From Seth Godin’s Blog:
Transformational leaders don’t start by denying the world around them. Instead, they describe a future they’d like to create.
02 Oct 2012
What is Man that God Is Mindful of Us?
First Reading
Genesis 2:18-24 • Job 1:1, 2:1-10 • Psalm 8 • Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12 • Mark 10:2-16
Today’s object is a work in progress. You’ll be talking to your people while you are creating something. Consider having them create something along with you.
Suggestions:
- Cut out a string of paper dolls
- Craft a simple figure out of play dough or modeling clay.
- Start a stick figure on a flip board or felt board and ask each person to add something to the creation.
- Or leave an empty spot in the bulletin for them to draw their “man”
This week’s lessons, together, discuss humankind in relationship with one another. Eve is created for Adam. Job suffers in isolation as his family and friends watch. Jesus answers the nagging question of divorce and ends with Jesus gathering the little children around him. The Psalm? Well, the Psalm rejoices in creation and so can we!
Relationships are a blessing and sometimes seem to be a curse. We long for them — to be truly in love. But the road to bliss can turn rocky oh, so quickly! But even when relationships break our hearts, we are often eager to find new ones.
What is man that God is mindful of us? Mankind is God’s creation. Every artist feels a bond with his or her creation. God is no different.
As you are creating something — or as your people create something — ask them to think about how the act of creation feels. Tie that to their ability to create the relationships that go with God’s prime creation—humankind.
photo credit: Caro’s Lines via photopin cc
01 Oct 2012
Two Redeemer members relaxed for a moment after a particularly rough day. One member came within a day of losing both her home and her income to court actions that have resulted from the conflict with SEPA Synod.
She learned of the problem by accident with only a weekend and a day to do anything about it. Every effort was being made by a half-dozen Redeemer friends to stop the travesty and by noon we heard that there had been some success.
And so we paused over coffee and a donut.
One might expect hate and despair and finger-pointing to reign in such an atmosphere, but the opposite has been true in our faith community.
One member commented that one blessing of the conflict has been that we’ve really gotten to know each other — and some of us have known one another for a decade or more.
We started talking about what we had learned about the character of our members, how their very differing personalities that we once enjoyed as passing acquaintances on Sunday morning had become endearing and appreciated.
Conflict defines character.
After this conflict, we know whom we can count on. We know which preachers mean what they preach. We know to whom we can turn for action, for prayer, for ideas, for legal knowledge, and the list goes on. We gather for Sunday worship and brunch as an eclectic mix of people brought together by faith and a common cause. We leave on Sunday, each with our individual spiritual gifts, ready to serve.
After such a close call, it would be no surprise if the endangered member had thrown up her hands in despair and vowed to have nothing to do with us or religion ever again.
Instead, by the end of the day, she had presented a few new ideas for our ministry as the holidays approached. Amazing!
We know each other well. Too bad SEPA doesn’t know us at all.
01 Oct 2012
ELCA please feel free to read, as well.
Dear fellow Lutherans,
By now you should be aware of the horrific conflict being waged in your name by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America against the Lutherans of East Falls.
For four years, it has been the forbidden topic — ignored and danced around—everyone making nice like nothing terrible is happening.
Litigation as a ministry tool creates this climate. It’s a bullying technique and it works!
For us in East Falls, it has been a daily part of our lives for half a decade. Clergy skedaddled early on, leaving lay people to take the heat. SEPA wanted our property to meet their budget. The 2009 Synod Assembly approved taking our property at the same time they approved a $275,000 deficit budget. And yet SEPA denies that closing churches is a plan. There is ample evidence that it has been part of a plan for some time. Money from closed churches was laundered through its Mission Fund — there supposedly for mission purposes but regularly filling the six-figure operating deficit.
Voting on a congregation’s property by Synod Assembly is forbidden by SEPA’s Articles of Incorporation. The consequences of this ill-advised and improper vote is devastating to both SEPA and Redeemer. But let’s not talk about it!
Why is it OK with SEPA Lutherans to treat fellow Christians so heartlessly?
The only way to justify this is to demonize Redeemer members. Bishop Burkat as much as said so in a letter to pastors back in February. It’s heartbreaking, she wrote, but they didn’t do as they were told.
We deserve this?!
The Lutheran Church, born of dissent, historically allows for stands based on conscience. Redeemer challenged the decisions regarding our ministry on constitutional grounds and conscience. We were sued as a congregation and some of us as individuals before the constitutional provisions for dissent could be exercised. The process was manipulated and SEPA Lutherans followed like sheep. Leadership in Chicago turned blind eyes, siding with hierarchy with no regard for the laity.
