Where'd he go?

I'm posting today from Saranac Lake, New York.  Currently, I am on a tour visiting our Vermont and New York congregations.  Along the way, I picked up a few passengers in Plattsburgh, NY at Redeemer Lutheran.

This trip is taking me to our farthest western congregation, Holy Trinity in Saranac Lake, or so I thought.  While here I've learned that this congregation is yoked with an other Lutheran congregation in Potsdam, NY.  That congregation is about 65 miles northwest of Saranac Lake.  They gather and worship in a hall donated by a local Christian Science community.  Looks, like I'll have to make another trip to this beautiful part of the country.

Here is the trip so far.  Today I'm off to Proctor, Shaftbury & Brattleboro, VT before speaking at the Doing What Matters event in Rutland on Saturday.  I'll soon have visited over 120 congregations of the New England Synod.

 

Self Care and the Mutual Ministry Committee

This week I met with my Mutual Ministry Committee or MMC for short.  For those of you who are not aware, the MMC serves as a kind of support and accountability group for the bishop, or in a parish for a pastor. When the right people are gathered around the table, it can be a very helpful group.  But, if you’ve got the wrong people, well, it’s a disaster waiting to happen.

I must admit, I was a little reluctant to form this MMC for myself, but was told that it’s in the Synod Constitution, so I had to do it.  Why was I reluctant?  My first parish in Brooklyn had an MMC, and it was just plain awful.  I inherited a group that had been formed during the interim, and they had one agenda, which was to evaluate me on a monthly basis.  They were mean spirited.  I finally ended it after 9 miserable months, and never formed another one.

Now, as bishop I get to choose the people who are a part of my MMC, and the group met for the first time this past week.  We spent much of our time outlining the parameters and refining a covenant that included mutual honesty as well as confidentiality.  Our conversation focused on my visits to all of the congregations, as well as my use of this blog and facebook and twitter to communicate about those visits.  I also had a chance to rant a bit.  The group asked good questions and encouraged me to attend to my body and soul for well being and the long haul.

I can see how a quality MMC could be very helpful to a pastor.  It strikes me that a couple key ingredients are needed:  1)  The pastor must have the freedom to select the members.  2)  A clear and honest covenant must be established, and probably signed by everyone on the MMC.  3)  I would suggest that consideration be made to include a few people on the MMC who are not members of the congregation being served, and that the total number of people in the group not exceed 5, plus the pastor.

I also believe there are a few tasks that should NOT be in the MMC task list. 1) Evaluation of the pastor  2) Salary and/or compensation recommendations  3)  Nor should the names of the MMC be known in the congregation, because people tend to come to the members with complaints.   The problem with what I’ve just written is that it is 180 degrees counter to what is in many of our congregation’s constitutions.  Sorry, I think the structure that we have put in place in our constitutions for MMC’s is wrong.  It tends to encourage congregations to think of the MMC as the HR department.  And yes, I’ll be advocating for this change in the ELCA model constitution at our next conference of bishops gathering.

I’d suggest that a different group, perhaps the Executive Committee of the council serve as the evaluation and salary committee.  But, even then, the evaluation should not be of just the pastor or rostered leader. It should be of the whole ministry.  After all, most ministry is 50% clergy leadership and 50% lay leadership.  We are in this together.  It’s called the body of Christ building the kingdom of God.  Let’s open our hearts and minds to the spirit to act through us together.

The MMC, with the right people, can be a positive avenue for our leaders to receive support, prayer and the sometimes needed gentle nudge.  Mine is off to a good start, as we are building trust and confidence in one another, and allowing God's Spirit to guide and bring wisdom to the forefront.

The Intersection

This year at our synod assembly, we will ordain Tiffany Chaney.  She is the Pastor and Mission Developer at the Intersection, a new mission church start in Dorchester section of Boston, MA.

Tiffany is a graduate of our partner seminary in Philadelphia, LTSP.  Before seminary she worked in the Health care field, and holds an MBA.

