Springs with my involvement in Sand Springs Community Services, the Sand Springs Ministerial Alliance, and Sand Springs Public Schools.
In short, I’m looking forward to going out to Atlanta and enjoying graduation exercises and then coming back and rolling up my sleeves and getting back to work. Does a doctorate make me a more attractive candidate to larger churches? Certainly. Would we like to move closer to my parents? Yes. But there have already been a couple invitations over the last few years to pursue a call to a larger church, and I have felt no peace to pursue those opportunities. In fact, they have only served to deepen my commitment to ministry here.
At this point, perhaps the most important thing each of us can do is to deepen in our commitment to serve Christ together. There’s much that we can’t know about the future, but that future always turns out better when we meet it fully committed and fully engaged in serving as Christ leads us.
I’ll miss seeing you this Sunday, but when I come back, my sleeves will be rolled up! I hope yours will be, too!
Soon enough, though, you recognize that there are chronic health problems that need to be treated so that folks don’t keep ending up in the back of your ambulance. You realize that you don’t have the education you need to serve the people in the community in deeper ways. So you decide to go back to school.
Fortunately, there is a med school that allows you to stay on the job full-time and pick up your classes on the side. By going on short stints and studying on your own, either when you’re off work or between crises, you are bit-by-bit able to get through the schooling necessary to become a doctor. What then?
Part of the answer depends on why you were serving in this rural setting in the first place. Was it desperation, insufficient schooling to serve in a more urban setting, or an interest in serving precisely in the rural setting that led you there? If there was an aversion to the country scene and you were just paying the bills until you could get the sheepskin that would help you get out, you would probably work through the degree requirements as quickly as possible, making all other priorities take a back seat to the priority of getting the degree so that you could get a “better” job and move to where you really want to be. If you enjoyed serving in medicine there, though, your priority may have been more on trying to make sure you responded to every emergency, even if that delayed your graduation several years. After all, if you weren’t in a hurry to go somewhere else once the degree was in hand, what would it matter how long it took to get it?
Sand Springs is not a rural community. However, people who have a thorough education in theology, biblical studies, pastoral care, church history, polity and other subjects taught at seminary are probably significantly more scarce in our town than are EMT’s.
The place the image fits for me is in this: Nadia and I came to Sand Springs not as a stepping-stone or a move of desperation, but as a sense of God’s call into a different form of ministry after I had served about five years as an associate pastor in missions and Christian education. I took the maximum amount of time allowed to complete the degree, in large part, because I let ministry (and family) concerns take precedence at many points along the line. I did not rush through to complete the degree because I was not and am not in a rush to leave Sand Springs. Finally, I began the degree program out of a sense that I needed to know more to serve this congregation better.
Now at the end of the program and with the degree soon to be in hand, I’m like the EMT-become-physician in the rural setting that realizes that there’s still so much I don’t know that I wish I did in order to care for my community better. And learning becomes a life-long quest. Thankfully now, though, I can learn the way I graze at a buffet line—picking and choosing what strikes my fancy or meets an immediate need rather than being under the discipline of a program (which also has its place) that requires certain courses and deadlines.
Unlike in some other forms of church government, Presbyterian pastors aren’t moved around by bishops or other church officials. The term of service in a congregation is open-ended, with the congregation and pastor both having the power to end the relationship between them when it is no longer fulfilling the church’s needs or when there is a strong sense that God has something else in store. It is also generally believed that longer pastorates are good for the church when the relationship between pastor and church is healthy and invigorated.
There are many things that still excite me about ministry in Sand Springs. We have just restarted our Long Range Planning committee and have many ideas percolating about how we can strengthen the ministries of our church and improve the transitions that come as officers change each year. Our Christian Education committee has been doing great ministry for years, but is now on the brink of being able to step up the ministry we do to new levels. For the first time in many moons we are entering the summer with two great staff members who both have a year of experience in our church under their belts. We also have many members supporting the ministries we have to children and youth and many kids participating in those ministries.
Additionally, there is growing enthusiasm behind strengthening and broadening our missions ministries, reaching out in evangelism, and striving to shape our services on Sunday morning to provide the full breadth of our membership with an environment through which we can whole-heartedly worship God.
