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Judith Gotwald

Ambassadors Visit Reformation, Media, Pa.

Palm Sunday in Media

reformation:mediaRedeemer Ambassadors decided not to miss Palm Sunday. We hopped on the Blue Route and were in Media in less than 30 minutes.

Reformation, Media is the 57th SEPA congregation we visited.

We attended the second service and found a packed sanctuary. Empty seats were few. There were probably around 200 in attendance. As seems to be common these days there was a lot of moving around in the back of the church.

First Communion for six young people and the tradition of Palm Sunday brought people out.

We spoke with two people and found we had something in common with both. The first woman we spoke with told us about her mother’s work in a mission hospital in Madras, India, in the late 1920s and 1930s. One of our Ambassadors was born in the southern India mission fields at the same time. His parents were missionaries there for 25 years. The second woman we spoke to was introduced as being from the western part of Pennsylvania. Two Ambassadors have roots in the same town. She knew the pastor of our church. In fact, we lived in the same house as her friends!

Try as they do, SEPA cannot disconnect Redeemer from our heritage.

The adult choir was strong and led the traditional singing of The Palms. It’s our tradition, too. Our organist always balked at playing it. He considered it unsingable. One of our former leaders, not known for her voice, finally told him, “If I can sing it, you can play it.” He played it.

Their music director chose excellent music for two choirs. Their adult choir did a dramatic anthem —almost theatrical.

A five-member children’s choir — all girls — did a nice Natalie Sleeth number. We used a lot of Natalie Sleeth anthems as hymns at Redeemer. She was a great church musician.

Reformation did an abbreviated version of the Passion Story but left out the Psalm and Epistle. The voice of Isaiah was heard, though.

They used three Palm Sunday hymns. The version of Ride On, Ride On in Majesty in the new Lutheran hymnal is deadly and the congregation sat it out along with us!

It was explained to us afterward that some elements of the service are traditional for them and were not included in the bulletin. We understand the importance of tradition and miss our own.

Reformation has a “bridge” pastor, the Rev. Arden Krych. We encounter interim pastors, mission pastors, and bridge pastors. Bridge pastors, it seems, are post-interim pastors — a second stage of “interimness.” We continue to believe that the interim minister process is a symptom of a growing clergy body seeking flexibility in their careers. Their needs are in contrast to the needs of congregations who are encouraged to seek “settled” relationships with pastors.

Redeemer was not part of any such process. Not our choice. Bishop Almquist broke the contract we had with an interim pastor in 1997. We were left on our own for most of the next decade. We found our own “between calls” pastors.

We know now that this neglect was intentional. A step toward closing our congregation. It is actually a stated policy of Bishop Burkat who advises church leaders to not waste time and resources on congregations that will close in TEN years. Ten years of neglect will close a lot of churches!

We hope Reformation has better luck with “the process.”

Reformation owns a nice tract of land. They acquired adjacent property and cleared some old homes.

We liked the flexible seating—chairs, not pews. We also liked that name tags were available for members and a good number were wearing them.

Someone introduced us as from a closed church. We corrected them. Redeemer is not closed; we are locked out of God’s House by SEPA Synod. It’s time for SEPA Synod to revisit their thinking in regards to Redeemer and our community as we have continued to grow even under oppression.

Locked out and shunned by SEPA, we took our ministry online. We are experiencing exponential growth. We doubled and then tripled our growth over the last six weeks. Redeemer now has a greater reach than any SEPA congregation. We now have almost 1400 visits to our website every week (nearly twice the average weekly attendance of SEPA’s largest church). We continue to grow — just as we were in 2008 when SEPA coveted our property.

There is more economic potential in open churches than in closed churches. (Click to Tweet)

If there were ever any questions about our ability to survive (and this was never discussed with US), they are now debunked. Had SEPA worked with us (as they have falsely claimed) we’d have money to share and a new model for ministry that might help other congregations.

A lot of churches talk about transformation. We have done it!

SEPA’s actions in East Falls and Roxborough have resulted in almost no Lutheran presence in the largest geographic neighborhood in Philadelphia. In addition, they leave a horrendous legacy for future Lutherans to overcome.

