Authentic

There is lots of buzz around the church about what the "emerging church" looks like. So often in conversation it is held up as the model for the future, even though people, especially clergy, aren't quite sure what it looks like. However, there are some descriptors that are often used to visualize it including the words 'relational', 'informal', 'intimate', 'liturgical', and 'culturally relevant'. And above all else it is described as 'authentic'.

What in the world does that mean? I recently heard a young adult say he "hates religion but loves Jesus". Now that gets to the root of the challenge.

There is a movement around the American church to do away with the word 'Christianity' and replace it with 'Christ Followers'. Apparently the mental model of what a Christian church looks like carries huge baggage that a younger generation is ready to dismiss for something they consider more 'authentic', modeling and following the life of Christ in the ways it lives out mission and ministry. This movement implies that the institutional church, including our own, doesn't do a very good job at being 'authentic'. I believe in many ways we deserve this judgement. On our way to becoming an institution many of our congregations have lost their vibrancy, reflectiveness, spiritual vitality and witness. We have become quite predictable.

There are a number of things about our church that should be re-assessed to determine if the predictability is fruitful. For one, the comfort of our liturgy, knowing almost anywhere in the world you will find some similarities of rite on Sunday mornings can be a blessing and a barrier. The routine and rhythm can satisfy our souls but lull us into a state of slumber if we aren't careful. Our liturgy has the power to connect us to God through the practice of ancient rites, especially the Holy Eucharist, the very act that Jesus told us to replicate. If we are going to make inroads with a younger generation and help create a new mental model of the church we must share our worship and why we do it. We must allow it to become 'informal', 'intimate', 'relational' and 'culturally relevant' in ways that honor the basics but are open to emerging new ways of being church. We should not fear how God might be utilizing these fresh expressions to attract persons into community. The institutional church needs to open its heart to how it can partner with those courageous young leaders are are willing to take the risk to try new ways of reaching those who are searching for God. The emerging church will succeed if the institutional church opens itself to the work of the Holy Spirit in this movement. This might mean support through people power, sacrificial giving and prayer. It might mean parallel worship expressions. It might mean taking a good hard look at the way we do things. Some of our churches are doing this work as they journey into the future. Some of our churches are fearfully bound to predictability. Wherever we are on this spectrum we are called to be authentic witnesses to the power of God, individually and corporately. Working with our missionary leaders who have the courage to risk new ways of being church can be an amazing and holy journey. How are you called to be a part of this work?

Helping People Understand and Discover

I just returned from a three day retreat in Indiana where I had plenty of time to create an environment of self reflection, lots of discussion, bible study and learning for a group of 50 people. It was about getting in touch with one's God-given passion, giftedness and call. The teachings were grounded in raising awareness of how the Holy Spirit dwells in each of us and is yearning to work through us so that others can see that glimpse of God. This is a new understanding for lots of Episcopalians to internalize. It has huge implications and becomes an avenue for spiritual growth or a barrier to it. Only on this foundation of understanding can one begin to discover and explore the possibilities of personal call to serve Christ. And call is so misunderstood in our denomination. It has been almost exclusively thought of in terms of those who feel called to ordination. We must help every person understand that God calls and equips them with passion and giftedness in addition to skill and innate talents and abilities.

There is alot of teaching, studying and discussion that needs to happen for people in our pews. This is foundational identity-in-God discernment. I think the church doesn't spend much time doing this work because it doesn't understand the value of it. And it is work. It is our loss because we don't emphasize discovery and discernment. Congregations will never be spiritually mature until the individuals in them do this critical stuff.

I think one of the reasons why leaders in congregations often act as if the church is just another non-profit is because they have never learned what differentiates the two. Leaders who understand the life changing call to be missional have a hugely different motivation to serve than leaders in non-profits. They are both about serving, but missionary leaders understand their call comes from God and doesn't eminate from any other need.