I’m also enjoying ministry in Sand Springs with my involvement in Sand Springs Community Services, the Sand Springs Ministerial Alliance, and Sand Springs Public Schools.
In short, I’m looking forward to going out to Atlanta and enjoying graduation exercises and then coming back and rolling up my sleeves and getting back to work. Does a doctorate make me a more attractive candidate to larger churches? Certainly. Would we like to move closer to my parents? Yes. But there have already been a couple invitations over the last few years to pursue a call to a larger church, and I have felt no peace to pursue those opportunities. In fact, they have only served to deepen my commitment to ministry here.
At this point, perhaps the most important thing each of us can do is to deepen in our commitment to serve Christ together. There’s much that we can’t know about the future, but that future always turns out better when we meet it fully committed and fully engaged in serving as Christ leads us.
I’ll miss seeing you this Sunday, but when I come back, my sleeves will be rolled up! I hope yours will be, too!
The Starvation Next Door
Hunger is something I don’t really understand. Oh, I’ve got a hearty appetite and my stomach tells me when I haven’t pampered it recently enough. But I’ve never gone without food for more than 24 hours and never been deprived of food for any reason other than my own choice.
I go to the grocery store pretty regularly and generally buy whatever I feel like getting, within reason. I’m used to eating a great variety of foods and enjoying that breadth of choice.
But as hard as it is for me to conceive of it, starvation and malnutrition are still major problems throughout our world. Not only does a significant percent of the world’s population eat a very basic diet comprising mostly of grains and beans, far too many millions experience periods of food shortages every year.
One of the places where our church is involved in mission is Haiti. Please note the following quote from the webpage of the World Food Programme: (http://www.wfp.org/country_brief/indexcountry.asp?country=332)
“Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, and one of the most disadvantaged countries in the developing world. It ranks 153 out of 177 countries on the UNDP Human Development Index (2004). Seventy-six percent of Haitians live on less than US$2 per day, while 55 percent live on less than US$1 per day.
Chronic malnutrition is widespread among the most vulnerable, with severe or moderate stunting affecting 42 percent of children under five. While easily preventable, maladies like malnutrition and diarrhea kill 28 percent and 20 percent of children aged 0–5, respectively. Food supply covers only 55 percent of the population and daily food insecurity affects 40 percent of Haitian homes.
Haiti ranks along with Afghanistan and Somalia as one of the three countries of the world with the worst daily caloric deficit per inhabitant (460 kcal/day). Some 2.4 million Haitians cannot afford the minimum 2,240 daily calories recommended by the World Health Organization.”
In the mountains southwest of Port Au Prince, the Haiti Education Foundation (HEF—see www.haitifoundation.org) has been working for over twenty years to build schools, feed and clothe children, and bring hope into a desperately impoverished area. Our church has contributed more than $100,000 in the last 19 years in this ministry effort, but HEF still only reaches a tiny segment of the country.
As hard as it is for me to conceive of that, it’s even harder for me to imagine that children are showing signs of malnourishment right here in Sand Springs. No doubt, in many cases, bad decisions by their parents or guardians are responsible for putting their lives in jeopardy. But the fact remains that teachers and administrators are alarmed by the dozens of kids in Sand Springs schools that show signs of food insecurity every week.
Fortunately, there are relatively easy ways that we can help. Sand Springs Community Services (SSCS), in coordination with the Eastern Oklahoma Food Bank and lots of volunteers locally, is able to provide a backpack with nutritious food for the weekend for those children displaying the greatest signs of food insecurity. For just $50/year, a child gets a backpack with nutritious food for 40 weekends through the school year.
SSCS also helps with bills for rent, natural gas, electricity, and water. Food assistance and clothing are other ways the poor in our community are helped. While assistance of over $1000 per family could have been received during 2007 for qualifying households, less than 18% of families received over $400 from SSCS. That’s a pretty good sign that the agency is doing a great job of finding ways to help people without simply creating a dependency on the agency.
Through our annual budget, special offerings coordinated by our deacons, and coordination of care between our church and SSCS, we’re helping to make a difference in people’s lives right here at home. Soon, SSCS will have a new website that will help you learn more about the great work of the agency. We’ll look forward to sharing good news with you.
It’s astounding to consider that so many people struggle for basic nutrition in our modern world; that’s the bad news. The good news is that it’s so easy for us to make a difference.
