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September 2013

5 Roadblocks to Church Blogging

2x2CategoryBarSMThe Power of Blogging Is in the Thinking 

Very few churches have blogs. Some pastors start one but usually give up after a month or two. Results are not immediate and other things take precedence.

That’s a shame. There is transformational power in blogging regularly—daily if possible.

Why don’t more congregations start blogs?

There are four major roadblocks.

  1. Because blogging is new and untested.

  2. Because it is work.

  3. Because no one knows who should do it.

  4. Because they don’t know how to start.

  5. Because it’s not in the budget.

When a congregation can overcome these roadblocks, they will have created a valuable mission tool.

People blog with the hopes of being read. For some bloggers, it is enough to have a readership of a dozen colleagues. Others strive for bigger numbers.

Numbers aren’t that important in evaluating other church activities. Many churches are pleased to reach fewer than 50 people each week in church—and we keep doing this without question!

Our 2×2 blog, a project of Redeemer Lutheran Church in East Falls, has about 200 readers each day between subscribers and “unique” visitors. (We consider you all “unique”)  :-)

We consider ourselves just starting out. There is great potential.

To reach people is certainly a goal. We reach more people today than when we had our own brick and mortar church. (That doesn’t mean we wouldn’t like our church home back, please.)

At the end of our first year of blogging, our average daily readership was 25. Today it’s more than 100 with another 100 or more subscribers.

We have been blogging for two and one half years now. I can say “we” because, although I am the “voice” of 2×2, our members are very involved. They discuss 2×2, they send ideas they’d like to see posted. They encourage. They prod. I just shape and organize the voice of our congregation.

As we grow 2×2 we are discovering that the daily exercise of blogging benefits US. We are becoming more conscious of our faith. We have become a thinking congregation.

That may, in some congregations, be the role of a pastor—to lead congregational thought. But we haven’t had a dedicated pastor since 2006—and maybe that’s why we were able to pioneer our blog.

Blogging has become part of our parish discipline. There is something magical about putting ideas into words and taking care in publishing them—especially when you know that people are looking for ammunition to use against you. We know how Paul might have felt!

Blogging forces us to think through issues, be careful with facts, anticipate objections and reconcile them in our thinking before we publish.

We write about issues in the church and we do so with passion. When we visit other churches we sense that the people are only marginally aware of church issues. The Church cannot witness effectively when its people exist in marginal awareness.

Perhaps the real value of blogging is in understanding scripture.

Spreading the Word is part of our congregational mission. And it drives our traffic. We write about scripture as much as we write about anything. 600 people find our website every week when they search for scriptural help.

Through our blog, we explore scripture before Sunday and after Sunday. It has become our own educational curriculum.

Clergy are aware of the liturgical year and the corresponding three-year lectionary cycle and how the various scriptures weave together in telling the greater story.

However, in many churches, the weekly scriptures are “sprung” on worshipers. They may be unaware that we are in Lectionary Year A, B or C or how the four weekly passages relate to one another. The pastor comments on usually just one of the scriptures for 20 minutes.

We use our blog to expand the experience of scripture. We begin writing about next Sunday’s scripture on Monday or Tuesday. We usually have two posts before Sunday arrives. Everyone knows what scriptures will be read when they come to church on Sunday. It is not unusual for our members to discuss them before worship begins or as we drive to one of our visits.

We are not hearing the Sunday scriptures for the first time during worship. When the pastor begins to preach, he or she is adding to our experience. We record our Sunday experience on our blog and can build on that experience.

And so our understanding of scripture becomes more central to our lives, and we can apply it to our secular endeavors seamlessly.

Blogging makes you think.

How do you overcome the roadblocks?

Get started. Start by posting twice a week and build.

If you dedicate yourselves to blogging for one year, you will never want to give it up.

2×2 has written extensively on social media for churches. Just type a topic into our site search engine to find help in getting started. Or contact us. We want other churches to harness this tool. We’ll be glad to help.

A Few Related Posts (of many)

23 Advantages for Churches Using Social Media

Why Would Anyone Read A Church Blog?

Don’t Know How to Start Blogging? Start Here.

Building Ministry One Post at a Time

What I learned from cleaning my attic

atticCleaning Out the Church Attic

My attic got out of hand two decades ago. With the arrival of cool fall weather, I decided the moment had come. It was daunting. 25 years of various stages in the lives of three people stored for a rainy day that might never come. I decided to give it an hour, first thing every morning.

