Getting Unstuck, Mission Ahead

Getting Unstuck

A colleague recently posted a great question to our community of mid council leaders:

Who/What is helping your congregations get unstuck from the closure vs. merger trap, and move into better questions about faithful congregational ministry?

No one likes to be stuck. Without hope. Without options. If true, likely you're without a mission.

How does your church or your leadership team get un-stuck? As congregations try live into God's preferred future, they can sometimes get stuck with a two-option future: close or merge. The two-option future is a trap based on an experience of God as not a God of scarcity, not of creative abundance. Let's think more deply and explore how to get unstuck.

Congregations are not victims to their future or their past. Neither need they be victims stumbling into their future! There is a present-tense of hope which is a choice available to all of us in God's emerging future. When a congregation is traumatized (for example) by their lack of energy and ministry satisfaction, there are many options ahead.

Symptoms resulting from a lack of mission focus include decline, unhealthy systems, ineffective ministries, inwardly focused leaders, and depleted resources. They can still choose a better path forward when they realize that congregations, worshipping-witnessing communities, are not isolated systems, even if they think they are. Sadly, at times they prefer to be. Congregations have a context: the community. A place on the planet they are geolocated. Once re-engaged, new possibilities can emerge.

I invest a lot of energy in conversations with sessions to frame alternate questions. For example, instead of the familiar presenting question: "What is our church to do?", I invite them to explore two more useful questions, "What life-giving energy has our church experienced?" and "What is our church context?" When they are given permission to rediscover their original charter, their purpose, and then celebrate what has brought them to "here and now" they can imagine "doing again" the good they did. In conversations, we understand that people just like them have invested spiritual and monetary equity in them. They are not alone.

When a session/congregation seems to have "ended up" at that awful stuck place of "close or merge," there still remains a unique opportunity to redeploy their assets to bless others. I recommend a process such as the excellent New Beginnings assessment. Almost any church can stop behaving like a victim and instead choose a different future. Of course, dissolving and merging are two of the many options to explore, but through the New Beginnings process, they realize every choice is a "best" one for them right now.

You can't have healthy congregational transformation without effective community engagement.

I have found that almost every session with whom I have worked welcomes a process of hopefulness as they rediscover they have something to give to others. Even if that "gift" is expressed in a merger, or dissolution, or any one of a dozen other outcomes, the key is that they are empowered self-identify that special "something," then collaborating with the regional council and others in the community, they can effectively redirect their resources outward.

Outward focus is an antidote for being stuck.

A revolutionary practice of reciprocity has stimulated congregation and community transformation. (See the model I developed under the Reciprocity In Action tab.)

Stop where you are and consider you place, the inner and outer place you inhabit, individually and organizationaly. To get unstuck, you have to get clear about your mission, and a God of abundance offer many options on the road ahead.

Happy Birthday! (Whatever day that is, build a great one!)

Birthdays can be pretty awesome. Growing up, I really enjoyed knowing of others who were born on my day. My favorite birthday partner was Benjamin Franklin, born January 17, 1709. Who couldn’t like Benjamin Franklin? What a great thinker, adventurer, inventor, and world changer. His life wasn’t perfect by any means, but his accomplishments as a writer and a revolutionary remain a persistent inspiration to me.

Ben, as I refer to him (as in What would Ben do?), added a lot of meaning to my birthday. As I grew older, my birthday became a time to reflect on my own life, not only others with whom I shared a special day. My birthday wasmy New Year’s Day, an auspicious day like no other.

On Benjamin Franklin’s 300th Birthday Celebration in 2006, my wife, Dr. Melissa Arnott,  surprised me with a birthday trip by taking me to the Franklin exposition that just opened at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. You can imagine how thrilled I was to visit exhibit after exhibit exploring the attributes and contributions of my birthday partner. All that came to an abrupt halt when in a corner, a small, poorly lit plaque explained that Franklin’s birthday was not January 17, but in fact, I learned that Ben’s birthday was actually January 6th! What, I gasped! How could I have missed that fact? As a student of history, how did I get that date wrong. Upon further research, I learned something even more remarkable about Ben than his date of birth.