We like to tease her about her accent, as she is originally from Alabama.  But then again, she has every right to return the favor as she meets all these Bostonians.

This past weekend, our Director of Mission, Jane Shields visited the Intersection as they celebrated seven bapstims in worship.

In the words of one person, "this makes God smile."

What is Tiffany doing right?  Connecting faith with daily life, meeting people where they are, and welcoming them into a place that feels like home.  

Just a little news from the Mission field of New England.

 

 Below find a cell phone photo of the group of baptism candidates along with Tiffany and Pastor Shields

Let's talk about God

I am becoming an avid reader of the work of Richard Rohr.  This video runs 10 minutes, and it reveals quite an insight into Rohr's thinking about prayer, God and living in the 21st Century as a Christian.  If you get a chance, read his book, Breathing Underwater.  Good stuff.  The video comes from the good folks at The Work of the People, a resource of video and images.  While at St. Andrew, I would periodically use some of their work to introduce a sermon or another part of worship.

 

Big Time!

While leaving worship at Salem Lutheran in Bridgeport CT today, I said to Pastor Marjo Anderson, "you know this worship just makes me smile."  I should have added, "big time!"

The worship was such a fine blend of tradition, without feeling musty and stiff, combined with great music that invited people to sing and praise with a genuine heart.

What a joy.  Let me tell you about my day.

In five hours, Pastor Marjo Anderson put me to work, beginning with an 8:15 worship service, followed by an Adult Forum, a 10:30 worship, Blessing of the Bikes, BBQ on the lawn and food packing event.   I guess she figured, she should get her moneys worth.  What a great day.  Check out the photos below by Rich Lansing.  By the way, every congregation needs a photographer in the 21st century.

This strikes me as a congregation that is transforming its culture toward Joy, Mission and radical Welcome. During our adult forum, which was extremely well attended by a wide range of people, I was asked about my time as a Pastor at St. Andrew. (I realized that hardly anyone asks me this question). My answer focused on "the culture of a church trumps everything."  I now notice the culture of a congregation more than I look at its mission statement or worship style or programs.  Salem is in the midst of an exciting culture shift, and I really like the direction they are going.  They exude JOY - in worship, in conversation, with children.  They asked a lot of questions around mission, and not so much from the typical, "how can we get more members?", but “how can we serve.”  There is a difference and I can't tell you how important the difference is - it matters a lot. They practice welcome.  Example, a gentleman in his 80s dressed in a full suit and tie walked up to the table where the bikers were eating lunch, and told them how pleased he was that they came for the event.  Then another man from the congregation sat down and ate at their table.  That doesn't happen everywhere. 

Salem Lutheran is getting it.  They are making the pivot toward being a 21st century congregation.  I left the parking lot and headed home with a smile, BIG TIME!   Oh, and they flip the traditional paradigm in staffing.  They are lead by a female Senior Pastor, a female ELCA rostered leader, and the church secretary is a man.

 

Maine and the magic 100

It took a little under 8 months, 7 months and 21 days to be exact.

On Sunday, April 21, I completed my 99th and 100th congregational visit since taking office on September 1st. We have 185 congregations in the New England synod, and my goal of visiting all of them early in my ministry as bishop, now seems to be achievable.

Holy Trinity in North Easton, MA was the 100th visit.  Congratulations, they win a 10% off coupon from Brickley's ice cream store in Narragansett, RI. :)

I'll continue the visits.  I have planned two more trips to different regions in our synod.  Soon, I'll be visiting many of the congregations in the Southern Connecticut Conference.  Later in May, I plan a trip to see all of our Vermont congregations during the week of May 13 to 18.

Earlier in April, I visited seven of our congregations in Maine.  Don't worry, I'll be back again this summer for more visits in Maine, yes, including a trip north to Caribou.

While making the trek south along Route One near Camden, Maine, I stopped and made this short video.

 

What about the "Nones?"

