The Story Continues…

So, I saw our little neighbor-guy riding his bike on Saturday. He asked me when church was, and I said, “Classes are at 10, and worship at 11.” I was a little taken aback when he said, “No…what day is Church?”

Wow, are we conditioned to Christendom or what? I told him that we always meet on Sunday, and that we were looking forward to seeing him there. He wasn’t there yesterday, so I’m going to stop by and make sure his grandma knows that he was very well-behaved (curiosity is not misbehavior!) and is welcome anytime.

Elightening Children’s Sermon

L.L. Bean Flashlight Some of my best children’s messages come at the last moment as I’m walking out the door, and I think, “Oh man, I need something to say to the kids this morning!!” This morning, I had an idea that went with the L.L. Bean Wind ‘N Go flashlight that I had sitting above my computer desk.

My kids had been playing with this flashlight and left it on all night long. After a long night on the shelf, the light was about as dim as it could possibly be while still being on. In a way, it looked a little like I felt! All of a sudden, I had a spark of enlightenment.

I took the flashlight to Church this morning, and showed it to the kids, asking them what was wrong. With a little direction, they correctly answered that the battery had gone dead. At that point, I showed them that it was a special kind of flashlight that we could recharge by winding the crank. As you may have guessed, I made the analogy with the way we sometimes lose our light and run out of steam and feel like we’re not connected with God (O.K. smarty-pants, I know this was over the heads of all but about three kids – children’s messages are for the adults & pastor too, you know!).

I then gave each of them a turn at the crank while I said things like, “We pray, we study the bible or listen to bible stories from our parents or grandparents, we go to Church, we sing songs,” and then I wound the thing like crazy while I said, “We listen to the sermon!” You can kind of hear the light whir pretty loudly, so this got a big laugh here from the adults.

I then pushed the on button and the thing nearly blinded the poor girl sitting in front of me! Two of the smaller kids yelled, “There’s a light!” There was a slight “Ohhh…” in the crowd, and I said, “Don’t get ahead of me now!” I then talked about how all these things we do help us be closer to God, and when we do we become lights in the world – shining out the message of God’s love. Trust me, it was much better than my sermon!

Lest You Think You’re Unimportant…

Just in case you think you are unimportant as a pastor to the growth and attitude of a congregation, read this excerpt from Bishop Willimon’s weekly message,

In visits to countless congregations, and in my own pastoral experience, I have come to the rather frightening conclusion that pastors are a decisive element in the vitality and mission of the church. To be sure, as we have said repeatedly, the pastor is not to assume all ministry in the church. The baptized are the chief ministers in the name of Christ. Pastors are to lead through service rather than dominance. The Holy Spirit is the source of all ministry. But having said all that, we still must say that the pastor is decisive. The pastor’s mood and attitude sets the tone for the congregation, conveys hope and energy to the people, hurts and heals, binds and releases. Sometimes, as a pastor, I wish it were not so, but it is. What Jesus wants for the church must become incarnate in a pastor or, in my experience, it does not happen.

I recall a distinguished church growth consultant who, in a workshop on congregational development, spent more than an hour listing all of the factors that were relevant to the vitality and growth of a congregation. There must have been more than two score of such factors listed. Then he led us in discussion. The first person to speak was a layperson who asked, “But don’t you think the pastor is a key factor in all of this?”

The consultant replied, “Oh, certainly. If the pastor’s leadership is lacking, you can discount everything that I have listed on the board. All of these factors contribute to growth. But if the pastor is inadequate, none of the factors that I have listed make any difference.”

God’s Mission & Preaching

Brian Russell has a great post on Missional Preaching. I especially like the way he deals with distinctions between insider and outsider. It seems that truly missional preaching is inclusive in the way it invites those outside the community to participate in the ongoing narrative of God’s work in the world. Now, that’s a description of inclusivity that I really resonate with!

I think my preaching is less faithful when I stray from some of the key commitments Brian talks about here. To be honest, when I preach a sermon series I tend to violate some of these commitments far more often than when I stick with the lectionary. While I’m sure this isn’t necessarily the case for everyone, when I preach a sermon series it’s easier to start with a concept and find scripture to support it rather than letting the message be formed, shaped, and driven by the scriptural narrative. I think when I’m finished with the series on prayer that I’m preaching now, I’m going to stick with the lectionary for the rest of this Season after Pentecost.

