“We will travel by listening and praying and discerning, not by resisting, complaining or reminiscing.”
This sentence from Bishop Claire Burkat’s recent letter to professional leaders in the ELCA’s Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod is troubling.
There seems to be a hidden meaning. Listening, praying and discerning are the good things, right? Does that mean resisting, complaining and reminiscing are bad things?
If no one resists when they are mistreated, if no one complains when they see wrong in the world, and if our life experiences mean so little that we cannot share and remember them and build our identities around them, then how is anyone to listen, pray and discern wisely?
Isn’t a devotion to the Bible a form of reminiscing?
There is power in the things Bishop Burkat proposes we avoid. Listening, praying and discernment are fueled by resisting, complaining and reminiscing. No one should want to be a part of a church that does not honor these along with the others.
Bishop Burkat seems to long for easy leadership—one where church leaders and church members do as they are told. This philosophy can be rephrased: We’ll figure out what is best for you; you will comply.
Now that SEPA Synod has decided that your property and money are theirs for the taking, will congregations dare resist, complain or be caught remembering their heritage?
This poor leadership philosophy has been the driving force behind the five-year conflict between Bishop Burkat/SEPA and Redeemer. Does SEPA need more evidence that this is bad for all Lutherans?
By the way, Bishop Burkat’s opening dialog in her one meeting with Redeemer back in 2007 included her complaint, “I sense there is resistance.” Well, she was right about that!
She then set about destroying all memory of Redeemer — locking our doors for nearly three years, tearing down all signage, refusing to allow us even the name of our church. (Doesn’t this sound a bit like the way the U.S. treated the native Americans? If you can control their identity, you can control their land.)
SEPA congregations know what they have to look forward to if they don’t toe the line.
As we explore and learn social media, we turned this weekend to a fairly new social media tool, Google Insights. This tool measures internet activity revolving around key words.
We plugged in key words of topics that interest us to see if they interest anyone else.
We searched for interest in “social media ministry.” The graph that pops up with amazing speed reflects our experience. We have long known that our readers are interested in this topic.
Goggle Insights Results for "Social Media Ministry"
We plugged in “children’s ministry” and “family ministry.” The results showed a decline in interest — not dramatic but decidedly so-so. We experienced the same results with our posts on ministry for children. We have also noted that ministry to children is neglected in many of the churches we visit.
Then we plugged in “multicultural ministry.” This is a topic that the our denomination has announced is a priority. The Google Insights graph revealed a flat line with sharp and short-lived spikes occurring about annually. There is only sporadic interest in this topic!
Google Insights Results for "Multicultural Ministry"
What does this tell us? There are a few possibilities.
If multicultural ministry is a goal, groundwork must be laid. The Church is starting from scratch with this concept. Awareness of multicultural ministry challenges and opportunities must be promoted.
Multicultural Ministry will be an uphill effort. Measurable success may be a long way off. Success might be fleeting.
Other things concern congregations more. Any effort at Multicultural Ministry is likely to take a back seat.
Leadership must be developed for this type of ministry.
The data fails to inform in some areas. It measures only interest — not need.
Why are there occasional, sharp spikes? Was there some event at that time that raised momentary interest?
The value of these “insights” is in what the Church does with the data.
Opportunities must be identified.
Churches and leaders must have some training and leadership.
Instant results should not be expected.
Since, there is so little interest, there is likely little experience. All ideas and efforts need to be given a chance.
The small church has been neglected for quite a while. Tragically, the neglect has been intentional. It is also short-sighted.
Denominational middle management stressed viablity in congregations at a time when the economy was impacting their own bottom line. Small churches became attractive targets for closure. Their weaknesses were highlighted while the denominations’ struggles were hidden from view. The attitude was, “We know what’s best for you. We can make better use of your resources. Praise God for your 100-150 years of dedication. Hand over the keys and where do you keep the money?” No “please”; no “thank you.”
This attitude reflects a dereliction of duty. Denominations exist to serve and once you write off your constituency, ethical dilemmas soon abound.
Suddenly, the failure of small churches becomes a goal — the sooner the better, and please make it easy. Little time and attention are spent on the problems of the small church. Clergy fail to hear God’s call for small parish ministry. Small churches must rely on lay skills and the devotion of retired clergy, whose training and active years predate the current thinking.
This is a shame. Small churches are ideally situated to address many of the problems faced by denominations today.
It’s a David and Goliath scenario.
A Goliath church is large and cumbersome. It looks down on the rest of the world and can be haughty about its wealth and prestige. The budget is top-heavy with professional salaries and property maintenance. Parish life revolves around making these assets function. This makes it more difficult to identify change in the community and refocus on changing ministry priorities. Any priorities to be addressed must fit the skills and interests of salaried leaders. The priority is always paying pastors and keeping up the building. A Goliath church has an army of support. Armies work best when there is someone giving orders.
