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church conflict

So seriously . . What is a Settled Pastor?

Is A “Settled Pastor” A Worthy Goal?

settledpastorcartoonI grew up in the Church . . . in a preacher’s family. A network of preachers’ families, in fact. Generations of pastors and numerous aunts and uncles representing several denominations working in ministry.

It was not until recent years that I heard the term “settled pastor.” But then, fifty years ago, most pastors were settled. It was so much a part of what being a pastor meant that there was no special term.

Perhaps we hear the term today because the Church is hanging on to a relic of the past. These are unsettling times!

What is a “settled pastor”? 

A “settled pastor” is a pastor who is called by the congregation with no term limitation. Sometimes it is called a “regularized” call.

It’s not something lay people think about much. They should. The concept can make or break their church and cause lay leaders a lot of heartache. And they won’t see it coming!

There was a time when pastors were assigned to a congregation or called by congregational vote. There they stayed, baptizing, marrying and burying generation after generation of the faithful. A pastor might leave to serve a richer parish or to suit personal goals. The only other reasons to leave were seriously bad behavior or conflict. Poor performance was rarely a reason. Congregations can eke by with a poor, but beloved, pastor for years as resources dwindle.

Redeemer Ambassadors visited one congregation recently that had the same pastor for 18 years. It declined steadily despite the fact that their neighborhood was vibrant. They closed the week after our visit.

They had a “settled pastor” but where did that get them?

The reason the term “settled pastor” is used more frequently is that the concept is becoming rare. Pastors rarely settle into their communities intending to stay for decades—even when they accept calls as “settled pastors.”

Some accept calls to small congregations as stepping stones, proving grounds. Others don’t want a long-term commitment or even a full-time commitment. Their personal lives demand flexibility. Many enter the ministry as second careers and anticipate retiring within a decade or so. They will never be seasoned, full-time pastors. Frequently, they become “interim pastors”—also a new term.

It is probably the growing use of “interim” pastors that the term “settled” has become prevalent. The concept of “interim ministry” is short-term help while congregations consider long-term candidates. Interims terms should be a few months. They are often well over a year—intentionally so. The better to keep the stable of pastors employed.

Consequently, the goal of calling a “settled pastor” is archaic and unfair to congregations who buy into the concept that the pastor they are calling is deeply committed.

The modern congregation is likely to be equally unsettled. Demographics within communities can shift every five years.

So why is the Church pretending that “ssettled pastors” are either the norm or a good idea?

The concept serves another purpose that is rarely stated.

Settled pastors have significant constitutional advantages for clergy and professional leadership. In the Lutheran Church, the settled pastor can leave a congregation at any time with only 30 days notice. However, if a congregation is unhappy, stagnant, achieving none of its goals, declining in giving and attendance and facing a fragile future, they cannot make a leadership change without taking a vote—a two-thirds vote. Usually, twenty percent of an organization plays significant leadership roles. So lay leaders must convince three times their number, from a pool of less committed members, that a change is in the best interest of the congregation.

Having a settled pastor in place, means a problem for the regional body has been solved. A pastor has a job for as long as he or she wants it. Neither the pastor nor the congregation will be knocking on their door for a while!

Church lay leaders must be very careful. Making any kind of demand on a settled pastor can signal war. It won’t be declared as such but lines will be drawn. The settled pastor can easily use his or her position within the congregation and community to subtly rally support. The war will be fought with gossip and innuendo. “Hush!  Did you hear ….?”

Lay leaders may be acting with the future of the church in mind, but soon they may be seen as malcontents and troublemakers. “Poor pastor! What he or she has to put up with!”

Their reputations in the community may be strong enough to bear it, but their voice in the church will be filtered.

Congregations will be divided. Conflict may take a serious toll and years to resolve—whether or not the pastor stays.

Perhaps it is time for congregations to insist on term calls as the norm rather than the exception, so that the comfort and security of being a “settled pastor” does not lead a congregation into long-term decline. If a course correction can be made, the existing pastor will have incentive to lead—create and meet benchmarks—and not take their call for granted.