Reconciliation is the only answer, but reconciliation takes dialog. There has been no dialog with our congregation since 2007.

Now would be a good time to resume.

And so we continue to visit all the congregations who voted (against their own governing rules) to take our property. We meet a lot of good people who are generally unaware of their churches actions. That’s a shame.

24 Mar 2013

Where Has Palm Sunday Gone?

palm2Ambassadors Weigh Palm Sunday Options

Palm Sunday was always a big day for Redeemer. In some ways, we looked forward to it more than Easter. Our congregation had many young families who traveled on holidays to visit the grandparents.

Palm Sunday was always a joyous celebration complete with a congregational ham dinner. We collected food to deliver to needy families for Easter at this event.

We celebrated Palm Sunday—purely Palm Sunday. We were joyful as were the people gathered in the streets of Jerusalem. Our new East African members added to our tradition, teaching us Swahili chants.

We could concentrate on Palm Sunday readings and sing several Palm Sunday hymns—not just one. We entered Holy Week the way Christians are supposed to enter Holy Week.

In recent years, the Church revisited Palm Sunday. Theologians despaired that Holy Week services were not attended as they once were. So they decided to combine all of Holy Week into Palm Sunday. “Captive audience” was the thinking. Consequently, there is now 10-minute nod to the celebration of Christ’s entry into Jerusalem before the Old Testament, Psalm and Epistle lessons are glossed over or skipped so we can read 114 verses of Luke. It’s long no matter how you try to break it up—way past the modern attention span.

The faithful, who observe Holy Week, are cheated out of their observance.

The Ambassadors are looking for a church where we can celebrate—truly celebrate—Palm Sunday. We may end up staying home tomorrow.

photo credit: kreg.steppe via photopin cc
23 Mar 2013

Transforming the Role of Clergy in the Future Church

Transformational Ministry Requires Structural Change

Part of the challenge facing today’s Church is that the role of clergy and how they relate to congregations must change. Changes have already occurred in the numerous short-term and part-time pastorates. This is likely to continue while our expectations remain in the past.

The monetary demands on congregations have grown while the source of funding has been steadily dwindling.

Clergy spent decades griping about being highly educated but poorly paid. They had a point, but the resolution of their complaints has put their services out of reach for many congregations.

“Too bad!” might be a quick response.

The fact is that every church that fails diminishes the mission of the whole Church. Small churches reach more people. The economics of fewer larger churches make economic sense but don’t really work.

Fewer recent college graduates are entering the ministry. Today, candidates for ministry are often mature adults. Some are nearing the end of their careers—drifting from a professional calling. As older servants of God, with established families, lifestyles, and debts, they are looking for economic security and as little disruption to their settled lives as possible. Since clergy often view themselves as CEOs, the pay expectations are the pay expectations of older professionals.

The talent pool in which all congregations fish for leaders is crowded with candidates who can make only part-time commitments within tight geographic parameters. The pool of available talent may not fit congregational needs. Yet it is the role of regional bodies to place their rostered leaders in their rostered churches. Lots of square pegs in fewer round holes. That translates to unhappy clergy and congregations. Conflict often results.

That’s one side of the equation.

On the other side of the equation—the congregational side—an ongoing revolution has been underway. People have stopped attending church. The Sunday morning worship demographic is upwards of 50+.

The younger demographic—the demographic absent from church—represents well-educated career people, whose varied expertise is hard for professional church leaders to recognize if it competes with their own.

This is only part of the picture.

The needs of congregations change so dramatically that they are difficult to define and fill when the need is greatest. Community demographics, once stable for generations, now shift every few years. Congregations using the “settled pastor” model can easily be left with beloved leadership that is unable to serve the changing neighborhood. Decline sets in and everyone is afraid to make changes. We are church people. Nobody likes to complain—even those charged with the welfare of the congregation.

It is fairly clear that most congregations can no longer afford a full-time theologian in residence. Even if they could, it might not be to their mission advantage. The skills of theologians are no longer a congregation’s most urgent imperative.

Theologians are trained in the art of preaching — pulpit to pew communication. Modern church leadership must concentrate on communication beyond pulpit to pew. The pews are nearly empty.