A few months ago, I (and the rest of Redeemer) took on the task of cleaning out the home of a deceased pastor. The home was well-lived in and filled with books and papers, music and recordings.  It was easily ten times the amount of stuff in my attic. But the things were not mine. Although, I frequently came across things of interest it was not particularly painful to part with any of them. Still, I think the family of the pastor was glad that we were handling their family’s things with sensitivity.

But now I am sifting through things that were at one time cherished or valued by people that I am close to. Here’s what I learned.

  • Ephemeral Value:
  • A lot of things that seem important just don’t matter. A crate of “hamburger” toys. Out!
  • Value in the forgotten. Last summer I wanted a pair of navy blue slacks. Navy blue is not currently “in.” I found three pairs that I had forgotten I owned. I also learned that I will always like navy blue whether or not it is trendy!
  • Records. I carefully stored financial records in boxes. They mean nothing today. But I kept photos and things that might be helpful to my our son or step-grandchildren.
  • Memories. Many things have value in memory only, but still they have value. I bagged lots of little boy shorts and hoodies for giveaway, but I set aside an infant’s snowsuit given to me at the birth of our son by a highschool girlfriend with whom I still talk every week or so. I also kept the last Christmas gift I had given my husband before he died.
  • Some trends have value; others, not so much: I decided to toss the trendy toys — Power Rangers, etc. and keep the classics. Monopoly, Checkers, Picture Puzzles. There may be grandchildren some day!
  • New purposes for old things. I have ten bankers boxes of children’s books. I pulled out the favorites long ago—the books about dogs. But what do I do with the rest? I saw a photo on the internet that sparked an idea. It will take some work. But I’ll hang on to them a bit longer.

One of the goals for cleaning the attic was to make room for the new—new uses for the space or new space for new, old stuff? I’m not quite sure. But knowing that the space is available is a big step.

What does this have to do with church?

A lot of churches are one big attic—one big box of bricks and mortar holding the past and memories of the past and perhaps the spark of a future. They need to be cleaned thoroughly every twenty years or so. It’s one way to reevaluate your history and plan your future.

  • There are things and ideas that live within our boxes of bricks and mortar that will never be used again.
  • There are things of value that we’ve forgotten about.
  • History can be valuable but not everything is as important as we think it is at the time.
  • There are things that are carefully cherished for no other reason than the memories attached to them. Some should be kept — just because. Some can be tossed.
  • Churches go through trends and fads. You might find unused hymnals, kneelers, or altarware. These might point you to the thinking behind these items. Decide what’s worth keeping and what is taking up space.
  • There are old things that we might think have no use but are waiting for the spark of creativity to bring them back to life.

It might be a good idea to periodically walk through your church and consider it your attic. What is no longer useful? What was never useful? What can be repurposed? What is classic and will always have potential value? Don’t limit yourself to physical things. Examine the ideas attached to the physical things. What is taking up room that new ideas could occupy? The last lesson I learned:

The longer you wait the more difficult the task.

photo credit: 55Laney69 via photopin cc

Art in Religion: The Shrewd Manager

This is a tough parable. Even the theologians have a difficult time explaining it. It leaves me wondering if there is something missing to modern ears that might have seemed obvious to the disciples and early Christians. It almost seems as if Jesus is condoning dishonesty.

Having read a number of explanations from people more learned than I, I’ve concluded that it boils down to attitude or perhaps passion. The Shrewd Manager was willing to do whatever he needed to do to protect his relationships. His methods left no one further hurt and generally everyone was happy. He was thinking of himself and his future. Maybe that’s what the disciples needed to hear—that they need to think about the future.

Here is some art that might help us think about this confusing parable.

In most case there are three parts to each painting. The rich man, the shrewd manager and the people who are usually depicted as happily going about their business with their burden in life lessened.

The first painting is from the Coptic tradition of North Africa. “What?” the shrewd merchant is saying. “You want a written report?”

shrewd2

Here we see the interaction of the boss and the manager only.

Next is an etching that also focuses on just the two key players. That guy in the middle is the snitch—the fellow who reported the shrewd manager. I wonder if he was a really good friend of the rich man or if he expected a reward!