It seems that Benjamin Franklin was born during the time when standardizations regarding calendars were in flux. In the 18th century, most of the world since 45 C.E. used the Julian Calendar which was replaced with the radically different Gregorian Calendar. The Julian Calendar also moved the beginning of the year from March 1 to January 1. Crazy.

When Pope Gregory XIII decreed the calendar fix, not everyone embraced the change. In fact, Great Britain was (naturally) not a fan of the Roman Catholic Church and many in England protested the calendar change. For those born in that vortex, they lost 11 days of their lives (See calendar image)! September 3 instantly became September 14 and, “as a result, nothing whatsoever happened in British history between 3 and 13 September 1752.” The British Calendar Act of 1751 proclaimed that in Britain (and American Colonies) Thursday September 3, 1752 should become Thursday September 14, 1752. According to Slate, Franklin embraced the change while others in England and America were a bit upset. Many people believed their lives would be shortened. They protested in the streets, demanding “Give us our eleven days!”

Artist William Hogarth, ca. 1755; captured the sentiment in a painting titled: “An Election Entertainment” (See my call-out in the photo showing "Give us our Eleven Days" protest slogan against the Gregorian calendar at lower right, on black banner on floor under foot). While anxiety ensued, Ben offered a more optimistic, if not effective, approach to calendar shifts and changes in general. The most complete reference to Ben’s advice from in his Poor Richard’s Almanack was found in the English Forums which included this quotation:

“Be not astonished, nor look with scorn, dear reader, at such a deduction of days, nor regret as for the loss of so much time, but take this for your consolation, that your expenses will appear lighter and your mind be more at ease. And what an indulgence is here, for those who love their pillow to lie down in Peace on the second of this month and not perhaps awake till the morning of the fourteenth.”
(From Benjamin Franklin’s Almanack, quoted by Cowan, 29; Irwin, 98) Cowan, H.C., Time and Its Measurement, World Publishing Company, New York, 1958. Irwin, Keith G. The 365 Days - The Story of Our Calendar, 1964. Thomas Y. Crowell Co., New York, NY.)

Ben was born on January 6th, not my birthday, but when he was confronted with new data, he did not argue with the information, but instead internalized the contextual changes in his life. When asked when his birthday was, he would have replied, January 17th, because Ben got it. He understood that the birthday change did not change his life. Its just a day on a different calendar.

Like Ben, change occurs in every part of our lives; our bodies, mind, and spirt. Change affects our families, our communities, congregations, and our world. Many of us try to resist change, like the British protesters did in 1752 (depicted in William Hogarth’s painting, above). We hold fast to the familiar instead of embracing God’s emerging future which by definition is always, de facto, change. The future is that time that is “going to be” what’s next.

We ask questions that are often a way to deflect the reality of the change by debating the change observed, such as, "Was the Julian to Gregorian calendar shift a good change or a bad change?" Or, we describe our neighborhoods that change, calling them the "badlands," or we disparage change that appears to take away our comfort, convenience, or preference. "The pastor keeps changing things." What's worse, those of us in a community of faith often mistakenly equate God's changeless attributes as justifying a rigidity in our mission and our methodologies that soon become anachronisms, testimonies of irrelevant mission, and our churches become institutions, then museums, and finally, monuments. Even monuments change and crumble to dust. Life changes. Mission must adapt and our messaging and practices must be more agile to actually be more faithful.

Change is not a problem to be solved. Change is a delta, the difference between two or more events in a different space-time relationship. Change is. It is not good or bad. Even though Ben's birthday shifted on a piece of paper, he didn't loose one second of his life of learning, discovery, invention, and engagement! To Ben, he had two birthdays. No matter what your date of birth, (maybe you have multiple auspicious days, too); you are God's gift of enormous value offered to the world. Be that gift.

Let every new year find you a better person (Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack, # 321)

I think Ben is an even more amazing birthday partner than I first imagined, no matter the date. You can’t get what was back again, but what’s ahead, that’s your's to gain. No wishes, but your's to make. Birthdays are awesome, no matter when they occur. Build a great one. That's what Ben would do.

