My Hope for the Church

This will be the last post on this blog, but I will continue to post my thoughts about the church as well as my seminary experience through my original blog

Rev Wags Cyber Seminary Experience

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I am still trying to wrap my head around all that I have been able to participate in this summer, but here are some final thoughts. My hope for the church is for us to begin to reconnect with one another. I had always heard that GA was like a big family reunion, and saw some of that, but that was more evident at Montreat. As a denomination as with the culture, we have allowed ourselves to become disconnected. That is part of the reason I believe trust has broken down across the nation.

I had the pleasure of going to lunch one day at GA with 2 fellow committee members Dana and Patrick. Both were more conservative than I, but in the few short days our committee spent I had the opportunity to begin to get to know them. I found them both to be extremely faithful pastors wanting to do what they felt God was calling them to do within the life of the churches they serve as well as the larger church. We were able to disagree on issues without getting upset. Part of this was due to the fact that none of us particularly had an agenda to push. It wasn't about see things my way or you are a heritic, it was about being able to see past our differences.

One of the biggest things that I see the church needing to do is to look to what we hold in common. Where are our points of similarity and how can we start a relationship from that point so that we might reach a time in the future where we are ready to talk about where we differ and why.

For me regarding PUP, I think this will push ordaining bodies to spend time getting to know folks. Do they have the gifts and graces needed to serve as a Deacon or an Elder. Does this person have the skill set needed to serve as a Minister of Word and Sacrament? What I don't understand is that if God is the one who ordains, who are we to get in the way of it? I have spent most of the summer with more questions than answers and will continue to struggle.

We'll see what the future holds for all of us.

Peace

The 7% Panel

One of the young pastors at the conference told conference leadership that the pace was slow and the under 40 view was missing. Conference leadership decided that the morning panel on "What is needed from the next generation of leaders?" would only take questions from the under 40 group (the 7% of pastors who are under 40). They also found a way to create a panel discussion that would be led by 5 of the group. Those of us under 40 met before the 2nd panel of the morning and decided on who would be on the panel. We wanted to be as diverse as we could for the discussion. I was the only one of the 5 who isn't currently ordained. The lunch hour was spent writing a 4 minute speech. I was the first on the panel to speak. We all had a different take, but look ahead to the challenge that is before the church.

Where do we go from here?

Where do we go from here? The 7% of pastors under 40 and everyone under forty is part of it, we are being handed the torch but….This auditorium and the people in our home churches are the hope of the church, right here and right now. So what do we do when we get back? We all go back to our homes, roll up our sleeves and get started.

I saw a cartoon that said “Why do we sing “Standing on the Promises, when all we do is sit on the premises?” We need to remember that at the end of worship we are sent out into the world. Pastors have the job of making the Word of God relevant to the people, of helping them see their story within the Bible. The laity have the job of taking that Word and putting it in play in their daily vocation, living the Word into the world. This is how as Robert Bohl encouraged us we begin to act ourselves to a new way of thinking.

Moderator Joan Gray and others have talked about the fact that trust has eroded. That the trust we once had was neglected, was not built upon and has slipped away. The theological education of the laity has experienced the same trend. Presbyterians have always valued education, but we are becoming more and more a people who are unable to think, speak, and act theologically. This directly affects the governance of our church. Elders have the same voice and vote as pastors, it is critical that they are educated in the Bible, polity and theology. We have gradually lost this. We have been reduced to bumper sticker theology. We need to rediscover biblical and theological education in the pews.

Spanning the age gaps. We have many in our congregations who as Frieda Gardner termed them, are chronologically gifted. We need to encourage those who have faithfully served in the church and pair them with youth and young adults, to help cultivate the next generation of leaders pastors, deacons, and elders. Nurture gifts for leadership by bringing new leaders alongside veterans. We maintain tradition and history, but we also bring revitalization. But this can only happen if we do as Ted Wardlaw suggested and listen hard to one another.

Bill Carl talked of boring times and crisis times, crisis time presents a great opportunity to grow. This may be a painful time, but what can we learn in the midst of it? Many in our denomination have been afraid and we have allowed our fear to hold us in ecclesiological captivity. Our pervasive question has been “What if this doesn’t work?” The question we need to start asking is “What if it does?” This question leads us to step out in faith and take a risk.