But notice the shrewd manager here. He stands before the rich man in humility.

shrewd1The next depiction tells the whole story. Pay attention to all the interaction of the characters. There’s real drama here!

shrewd3

Here is a similar drawing.

shrewd4

We’ll close with a painting by Marinus van Reymerswaele from 1540 back when “witch hats” were fashionable all year round. Once again you have all three elements. The happy debtors. The satisfied merchant and the shrewd manager who is still trying to explain himself even after the rich man has commended him. “It’s all right,” the rich man is saying. “I’ve got most of my money back. The people think well of me. They really like you. Go on your way and be happy. I won’t worry about you. You’ll be fine.”

shrewd5

Adult Object Lesson: Psalm 113

What’s In A Name?

The opening lines of Psalm 113:
Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord;
praise the name of the Lord.
Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time on and forevermore.

Today’s lesson is about names. Names are the object.

You might do a little homework this week. Look up the names of a few of your congregation. Find out what their names mean. Both first names and last names have meanings.

Names are important in the Bible. They are more than a label. They identify a person’s character and tell part of their story.

You can use the story of Jacob (usurp or heel holder) and Esau (rough or hairy). Their names became their lives. Jacob, who grasped the heel of his twin brother as he was about to be born first, eventually hoodwinked his brother from his birthright. Esau, born rough and hairy was the hunter. He was out hunting, while Jacob played his tricks.

You can also use the name-changing stories in the Bible. Abram (exalted father)-Abraham (father of multitudes), Sarai (argumentative)-Sarah (princess), Simon (to be heard)-Peter (rock), Saul (prayed for)-Paul (humble).

Some of the names for God were so sacred that they traditionally were not spoken.

In this psalm (read before the Passover Ceremony), the name of the Lord is to be praised.

Naming a person is a huge responsibility and one of the first major negotiations of any marriage. Everyone has a name story to tell.

If you have children in church you might be able to reach the adults by talking to the children about their names. But you can do the same with adults.

Children may not know their name story. Be ready to tell them something about their names.

Ask people to share their name stories. If they hesitate to engage, be prepared to share what you know about their name.

Do a little research. For example, one of my family names is Leach. Doctors were called “leach” because of the practice of using leeches in medicine. No standard spelling back then!

You might talk about how it feels to be called by name. Children know the difference between being called by a diminutive/pet name or when their full name is used. Sales people are taught to refer to everyone by name at least once in every conversation. Some people dislike their names and adopt nicknames. They cringe when unknowing strangers use it.

Then turn the discussion to names for the Lord. What names can they think of? What would they name the Lord and why?

(You might save this sermon for Advent/Christmas season and use it in discussing the naming of Jesus.)

Recite the psalm together as you close.

Or sing the Charles Wesley hymn that builds on this psalm with a new focus on Jesus.

Ye servants of God,
your Master proclaim,
and publish abroad
his wonderful Name;
the Name all-victorious
of Jesus extol:
his kingdom is glorious;
he rules over all.

God ruleth on high,
almighty to save;
and still he is nigh:
his presence we have.
The great congregation
his triumph shall sing,
ascribing salvation
to Jesus our King.

Salvation to God
who sits on the throne!
Let all cry aloud,
and honor the Son.
The praises of Jesus
the angels proclaim,
fall down on their faces,
and worship the Lamb.

Then let us adore,
and give him his right:
All glory and power,
all wisdom and might,
all honor and blessing,
with angels above,
and thanks never ceasing
and infinite love.

Social Media Will Guide the Church of the Future

2x2CategoryBarSMSocial Media Is a Game Changer for Churches
…and that’s a good thing.

It’s not easy to understand the Social Media Revolution. Everyone is trying to figure out how it applies to them.

Let’s look first at the business world — something everyone interacts with.

Every business covering every life need from cradle to grave is exploring social media. One of the leading speakers on the topics gained his expertise promoting his swimming pool business.

Most businesses know they must have an interactive online presence if they want to stand out.

Most churches are making no effort whatsoever to enter the lives of the people who populate the modern world.

Let’s look at what businesses are learning and apply it to church mission.

At first businesses tried to lure customers by “hanging out” like buddies.

The hoped for benefit was to create loyalty, buzz and awareness of their expertise which would translate to success and dollars.

The reality is that no one is really going to spend a ton of time hanging out with every business they interact with.