Communication in today’s world is person to person. Very pastoral.

Money spent on making sure a good sermon is provided to a dwindling number of listeners is money that cannot be spent on reaching the people who are not in church—a key mission.

Yet the pastor’s salary is the foundation of every church budget.

The power in the world has shifted to the individual. This changes the way individuals think. We are no longer wired to understand the need to gather on Sunday morning—especially if our presence in Church does not recognize our abilities.

This trend is not likely to reverse. The Church is going to have to adapt.

In the Church, we see a structure that cannot budge. It continues to make unrealistic demands on the few people who remain loyal.

It is disheartening to be a lay person in today’s Church.

The typical congregation of the future, large or small, needs communications experts, education experts and service providers. We need business and entrepreneurial skills. It will be the rare pastor who can fill every need. It is unlikely that the growing pool of second career clergy perceive these skills as part of the role they are adopting late in life. (It may very well be the demands for change in their first careers that inspired them to turn to the Church.)

The day is coming when clergy will not be called to one congregation long-term but to multiple calls defined by skill sets which they will provide to congregations only for as long as they are needed.. They may join teams of clergy with complementary skills. Congregational budgets will detail mission tasks and will no longer allocate a large sum to one pastor.

This is an economic necessity and it will further empower the laity.

And then the Church might be transformed.

19 Mar 2013

Adult Object Lesson: Philippians 2:5-11

Paul Teaches New Christians How to Think

This Sunday is Palm Sunday, a busy Sunday unto itself. In recent years the Church has combined Passion Sunday with Palm Sunday. The result is a marathon of emotions that is too broad for people to absorb. It doesn’t really work very well. We can neither enjoy Palm Sunday or take in the depth of the entire Passion Story.

There is probably little time in this liturgical panorama for an object lesson. The concentration will be on reading 114 verses from Luke. But let’s look at the lesson from Philippians and a bit of Isaiah 50:4-9a and Psalm 31:9-16, too. They are there for a reason.

Paul is teaching his new followers a new way of thinking.

Your object today is a pitcher of some sort and a bowl. You might even use the congregational chalice filled with water and be prepared as you end your talk to refill it with the wine that will be used for Communion—the blood of Christ shed for us.

Your pitcher is filled with water. Empty it slowly into a bowl.

Talk about how Christ emptied himself. The Passion Story is all about wearing down the Son of Man. Jesus took everything they threw at him. He turned his cheek to those who would pluck his beard—a wonderful image from Isaiah, today’s Old Testament lesson.

You might call attention to today’s Psalm in which the psalmist cries out that he is like a broken vessel. Totally empty.

But Christ’s empty vessel is not broken. It will be refilled. Christ empties himself and refills the void with something fresh, something no one expects of the Son of God.

He fills the empty space with the attributes of a slave. He becomes humble and accepting of God’s plan for him. He is obedient unto death — even a terrible death.

In his obedience, he becomes a servant.

It is hard enough for us to empty ourselves. It is painful. We would refill the void with our wants, our own sense of importance.

Christ fills the void with humility. It is a choice.

We, too, have the power to shape our thinking and passions—to fill the void in our hearts with things that are godly. That we would learn this lesson was one reason for Christ’s sacrifice. We should not ignore it.

How will we fill our hearts?

19 Mar 2013

2×2 to Undergo Some Changes

2×2 will be undergoing some changes in the next few days. They are structural in nature but over time, will allow us more flexibility in our outreach.

You won’t see a big change at first. We might be adding less content for a few days. But eventually, 2×2 will be easier for our readers to navigate and to find the types of content they are seeking.

We thank our readers and ask for your patience during the process. We are not quite sure what to expect as we work with the experts.

2×2 is growing quickly. Our monthly traffic is more than three times what it was last year at this time. We now have more than 4000 unique visitors every month and a growing subscription list. Last year we had 13,000 unique visitors. In the first two months of this year we’ve had 6,500 visitors, putting us on track to reach 40,000 by year’s end. This figure does not count subscribers who read our posts in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or in email feeds. Combining subscribers with new visitors we are reaching close to 10,000 readers every month. It is probably fair to say that Redeemer, through 2×2, reaches more people than any other Lutheran congregation in the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (SEPA / ELCA).