SEPA used its position and power to create an unfair process that they hope can be replicated. They sent SEPA legal counsel, John Gordon, to Chicago to teach their process to all Synod Counsels. If this process is right and part of Lutheran polity, why must it be taught as something new and innovative?
SEPA is so focused on power and attaining our property that in 2009 they ignored all other issues we brought to Synod Assembly’s attention. They used this improper vote on one of many issues to justify every action before and since—voted on or not.
The behavior of SEPA synod is wrong. Going after a member congregation to the point of attacking individual lay members and threatening their homes and livelihoods is wrong. ELEVEN Redeemer members face the loss of our homes while SEPA maintains an empty property which could be generating income to pay the congregation’s debt (as the congregation had planned). By the way, eleven is just two shy of Redeemer’s total membership, according to SEPA. The ruin of every Redeemer member is OK with SEPA—as long as their assumed power is recognized. SEPA trustees reported our membership as 13 when their own records listed 26. But Redeemer had grown significantly since the figure 26 had been reported. SEPA has recognized this in court, holding the congregation to a quorum for a membership of more than 70.
There is a powerful disconnect between what SEPA Lutherans preach and what they practice.
SEPA’s actions are wrong
- theologically
- scripturally
- ethically
- constitutionally
- and two appeal judges wrote a dissenting opinion that suggests they are also wrong legally.
One judge pointed out to Synod Counsel that this was not a “slam dunk” for them. There was room for honest disagreement.
The answer is so simple that a third grader could advise us where concepts fail the learned theologians. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
SEPA Lutherans talk about doing the right thing but are powerless to check their own leaders.
This conflict is unnecessary. Peaceful remedies are available. SEPA leadership has no interest in peace or reconciliation. They want to win—win at any cost. Pride, power and greed have fueled the conflict. Apathy and fear keep the engine purring.
Redeemer has maintained its ministry as best it can for the last four years. We’ve done well, following the mission plan presented to SEPA trustees in 2007 with adaptations for the hostile circumstances. There were never constitutional grounds for SEPA’s actions against Redeemer.
SEPA wanted our property to pay their bills. That end is the only justification of their means.
We believe from our many visits that SEPA Lutherans know better, but they are too insecure to question the leaders they elect as servants.
Our faith is meant to empower us all to look beyond our own interests. Christian leaders are expected to embrace servanthood. Christian followers are not expected to be passive.
Not in SEPA.
Shame!
Are there any blessed peacemakers in SEPA Synod? Does anyone have a vision for ending this?
30 Sep 2012
The Ambassadors split up today. A couple of us joined the Charity Walk to benefit Children’s Hospital. They’ve been good to one of our legacy families facing serious health challenges, so we rallied to support Jude.
30 Sep 2012
Our Friend in Ministry, New Life Fellowship with Pastor Sarwar, baptized seven recently. See their 2×2 page.
29 Sep 2012
Downgrading Your Ministry
Downgrading in ministry seems like an odd concept. Ministry is all about gearing up. Yet the economy of the church is forcing the downgrading of ministry which leads to conflict if church members are expected to care — and we do!
The first move in downgrading is to move to part-time leadership. This is so effective in killing Christian community that congregations rarely return to full-time ministry.
Part-time leaders are forced to prioritize ministry. They are paid for doing only so much. The priorities are usually taking care of the existing parishioners. They even call themselves caretaker ministers.
Downgrading is the function of management. Management wants numbers to work in its favor.
Evangelism, on the other hand, is activated by passion. Right brain/Left brain.
Managerial thinking snuffs the fire of the Spirit. New ideas are NEVER part of a budget.
Managers in the church run the strong risk that their pursuit of viable numbers will hurt the people who support the numbers. Downgrading ministries does just that. Soon subsistence ministry is expected. If it is done well, it is rewarded. The Church is populated with thousands of congregations that are just getting by.
Church is different from any other human endeavor. Passion makes it different.
Closing a church is not like closing a business. If the corner hot dog stand closes, we buy hot dogs somewhere else, make our own, or start eating pizza. Passion and faith are more difficult to replace.
In matters of faith, we want to live by different standards. Our Scriptures and constitutions are written to nurture evangelical passion.
Today’s church managers operate under legalities. Synods have legal counsel on retainer. In our synod, the legal counsel is usually seated at the right hand of the bishop in meetings. This is intimidating to congregations — and it is meant to be!