If they visit a social media site they probably fit into certain categories.

Churches, look closely at this list and consider how each might apply to church life. It will help you develop a content strategy (mission strategy).

People who engage in Social Media are seekers. They find your website for a personal reason:

  • They have a specific question. Something made them think you might have the answer.
  • They are curious. Some experience sparked their interest and they want to know more.
  • They have a problem that needs to be solved.
  • They have a passionate cause and are looking for like-minded people.
  • They have had an experience with your product or service (good or bad) and feel a need to share with others.
  • Something is missing in their lives. They may not know what it is.
  • They stumbled upon your site serendipitously and an interest was sparked.
  • They found something entertaining.

If  you want readers to make visiting your site a habit you must engage them by meeting one of these needs, especially if you want to engage readers to a point that they take  action. That’s what evangelism is all about.

Yes, it is likely to cost some money to find the talent to devote to this. Done correctly it is guaranteed they will work as hard as any pastor, organist or sexton. Online communicators are pivotal to the emerging church.

Relating Social Media to Ministry 

Let’s explore each item on the above list.

  • They have a specific question—something made them think you might have the answer.

Seekers have questions. If your church regularly provides answers, your site will attract an audience. You could create a one-time Frequently Asked Questions page and let it sit there OR you could regularly engage your audience in finding answers themselves (the better educational technique).

  • They are curious. Some experience sparked their interest and they want to know more.

You can provide a service to readers by building links to information in your field. Often this translates into providing a link to the regional body or national church entity. That’s probably not what curious web surfers are looking for.

2×2 regularly provides a collection of art that might supplement a congregation’s understanding of scripture. We provide links to sites that will help them learn more about religious art. This feature is starting to draw some traffic from search engines.

  • They have a problem that needs to be solved.

Churches serve individuals. Individuals come with needs and problems. How can your website address this need? It may be a daily spiritual reading. It may be a directory of your members with their skills and experts attached (your own little LinkedIn). Your congregation will become known as more than Sunday morning church-goers. They will be recognized for their skills, talents and willingness to become involved in their communities.

Churches serve communities. Communities have problems. Identify your community’s challenges and address them regularly. Members of your community with an interest in the same problems will find your site.

2×2 found that people are looking for object lessons. We were familiar with a site that catalogs object lessons for children. We found our own niche: object lessons for adult learners. About 600 people per week find our site when they are searching for object lessons for either adults or kids. We fill a need and are opening a relatively unexplored teaching tool for whole congregations. We target the adults but keep the whole congregation in mind with our tips. 

Another church found that families with an autistic member felt shut out by society, including the church. They developed a church curriculum to embrace this need.

  • They have a passionate cause and are looking for like-minded people.

2×2 has a passion for small church (neighborhood) ministry which is being gulped up by corporate church economics. We write about this topic regularly.

  • They have had an experience with your product or service (good or bad) and feel a need to share with others.

Churches love to talk about the good. No problem understanding this need. But dealing with the bad (they like to call it “baggage”) is not their strength. The Church tends to pigeonhole all but the most exuberant emotions.

The standard solution for disgruntled Christians is facilitate their becoming unchurched. The Church is happy that way. They’ve avoided unpleasantness  by sacrificing their mission. Forgiveness, reconciliation, etc. are easier to talk about than to engage in.

The Church that is emerging in the Social Media Revolution will have to start handling the whole person. They will no longer be able to avoid the baggage or assign it to short-term scapegoats to deal with. The disgruntled now have a place to go.

Business is learning that it is a big mistake to not work with their critics. Will the Church learn from their experience?

  • Something is missing in their lives. They may not know what it is.

People love to share when they are happy and when they are angry. Webmasters love happy people. We figure out how to handle angry people. But there are a lot of lost emotions. People are less willing to share when they are sad and lonely and hurting. But this is when they need other people (the Church) the most.

Here’s an emotional niche the church must fill. Online is a good place to start.

  • They stumbled upon your site serendipitously and an interest was sparked.

People talk. Talk leads to questions. Answers to questions these days are frequently found by googling. If you can anticipate questions and provide the answers, curious people will find you.

People looking to expand their experience or interest will find you if you let them know that you have people who share the same interests. Churches already do this when seeking musical talent. What if they put the same interest into finding and nurturing other talents.