Not bad for a church that doesn’t exist.

The 2×2 Story

The Church likes roadmaps. They like to be able to say, “If you do X, your congregation will achieve Y.”

It’s been a while since formulas like these worked in the Church. It is a source of frustration and conflict.

There is no roadmap for where the Church is going. Societal and technological changes have created unchartable challenges.

The methods of the past aren’t working. There is no time or patience to test new ideas. Everyone at every level is feeling an economic pinch. The easy way out: Blame the congregations. Close them down. Salvage their property for the use of the regional body. Make sure the national church gets their share of the loot.

Redeemer was a congregation willing to try new things, willing to take some risks, even willing to sacrifice today’s statistics for tomorrow’s ministry—a concept that was widely discussed in our planning meetings.

We were beginning to see significant success, but our cash-strapped regional body was impatient and preferred to see failure. A couple of small church failures each year would fund the synod’s six-figure annual deficit—until there are no more small churches to plunder.

The expectation was that little churches would not have the stamina or resources to resist. It made sense. Full-time paid professionals fighting part-time volunteers. Easy pickings.

Then came Redeemer. We had presented a 20-page ministry plan we had researched for six months and asked to call a minister who had helped us write the plan. SEPA ignored us. They never even discussed our plan with us, while they represented publicly that they were working with us.

SEPA strong-armed Redeemer out of their property in defiance of their own governing laws. The conflict is now some seven years old.

We took our ministry online which was always part of our ministry plan, although it was not Step 1. Step 1 was opening an income-producing Christian Day School, which was projected to produce upwards of $6000 per month for ministry. The empty building has earned nothing for nearly four years under SEPA’s “administration.”

Online ministry requires no property and not a great deal of money—less than $200 each year. We had no idea what to expect. We just started to write about our experiences and presented the types of resources we use regularly in our worship. We have a lot of experience as a small church. We share it.

Our resources are driving our traffic. The Easter play we posted last year had about 200 downloads last year and 3000 downloads so far this year. Our continuing series on adult object lessons also has steady readership.

The followers of our commentaries are an eclectic group and mostly young people—the very demographic that eludes the mainline church. They tend to be passionate, artistic, creative and they are all over the world.

We will continue to build the 2×2 platform for ministry and share the concepts we are pioneering.

Thanks for visiting us now and then. Feel free to contribute or let us know what type of content would benefit your small church. We’ll try to supply it.

18 Mar 2013

The Church’s Missing Silver Bullet—Dialog

The Church Is Ill-prepared for the 21st Century

The Church is coming kicking and screaming into the Digital Age.

It carries historical baggage that is making the journey very difficult—and is causing the Church to miss out on tremendous opportunity.

The Church is entering the Social Media Age with a long tradition of one-way dialog.

Most of us know that by definition “dialog” is two-way.

But the Church does not know this. That’s why it seems perfectly natural for a pope to Tweet to his followers but announce before clicking “Enter” on his first message that he has no intention of following.

Church leaders tend to think that when they are standing in the pulpit they are engaging their listeners. That’s their idea of dialog.

Church leaders tend to extend the pulpit to all other interaction with congregations. Meetings and Assemblies are carefully managed.

Ridiculously short time restrictions prevent dialog.

There is a vetting process for who will engage in church dialog. Clergy get first access. Lay people with a proven track record of support for clergy get second place. There is no third place.

In our region and denomination, it was the custom of our present and last bishop to bypass the elected leaders of a congregation and request to speak to the whole congregation. Request is not the right word—demand is more accurate.

The strategy sounds so open and democratic. It is in fact manipulative.

It is disrespectful to the elected leaders who know the congregation’s issues the best and are elected to represent the interests of the congregation—the whole congregation.

It engages congregational members with less knowledge of issues and various levels of commitment to the total mission of a congregation. As they view the disrespect shown for the congregation’s leaders, they are appropriately fearful of speaking out.

Dialog is shut down.

Church leaders are fooled into thinking they have led people. They have intimidated people.

What might happen if the church leaders came to congregational leaders with one simple question—How can we help?

What might happen if they then sat back and listened?