A David church is small, agile and wiry. It meets the rest of the world eye to eye. It doesn’t have the status of larger churches, but it is likely to know very well where its strengths lie. It has a hard time getting the attention of denominational leadership. It presses forward, relying on members’ talent, fueled by a spirit and devotion that is ready to overcome any obstacle. It does not have much in the way of internal hierarchy to weigh it down. It can change ministry plans and emphases easily as neighborhoods change and new challenges arise. Any member can implement a new idea. A David church is likely to change quickly and the denomination, who may have been paying no attention for years, is none the wiser.
Mainline denominations face challenges today that are ideal for David-sized church ministries. Small churches are likely to interact personally with visitors and less likely to depend on someone else taking the lead. Multicultural ministries can be easily pursued in neighborhoods where populations are changing. The disabled and disenfranchised can be served one on one without unwieldy programs. Families led by single parents can easily find support and acceptance. David churches have been training their own leaders for decades. They have skills and energy that King Saul would not notice — until he is desperate.
Of course, large churches can also address these issues, but there is a greater tendency to create programs led by well-paid experts, while small churches will roll up their sleeves and embrace challenges personally.
The problem is that denominations come to their David churches with Goliath expectations and solutions. Small churches know they cannot afford Goliath budgets. That doesn’t mean that closing David churches and reallocating their assets is the answer. The answer is in finding ways to help David churches be the best they can be with their resources. Use their resources to help them with their challenges.
Wise denominations will look to their small David churches for ideas and energy and stop viewing them as tomorrow’s dinner.
Six questions every video interviewer needs to know.
There are six well-known questions all journalists employ. They are called the five Ws and an H. Who?, What?, When?, Where?, Why? and How?.
The first four are of less value to video interviewers because the answers to the questions do not encourage complete sentences.
Who is leading this ministry? Answer: John and Mary Doe.
What are the plans? Answer: To help the homeless.
When will your event take place? Answer: Friday morning.
Where will this happen? Answer: Central Park
That makes for a boring and ineffective video interview. Would you stay tuned?
The last two staple questions can help you turn the first four Ws into dialog. Why and How questions are open-ended. You can get the information you are seeking in the first four Ws by asking good Why and How questions.
How did your group decide on this ministry? Answer: Every Sunday, John and Mary Doe passed a man pushing a shopping cart with all his possessions down the street. At first they didn’t know how to help but . . .
Why did this man’s plight move John and Mary? Answer: They remembered the stories their parents had told them of hard times in the Depression. They were always taught to appreciate God’s blessings and . . . . .
How can the neighborhood support you? Answer: You can come to the rally in Central Park next Friday morning at 9 am and be prepared to . . .
You can see how careful wording of questions will elicit colorful, meaningful answers. It just takes a bit of practice. Ask a friend to rehearse with you or stand in front of a mirror and ask yourself your intended questions. Role play the answers. You will quickly learn how to phrase questions to draw good, colorful, story-telling answers.
Make best friends with Why and How and the other four Ws will tag along.
“There will be dangers, and we will surely make mistakes.”
Bishop Claire Burkat of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (SEPA, ELCA), wrote these words to rostered leaders a couple of weeks ago.
She is talking about the future. It is also part of SEPA’s past.
Bishop Burkat’s message warned leaders that they don’t quite know what they are doing or where they are going in today’s religious climate. We suspect that has been the case for a while. There have been needless and costly casualties as SEPA leadership reached their newfound epiphany.
We all make mistakes. Church members, clergy, congregations, and yes, even bishops make mistakes.
Our question for the bishop and other SEPA Lutherans is this: When, at last, you’ve identified an action as a “mistake,” what are you going to do about it?
Redeemer and 2×2 are in an excellent position to predict the future.
When leadership mistakes happen within the part of God’s Kingdom called SEPA, the rostered clergy are protected at all cost. The volunteer laity shoulder the blame. We cannot move comfortably into the uncharted future as long as this continues.
By now, it should be dawning on SEPA congregations that the actions they endorsed in East Falls— if not by vote, by neglect — are a huge mistake. And now SEPA is warning that more mistakes are likely.
So far, SEPA congregations have behaved as if they are powerless. The annihilation of one little congregation has been a focal point of Bishop Burkat’s entire term. By setting out to destroy one expendable congregation, she has weakened the whole Church.
The Church must practice four pillars of church community—repentance, forgiveness, reconciliation and atonement. Without these, the church will crumble.
What might have happened if SEPA and Bishop Burkat had practiced the techniques of listening and discernment she references in her latest letter to clergy? What might be happening in East Falls if SEPA actions had been motivated by love — which is the primary message of the Gospel? What might be happening in East Falls if SEPA had worked with Redeemer in the interdependent relationship their constitutions call for?