Most of you who read this blog are already familiar with the rising tide of persons in North America, who define their religious affiliation as "none."  I've been speaking about this phenomenon during our Regional Gatherings here in New England.  The next two are scheduled for Woreceter, MA on May 4, and Rutland, VT on May 18. 

As I've outlined in those presentations, we have several responses available to us as the church.  Denial, Whine, Blame or Engage.  The first three are unappealing to me, though I recognize they are the easier options.  I prefer to engage with the challenge before us.  As a parish pastor for 25 years, I regularly engaged with people who did not affiliate with a particular faith.  That engagement took many forms, including conversation, surveys and friendships.  In many ways it has been easy for me to engage with "nones" because I have been one.  Most of you know my story of growing up unaffiliated with religion, and then being baptized at the age of 21.

I love "nones."  I also love atheists, agnostics, skeptics, religiously confused, heavy doubters and light doubters.  I learn as much from those conversations as I do from the best lecture by a profound theologian.  Truth is I enjoy both.  

I also believe that we in the church have much to learn from engagement with the nones.  There is a biblical precedence for all of this; his name is Jesus.  Yes, I see the tax collectors, sinners and outcasts as a form of 1st century "nones."  They most likely were people who embraced their faith, but they certainly did not believe they were welcome and embraced by the church of their day.  

I'm encouraging conversation with the religiously disaffiliated.  While at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Charlestown, RI, the congregation I served for the past 20 years, I made a decision to spend 25% of my time with "nones."  Yup, that's right.  The church was paying me a quarter of my salary to be with people who were not members (we called them partners) of the congregation.  Did I take heat for that?  What do you think?  But, I believe it was one reason our congregation grew from 100 to 700, and even when we were in a plateaued time, we were constantly receiving guests in our worship services and other ministry programs.  But, more importantly, we were engaging with people who had no or little faith connection, and we were one of the main ways these people were discovering a God who embraces, welcomes, challenges, loves and nourishes.  Ministry with the "nones" is cool stuff - Jesus stuff.

So I was intrigued when I stumbled across this Facebook effort by a group encouraging congregations to consider interviewing an atheist in church on May 4.   Think about it.

At this years, New England Synod Assembly, I'm inviting a group of five people who are "nones" to be a part of a conversation in front of the 500 gathered in Springfield.  Think of it as an ecclesiastical Charlie Rose type interview.  We'll discuss their backgrounds, life stories, and most importantly the 'whys' of their decision to not connect with a faith community.  The tone of the conversation will be a humble approach.  Essentially, I'm asking, "how have we in the Christian community failed to connect with you and your family and friends, and what can we do about it."

I have three people lined up so far, but I'm looking for two more.  If you or a friend are a "none" and you are articulate and comfortable talking about your life and your questions, send me an email.  I'm interested in speaking with you.

When the Church is Stupid

One of my least favorites inventions of the last 30 years has to be the church sign.  How many of us have seen bad theology, confusing messages or just plain "huh?"

While driving the back roads from my home in Rhode Island to Worcester yeaterday, I passed this sign in Voluntown, CT.

You've got to be kidding me.  I pulled over and snapped a photo on my handy dandy fancy dancy now declared heathen mobile communication device.

As Keith Anderson recently pointed out (see below), we live in a mobile phone world.  You may not like it, but it's reality.  Twitter is reality, Facebook is a part of the fabric of human communication.  Your blog can now be read by people around the world.   

I have 17 reasons why this sign bothers me, but I'll spare you the adolescent rant, and give you two.

1.  The tone of this sign is one of chastisement.  It basically says, you modern people are all wrong.  We have the truth, you know nothing.  If you do it our way, then you'll be right and good and holy.  The message is one of judgement, and hardly motivation for doing what they ask, namely reading the Bible.  The only people who will see this sign and respond favorably to it are those who already share the world view of the author.  Therefore, what's the point of the sign?