It may be the single most important step in achieving transformation.

This has never been easier or more possible—however unlikely.

The Church needs to buy a pair of listening ears. They are rare but not expensive.

18 Mar 2013

In the interest of fuller disclosure . . .

Issues between SEPA and Redeemer Are Not Fully Resolved

2×2 has been sitting on this post for a few weeks.

It is uncertain that the member churches of SEPA will give any regard whatsoever to this report. They are likely to continue to believe everything their leadership tells them — which is how this mess started.

Several weeks ago Bishop Burkat issued a letter to clergy and rostered leaders claiming all matters regarding Redeemer are settled. Although generally true, an important detail was left unmentioned.

As your 2013 Synod Assembly approaches, SEPA congregations should not be assuming that the litigation involving them and Redeemer Lutheran Church in East Falls is over.

The ruling in January was made without prejudice and awaits decisions in several other court matters. The current judge has retained jurisdiction over future litigation, a step that would not be necessary if the issues were in fact settled.

A full and correct report from your leaders would have included these details which affect you. Partial truths and even untruths have often fueled this conflict, which never had to be.

If you don’t know whom to believe, look into it for yourselves.

17 Mar 2013

A Lesson in Branding Gone Terribly Wrong

Saint Patrick’s Day

Today is the feast day of a saint.

Everyone knows St. Patrick—the patron saint of Ireland, who lived 1600 years ago.

On a typical day Bishop Patrick donned a green robe and frolicked in the meadows of pagan Ireland, encouraging snakes to slither toward the sea and picking shamrocks.

At sunset, he would gather all his friends, neighbors, parishioners and merest acquaintances to join him in downing fermented beverages. As the night wore on, his inebriated following would begin asking theological questions—the answers to which Patrick excelled. He would pull a shamrock from the green nosegays he had collected earlier in the day and begin to explain the Trinity. His followers understood his teachings with amazing clarity.

The next morning, Patrick would pour himself a green milkshake. It helped the pounding in his head that came from thinking too hard about the Trinity.

And then he would sit down and write a hymn. It’s been a very long time since he wrote his most famous hymn. The tune is a rather awkward sequence of notes but the words reveal Patrick’s inner heart.

It reveals a man of piety that his festival day no longer honors.

I bind unto myself today
the strong Name of the Trinity,
by invocation of the same,
the Three in One, and One in Three.

I bind this day to me for ever,
by power of faith, Christ’s Incarnation;
his baptism in Jordan river;
his death on cross for my salvation;
his bursting from the spicèd tomb;
his riding up the heavenly way;
his coming at the day of doom:
I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself the power
of the great love of cherubim;
the sweet “Well done” in judgment hour;
the service of the seraphim;
confessors’ faith, apostles’ word,
the patriarchs’ prayers, the prophets’ scrolls;
all good deeds done unto the Lord,
and purity of virgin souls.

I bind unto myself today
the virtues of the starlit heaven
the glorious sun’s life-giving ray,
the whiteness of the moon at even,
the flashing of the lightning free,
the whirling wind’s tempestuous shocks,
the stable earth, the deep salt sea,
around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today
the power of God to hold and lead,
his eye to watch, his might to stay,
his ear to hearken, to my need;
the wisdom of my God to teach,
his hand to guide, his shield to ward;
the word of God to give me speech,
his heavenly host to be my guard.

Christ be with me,
Christ within me,
Christ behind me,
Christ before me,
Christ beside me,
Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort
and restore me.
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ in quiet,
Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of
all that love me,
Christ in mouth of
friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself today
the strong Name of the Trinity,
by invocation of the same,
the Three in One, and One in Three.
Of whom all nature hath creation,
eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
praise to the Lord of my salvation,
salvation is of Christ the Lord.

Who is the real St. Patrick?

The real St. Patrick was captured as a teen and taken as a slave to Ireland where he herded sheep—good training for a bishop. He describes his six years as a slave as prayer-filled. A vision put the idea of escape in his head. He ran 200 miles to the shore and hopped a ship. He reconnected with his family in Britain and studied for the priesthood. He returned to Ireland as bishop. It is unclear whether his assignment was to convert the pagans to Christianity or to protect the existing Christians as a minority religion. Either way, St. Patrick was a man of piety and prayer. His earliest followers and admirers depicted him wearing blue.