The Redeemer/SEPA conflict was needless. Once started there were numerous roads toward peace. Redeemer suggested many possibilities in letter after ignored letter. Every decision made by SEPA leadership for the last four years regarding Redeemer has escalated conflict with no end in sight. Faithful laity were treated as enemies from the get go.
We do not have to polish our crystal ball to predict that this is what SEPA congregations can expect if they are the victims of anticipated synodical mistakes.
Your clergy will disappear. Laity will be blamed for all consequences and have no one to speak for them.
Members will be named in personal lawsuits, their lives affected for years after being banished from their church.
Property and assets will be valued while people are thrown away.
Your congregation and its members will be called names, mocked, threatened, strong-armed, and dragged through the courts with every expectation that you submit to bullying.
No stone will be left unturned in pursuit of evidence to justify actions — after the fact.
Your members will be treated as if their faith and dedication are subservient to synod’s wishes made in greedy isolation.
Your denomination will use the full power of the courts in their attack against your members, while taking full advantage of their First Amendment protection of “separation of church and state.”
Maundy Thursday is eight weeks away. The imagery of Maundy Thursday is Christ in humility.
Church leaders like to display their humility ceremonially on this sacred occasion. If this humility is genuine, the doors of Redeemer should be unlocked and our bishop should preside over a service, kneeling to wash the feet of Redeemer members. That would be the start of a new Church that practices what it preaches — repentance, forgiveness, reconciliation and atonement.
Posting an interview is a good first step to exploring video on your blog or web site.
Here are some guidelines for beginners. We’ll build later posts on this foundation.
Make your guest comfortable in a well-lit spot. Make sure there is enough light on your guest’s face, but don’t worry too much about lighting for now.
Frame your shot. We’ve included a few illustrations to show you how to position your interviewee.
A seated interviewee will pose less of a challenge for beginners. If you choose to have your guest standing, be prepared to move!
Keep backgrounds simple. You don’t need a set. A corner of a room with drapery, non-intrusive wall art or a bookcase is fine. A side-table with a lamp or potted plant is another possibility. If you are in a person’s office, set up the interview at the person’s desk. The background should not distract from your speaker’s message.
Prepare your guest. Engage in conversation before the interview starts to make him or her more comfortable answering questions. You might review the questions in advance.
Test your equipment and sound. If you are using an auxiliary microphone, make sure the sound quality is good. This process can help break the ice with your guest. You can make it a little silly. Have your guest recite The Gettysburg Address or sing Mary Had a Little Lamb. This will do wonders to make your guest speak more informally when the real interview starts.
Make sure your guest knows the time constraints. If you plan to run your video without editing, pose just one question and let your guest take it from there. Alert him or her in advance that you will give a nonverbal signal when you need to draw the interview to an end. One technique used by some interviewers is to say, “Tell me in one sentence what you think about . . . . ” Your guest will invariably give you three sentences—enough for a nice, short blog interview!
There is a great answer to this question: video improves the effectiveness of your blog or web site by nearly 700%! Astounding.
If you have an iphone and a computer you have most of what it takes to create videos for your web site. Of course, if you have a video camera, that is also good.
While there are things you can learn to make your videos better and more effective, there is not a great learning curve. We’re going to start exploring this with 2×2.
The advice for getting started:
Before you start, plan topics for 10 videos. This will assure that your efforts have direction and you won’t use initial difficulty as an excuse to stay out of the water.
Think short topics. Two minutes is a good goal.
Create a youtube account and upload your videos. Then link your web site to your youtube site.
That’s it in a nutshell. We’ll explore it more deeply in later posts.
The list can be adapted to show the benefits of church blogging. Our list is a little shorter. We combined some things. Here goes:
Create a database of answers. Seekers and members ask the same questions over and over. The need to have ready answers for most Frequently Asked Questions inspired Luther’s Small Catechism. Archive your answers to the questions you hear most often.
Showcase your workers. Shine the spotlight on your volunteers. It is likely to inspire and encourage others.
Integrate your message. Your pastor and church leaders create content regularly when they preach and teach. Give their work broader reach.
Help search engines find your church. A lively church blog will rank over those annoying listings by the internet version of the phone book yellow pages.
Tell your community why your congregation is different. Make your ministry stand out.
Lay the foundation for other forms of communication. If you have an active blog, it will be easy to create a newsletter or congregational report. Cut and paste!
Show your face. Your blog will reveal your congregation’s personality. Potential visitors will feel like they know you before they cross the threshold. Be assured — visitors today look at web sites first!
Measure your vitality. A church with an active blog is proving they are engaged in the community with relevant and purposeful activity.
Good public relations. Churches always have trouble attracting the attention of the press. If your blog has good community content, your local papers will find you.
A quick and easy way to communicate with your current membership. If your members subscribe to your blog, they will get an immediate notification of breaking news. No need for the phone chain. Just don’t abuse it if you want to keep your followers.