I go to the grocery store pretty regularly and generally buy whatever I feel like getting, within reason. I’m used to eating a great variety of foods and enjoying that breadth of choice.
But as hard as it is for me to conceive of it, starvation and malnutrition are still major problems throughout our world. Not only does a significant percent of the world’s population eat a very basic diet comprising mostly of grains and beans, far too many millions experience periods of food shortages every year.
One of the places where our church is involved in mission is Haiti. Please note the following quote from the webpage of the World Food Programme: (http://www.wfp.org/country_brief/indexcountry.asp?country=332)
“Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, and one of the most disadvantaged countries in the developing world. It ranks 153 out of 177 countries on the UNDP Human Development Index (2004). Seventy-six percent of Haitians live on less than US$2 per day, while 55 percent live on less than US$1 per day.
Chronic malnutrition is widespread among the most vulnerable, with severe or moderate stunting affecting 42 percent of children under five. While easily preventable, maladies like malnutrition and diarrhea kill 28 percent and 20 percent of children aged 0–5, respectively. Food supply covers only 55 percent of the population and daily food insecurity affects 40 percent of Haitian homes.
Haiti ranks along with Afghanistan and Somalia as one of the three countries of the world with the worst daily caloric deficit per inhabitant (460 kcal/day). Some 2.4 million Haitians cannot afford the minimum 2,240 daily calories recommended by the World Health Organization.”
In the mountains southwest of Port Au Prince, the Haiti Education Foundation (HEF—see www.haitifoundation.org) has been working for over twenty years to build schools, feed and clothe children, and bring hope into a desperately impoverished area. Our church has contributed more than $100,000 in the last 19 years in this ministry effort, but HEF still only reaches a tiny segment of the country.
As hard as it is for me to conceive of that, it’s even harder for me to imagine that children are showing signs of malnourishment right here in Sand Springs. No doubt, in many cases, bad decisions by their parents or guardians are responsible for putting their lives in jeopardy. But the fact remains that teachers and administrators are alarmed by the dozens of kids in Sand Springs schools that show signs of food insecurity every week.
Fortunately, there are relatively easy ways that we can help. Sand Springs Community Services (SSCS), in coordination with the Eastern Oklahoma Food Bank and lots of volunteers locally, is able to provide a backpack with nutritious food for the weekend for those children displaying the greatest signs of food insecurity. For just $50/year, a child gets a backpack with nutritious food for 40 weekends through the school year.
SSCS also helps with bills for rent, natural gas, electricity, and water. Food assistance and clothing are other ways the poor in our community are helped. While assistance of over $1000 per family could have been received during 2007 for qualifying households, less than 18% of families received over $400 from SSCS. That’s a pretty good sign that the agency is doing a great job of finding ways to help people without simply creating a dependency on the agency.
Through our annual budget, special offerings coordinated by our deacons, and coordination of care between our church and SSCS, we’re helping to make a difference in people’s lives right here at home. Soon, SSCS will have a new website that will help you learn more about the great work of the agency. We’ll look forward to sharing good news with you.
It’s astounding to consider that so many people struggle for basic nutrition in our modern world; that’s the bad news. The good news is that it’s so easy for us to make a difference.
Inviting Thomas Back
He agrees that the gospels paint the picture of an historical figure who lived a pretty inspiring life. He is inspired by the courage Jesus showed during his confrontations with corrupt religious and political figures. He is even awed by the profundity of Jesus’ teaching and by the way he really practiced what he preached in his life and during his trial, torture, and crucifixion.
Still, the whole resurrection thing has got to be a fabrication, he assumes. He used to come to church. He enjoyed the fellowship with the people he met there. He liked that they sought to do good for others. He relished the lively discussions about things that really mattered. He appreciated the opportunity to help raise his own kids and other kids the way they should be raised: with parents and a community that loved, challenged, and corrected children to help them grow to be mature and responsible people. He offered his time, talent, and money to help further the work of the church.
He misses all that now, though he wouldn’t readily admit it. He might even be open to coming back (not even he knows that for sure), but he just can’t swallow the faith claims that people are expected to make as Christians. He wonders, “Why can’t the church just be a community of people that believe Jesus was a man (not God) who lived an inspiring life because he revealed great truth in his teaching and, astonishingly, practiced what he preached? He would probably go to that kind of church.