Angel in the Attic and Better Christmas Connecting

We are recipients of many gifts. In the spirit of reciprocity, we become gifts to others!

This time of year, many around the world celebrate Christmas with family and friends by sharing songs, food, gifts, traditions, and prayers. We as Christians recall the birth of Jesus. It is a story celebrated and joyously retold. What might make this year's re-telling any different?

Singer, song-writer, David M. Bailey posed a similar question in his song, Angel in the Attic:

It’s Christmas time again
Feels like an old familiar friend
The angel on the tree
Is looking down at me
She's been sleeping in the attic for a year now
Waiting for this day to arrive
She’s only got a short while to shine her light
Just like us, gotta shine while you're alive

Our Christmases have truly accumulated multiple customs and practices over the centuries, both in our churches and in our homes. Through the glitter and liturgy, we try to resonate with the stories' re-telling because it connects us in powerful ways. Christmas is about connecting. How are you connecting?  

What does Christmas connect you to? Aspirations of peace, hope, justice and reconciliation? Occasions for family gatherings and festivities? Sure, all this and much more besides. But at its core, the story of Christmas can connect us to even more than the shocking news that God became a person, and the amazing events that followed. Jesus is the light of the world, and like that angel atop the tree, we have light to offer the world in Jesus' name. We are to be fresh expressions of God's presence. We are unique possibilities that God will continue to connect with us and through us to the world God loves. We are the recipients of gifts, and in the spirit of reciprocity, we become gifts to others!

Unfortunately, our familiar Christmas story recounted in pageants, songs, and cards shows the Church to be kind of presumptuous. We proclaim peace from the mountaintops, but persist in our patterns of institutional preservation. From the pulpits all are welcomed, but in the city streets, many are ignored. We celebrate God's reconciling and restorative love through Christ, yet continue to tolerate the injustice of our prison systems, poverty in our communities, greed in our corporations, disparity in our schools. and disregard wholeness and wellness in our lives, and for our planet.

The dusted-off decorations and trappings of Christmas can appear a bit thoughtless when we too easily assume that Christmas is for everyone. Sure, the message and meaning of Christmas has at its core the Creator God loving everyone and moving into our neighborhood (John 1:14). The incarnation, God becoming flesh, is the incredible message as written by the prophet recorded in Isaiah 7:14, "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Emmanuel" (which means God with us). Yes, its truly good news for all!  

Remember that the neighborhood Jesus was birthed into suffered oppression from political and religious leaders alike. The multi-ethnic, multi-language, multi-color world was, in fact, Jesus' neighborhood, too. He was born in poverty in the Middle East to an unmarried woman. As a political refugee, he became an immigrant when his parents fled for safety to Africa. He grew up in a despised town called Nazareth, called no place home, and was rejected, even by his friends and family, as an annoyance, a failure, liar, lunatic, and from time to time, a revolutionary, and, of course, as Lord. To the politicians he was a threat. To the community organizers he was a charlatan. To the religious leaders he was an embarrassment. We have a responsibility to show God's love to the world in authentic ways and must not distort that message for the sake of a few familiar hymns, kitsch decorations, glib salutations, and hollow traditions. Maybe our celebrations of Christmas are good enough and we should spend more time living Christmas's promise.

Though the Christmas story is familiar to us, we remember that our communities are wonderfully complex and diverse. Chris Brogan is one of my favorite bloggers for whom I have a great deal of respect for the authentic way he communicates with his readers. In a recent post (Put the Human Touch on The "Holidays"), he reminded me of how I can unintentionally, yet thoughtlessly, assume everybody gets Christmas like I do.