The role of legal counsel is to ensure winning. Here’s the problem in the Church. Legal counsel hired by the regional bodies or the national church are often used in conflict with congregations. They are paid with the offerings of the congregations. Congregations in conflict with a regional body must not only pay their own legal counsel they have also contributed to the payment of legal counsel of the regional body. (This is why an early step in church conflict is for the regional body to “terminate” their opponents, so the congregations do not have the rights afforded to them as church members.)
This has proven to be a prescription for a mess.
Taking conflict to the courts may seem like a good idea, but as the Bible predicts, it replaces the values of our faith (reconciliation, peace, forgiveness and love) with the values of society (win at any cost). Better to be defrauded, the Bible wisely says.
The theology of winning doesn’t really exist, but we practice it all the same.
29 Sep 2012
You must change so we can stay the same.
28 Sep 2012
A missionary team from Sweden shared this link with us. We think it’s worthy of discussion in every congregation. Enjoy!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvJR_SIiPl4?rel=0]
27 Sep 2012
Take the Regional Assembly of many denominations. We’ll call it Synod Assembly, since that’s what we know best.
Synod Assemblies are constitutionally mandated gatherings — the business meeting of the Church. They have two major functions—to elect regional leadership and approve the regional budget.
It’s almost October. Seven or eight months from the next rash of Synod Assemblies in the ELCA— plenty of time to plan for the hundreds of delegates who will gather in one place to discuss the ministry of the Church.
Attending the Assembly are Synod staff, every rostered leader and 2-5 lay delegates from each of about 150 congregations. They will spend the bulk of two days, mostly listening to reports. Not much more happens for all the expense. Spectacular worship experiences will start and end the gatherings. Pump people up; leave them feeling good.
Many delegates will leave long before the end of the Assembly. All will return to their congregations and report the most inspiring moments. We are supposed to feel as though we were represented and part of the process.
Truth be told, we are being shut out.
The agenda of most Synod Assemblies is controlled by the current leadership who are elected to serve but who have self-interest. The flow of information is top down even though the purpose of the Assembly is to generate bottom up involvement.
Why is this?
Function of the Synod Assembly follows form.
The form was created before the information age. It was once unwieldy to poll members of 150 congregations scattered over 100 or more square miles. Communication with every member was costly and awkward. No more. But we are stuck with the form of the past until there is a vision that this isn’t the way it has to be.
Here is what has happened in church governance in the last two decades of decline (the entire life of the ELCA).
- As church attendance declined, so did the pool of knowledgeable, seasoned delegates.
- Replacing older members, who spent much of their lives in church and Sunday School, are people who have little experience — as enthusiastic as they might be. Event planners plan around the sensibilities of the inexperienced, steering away from hard discussions on serious questions and filling the time with frills to engage the newly initiated.
- The typical Synod Assembly includes one-third clergy, who have considerable self-interest, and two-thirds laity with a broad range of life experience but a diminishing knowledge of church business.
- The delegates are most likely people close to the pastor. When unsure of decisions, to whom will they turn for advice? People with self-interest. (The ELCA has even imposed a level of control over who the delegates can be, requiring that they meet gender requirements and giving additional votes to minorities and youth.)
- The Synod Assembly becomes a forum ruled by self-interest — the opposite of its purpose.
Function has followed form.
A large percentage of delegates haven’t a clue of the ramifications of the issues presented to them. They know little or nothing about the names presented on ballots. Face it, some lay delegates come because they are the only people in the congregation willing to take Friday off and donate a Saturday. Some are enthusiastic newbies being groomed for church involvement, but not knowledgeable about church history, protocol, or issues. The Church encourages this (and it’s not all bad), but the fact is many votes are taken by people who don’t know what they are doing.
Function has followed the form. Good news! The form can change. Here’s how!
- The process can be opened up to include ALL the people of the church. Events can be planned to take advantage of the at home audience. (SEPA’s Assembly is already streamed live. Great move. But this year you needed a password to watch. Control!)
- Make key presentations available a month before the Assembly. Post them online so congregations can watch and discuss issues. Delegates could attend the Assembly knowing what the people of their congregation think — which is how it is supposed to be. Air the same presentation at the Assembly and give the presenters an opportunity to field questions from people who have actually had time to study their message.
- Make schedules of presentations available so people can watch at home.
- Allow for feedback from the people. Use Twitter and Facebook. Nurture involvement and purpose.
Synods are great at demanding change at the congregational level. Can they change?
26 Sep 2012