If I could go back in time and interview one of the apostles, it would probably be Thomas. I would love to know what all he thought, felt, and experienced during the first days, months, and years after Jesus crucifixion.
A new possibility hit me while talking to a friend who is also a pastor. What if Thomas had given up on the disciples and Jesus? What if he had decided that the excited talk on Easter morning about Jesus rising from the dead revealed that the group had gone over the deep end and they no longer represented what he was about? What if he had decided to get his things together, leave Jerusalem, leave the disciples, leave it all and try to start over on life as though none of this had happened?
What if he was missing on Easter evening because he was making arrangements to leave Jerusalem? What if the only reason he was still around a week later to finally see the risen Christ was because the disciples had begged him to stay?
I can only imagine that life was challenging for the disciples during that week between when the disciples witnessed Jesus’ presence and when Thomas finally did seven days later. While they were still trying to figure out what it all meant and what they should do next, they also had one member in their midst who was on a different page.
Chances are, you know some people like the person I imagined at the start of this article, someone who could identify with Thomas pretty easily. We don’t know whether Thomas had stayed with the disciples because he wanted to or because they had begged him to stay. We do know, though, that he met the risen Christ as a result of being in the room with the other ten remaining disciples when Jesus showed up there again a week later.
It’s fun to imagine the disciples inviting Thomas back, urging him to stay, praying for him to come to a point where he can trust their witness even if he never sees the risen Christ himself. It’s fun to do that, in part, because that’s precisely where we find ourselves nearly 2000 years later.
If you know someone with doubts, invite them back into a community of believers in the resurrection. Who knows but what Christ might choose to make himself known to that person. He might even do it in the breaking of the bread.
Still, the whole resurrection thing has got to be a fabrication, he assumes. He used to come to church. He enjoyed the fellowship with the people he met there. He liked that they sought to do good for others. He relished the lively discussions about things that really mattered. He appreciated the opportunity to help raise his own kids and other kids the way they should be raised: with parents and a community that loved, challenged, and corrected children to help them grow to be mature and responsible people. He offered his time, talent, and money to help further the work of the church.
He misses all that now, though he wouldn’t readily admit it. He might even be open to coming back (not even he knows that for sure), but he just can’t swallow the faith claims that people are expected to make as Christians. He wonders, “Why can’t the church just be a community of people that believe Jesus was a man (not God) who lived an inspiring life because he revealed great truth in his teaching and, astonishingly, practiced what he preached? He would probably go to that kind of church.
If I could go back in time and interview one of the apostles, it would probably be Thomas. I would love to know what all he thought, felt, and experienced during the first days, months, and years after Jesus crucifixion.
A new possibility hit me while talking to a friend who is also a pastor. What if Thomas had given up on the disciples and Jesus? What if he had decided that the excited talk on Easter morning about Jesus rising from the dead revealed that the group had gone over the deep end and they no longer represented what he was about? What if he had decided to get his things together, leave Jerusalem, leave the disciples, leave it all and try to start over on life as though none of this had happened?
What if he was missing on Easter evening because he was making arrangements to leave Jerusalem? What if the only reason he was still around a week later to finally see the risen Christ was because the disciples had begged him to stay?
I can only imagine that life was challenging for the disciples during that week between when the disciples witnessed Jesus’ presence and when Thomas finally did seven days later. While they were still trying to figure out what it all meant and what they should do next, they also had one member in their midst who was on a different page.
Chances are, you know some people like the person I imagined at the start of this article, someone who could identify with Thomas pretty easily. We don’t know whether Thomas had stayed with the disciples because he wanted to or because they had begged him to stay. We do know, though, that he met the risen Christ as a result of being in the room with the other ten remaining disciples when Jesus showed up there again a week later.
It’s fun to imagine the disciples inviting Thomas back, urging him to stay, praying for him to come to a point where he can trust their witness even if he never sees the risen Christ himself. It’s fun to do that, in part, because that’s precisely where we find ourselves nearly 2000 years later.
If you know someone with doubts, invite them back into a community of believers in the resurrection. Who knows but what Christ might choose to make himself known to that person. He might even do it in the breaking of the bread.
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