Example 1: One church our Ambassadors visited had a passion for serving people dealing with cancer. They developed resources for patients and caregivers and families affected by this decease. They haven’t done this, but if they put those resources online, people would begin to view them as partners on a difficult journey.

Example 2: Another church realized that economic development was important in their community. They offered classes and even small loans to help small businesses. They built a relationship with a nearby business school. The networking could help the church grow—if they are online.

In these examples someone googling “cancer” might find your site. Likewise, someone googling “business education” might find your site.

As Google localizes their algorithms, this will become even more valuable for churches! Local needs will be easier to identify and fill. You will come up online as the answer—if you addressed the need.

Get started! Start answering the first concerns on the list and watch people find your site serendipitously.

  • They want to be entertained.

Everyone likes to have fun. Everyone appreciates beauty. Address these basic human qualities online. Post cartoons. Take a poll. Share a video. Ask questions. Engage!

Social Media Is A Game Changer

The Church often views Social Media Ministry as something to be added to what they already do. In fact, the use of Social Media will change everything about how we “do” church as we move into the digital future. There will be less guessing about how to reach people. You will know your community better and you will be prepared to serve your community better.

Social Media will guide your ministry. But only if you are online!

 

Ambassadors Visit Spirit and Truth, Yeadon

Spirit and Truth Lutheran ChurchA New Experience for the Ambassadors

Today, was our 73rd visit to a congregation of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod (SEPA) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

Redeemer’s Ambassadors never know what to expect when we set out on our Sunday morning adventures.

We visited Worship in Spirit and Truth Lutheran Church or Worship Center (we’ve seen it listed both ways) in Yeadon (just outside of West Philadelphia). We found the doors were open, but the sanctuary was empty.

We had checked the web site before setting out. The service was listed for 10 am. We had run into a detour and were afraid that we were a little late. In fact, we were only two minutes late.

We could hear a praise band practicing and one of our ambassadors caught a glimpse of three musicians, but otherwise there was not a soul in sight.

We looked around the narthex for a few minutes. The sign on the narthex wall said WORSHIP 10 am. The Ambassadors took a quick vote and decided not to hang around waiting for the unknown. We were concerned that another ambassador was planning to come independently, but since he is never late, we soon set out. This morning would be a Fellowship Sunday.

On our way to the parking lot, we passed the pastor and his wife (at least they seemed to match photos from the web site). They were just arriving. We said hello. But there was no turning the Ambassadors around at this point. It was clear that worship was not going to begin anywhere near on time, and we are a restless bunch.

Last week, when we visited Redemption in NE Philadelphia, there had been an announced change in worship time that wasn’t on the web. We waited an hour for the service to begin, but we waited with other people. The pastor talked with us for a while and explained why there was a mix-up. This morning we had no idea what was going on.

We retired to our favorite local diner and discussed the gospel lesson of the lost sheep.

We were disappointed.

Spirit and Truth’s ministry interested us because their story was told to us when SEPA was trying to find a less messy way to acquire our property five or six years ago. We wanted to see their ministry for ourselves.

This is what we did in Yeadon, they said. The existing church (Trinity) had only a few old ladies left as members, they explained. The old ladies voted to close. We had a grand closing service to provide them closure. Then we reopened the church under a new name a few weeks later with new management—synod. They called the church a mission development church. Rev. Patricia Davenport (who was part of the Redeemer fiasco) canvassed the neighborhood for four or five years. SEPA rechartered the church in 2005 with 179 charter members. But the new charter would forever list the church as a church with mission roots (which we are guessing Trinity didn’t have). This is a bigger deal than it may seem. Read on.

For this strategy to work, it was explained, all memory and ties to the past must be severed. They make it sound likes this is to aid mission. It’s not. It’s about legally acquiring certain congregational property rights.

Spirit and Truth’s web site history begins: In 2000, the Trinity Lutheran Church of Yeadon, PA closed. That’s all folks. Trinity is history. Spirit and Truth rose from its ashes. The saints of Trinity would soon be forgotten.

This was the new flagship strategy of Bishop Burkat when she took office in 2006. Redeemer was to be the first of six churches to benefit from her innovative leadership—or so their lawyer stated in court.

This is why Spirit and Truth is sometimes called a Church and sometimes called a Worship Center.. Worship Centers are synod-controlled. Churches have rights. Unfortunately, those rights have been watered down (with muddy water) in recent years.