Rural Megachurch…Who Knew??

I came across this article today about a Church in the rural town of Bergman, Arkansas (population 407). They began with 31 members and have swelled to include nine towns in northern Arkansas. This congregation is now averaging approximately 1,000 people each week with 60% of the people making the ten mile drive from nearby Harrison, Arkansas (est. pop. 12,700).

Pastor Shannon O’Dell says, “When church is done right, they’ll drive from anywhere…” Apparently for Church to be “done right,” according to O’Dell, the Church needs to be “pastor led,” rather than congregational or democratic in polity.

“If there is one thing I could say to the rural church it is: The reason they don’t grow is that they are structured un-biblically,” he commented. “Families in power want all the power in the small local rural church with no responsibility — you’re so trapped you can’t move forward.”

Although the structure is certainly top-down, it seems like the ministries function more from a paradigm of broad involvement and participation. Perhaps it is congregational in practices and discipline, rather than congregational in control,

After doing most every job himself the first two years of his pastorate in Bergman — “secretary, preschool, youth, and sometimes music” — O’Dell said his primary responsibilities now include sermon preparation and mentoring (formerly known as counseling). “The rest I give to my staff who always confidently and competently get the job done.”

In the end, it seems that O’Dell has a missional focus and a passion for transformation. You may not agree with his leadership philosophy and top-down rhetoric, but you can certainly agree with his passion to reach out missionally to rural America.

“If God called you to the backside of the desert in Africa, your peers, family and friends would celebrate and support you. Why is it we don’t even think about going to the backside of rural America to watch God build an emerging church for His glory?”

Questions: Could he do this while serving a two-point charge? Could his leadership style mesh with UMC polity? What do you think about this in particular is it a one in a million deal or is it repeatable? Is this what God expects from rural (or any other) congregations? If we say no, are we just using that as an excuse? If we say yes, can it happen anywhere?

Rest in Peace…

One of the people I was honored to know and work with while at Asbury Theological Seminary was a man from Kenya named David Gichuru. I learned just this morning that he died while rescuing his son from a riptide in Newport Beach, CA.

Please pray for David’s wife Grace and their two sons. Our world has lost a true friend of the Kingdom and follower of Christ.

I had the privilege of doing CPE at The University of Kentucky Medical Center during the time that David worked there as a contract chaplain. One of my favorite stories of David happened as he provided pastoral care to one of the patients in ICU. This patient was dying while surrounded by many family members. When David went in the room, he immediately connected with the family and led them in hymns as they said goodbye to their loved one. There was no cultural gap between this rural Kentucky family and him because as they joined together singing the songs of God, they were part of one family.

Our family has lost a great brother.

At a time like this, I can only pray one of the great prayers of the Church at the time of death from the Book of Common Prayer.

Depart, O Christian soul, out of this world; In the Name of God the Father Almighty who created you; In the Name of Jesus Christ who redeemed you; In the Name of the Holy Spirit who sanctifies you. May your rest be this day in peace, and your dwelling place in the Paradise of God.

Update: Here is a eulogy from one of David’s close friends. It is a much better portrait of the man than the very limited sketch I can provide.

Annual Conference ‘Round the Bend

Our Oklahoma Annual Conference begins on Sunday. Andrew Thompson of gen-X Rising had an interesting post the other day asking, “What does it mean to conference?” I think this is an increasingly important question, especially if we as a denomination want to take reaching young adults for Christ seriously. I agree with him on several points,

The United Methodist Church is not, and should not be, a congregational system. And neither should annual conference devolve into simply a business session that must be endured.

I know annual conferences vary widely in how they are perceived and how they are conducted. I have actually been very encouraged in recent years by changes that the Arkansas Conference has made to put worship and ministry resourcing front and center. On the other hand, changes could still be made to improve it. For instance, I understand why we have petitions. But they are often distracting and create more polarization that consensus. Would it be so bad if we simply decided not to debate and pass resolutions??

Conferencing is very important, and it shouldn’t be left by the wayside for a congregational polity, but I agree with Andrew that there may be several ways to improve it starting with his suggestion to leave out the resolutions (perhaps handle this in a separate gathering that leaves time for conversation instead of polemic).