2.  The sign suggests that the church, and in an increasingly "non-church" is not only out of touch with contemporary culture, but hostile toward it.  I imagine the average american driving by and seeing that sign, and thinking at best, "huh" and at worst, "sheesh, those christians really are as stupid as I thought."  Like it or not, most people outside the churched culture do not see a distinction between a baptist, a presbyterian or a lutheran.

Is Facebook the god it is made out to be?  Of course not.  Is the Bible worth diving into? Absolutely.  Do we have to make this an either or choice?  Ah, no, we can put scripture on our facebook pages.

When the Church does something stupid, the whole body suffers.  That could be a variation on St. Paul's teachings that when one part suffers we all suffer.  Well, when one part is stupid, we all look stupid.

Is this an adolescent rant?  OK, I guess it is, my apologies.  

 

P.S.  After posting this, I realized a third major problem with this sign.  It reads as if this is a quote from God.  Well, I should have been more humble in my apprach.  I didn't realize that Voluntown Baptist had such a clear connection, so as to know the mind of God.  (Sorry again, more dripping sarcasm)

First Call Assignment - Philadelphia

I'm singing Elton John's Philadelphia Freedom in my head right now.  The guy in the dorm room next to me listened to 80's music the whole weekend, while I was at Philadelphia Seminary.  I was there for the "Assignment weekend."  This is the time when bishops from Region 7 gather to meet seminary graduates, and then assign them to the different synods. We are the only region that does face to face interviews with candidates.  It's an extra expense and effort, but well worth it.   This video is a glimpse of the weekend.

 

The Times they have a Changed

On Friday night I had the chance to meet with Keith Anderson for dinner in PA.  It was such a great reunion. Whenever we meet, the conversation slowly ramps up into a cacophonic symphony of the past, present and future of life, faith and church.  As always the conversation turned on digital social media, and he told me about this photo.  Read all about it on his latest blog post here.   By the way, we are in the process of securing Keith for our Commfest14 event next January.  

A Premature Book Review

Why is it premature?  Frankly, because I'm only into the second chapter.

In the past two weeks, four different people suggest this book to me.  A psychologist, a bishop, a pastor and a rabbi.  Hmmmm, either the marketing department has really figured out how to target me, or perhaps this is a prompting of the spirit???  Hard to know.

This is a disturbing book.  If you want fluff and denial about the current state of the church, then don't read this book. This is a theological treatise.

Honestly, I read the introduction and was so angry, then depressed, I almost hit the delete button on my kindle.  But, something made me press on.

Douglas John Hall is familiar to many Lutheran clergy, because his book on the Theology of the Cross is probably the clearest articulation, in my opinion, of that uniquely Luther way of looking at the gospel.  In this book, Hall presents in bold and prophetic terms, an analysis of the situation we in mainstream christianity find ourselves.  But, his approach is more theological rather than practical.

He does not mince words:

"In my opinion, the evangelical, biblicist, fundamentalist takeover of biblical and theological language is one of the most deplorable aspects of contemporary North American Christianity."

Lest you think this is a book for liberal christianity, note this comment from a few pages later:

"Christian activism achieves many honorable social goals - the betterment of economic conditions for the poor, the greater acceptance of difference, and the like; but it fails often and perhaps characteristically to speak of the loneliness, foreboding, hopelessness, and emptinessin the lives of individuals."

As I read chapter one, The Mystery of the Gospel, I was convicted on several accounts, including an important piece that I missed in my sermon from this past Sunday. Ouch! Hall has a way of pulling you in to agree with him in several paragraphs, and then slamming you to the ground on the next page.

"The church is not an institution of those who feel that they already have ultimate truth.  To the contrary, when it is most real, the discple community is a gathering of human beings who are united in their common longing: they are waiting for gospel, remembering that they heard it once, hoping against hope to hear it again."

This is a collection of 13 essays or lectures that Hall has presented in recent years.  I suspect he is in his 80's now, but he is writing like a young turk.  I'm loving it, and struggling with it simultaneously.