SEPA presented their sanitized intentions to the courts in 2009. They left out the part where they tipped their hand by trying to sell our property behind our backs in 2008.

Their plan included a stipulation that was not acceptable to Redeemer. None of the existing members could play a leadership role in the Church of the New Name. We could do no more than attend. We found no constitutional basis for disempowering local leadership and no reason to go this route as we had plenty of existing and developing lay leadership. The proposal was, in our view, a way of gaining control of our property by getting influential church members out of the way and scaring marginal members and pastors into submission.

There are three problems with this strategy.

Problem 1

There is no evidence that the strategy works. While Spirit and Truth grew for a few years under Rev. Patricia Davenport’s leadership, it has been in significant decline since she left in November 2007. Within three years of her departure their average attendance was less than half what it was in 2008 (and statistics were not reported in two of those years). Their statistics had dropped below their charter membership just a few years before. It was during these years that the great Yeadon experiment was starting to fail that Pastor Davenport and Bishop Burkat were trying to take Redeemer down the same road.

If leadership is dependent on clergy, then consistent leadership seems to be pivotal to success. There are no guarantees in today’s church that mission-capable pastors are going to be available long-term. Therefore, relying on clergy to be the sole provider of mission leadership is foolish.

Spirit and Truth’s ELCA Trend Report has current membership at 136 with average attendance of 35, but if you add up the itemized membership column, the membership comes out to only 70—about 12% smaller than Redeemer. Redeemer’s cash and property assets were more than four times theirs. Yet they got to vote on our property. We didn’t.

Thirteen years have passed since SEPA tested this new strategy.

Looks like Redeemer was smart to be wary.

Problem 2

Redeemer was not anything like Trinity in Yeadon, the predecessor of Spirit and Truth. Their members agreed to the arrangement. We were given no choice.

Our membership was statistically young. Only three or four of our 82 members were over 70 (just over). While Bishop Almquist waited six years (2000-2006) for our older members to die, we had actually become a young church. In 2007 the new members led a membership drive which resulted in 49 new members. Most of our newer members were young families and with a good percentage of young unmarried people and young couples from a wide variety of backgrounds joining. We were growing quickly. No reason to act like we were failing when we weren’t.

We didn’t need a new entity with a new name and Synod-approved leaders. Synod did.

Problem 3

Many churches don’t realize this:

If you allow your congregation to be listed as a mission development church, you lose important constitutional rights.

  • The Synod gains rights to the property and disbursement of assets if you vote to close.
  • The congregation loses the right to withdraw from the Synod to join another Lutheran body with their property. EVER—even 100 years from now.

The Synod wants churches to have mission status—even for a short length of time—to constitutionally secure the property for their future enrichment.

This strategy puts the control of assets in their hands. It also puts success or failure in their hands—since they now control all aspects of ministry. That’s why SEPA needs knowledgeable lay people out of the way. That’s why Trinity, Yeadon, was encouraged to close and deed the property to Synod before new outreach began. SEPA needs old churches to close to gain rights to property. It has nothing to do with mission effectiveness being hindered by previous ministry or history. It’s about creating new entities to secure property ownership under mission status. All those new church members in Yeadon may not know that they no longer have the rights the old members in Yeadon had.

Very sneaky, indeed.

We can only wonder why the current residents of Yeadon are considered less able to run their own church than the previous demographic of Yeadon. Redeemer was dealing with a new demographic too. Our members, mostly from well-educated professionals from East Africa, were viewed as unable to manage their own affairs without synod’s help.

And all of this is why SEPA’s dealings with Redeemer have been secretive, underhanded, vindictive beyond reason and litigious. They don’t want people to really know what’s behind their “mission” strategies.

Redeemer has members well-versed in the church constitutions. We knew it was not in our ministry’s interest to give up our rights as Lutherans. SEPA was the only beneficiary of the plan.

SEPA would have to find another way to take possession of our property—and they did. But it has been an ugly unChristlike LOSE-LOSE situation. It is an embarrassment to our denomination.

The Ambassadors didn’t attend a worship service today. We don’t know what went awry.

One thing we know:

Redeemer leaders were always ready for worship at the appointed time.

We had visitors almost every week.

First impressions count.

Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, Lost Church

The Parable of The Lost Church

Once upon a time there was a congregation that became separated from the other congregations in their denomination. They worshiped in their homes, wandered from church to church, and borrowed space from neighborhood friends when they wanted to hold events.

They weren’t hard to find. They took their ministry online.

Many people who weren’t looking for them found them. Christians all over the world began writing to them and sharing their ministries. Amazing stories of mission became commonplace.

But their closest Christian friends took control of their money and property. They locked their doors and sent them away. You are no longer welcome, they said. And they meant it. All the sheep were warned by the shepherd to keep their distance.

There was no shepherd interested in bringing the Lost Church back into the fold, to reconcile, to comfort them, heal with them, or recognize them as part of God’s family.

The Lost Church maintained its mission and became known for innovative ministry. They grew in influence and in favor with churches that belonged to other denominations.

Amazing stories of ministry were soon being told as faraway Christians interacted in prayer and fellowship. God’s love crisscrossed the oceans as friendships were made.

No matter how effective their ministry was, nothing the Lost Church did was good enough for their own shepherds. They were busy caring for all the congregations that were never any trouble and unfailingly did as they were told without question.

Two years after they became lost to their denomination, leaders decided to officially declare them lost for good. Their name was taken from the denomination’s roster, their signboard was torn down and destroyed. Their church home remained locked to all in the community where they lived. The members of the Lost Church passed their locked doors every day. Every day they were reminded that their own family would not welcome them.

On September 29, Redeemer will celebrate four years as the Lost Church of the ELCA. We are still active and respected in the community. We still worship weekly. We are more active in mission and ministry than ever. Our achievements literally fill books — nearly 1000 posts on this website, one published book and four more in the works. 40,000 have visited online and some visit with us every day. Other denominations come to us for advice.

But our own church leaders choke when they say our name.

Will we forever be the Lost Church of the ELCA?

This Sunday we will listen to the stories about how God feels about one sheep separated from the family of sheep. We will hear the about the joyous celebration of a recovered coin. We will weep with joy for the father and wayward son who embrace in reunion.

Will anyone in the ELCA understand what they hear?

Adult Object Lesson: Luke 15 (The “Lost” Parables)

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The Joy of Discovery

Today’s object is a picture puzzle. You might use one of the large floor puzzles designed for kids to aid in visibility. They can build the puzzle in the center aisle where some people might be able to help in the exercise.

It will be a simple project. There aren’t too many pieces. Ask a couple of people to work together to build the puzzle as you talk about today’s parables. You could draw your children into the lesson by asking them to build the puzzle, if you like.

It is interesting that we call the stories “lost” stories. How would it change our understanding if we start to refer to the stories as The Found Sheep, The Found Coin, and the Found Son? That proposition can be what you discuss as your volunteers put the puzzle together.

Of course, the puzzle is rigged. One piece will be missing. Perhaps you have it. Perhaps someone discovers it somewhere in the church. You can find a way to dramatize the joy when the puzzle is complete.

The joy of being made whole as members of God’s family is the point!

photo credit: Filip Federowicz (filu) via photopin cc

Art: Three Lost and Found Stories

The Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, the Lost Child

All lovers of parables are going to have a big day next Sunday. We get three well-known parables for the price of admission. The stories come one after the other in rapid fire.

Jesus is making room for the lost. That includes any of us who feel unworthy and that is probably all of us at one time or another.

The first story is the story of the shepherd who drops everything to find one lost sheep. That lost sheep is worth just as much to the shepherd as the 99 who are doing just what sheep are supposed to be doing—following, minding their own business and causing no trouble. The climax of the story isn’t so much that the sheep is found. It’s the joy that the herd is once again complete.

Here are several pieces of art that tell different aspects of the story.

First is a painting by Marsha Elliot. She sells her work on fineartamerica.com. If you like this as much as I do, you can order it on notecards, etc. (2×2 has no stake in our recommendation.)

The sheep is alone. Perhaps it is searching. Perhaps it is simply frightened.  There is a desolation in the depiction. And yet there is a sense of defiance. This sheep willingly walked away from the others.

parable-of-the-lost-sheep-marsha-elliottThese two paintings show just how perilous taking care of our lost ones can be. Still it’s our duty! The Good Shepherd not only finds the lost sheep but he carries it over the rocky terrain to safety. The second one is by James Tissott.