The 'aha' lightbulb moments this weekend were fun to watch. People began to say, "I now understand how God has uniquely made me for ministry." Holy visions surfaced, a number of persons left convicted with what they were called to do. I had a tremendous sense of gratitude knowing this effort was fruitful. Some told me it was "life changing."

There is lots of work to be done in our churches in this regard. I hope we will spend more time helping people understand and discover God's unique design on their lives. The results could be transformative and holy. What is more important than that?

Caring Enough

I was recently in a conversation with a young priest about his congregation. It is a young church with leaders who love it and want it to grow. It has much to offer in spirit and opportunity. Yet when I asked him how he gathers contact information about first time visitors he said, 'we are inconsistent, we try but aren't always successful.' I was really surprised and pondered on this response for a couple of days. Why wouldn't a young church with energy and potential not be more intentional about gathering information from visitors?

What does it say about a church that doesn't seem to care enough to put high priority into this task? Do they think they are being too pushy if they systematically do this? Is it one of many things needing to be done that just doesn't get done very well?

I decided to think about the visitor's perspective. Here is a person who screws up courage to visit a church they have never been to before. They might have impressions of what to expect born out of previous experiences with churches. Or perhaps this is a person who is so unchurched that this visit may be the first EVER to a church outside of a funeral or wedding.

The following might be a few thoughts running through this first time visitor's mind:

" The people seemed nice enough, but I was surprised that no one asked my name".
"I really didn't want anyone to approach me because I am not sure what I want. However, I left that church really not too impressed. I have no idea if there is anything there for me anyway."

"If they really are interested in me, you would think they would have taken down my contact information. I want to know more about the church and not sure what I need to do to find out. I guess I will visit their website. Maybe I will try again later."

Of course, these are just a few possible responses. But one thing is for sure, visitors have an unspoken expectation that they will find something that represents God at a church. Isn't God caring? Loving? Does God care about me? Isn't that what churches are supposed to do?

Not caring enough to capture contact information from visitors is like saying, 'we are doing well enough here without you'or 'we don't value your visit enough to respond to you'. Anyway you slice it, not caring enough to capture contact information and responding to it with at least a 'thank you for attending' says 'you really don't matter to us'. That is personal. That is counter to every thing we profess as Christians in terms of caring for others.

Let's raise our awareness of how well we do this critical 'welcome' ministry in our churches. It should be very high priority. It truly represents how much we really care.

A Target Audience of 5 Year Olds

Yesterday I had the privilege of worshiping in a congregation that was celebrating the 25th anniversary of its founding. What a turn around story!! This was a church that had a number of 'dark' experiences in its past. This was a church that lost much of its will to exist, falling from a congregation of about 100 average Sunday attendance in 2000 to about 45 souls struggling to hang on. Yesterday the church had 175 people in attendance, 40 of them children and youth.
What happened?

This is a classic example of faithful, mission minded leadership. A middle aged priest felt he was called to this church five years ago. He was so sure that God wanted him to go there that he and his wife put money down on a home near that location before he ever visited with the Bishop about having the opportunity to go there. This church, this move, would be 175 miles from his cure. He was certain God was calling him there and it was going to happen. Once he had the opportunity to visit with the Bishop about his hope to move he was told that the congregation simply couldn't afford a priest, it was an impossible situation. But two days later, the leaders of that church called the Bishop saying they were willing to take one last chance and offer up 6 months salary for a full time priest. The rest is history.

This priest had an inspired vision for this congregation which evolved around children. He set about to identify with the parishioners a new sense of mission, core values and a vision that focused on five year olds. He instilled a 'with God's help all things are possible' attitude. He worked to empower and release very talented parishioners for ministry. The church was spruced up. Much emphasis was put on invitation and welcome to newcomers. A comprehensive and very creative rotation Sunday School for children was established. Cheerful spaces were created for children of all ages. Families began to come, stay and get connected into relationships and ministries. The liturgy began to reflect the casual and contemporary style of the congregants. And the children became central to the closing of the main service every Sunday. A new practice of inviting children of all ages to come to the front of the church was encouraged. Baskets brimming with musical instruments and noise makers always await little hands to dive into for the selection of their choice. As the children pour into the front of the nave, some in mothers' arms, a cacophany of joyful noise builds to a crescendo as the recessional concurs. This precious moment is a powerful,joyful noise unto the Lord!