I also think we need more intentional time for networking. We are able to do this over meals most of the time, but we need more time to get with pastors and see what is working and what isn’t. If one sits in every single session, there is not much room for this invaluable aspect of conferencing. This will be increasingly important for my generation of clergy, I believe.

Andrew gives us a few more insights in his article “Can We Learn to Conference Together?” where he writes,

The annual conference is the place where the church membership of every elder and deacon is held. It should be the place where our hearts are held as well. If we take a Wesleyan view of conferencing and of the covenant relationships that are nurtured through it, we can gain a model of how to survive and thrive in a world that is decidedly inhospitable for ministry in the church.

This is another excellent article. I thrive on the relationships I have from the connection, and I look forward to nurturing these through the time at Annual Conference. Hopefully we can fulfill this Wesleyan view and deepen our covenant relationships through the very structure of the AC itself.

Any thoughts on how we can do this?

End of an Era…Well at Least a Vacation

I’m two days away from the end of my vacation. Tomorrow we will be attending Mass at Saint Catherine’s of Siena, my in-laws parish. I always enjoy attending mass, but feel left out by not being able to receive the elements.

Our Annual Conference starts a week from Sunday, so that is on the horizon. I love seeing all of the other pastors I admire and enjoy talking to. I don’t look forward to other parts, especially voting on resolutions. Sometimes I feel like we propose and vote on resolutions just to feel like we’ve accomplished some “social justice,” sort of like adding sweetener to our coffee (pardon my skepticism, it’s a holdover from my science days).

Today, I’m feelng down because vacation is almost over. I’ve loved spending time with my wife and kids while having almost zero responsibilities. I’m also feeling that weird feeling that I get every now and then.

On a positive note, bishops are planning on planting new churches! That is a very positive sign, I believe. I pray that our conference will do this and reach new unchurched folks.

Falwell’s Farewell

I don’t have much to say about Jerry Falwell. I will point you to the most charitable and evenhanded discussion of his death that I’ve read. You’ll find it in a post here by Ben Witherington.

Leaving Church for Corpus Christi…

Today we’re waking up in Corpus Christi, TX to a beautiful sunrise over the gulf of Mexico. We packed a lot into our day yesterday, and the wife and kids are still sleeping now at 7:34 am.

Our visit to Northwest Hills UMC in San Antonio was a interesting experience. I always love going to church on vacation for several reasons. First, it reminds me of what it’s like for our visitors. When I, as a UM pastor, feel that nervous what-should-I-expect feeling in my stomach, it reminds me of the kind of nerve a visitor has to work up to visit our churches. Every member of our congregations should attend church on vacation to have a deeper connection with first time visitors. Second, it allows me to worship in a different way than when I’m leading worship. John, over at Come to the Waters, had a good post about this a few days ago. Third, it helps me to see what other churches are doing.

People at Northwest Hills were very friendly. I counted at least three personal contacts from folks as we came into worship. The music was contemporary, and even though I’m not the biggest contemporary guy, I was zapped back to my youth minister days and really connected with God in a special way through this time of worship. The service started at 11:15 and after children’s choir, welcome, announcements, and worship, around 12 the pastor was just beginning the pastoral prayer.

Now, as Paul Harvey says…for the rest of the story. We had taken our 1 year old to the nursery after about ten minutes of fussing and wiggling in the pew. Fifteen minutes later our buzzer went off. He hadn’t stopped crying, so we went to get him, and my wife took him to the cry room in spite of my protest that I should do it since it was Mother’s Day. More crying and sobbing. Just as the pastoral prayer was starting at noon, I looked to the back and saw my wife giving me the “we’re leaving so come on” look.

Everyone was very kind and supportive. The church was extremely child friendly, but our little guy has had too many overpowering new experiences in the short time of our vacation, and he just couldn’t take one more separation from mommy and daddy. So, at the time we’re used to getting out of the service, we headed on down here to Corpus!

All in all, we had a very positive experience with the Church. I wish the little guy would’ve cooperated so we could have heard the sermon, but hey, sometimes that happens.

We’re off to the beach again today even though it’s covered, and I mean covered, with seaweed!