Neighbors this time of year enjoy the Winter Solstice as the length of day and night reach their planetary extremes. Some neighbors do not express "faith" at all, or in a manner we understand. Communities honor values and celebrations before and after December 25th. For example, the African-American, Pan-African, Kwanzaa celebration is December 26th through January 1st. My Hindu friends celebrated the Diwali festival of lights November 3rd. My muslim friends had their New Year in November. Hanukkah for my Jewish neighbors was celebrated November 27th to December 5th. It is humbling that for all the things we get right at Christmas time, we seem to ignore other's traditions but with a kind of hubris fail to acknowledge that we got Jesus' birthday wrong to begin with! Jesus' actual birthday was most likely in the Spring, in 4 B.C.! (This is worth thinking about.) How do we show God's love through conversations of hope with others who are certainly in God's Christmas story, but may not as yet be in our Christmas story?

Some things about the season of Christmas require no change. It is fixed in our Christian liturgy, programmed in our holiday shopping and marketing schedules, accommodated in school vacations, and historically expressed in a variety of world traditions that include Turkey's St. Nicholas, Germany's Christmas Tree, and North America's Santa Claus, to name a few. 

This Christmas can be different, though, if we in the Church take on the manner and mind, not of Christmas, but the manner and mind of Christ. Paul put it this way: "Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion (Philippians 2:5-10 The Message).  

The best expression of Christmas may be in better connecting. Here in Newark, New Jersey, during the Colonial Period, great festivities and “gifts” connected communities, unlike in the colonies in Boston and Virginia with their Puritan influences or anti-British sentiments that constrained Christmas expressions. There are many multi-cultural and historical ways to celebrate Christmas, but at its heart, the Christmas Connection contains ideas evoking a love connection, movement, mission, and joyful purpose in sending our Christ-experience into the future to bless others. Christmas is connections in motion.

David Bailey's song, Angel in the Attic, concludes with this stanza:

It's Christmas time again
Feels like an old familiar friend
Gifts beneath the tree
Hope there is one for me
And that baby we’re all here to remember
The reason that the angel sings her song
Well the angel is gonna fly away when the song is over
But the baby will be with you all year long
It's Christmas time again
So good to have a friend, Emmanuel

God with us. These words are especially poignant when you realize that David died from brain tumor in 2010 at the age of 45, leaving behind a life well-lived, a wonderful family, and more than 23 hope-filled albums and hundreds of songs. You may want to listen to David's music on iTunes. I met and worked with David in 2005 and that experience and his music continue to enrich my life.  

This Christmas, think about how you express the manner and mind of Christ. This Christmas, consider how you connect within your family, community, office, shop, factory, place of worship, or school. You are not a victim to your past, perhaps inadequate, connecting. Take responsibility and thoughtfully consider how you connect, with whom you connect, and why you connect. How to you resource the connections for others, within and without your preferred Christmas traditions?

Thank you for reading, commenting, and sharing any of these ideas that you find useful. Merry Christmas to you, your family, and to your communities, as we are sent with new connections and opportunities that bless  the world.

To God be the glory,

to the earth be peace,

to the people be courage, and

to the city be hope.

Joyfully and appreciatively,

Kevin

Give Thanks and Make Connections

Reciprocity Can Energize Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!  

Every day offers ample evidence of God's abundant blessings! We also realize that many of us, our families, neighbors, and communities face challenges and stresses, especially this time of year. Reciprocity can energize mission.

I hope you utilize your networks of connections that ensure your safety, wellness, and vitality. But not just for you and yours. Remember to pray for, and check-in with, your neighbors. Think of those who have blessed you. Return thanks. Give generously to community projects. Consider additional ways to remind others they are not alone this holiday season.

From time to time, we face adversities of health, finance, relationships, crises, and pain. Across the street, across the nation, and around the world, poverty, injustice, abuse, and persistent oppression affects millions of people. Pay attention to these needs and consider what jobs need to get done that you can address.

I am grateful for the gifts our collective ministries represent that expresses God's abundance. I celebrate the ways we address our communities' challenges and many systemic issues, with hospitality, generosity, worship, witness, and collaborative community work. Thank you!  

Thanksgiving is not about equal giving, but it is about equal sacrifice that cascades together for God's good.

May you experience God's abundance this Thanksgiving!

Gratefully,  

Kevin  

What Is Your Sense Of Call?

What is Your Sense of Call?