He was not always revered. Contemporary Irish wrote this mocking ditty:

Across the sea will come Adze-head crazed in the head,
his cloak with hole for the head, his stick bent in the head.
He will chant impieties from a table in the front of his house;
all his people will answer: “so be it, so be it.” 

That his festival day, which commemorates his death, has become a day of debauchery is a fairly recent historical phenomenon. The Republic of Ireland began highlighting the day in mid-1990s as a sort of branding. The intent was to unite Irish worldwide, projecting a culture rich in the arts. It was done in the name of national pride, tourism and economic development.

It has become a showcase for branding gone wrong. The intent failed to communicate the desired message. The imagery and reputation fell into the hands of the Irish themselves and Irish wannabes—consumers, so to speak. It immediately became associated with revelry — not artistry. It got out of control bigtime and became the advertising vehicle for big box stores, merchants of almost anything and every corner pub in the Anglo-influenced world.

Only some 20 years after setting out to create a cultural asset—even the Irish are trying to find ways to rein it in.

Too late. St. Patrick will be forever rolling in his grave.

17 Mar 2013

Why Small Churches May Solve Mainline Problems

The Church’s Food Chain

FishChain2

Here is an interesting analysis of problem-solving potential.

On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the lowest, imagine you are a person with a level 2 strength of character and attitude looking at a level 5 problem. Would this problem appear to be big or little? From a level 2 perspective, a level 5 problem would seem like a big problem.

Now imagine you’ve grown yourself and become a level 8 person. Would the same level 5 problem be a big problem or a little problem? Magically, the identical problem is now a little problem.

Finally, imagine that you’ve really worked hard on yourself and become a level 10 person. Now, is this same level 5 problem a big problem or a little problem? The answer is that it’s no problem. It doesn’t even register in your brain as a problem. There’s no negative energy around it. It’s just a normal occurrence to handle, like brushing your teeth or getting dressed.

~ T. Harv Eker Quotes from Secrets of the Millionaire Mind

Let’s look at how this might relate to churches—most of which face similar multiple problems with varying degrees of urgency. Let’s say Big Church A and Little Church B both face thm same Level 5 Problem. Because we live in a society that considers bigger as better, smarter and more desirable, we are tempted to think Big Church A won’t find a Level 5 Problem to be any challenge. Similarly those who represent the big churches assume that Little Church B will find the Level 5 Problem to be insurmountable. The Management-minded Solution: Close Little Church B down and reallocate their resources to Big Church A who faces the same challenge. In reality Big Church A will have a more difficult time solving the problem.

  • It can avoid facing foundational problems longer. (The largest congregations in our denomination and region are showing large statistical losses, but are still viewed as more viable than small congregations that are holding their own.)
  • They have a process they must follow to solve any problem. Creativity is less likely to enter the picture.
  • Staff may be more bountiful, but problem-solving isn’t on any of the job descriptions.
  • Lay talents are viewed with suspicion.
  • New talents take longer to gain notice and acceptance.

The Level 5 Problem is likely to continue unrecognized for years. Taking on problems that few people recognize is asking for trouble.

On the other hand Little Church B is truly threatened by the Level 5 Problem. Their very existence depends on finding solutions. They start looking for answers. They evaluate the few resources and people they have and go to work.

And here is the magical nature of Little Church B. Every new person who walks through the door is a resource that can immediately be put to work. Leadership is cultivated. The roles of laity can change as problems force them to develop new skills.

The status of Little Church B, therefore, can change dramatically in months. Resilience.

Understand this. There are many more Little Church Bs than there are Big Church As. They are a valuable resource in themselves that is being squandered as we worship church size.

Management-minded regional bodies easily get stuck with prejudices — often fostered by years of disgruntled pastors who failed in leadership roles. They have rare interaction with smaller churches and view them as stagnating—lying in wait for the regional body to save them.

In reality, they haven’t given this notion a moment’s thought.

There is a prejudice that Little Church B cannot support professional services and therefore must be controlled or closed. No small churches have as their mission statement—We exit to support the clergy and contribute to the regional and national church. Yet this is the priority when evaluating viability.