Watching this activity unfold yesterday made me reflect on the numerous congregations that lament that they have no children in attendance. I know there are no simple answers. But I also know the power of faithful, prayerful leaders who are determined to believe 'with God's help all things are possible'. This church is a testament to the power of the Holy Spirit to transform a congregation. Focusing on five year olds has born great fruit.

Bogged Down and Stressed Out

In reflecting why I haven't written a blog in a couple of weeks I told myself how bogged down and stressed out I have been over ........ you name it. The list is boringly long. But it is that very same list of things that just changes names from week to week leaving me in a constant stage of feeling there is never enough time. Going to bed at night thinking about my 'to do list that I am behind on' never seems to help me get a good night sleep.

Then I had a conversation with one of my spiritual advisors, my 32 year old son who is passionate about his relationship with God and chooses to rely on God so much that he simply doesn't angst very often. About anything! He is the personification of a reminder to me about God's goodness, God's redemption and the way the Holy Spirit can change a persons' life. Conversations with him force me to be the learner, to stretch my faith and to be open to the wisdom of one's offspring. What is it about parenthood? This six foot five inch man is still the little boy I brought into this world. The child I parented, taught life lessons to, and watched as he stumbled through life to find his adulthood. Now God is using him in profound ways to teach me.

About ths bogged down and stressed out thing he said, "Mom, you have the work God created you to do. It is your 'dream job'. Why do you let it stress you out so much?"

Standing in my kitchen he struck a memorable, exaggerated pose, mimicking God with arms stretched out. In his pretending to be God he said, "I have given this great work you love to do Mary, it is a gift! You are the one who chooses to let it stress you out. That is not my intent! Your choice!"

Wow, nothing like a two by four between the eyes via a little dramatization!

I am sure I am not alone as a person fully engaged in ministry who allows the workload to sometimes get the best of them. Why, we are working for God, right? We have to give it our all, our best. Unfortunately this expectation I place on my self is self imposed. God has so richly blessed my work that sometimes I forget to give it all to Him. When I lean on myself, like anything else in ministry, I generally fail to make the mark. Yet God has shown me so often his satisfaction and delight.

I have felt lighter the last few days. Some of the scales have fallen from my eyes.

I am going to work to not be so demanding of myself, thanks to the wisdom of a son who gets it.

Stewardship: Does Your Congregation 'Get It'?

The word 'stewardship' has become synonymous with the annual beg-a-thon in congregations for financial support. The Church has allowed this to happen and it is so unfortunate. Now we need to undo that damage and re-build the true understanding of stewardship because it is foundational to the faith. This last weekend the Diocese of Texas had its annual Stewardship Conference. This large gathering started in the 1980's with a significant emphasis on the theology of stewardship and all things money raising. It has gradually morphed through the decades to have a very heavy emphasis on the theology of stewardship and a minor emphasis on money raising. This critical change has been in response to those of us who work with vestries and congregational leaders who demonstrate little understanding of this theology. The notion that the Church is working out of God's abundance to us individually and corporately is contrasted by the more familiar human fear of scarcity. Turning off lights, lowering thermostats, cutting printing costs and renegotiating energy services are all good things. They represent being good stewards of God's green earth and people's pocket books. My question is, have congregational leaders been faithful first in teaching and reminding its people that everything they have comes from God? That we were born to reflect God's love one to another and to serve in His name? That out of thanksgiving we are to joyfully return to God a tithe which is just a portion of what God has given to us to steward? That all that we have is really not ours but God's?