Newark Presbytery is the successor of the Presbytery of East Jersey which was organized in 1733 by the Synod of Philadelphia. A few years later, the Presbyteries of East Jersey and Long Island were combined to form the Presbytery of Long Island. In 1808, the Presbytery of New York was divided with the churches in New Jersey becoming the Presbytery of Jersey. In 1824 the Synod of New Jersey divided the Presbytery of Jersey into the Presbytery of Newark and the Presbytery of Elizabeth Town (later Elizabeth). The organization of the Presbytery of Newark took place on November 2, 1824. Happy Birthday, Newark Presbytery!

As congregations and communities of faith, we are in this incredible stream of Spirit-led worship, witness, and mission. In 2013, Newark Presbytery has enthusiastically welcomed more than half a dozen pastoral leaders, followers of Jesus Christ, as candidates and/or teaching elders into new opportunities for ministry. This is an unprecedented blessing!

Newark Presbytery as a council of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is more than a random aggregation of ministry, mission, buildings, and financial assets. Newark Presbytery is an intentional gathering of Christ-followers, teaching and ruling elders alike, each with uniquely expressed spiritual gifts and competencies that for more than one hundred and eighty-nine years has transformed lives, congregations, communities, and the world.

Newark Presbytery is not a library, though we are a learning community. We are not a financial institution, though we have accrued more than five million dollars in the bank. We are not a church, though we are a collection of leaders and worshipping communities that every day, in a multitude of ways, gather and deploy our gifts to bless others, ordain leaders, call people to faith, serve our communities, and work for the reconciliation of the world. Newark Presbytery represents aligned values, resources, and priorities that are historically-rooted, mindfully-present, and future-directed, as it continually grows and changes to fulfill its purpose and live into God’s emerging future. Like I said, Happy Birthday, Newark Presbytery!

Newark Presbytery has a sense of call which is being nurtured forward through the continuing ministry of our Working Group. Every leader among us, too, has a sense of call. As ministers gather to pray, learn, and grow, our own sense of call deepens, becomes clearer, and we become more energized and effective. When combined together, we can move in the same direction as we are led by the Spirit. Then the entire presbytery can accomplish those “Greater things” Jesus said his disciples would accomplish.

 Our Sense of Call is Essential What is your sense of call?, your deep, authentic, core purpose as you follow Jesus Christ. I’d like to share a snapshot of my developing sense of call.

My dad was a Presbyterian elder, and with my mom, we went to church. I attended a Missouri Synod Lutheran school. I met Christ, experiencing God’s love in my family, especially resonating with the life of Martin Luther.

“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again (John 3:16-17, The Message).

John 3:16 is likely one of your favorite Scripture texts, as it is mine. "For God so loved the world....”  These words, so indelibly implanted on our memory, are heard differently in many contexts and communities, but for me, is realized through the different phases of my life.

My sense of call has been realized this verse in reverse. So it reads this way:

Have eternal life;

Do not perish;

Believe in Jesus;  

God gave Jesus; 

Loved the world; 

For God.

In seminary I'd read, “For God so loved the world,” but I think I experienced the text as,“For God so loved the church.” How else can you explain that despite exciting vacation Bible schools, acts of kindness extending shelter, food, or clothing, and hundreds of other community ministries, our best efforts can appear disproportionately invested in the building and the people gathered there inside the walls? I have grown to more consistently resonate with the true text, "For God so loved the world." How can the church do that?

Since my experience of John 3:16 is now resonating the original sequence of words in the text, For God... I have tried to think more deeply about how I now characterize Jesus’ mission if I paid attention to the outside impact of Jesus' ministry. (You can apply this analysis to almost in any of the writings in the New Testament, if you're open to it.)  