This threat is felt at all levels of church leadership. They just don’t know what to do with Little Church B. Clergy hear God calling them only to congregations that ensure a comfortable living. The result is a form of cannibalism.

Regional bodies, strapped with their own survival problems, are tempted to manage small congregations. They usually manage them out of existence. Even so, small churches vastly outnumber large churches. They always will.

If the cannibalism (closing small churches and assuming their assets as their own) continues, the entire denomination will become a relic. There will be a few larger congregations sitting in suburban outposts with no real ability to serve the neighborhoods they stripped of their assets.

Fewer churches means there will be fewer traditional jobs for church professionals which will result in fewer seminaries, fewer service initiatives and much less need for the regional body.

Pretty soon, the larger churches who were content to watch as neighboring congregations were managed out of existence will feel something nibbling at their own toes.

Let’s end with another quote from a 20th century genius.

The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.—Albert Einstein

16 Mar 2013

At Home in the Church

There’s No Place Like Home

Redeemer Ambassadors have now visited nearly 60 churches. We are perennial visitors. If there is such a thing, we are experts. Practice makes perfect.

Our status is unique. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America locked us out of God’s House. What they expected to happen as a result is unclear. We started visiting churches.

We are learning the strengths and weaknesses of churches and their hospitality efforts.

Some congregations are more welcoming than others.

  • Many churches have no hospitality program.
  • Some congregations have welcome teams who are ready to tell you all about their ministry.
  • Two gave us a token gift — a mug and a candle.
  • Most think they are very warm and inviting, even those who don’t say a word to us.

Some have a genuine sense of caring that permeates the entire community. Three of the most welcoming churches we visited had no pastoral presence.

Some say “welcome” but seem a bit suspicious. We understand. There’s a lot of gossip out there. The bishop even sent a letter warning churches that we visit—including a number to call if we cause trouble. How welcoming can you get!?

That was three years ago and we’ve done no harm. None was intended.

The bishop’s unwelcoming tone trickles down. Think what the opposite might do. Clergy could play a big role in setting a welcoming example. They often do not.

We have noticed that pastors are rarely present during fellowship and often stay in the sanctuary or hallway, talking to a select few. That translates in the fellowship room to pockets of people talking to one another with no effort to include visitors.

In three years and 56 visits only one pastor wrote acknowledging our visit afterwards. When we followed up, the conversation stopped. One pastor called and met with us. His church ended up leaving the ELCA. Another pastor returned a call when one of our ambassadors called with a question. Pastors don’t want any part of the situation they helped to create.

In general, the welcoming approach of churches tends to be self-centered. They have a product to sell — membership. And with the purchase of this product you get the following benefits. The list that might follow is a little unclear.

  • Salvation?
  • Love?
  • Acceptance in our community?
  • The right to contribute?
  • The right to vote (until the bishop takes your vote away)?
  • The right to be part of something bigger?
  • The right to take the blame?
  • The responsibility but not the power to move the church forward?
  • The pleasure and satisfaction of doing things our way?

This may sound pessimistic and cynical but it is precisely the uncertainty that lay people face. If visitors are new to church, it is even more unsettling.

The approach of the church with every encounter — with individuals or with groups — should be filled with questions. Gracious, non-judgmental, questions.

  • How did you find us? What brought you here?
  • Where are you from? What is your work?
  • Do you have family? How can we serve your family?
  • How can we help you?
  • How can we get to know you?
  • Do you have a special burden we might be able to lift?

The approach toward visitors should not be list of “talking points”—programs offered, your congregation’s wish list.

It is the job of the church to love others. We can’t do that when we are always looking in a mirror.

In general, although our Ambassadors enjoy our visits, we very much look forward to our own worship once a month. There is no place like home, even if home is borrowed space in a local theater. We can sing the hymns we want to sing, pray the prayers we need to pray, know that the people we are communing with are not attacking us or taking what is ours or looking at us with judging and critical eyes—without ever talking with us outside a court room.

Putting a WELCOME sign by your front door is a promise. Keeping that promise is work that each member needs to be trained to do.

15 Mar 2013