Talk about a radical theology! This is hard stuff to teach in a culture of extreme material wealth and the 'self made man' who feels he is responsible for building his private wealth and is the master of his own destiny. It is also hard to teach to people who feel they have a right to determine where exactly there donated dollars are spent and where withholding is often used as pressure to get what they want.

When I hear clergy say they will not talk about money because that is the vestry's work, I cringe. We MUST not only discuss money and how it impacts our lives but we need to understand how it impacts our personal and corporate witness as Christians. The Church has a huge responsibility to help its members understand God's economy, what scripture says about money, what Jesus taught about money, in order to grow in our spiritual lives and faithfulness. The irony is that when one moves from fears of scarcity to understanding of abundance, their joy in giving grows dramatically! And the world becomes a better place.

America has been in a significant recession for awhile. Many churches are straining to be thoughtful stewards of their resources. I challenge missionary leaders to understand that embodying an attitude of gratitude and helping people understand the theology of stewardship while challenging them to grow in their faithful giving at this time will be very important to do. I also encourage leaders to identify laity who have the gift for stewardship and empower them to help in creative ways to assist their fellow congregants to grow in this understanding. People respond to leaders, clergy and lay, who witness to the power of God in their lives and their stewardship response. The Church will come closer to 'getting it', embodying a true understanding of what stewardship really means. Now is the time to step up and do this work. The church will be a more faithful community as a result.

The Needs That Don't Go Away

I read an article in the newspaper yesterday about the home church movement. It spoke to the growing popularity in America of small groups meeting in homes in lieu of the institutional church we have come to know over the last 100 years. Some of the reasons cited for joining these home churches were as follows: opportunity for strong relationship building; fellowship; intimate and informal prayer;flexibility; child friendly; setting for engaging Bible study; low cost. The article went on to say that persons see home churches as a viable option to joining an established church. People interested also said that they think home churches model the early church which in some ways represents authenticity to the way God would design churches.

There is validity in these reasons which poses the challenge to those of us involved with the institutional church.

This movement has its downside which was not included in the article. I expect that home churches call for really wise and faithful leaders, outstanding resources that keep people engaged in learning, and establishment of expectations among group members that foster discipline and personal stewardship, just to name a few. Nevertheless, home churches are a growing viable option to established congregations.

The challenge for those of us in organized churches is to work hard at providing some of the same opportunities that home churches provide. Anyone who has worked at establishing small group ministries knows how challenging they can be. It has been my experience that organizing, developing and promoting healthy small group ministries in churches takes dedicated, creative and intentional work, not to mention prayer that seeks God's guidance beyond all the packaged programs available to the church today. It is particularly hard in congregations that are static with few new members and often tired leadership. Old habits and behaviors are hard to change. Just ask the established pastor who now wants to institute name tags in a congregation that has gotten along without them forever. Starting small groups in homes with the primary objectives that mimic those of home churches is HARD WORK. It is so important that it should become priority work for institutional church and its leaders. This isn't something that can simply be sidelined for consideration. People need to grow in relationship with each other, they need to have opportunities for intimate prayer, they need relaxed fellowship, and they need the opportunity to hear each other share how God is working in their lives. Often the best way to address these needs are in small home groups.

My question for you is, have you made small group ministry a priority at your church? If you tried and failed, have you discerned how you might go about it differently? Have you sought out good resources and understand the basics that you may be called as the leader to identify, encourage, resource train and support persons suitable to lead small home groups in your church? Have you realized this is an ongoing necessity for the organic nature of ever changing small home groups? Have you figured out the need to always create new groups because established ones become insulated and often not welcoming to new members because of the bonds of friendship and patterns of the groups?

How have you established the expectation that your members participate in small groups, with an emphasis of all new members having easy entry groups with outstanding leadership?

There is little doubt that Americans will opt out more and more for home churches. As long as there are people, they will have a need to be in relationship with others and to know God. These are simply needs that don't go away. Praise God for that! Let's take this movement very seriously. How will you as a missionary leader provide for your congregation the benefits that can be found in small home church settings?
Pray about it. Work on it.