“Unsettled pastors” might be the right servants to lead today’s church. 

It’s more work for hierarchy and less secure for clergy.

But then church work is always hard and insecure for the laity.

All welcome.

11 Jun 2013

Blessed Are the Peacemakers

Redeemer’s First Sunday of the Month Worship

Once a month Redeemer worships in East Falls. Our Ambassadors were happy to be home this week. One of our Ambassadors had just returned from a trip to St. Augustine, Florida, and was brimming with news of her visit to a Missouri Lutheran Church there.

She had been invited to attend a Catholic church with some of her travel companions, but she was determined to visit a Lutheran Church in this old and historic city.

We did the research in advance and found there were only two—one ELCA and one Missouri. Both were quite a distance from the hotel where she was staying.

She talked of her $10 taxi ride to find the church with the taxi driver looking at a map with a magnifying glass as she hunted for the address. 
She found a small church of 55 members. They were celebrating ten new members, nearly 20% growth! (Redeemer had 82 members when SEPA took us to court to force our closure. We were growing, too.)

Two members took her under their wings, invited her to the new member reception, and drove her back to her hotel.

The church gave her a gift of a cross with Luther’s Seal. They had fashioned the nice medallion to sell to raise money for property renovation. They are encouraging others to emulate their successful fundraiser. We are all for congregational entrepreneurship!

Another Ambassador had brought a painting an artist in a previous congregation had given as a gift many years ago. The artist, now deceased, had become quite famous and has works in the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Our Ambassador had rich provenance from his personal relationship with this artist and shared many stories. It happened that another Ambassador was planning to attend a social that very afternoon featuring an appraiser from PBS’s Antiques Roadshow. We convinced him to take his “Lutheran” painting for appraisal.

We began worship sharing our week’s activities but soon settled down to hear the message of peace that was the lectionary theme for the day. Peace — that elusive, misunderstood, but welcome Christian concept.

We long for peace that doesn’t dehumanize us. Peace with passion, perhaps. Peace that doesn’t discern victors and victims.

Which brought our Ambassadors to talking about the signs that have gone up around Redeemer this week. The patronizing signs chastise local dog owners who let their pets run freely on the vacant property. I listened for a while as the Ambassadors talked about the desecration of sacred property. I thought they were talking about the dogs desecrating the property, but I soon realized that they considered the heavy-handed signs revealing an attitude of superiority to be the desecration.

Blessed are the peacemakers. Anyone know any peacemakers?

Or is peace one of those concepts Lutherans believe in theory only?

05 May 2013

Why Does Our Church Treat Us So Badly?

When Did the Lutherans of East Falls Become Enemies?

Why is SEPA’s only envisioned solution to the six-year conflict between the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod and Redeemer Church a score something like

SEPA: $2,000,000

People of Redeemer: 0—and if necessary to ensure the win—Homeless and Destitute?

What is this conflict really about?

SEPA must have grounds to declare synodical administration. Those grounds are detailed in the constitution and have to do with just one thing—the ability of the congregation to fulfill its “missional” purpose. It has nothing to do with the size of the congregation or the history of the congregation.

Five years of growing ministry with no support from SEPA and considerable attempts to shackle us prove that SEPA assessment of Redeemer’s potential was faulty. Their motives were monetary as evidenced by their attempt to sell our property without our knowledge early in 2008.

If there was truly a concern about Redeemer’s ability to do mission, why did SEPA declare Synodical Administration and then do nothing for five months before they even told the congregation and for more than a year afterwards? Clearly, there was no dire concern.

SEPA must admit that routinely running deficit budgets blinded their own sense of mission.

Maybe the clergy and Lutherans in the pew think these details don’t matter. They do. They are the details that all court actions are hanging on.

The people of East Falls, nearly four years after SEPA won in a court that never heard the case, are still being abused. There is still no end in sight. And remember, the PA Supreme Court ended in a split decision with the minority stating that if the law were followed, Redeemer’s arguments had merit.