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Brooklyn_Museum_-_The_Good_Shepherd_(Le_bon_pasteur)_-_James_Tissot_-_overallNow we come to the fun part of the story. The rejoicing that the lost is found. Here are a variety of renditions, followed by an old engraving of the whole story.

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parable-of-the-lost-sheep

 

Now it’s time to turn to Jesus’ second attempt to explain God’s love of all his creation. The Parable of the Lost Coin.

This rendition actually combines the two stories. The man has the sheep around his shoulders and the woman has the coin. They are both so happy!

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I won’t get into the story of the Prodigal Son. We’ve covered it before.

But I’ll close with a painting by contemporary artist Daniel Bonnell. Please visit his website to see all his sacred paintings. If you have an empty spot on a church wall consider adding one of his prints. His modern eye will resonate with today’s Christians.

This painting is called The Father’s Forgiveness. Notice the layers of loving embraces. A father is embracing his repentant son, but Someone is also embracing the father.

The Fathers Forgiveness

 

ELCA Elects New Presiding Bishop

Elizabeth Eaton Elected ELCA Presiding Bishop

We were surprised to learn that Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson lost his bid for re-election as the ELCA’s presiding bishop in August. We are accustomed to nothing changing in the world of church leadership.

The new presiding bishop, beginning in October, is Elizabeth Eaton, a bishop from Northeastern Ohio.

Her election on the fifth ballot defeated Hanson 445-287.

We hope her election brings our church into some serious course correction.

The ELCA lost about 10% of its churches under the leadership of Bishop Hanson, who seemed to be happy fiddling and globe-hopping while his Rome burned.

Our congregation has been very frustrated with the national church. We had written to Bishop Hanson every month for nearly a year in 2008 and received only one fluffy response that was knee-jerk support of clergy over laity. We also wrote the national legal offices. Several letters were ignored before at last someone wrote saying they feel no obligation to get involved. (Who exactly is paying for their existence?).

The governance of the ELCA is seriously flawed. It puts the full power for settlement of disputes on the Synod Assembly—an unwieldy group of people who have no real ability or time to wade through issues with individual congregations and no real credentials for making legal decisions. Delegates are not vetted for their knowledge issues or  church law. A third of the delegates rely on their relationship with the bishop for their next call. Their fear is well-based. SEPA Synod Council, under Bishop Burkat’s leadership, asked for a pastor to be censored because he wrote about our issues. Heaven forbid anyone in the church speak up!

If the Synod Assembly is not doing its job or not following the rules there is no place for congregations to turn. This has resulted in a sort of Wild West here in the Northeast and in a few other synods as well. Bishops and synods can do pretty much as they please. There is no law or church power that can stop them.

  • A congregation in New Jersey was raided in the middle of night by its synod (Slovak Zion). They used their relationship with one member to gain entry.
  • The leaders of a church in Massachusetts were lured to the bishop’s office for a meeting while the bishop was having the locks changed on their church building. The bishop had the forethought to alert the sheriff’s office that they might get a complaint but shouldn’t be concerned.
  • Our bishop asked to meet with our congregation and had a locksmith hiding behind the church ready to pounce. No one has ever explained what was expected to happen that day.
  • Should a congregation and its pastor resist a synod’s attempts to take church property, you can expect the pastor to be lured to a new, cushier assignment with no replacement leadership offered. We can cite three instances of this tactic being employed.

The battlefield for Redeemer’s dispute was not the negotiation or the reconciliation table. It was the courtroom with individual church members as the target. The decision of the courts was that they have no jurisdiction in church matters. A strong dissenting opinion stated that if the law were applied, our congregation’s claims deserved to be heard. That, in itself, should alarm church leadership—including national leadership. Congregations cannot rely on their own governing rules being followed or upheld by secular courts. It’s up to them to make sure their own rules are followed!

As it is, the courts have no jurisdiction. The national church has no interest. There is no system of accountability. There is no incentive to honor the constitutions of the national church, regional church or even the local churches. The constitutions don’t matter anymore! If Synod Assemblies realize they made a mistake there is no place for them to turn. The Wild West of religion.

We hope and pray that Presiding Bishop Eaton will be more than a figurehead and actively work to protect the congregations under her shepherding care. We need a new sheriff in Dodge. A good shepherd will do.