I am doing pulpit supply preaching in Southwest Oklahoma in 2 days. I am preaching on 2 Corinthians 12:2-10. Beginning at verse 8 8Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, 9but he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power* is made perfect in weakness.’ So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong. The phrase that jumped off the page was “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” We have a thorn in the flesh, the hurt, the anger, and the arguments that have surrounded us. Have we tried to rely too much on human effort to resolve issues. When we are at our weakest, we must turn and rely on God, trusting in God’s sovereignty and in God’s grace. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer points out, this grace is not cheap. It requires us to drop everything and follow, to let go of ourselves, to empty ourselves for the sake of the Gospel. In the words of St. Catherine of Sienna “May I be made small in me that I may be made great in Thee.”

So where do we go from here? We go back to our churches, ready to get to work. We let go of our agendas and desires and listen hard for the still small voice. We pour ourselves out that we might be filled with God and we trust that God’s grace is sufficient for us.

And to close with a little bumper sticker theology….

Get involved … the world is run by people who show up.

Thursday morning and a vision for the future.

State of the Church and visioning for the future
This panel was Mark Achtemeier, Susan Andrews, Jack Haberer, Joan Gray, and Barbara Wheeler

Mark Achtemeier talked about the sub-groups that have invaded not only the church, but our culture and that Paul points away from sub-group loyalty to loyalty only unto Christ. The cross must be our focus, not own agenda group

Susan Andrews spoke of the ancient future church. The return to essential values, she listed 5.
1. Connectional, not just vertical, but horizontal as well. We make better decisions together than alone.
2. Contextual – move from tribal to immigrant church where all is celebrated
3. Christological. Jesus is our foundation and our story, our particular
4. Transformational – not conformed to the world. Must create a counter culture before we can create a kingdom culture. Need to reach out in love and be prepared to be crucified
5. Theology of vocation – to be imitators of Christ. Embracing and empowering people. To love and live Jesus.

Jack Haberer compared the church to a roller coaster ride, which several attendees admitted they are not fond of. The church has been paralyzed by fear (made me think of my ecclesiological terrorism comment). Our distrust has created control freaks and this past GA showed that the affinity groups no longer dictate our standards, the governing bodies do.
My favorite quote of the day “Some folks will be ordained who you and I don’t think should be. So what else is new?”
Churches must become giving and self emptying, to give up control and enjoy the ride.

Joan Gray talked about the church from a family systems view point. Anxiety is high so we cast blame and act out. Trust is hard to come by in a culture that is cynical and doesn’t take things at face value. If we do not continue to build trust, the trust we had will erode. We must be intentional about building trust. We are a voluntary organization and without trust we have nothing. Pastors and Presbytery execs hold the real power in the church and need to seek horizontal connectivity. There also needs to be a push for more spiritual leadership from Elders who are empowered and brought alongside to lead congregations.

Barbara Wheeler expressed her disappointment with GA’s dealing with PUP. She remarked that the less we have to do with those who differ from us, the less tolerant we become. This is what is going on in the church and what the task force hoped to overcome. We need respectful conversation that helps us explore ethical issues not political issues. To hold onto faith seeking understanding. She urged all theological institutions to work only toward unity.

There was a time for Q&A after and the issue of theological institutions came up. What I wondered after this panel, was what specifically can we do at APTS to increase trust. I think it starts with community. We must be intentional in working on community as well as trust. We must be intentional in sitting down and talking about issues ethically and theologically, not politically. We need to work toward being focused on head knowledge, but make intentional space for gut reaction and heart felt response.

May We Do Something Good With It

This post is otherwise titled Hope of the Church at Montreat.

Well, I have arrived at Montreat (my first time) and we opened tonight with a worship service led by Moderator Joan Gray. Her sermon text was John 15:9-17, which happens to contain my favorite verse. (15:13). Her sermon focused on 15:12 "This is my commandment that you love one another." She talked about how some people are easy to love, but what about those who we are challenged to love. How do we do that?

This is love "in spite of," love that surpasses what we as humans are able to do in our finite capacity to love, this is love that can only come from God. Through God, we have been given all that we need to excel. Through God we have all the resources necessary, but only through God. I wish I had brought my bulletin down with me as I could put more detail in, but that will have to wait til tomorrow.

For tonight I will leave you with the prayer that the President of Montreat opened with. One of the keynote speakers 15 years ago used it every time he opened.
"Lord, thank you for this day. May we do something good with it. Amen"

Peace.