Because the Synod, from the very beginning chose to attack members as individuals, they gave Redeemer members no recourse but to fight. They already have everything we owned as a congregation. That has not been enough.

In the early days of the conflict, we heard a lot of clergy use the excuse, “We didn’t know.”

That doesn’t fly anymore. You’ve been told. Numerous letters have been written to SEPA and clergy. Personal visits have been made to a third of SEPA congregations. This web site has discussed the issues thoroughly.

You know that your Church is not behaving compassionately. It is abusing its powers. It is using bullying techniques as ministry tools.

And you don’t care.

It’s not happening to you. You as a synod are the beneficiaries.

To you it is mildly uncomfortable, a topic to be avoided. You think, there must be something to it, dismiss it without investigating and then move on.

The people of East Falls have lived with numerous threats of legal action every day for five years. We haven’t left the denomination. We were kicked out by decree and with no discussion. Loyal, we continue to attend churches and stand next to the Lutherans who are suing us, who are praying for good things, who pass us the peace of the Lord, invite us to the communion table . . . . and do nothing to change things.

SEPA Lutherans, you can still call upon your leaders to work this out honorably and equitably and in a way that will not embarrass the denomination when you look back at this years from now.

The prescription for peace is in the Bible. We have to talk to one another.

We are Lutherans. Interdependent. Supposedly working together. Ask for a forum. We CAN talk to one another. Contact your Synod Council. Tell them you want these issues to be discussed face to face within the church. Ask for a moderator or ombudsman from outside the synod to ensure that both sides are heard. This is only necessary because the lines have been drawn indelibly.

It can’t wait any longer. People — good people — people who have supported the Lutheran church all their lives are in real danger.

Work it out face to face, Christian to Christian. It’s the biblical thing to do.

And, hey, it’s Christmas. (Remember what that’s about.)

So why is there NO attempt to reconcile? Isn’t that what we teach?

The reason is that this is about winning. It’s about power. It’s about the inability to admit mistakes. It’s about pride. It’s about revenge. It is NOT about the gospel.

But there is still a chance that we can make it about the gospel. Help, please.

We at Redeemer have always considered ourselves to be on the same side—”missionally” speaking.

Here is a list of Synod Council members. Contact them and ask them to work together in the mutual discernment that has been alleged by the synod, but which has never happened.

The Synod no longer supplies contact info, so you’ll have to do some research. We’ve provided some that are easily found on line. Lay people are more of a challenge. If they accept the role of representing congregations, they should make it possible for congregations to contact them.

If you think you don’t have the power, these are the people who do. And most of them know nothing about Redeemer except what preachers with a self-interest, many of them who also know nothing, tell them. That’s how prejudice becomes powerful.