Using the Gospel of John as a reference point, consider how:

Jesus’ incarnation disrupted the entire planet when the Word, became flesh and moved into our neighborhood" (Jn. I, 14). Jesus disrupted our economy when he overturned the moneychangers’ tables (Jn. II). He disrupted faith when he told Nicodemus he had to be born anew (Jn. III). Jesus disrupted gender and race (Jn. IV) with the woman at the well. Jesus disrupted justice and resources (Jn. V, VI), education, morality, and even disrupted health care (Jn. VII, VIII, IX). Jesus forever disrupted life and death (Jn. X), our identity (Jn. XI-XVII), our expectations (Jn. XVIII-XX) and ultimately our destiny (Jn. XI). Jesus completely disrupted what (only) appeared to be working, but in truth, disrupted what was not working. It was beyond repair, and unable to give life in abundance that Jesus was offering to all. 

One core aspect of Jesus' salvation story might be told this way: self-serving devotees of entrenched, incumbent leadership were targeted for transformational change. Instead of sustaining equilibrium, Jesus disrupted life on a grand scale.

A poem older than Newark Presbytery urged attention to the whole mission (purpose, objective) by noticing the impact of even the seemingly smallest of the component parts. It reads:  

For want of a nail, the shoe was lost.  

For want of a shoe, the horse was lost.  

For want of a horse, the rider was lost.  

For want of a rider, the battle was lost.  

For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost,

And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.  

Benjamin Franklin, one of many authors who used this poem, wanted his readers to understand that the mission of the King was to get the message delivered. Every component part if essential, but the horseshoe nail, the horse, even the rider, was not the mission. The mission was to deliver the message of the King. The poem tells the story of how critically important the effectiveness of the means of transportation, the rider, and the roads were to achieve the mission. Fundamentally, the poem is about making sure the networks are working, and every part is essential, even the nail. 

Ministries of Improvement The best and brightest leaders, candidates, and ministers in the church are usually put to work on optimization, and asked to improve the way things work. Its good. Its all good. We ask our leaders:  ‘Can you make it better, faster, and stronger?’ They will then go forward and solve the inefficiencies, address the problems, and fix what's broken, and that’s where 99% of most energy is invested. As a leader, as a congregation, as a presbytery, we do a lot of improving. (Again, its all good.) But, at some point you run out of room to improve things, and that’s when you have step aside and stop asking, Can we make it better, and instead have the courage to ask, Can we make it different?  

Is church ministry (when looked at as a whole, essentially unchanged since November 2, 1824) really good enough? That is, are the faithful, constant, and good improvements, actually over-improving what does not directly add value to the actual impact on our sense of call, our mission, our spiritual service in the Reformed tradition in the name of Jesus Christ?

Have we over-served those in our congregation, our faithful members and participants, by improving ministry features that actually, (when looked at from a community and world impact point of view), don't actually matter all that much?  

Have we out-sized our buildings, to which we have become emotionally attached? Have we hoarded buildings on the ground and dollars in the bank instead of also deploying new spiritual ministries? 

Perhaps we have clung too long to what we are familiar with, and our comfortable patterns of ministry have impaired the benefits of our spiritual disciplines that can empower courageous new initiatives. Our own historical documents tell Amazing Grace-endued stories since 1824 when we as a presbytery started new congregations, risked changing the world in the name of Jesus Christ, re-started congregations, and initiated new worshipping and witnessing communities in many languages and addressed new immigrant and ethnic ministries. Newark Presbytery has not done these often difficult tasks not just make the world better, but create a new world in the name of Jesus Christ.

2014, and beyond, can become more like 1824 with growing spiritual energy and sense of call satisfaction.

Maybe your sense of call is morphing like mine is. My Call is not just about churches, but in learning about and building new spiritual networks that connect our communities and neighbors to faith in Jesus Christ. How can our worshipping congregations become spiritual highways leading people to Christ?

We have the resources.

What we are lacking are clearer priorities and values as a presbytery so that we can glorify God with the Greater Things, Jesus spoke about (John 14:12).

My sense of call is focused on building every congregation's unique ministries and spiritual networks as I lead and serve as General Presbyter. 

I'm paying attention to partnerships across our presbytery and in our communities.  

I'm inviting conversations about possibilities for a different future, as I meet with ministers, sessions, and congregations.

God creates. Jesus disrupts. The Spirit connects. My sense of call is about spiritual connections and networking.  

To me, its simple, when driven by a sense of call.