Engage your congregation.
This may take some patient nurturing, but your congregation’s blog can become a place for congregational interaction and provide valuable feedback to your leaders.
Ask questions. How many vestry or council meetings are spent debating what the congregation wants? With a congregational blog, you can ask them. Pose a question two weeks before a meeting and see what people have to say. If you want to keep this a valuable tool, be prepared to listen to the answers and respond wisely.
Crisis management. You do not have to rely on anyone else to supply facts about your ministry. You can tell your OWN story! When a controversial decision is reached, use your blog to help the disgruntled understand. If your denomination is in the news, add your slant to the public issue.
Forum for ideas. Again, this will take some nurturing, but foster the sharing of mission ideas. If people know they can make a difference, they will speak up. Be prepared to respond to ideas. No one likes to put their thoughts on the line only to be ignored.
Give your leaders a platform. If their ideas are good, they will catch the attention both within and outside your community. That’s giving your church new reach and authority!
Segmentation.
This is something we don’t think about in the church. We like to think of ourselves as being “one.” There are, however, sub-interests within any united congregation. With the internet you can address these without leaving anyone out. In the business world it’s called “market segmentation.” In the church, it might mean directing some blog posts or creating a separate page or category within your blog for singles, youth, church musicians, daycare parents or Sunday School teachers.
Identify advocates. An active blog will create “fans.” It’s nice to have supporters and know who they are!
Inexpensive way to keep connected. You can gently remind your audience of upcoming events without the time to make phone calls or incur the cost of sending letters or postcards.
Measure controversial issues. Should you change the time of worship this summer? You can debate this in a vacuum OR poll your members on your blog.
Create a volume of work. Your blog will create your congregation’s history. Take your posts and create a quarterly or annual report. Your loyal members are likely to purchase an “annual” if you make printed copies available and include lots of photos.
Network. Your blog can help you find people with special skills for a variety of needs from programming to building maintenance. Vendors may even be willing to contribute or discount services if you give them a plug and a link on your blog.
Connect with people on an emotional level. Most congregational publications are fairly dry. Blogs can come to life with good story-telling, photos and video.
Prove to your community that you understand today’s world.
Many church leaders are bemoaning that Church isn’t what it used to be. Bishop Claire Burkat wrote to her rank and file lately warning that the road ahead is uncharted and there is no blueprint for moving foreward. The old ways just aren’t working.
Perhaps it is only an illusion that they ever did!
Welcome to the “horizontal” Church.
Church can learn from what’s happening in the rest of the world. Business leaders, too, are noticing that the old ways of doing business are ineffective, inefficient and unprofitable. There is a TV show that brings this “epiphany” to us every Sunday evening — Undercover Boss.
In the old business world, upper management controlled all things. An employee’s future relied on his/her ability to control people, material, budgets, customers. The power in the business world has shifted to the consumer. Smart business people are meeting the challenge by restructuring their businesses to be less vertical (hierarchical) and more horizontal. Create a good product, serve your customers well, and your business will grow by word of mouth or by keystrokes on the internet or cellphone.
The Church lives in the same world. It has relied on hierarchical control for a very long time and so change may come a bit harder and a tad slower, but things are changing. Hierarchies are crumbling under the weight of their own weaknesses. Rank and file spiritual church members are resisting the support of vertical management and for good reason. It’s expensive, unproductive and crippling. Offerings, we can conclude, are better spent on direct service than on supporting hierarchy.
And so, the Church today is mirroring society. The Church is becoming more horizontal. We still have a good “product” and the laborers in the vineyard are committed. The Church will survive by spreading person to person (2×2!).
This is where Bishop Burkat is wrong! There is a blueprint! It’s called The Bible.
Join Bishop Ruby Kinisa as she visits small churches "under cover" to learn what people would never share if they knew they were talking to their bishop.
Undercover Bishop will always be available in PDF form on 2x2virtualchurch.com for FREE.
Print or Kindle copies are available on Amazon.com.
For bulk copies, please contact 2x2: creation@dca.net.
MISSION INSPIRATION OFFER
A visual and biblical guide to help congregations define their missions.
Contact Info
You can reach
Judy Gotwald,
the moderator of 2x2,
at
creation@dca.net
or 215 605 8774
Redeemer’s Prayer
We were all once strangers, the weakest, the outcasts, until someone came to our defense, included us, empowered us, reconciled us (1 Cor. 2; Eph. 2).
Be calm. Wait. Wait. Commit your cause to God. He will make it succeed. Look for Him a little at a time. Wait. Wait. But since this waiting seems long to the flesh and appears like death, the flesh always wavers. But keep faith. Patience will overcome wickedness.
—Martin Luther
A web site features quotes coupled with poignant images. Most of the quotes are about love. Some are about hope. Some are about brokenness and pain.