Name Congregation (conference) Term expires
Bishop Claire S. Burkat
Holy Communion (Central Phila.)
2018
Patricia Robinson, vice president
Reformation, Phila. (NW/Olney)
2013
Rev. Raymond A. Miller, secretary
St. John, Quakertown (Upper Bucks)
He was one of the “trustees” who introduced themselves as “fact finders” failing to identify themselves as trustees and failing to mention that they considered our church under their administration. Their deceit set the stage for the conflict. He testified in court that Redeemer had more than twice the number of members as they represented to the Synod Assembly. Synod lawyers then went on in court to attempt to hold the congregation to a quorum vote for three times the number they testified.
2015
Janet Neff, CPA, treasurer
Grace, Royersford (Upper Montgomery)
2015
Clergy
Name
Congregation (conference)
Term expires
Rev. Paul Beck
215 723 5356
St. Peter, Hilltown (U. Bucks)
prbeck@comcast.net
One of our officers tried to talk to him in 2007. He refused. Our representative reported that he said the Synod Council had no intention of negotiating with Redeemer.
More evidence of the SEPA myth about the “mutual discernment” process.
What might have happened if we had talked before the lawyers were called in?
2013*
Rev. Sandra Brown
215 225 5329
Holy Spirit (NE Phila.)
brownsj@msn.com
Her husband, Rev. Jesse Brown, was our part-time pastor in 2000, well before we accepted more than 60 members. She has had no contact with our church in 13 years.
2014*
Rev. Carol Ficken
215 402 0337
Grace, Wyndmoor (Lower Montgomery)
clficken8438@aol.com
We visited her church.
2013*
Rev. Regina Goodrich
610 622 7649
Mediator, Northwest/Olney Conference
evangee@comcast.net
2015*
Rev. Charles Leonard
215 248 6340
St. Mark, Philadelphia (NW/Olney)
cleonard@ltsp.edu
We visited his church.
2014*
Rev. Karl Richard
610 543 1923
St. Matthew, Springfield (Delaware)
kandlr@juno.com
We visited his church—twice.
2013
Rev. Hennrik Sonntag
267 373 9748
St. Paul, Glenside (Lower Montgomery)
pastor@stpaulsglenside.org
We visited his church.
2015
Rev. Christopher Weidner
610 323 7469
St. Luke, Gilbertsville (Upper Montgomery)
stlukelutheran@dejazzd.com
2014*
Lay
Name
Congregation (conference)
Term expires
Joyce Brown Adams
Faith Immanuel, E. Lansdowne (Delaware)
Their church had weaker numbers and resources than Redeemer when they started a multi-cultural ministry similar to ours at about the same time SEPA was trying to destroy our multi-cultural ministry.
2013
Fred Brown, at-large
Good Shepherd, King of Prussia (Lower Montgomery)
We visited their church.
2014
Malcolm Davis, youth rep.
Reformation, Philadelphia (NW/Olney)
Youth reps have more say in Redeemer’s future than 82 Redeemer members had.
2013*
Robert Hensil, at large
Temple, Havertown (Delaware)
We visited his church.
2015
J. Lawrence House AIM, at large
Upper Dublin, Ambler (Lower Montgomery)
He was one of the “trustees” who introduced themselves as fact finders failing to identify themselves as trustees and failing to mention that they considered our church under their administration.
2013*
Sr. Sally Kerr, at large
610 327 6852
Emmanuel, Pottstown (Upper Montgomery)
Sally@silver-springs.org
2013*
Sue Massey, Lower Montgomery
Living Word, Roslyn (Lower Montgomery)
2015
Sr. Mary Julia McKenzie, Upper Bucks
Emmanuel, Souderton (Upper Bucks)
2015
Adrienne Nash Melendez, young adult
Good Shepherd, Coatesville (Chester)
2013
Jill Meuser, Chester
Calvary, West Chester (Chester)
2014*
Margie Pendarvis-Wright, NW/Olney
St. Peter, Phila. (NW/Olney)
We visited her church.
2015*
Susan Pursch, at large
University, Phila. (Central)
We visited her church.
2015
Alex Rafuse, young adult
St. James, Limerick (Upper Montgomery)
2013
Madison Reid, youth rep.
Gloria Dei, Huntingdon Valley (Lower Montgomery)
2014
Rodman Rothermel, Chester
St. Luke, Devon (Chester)
2014
George Shultz, Lower Bucks
Peace, Bensalem (Lower Bucks)
2014
14 Dec 2012

What to Do with the Inconvenient Church

What Happens When the Small Church Becomes Inconvenient?

There is a problem facing the mainline Church today. It is spoken of frequently among Church professionals—less frequently with lay people. (Maybe there would be a solution if we were all part of the discussion.)

The topic (although it is not stated this way) is “What to Do with Inconvenient Churches.”

That includes most of us.

What makes a congregation “inconvenient”?

Let’s look first as what makes a “convenient” church.

Convenient churches are those that have 150 or more at worship each Sunday. They have a pastor who has already served five years and has no desire to move on. The convenient church has a paid-for property and a growing number of members supporting the ministry from the grave.

The convenient church can send a good percentage of offerings to the regional and national offices. They can send year-end gifts to major church agencies and the denominational seminaries and camps.

When a convenient church calls the Regional Office, their calls are returned. The bishop is a familiar face to them and can be counted on to visit for special occasions. Seminarians look over the list of convenient churches with hope that they might one day serve in their alluring comfort and security.

The convenient church really has little use for the regional office. But the regional office needs them and the dollars they can supply. A symbiotic bond is formed.

The inconvenient church may have some of the same traits. They could have a good number of people. They may have a paid-for property. They may have a settled pastor. But something happened —or didn’t happen— somewhere along the line that made them damaged goods, flawed beyond redemption in the eyes of church leaders.

The congregation may be clueless about its reputation. It was probably shaped over the years in the clergy gossip mill until the mere mention of the congregation’s name brings muffled chortles and knowing glances.

It is likely that clergy were somehow involved in whatever created the inconvenient situation. They are in a position to make sure the other clergy get their spin. There will never be a forum to properly examine the history. By the time the congregation learns they are marked, it is too late. The Church just doesn’t have time to deal with them and the trouble it would take to turn things around. Inconvenient.

The result is condoned shunning. Pastors won’t want to serve them. Hierarchy, in their number one role as employment agency for rostered leaders, wants the people they see and work with regularly to be happy. The laity are unknown, novices in church procedures, and will be no threat. Out of sight; out of mind.

Yet most churches today fall into the inconvenient category, possibly from decades of dealing with an unresponsive Church structure.

Churches that have been abandoned by clergy in favor of more convenient assignments quickly get used to going it alone. If they are fortunate, they develop lay leadership. After a while, they assume every congregation has trouble communicating with the regional office. Every church gets appointments 11 months in the future.

Now the real problem comes in. Clergy may not want to serve these congregations but they definitely don’t want them to go it alone.  The behind-the-scenes clergy prejudice becomes impenetrable.

The problem: no one wants to commit to service in these unpopular congregations.

The solution: create a team of pastors to serve them without commitment.

The team will be made up of retired pastors and pastors who don’t want the inconvenience of moving or readjusting their lives. Call them interim ministers. Have them report regularly to the regional office, so they know what’s going on without having to actually do anything about it. This isn’t far-fetched. It’s actually part of the rationale of regional bodies. The problems may have festered so long that no one wants to deal with them. Better to let the short-termer, uncommitted pastor take the blame. The priority is the comfort of the pastors!

Somebody needs to take the blame.

The “inconvenient” churches need help. A committed pastor has the best chance of providing that help, but it takes work. He or she may need to spend six months visiting every home. Someone may need to admit to some leadership failings. Reconciliation requires a little self-sacrifice. Remember the cross.

Inconvenient churches may need the services of a regional body — but they are not in a position to pay more than a token amount. That’s not all their fault. Their ministries have been neglected for years and that affects stewardship.

So in the world of Church, the attention goes to the congregations that don’t need it.

As long as funds are adequate, everyone can get by. But in difficult times, even the “convenient” deep-pocket churches may become needy.

Someone has to make up for the shortfall when the bigger churches can no longer support the hierarchy at the level to which it is accustomed. (Suddenly they have to do the same work with less money and fewer people — just like the inconvenient churches they failed to serve!)

That’s when the “inconvenient” churches become vulnerable. It has less to do with their ability to survive (they are used to struggling) than it does with the whole lop-sided system.

The “convenient” churches can now use their clout to insure their own survival.

The obvious answer to the hierarchy that has already distanced themselves from their smaller congregations: Close ’em down. Take their assets. Make life more convenient for the convenient churches.

It is quickly forgotten that the nature of ministry is to help the weak.

If the Church looks at their smaller congregations (the majority) as windfalls in waiting, they are missing their mission.

The way things are going, it will be their turn soon enough.

12 Dec 2012

The Theology of Winning

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