It's the Spiritual, Stupid.

James Carvelle made famous the statement, "It's the economy, stupid." in 1992 during the presidential election.  It was made to his campaign staff as a way to focus their attention on the central issue that he believed defined that election year.  This post is not about the election, it's about what is central to the life of people who follow in the walk of Jesus.

It's the Spiritual.

Now before I describe some new/old ways I'm attempting to recover a more focused life in the spirit, let me begin by acknowledging that Lutheran theologians have often guarded against dividing the spiritual and the material.  We tend to see God in the everyday.  We don't divide out the spiritual life from the meal at lunch, the crucial conversation with your boss or the work you are doing for affordable housing in your community.  It's all integrated.  That's true for me as well.  

Lately, I'm finding a need to find a center that will help me live into those everyday experiences. The shape they are taking is found in three resources.

First is exercise and diet.  I've written about this elsewhere, so I won't go in to detail here.  But I'm amazed how eating well and exercising, even if it's just a walk in the neighborhood, has helped me connect with my body.  There is a spirituality to that.

Second, is this little book of Psalms in the translation by Eugene Peterson. I love reading a Psalm either outloud or quietly to myself.  Check it out.  The Psalms will come to life for you in ways they haven't for a long time.  Traditionalists tend to not like the Message versions of some of their favorite passages, and I get that.  So don't use it for Psalm 23, but read Psalm 58 for a new twist on the political reality of life in the 5th century BCE, and see if it doesn't apply to today.  Or lift your spirits with Psalm 103.  Such life.  Peterson is a poet with language.

Third is a app on my phone called HeadSpace.  It's a program of guided meditation for 10 minutes.  I start out everyday with this meditation.  It helps me center and focus.  One ways I adjust the meditation is instead of counting my breaths, 1,2,3,4.. as instructed, I use the Hebrew word for God Yahweh.  Breathe in Yah, breathe out Weh.  My wife introduced this idea to me based on a reading of Richard Rohr.

My morning is now ten minutes of HeadSpace, followed by a reading of a Psalm.  It's my place of Peace with God before tackling the daily ups and downs of this spiritual/material mixed up life.  So, far it seems the Peace of God is working her way into the everyday.

Are churches declining more rapidly now?

Thom Rainer posted this today.

 

“In the past, I’ve been able to lead churches to growth. I can’t do it anymore. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

A pastor shared those sentences with me just three days ago.

He was frustrated. He was confused. He was exhausted.

And he is not alone.

With some exceptions, it is indeed more difficult to lead churches to growth. Such is a reality that is about 15 years in the making. The obvious question is “Why?” Allow me to articulate five of those reasons.

  1. Cultural Christianity is declining rapidly. It is really a misnomer to call it “cultural Christianity,” since it’s not true faith in Christ. In the past, many people felt it was culturally, economically, or politically advantageous to be a part of a congregation, even if they weren’t true believers in Christ. These attending non-believers padded our numbers. Or to say it another way, the pool of willing attenders has diminished greatly.
  2. The exit of the Builder generation. The Builder generation has kept many churches alive, even if the congregations are on life support. This generation, born before 1946, is fiercely loyal to institutions, including local churches. They stuck with congregations in good and bad times. But, in 2015, there were only 28 million Builders left. Another 13,000 Builders die every week. The loyal generation is few in number and will soon be no more.
  3. Migration from rural areas and small towns to the cities. In 1790, only 5% of Americans lived in cities. By the 1960s, the percentage of Americans in cities skyrocketed to 65%. Today over 80% of Americans are city dwellers. Rural and small-town churches held on tenaciously to their members for over two centuries. But the population base for those tenacious churches has dwindled dramatically.
  4. Faster church transfers. Those who are transferring from one church to another are concentrating in fewer churches. Simply stated, a few churches are getting bigger at the expense of smaller churches. While that phenomenon has been in play for quite a while, it is now accelerating. The old barrier that held people in specific churches – family connections, denominational loyalty, and loyalty to a specific congregation – are no longer barriers today. People move with great freedom from church to church.
  5. Slow response to change as change accelerates all around us. Many churches are incredibly slow to change. For most of our American history, the pace of cultural and technological change was sufficiently paced for churches to lag only five to ten years. Now churches are lagging 20 and 30 years as the pace of change increases dramatically. To many attendees and members, the church thus seems increasingly irrelevant. To be clear, I am speaking about issues of style, methodology, and awareness, not changing doctrine or biblical truths. A church guest I recently interviewed said it clearly: “I stuck with my parents’ church as long as I could. But when we had a big blow up over projection screens in the worship center, I had enough. I wanted to go to a church where matters of minutia were not issues to fight over.”

If you think it is more difficult to lead a church to growth, you are right. If you have noticed the decline in your church is greater, you are probably right as well. And if you are to the point of realization that your church may die in the next few years, it may come sooner than that.

Living in the Age of Anxiety

Volatile political rhetoric, violence, economic destabilization, disgruntled parents of a local cub scout troop and the local congregation – What do these things have in common?

As you all know, we live in an age of anxiety.  That anxiety is showing up in all of the above examples that I listed.  A friend of mine recently told me that in the last month or two, some of the parents in his cub scout troop have been acting in a more hostile manner than usual.  One of the parents has recently begun going around talking to other parents to complain about a change in the color coding of the leaders filing system.  From the outside, this sounds ridiculous, but the complaining parent has made it into a major issue.  This is disrupting what sounds like a pretty good scout troop.

What’s going on?

Whenever societies, tribes, families go through a time of change (which means everyone these days) it is always true that those who have the most difficulty taking responsibility for their own emotional, intellectual and spiritual growth will start to blame, accuse and sabotage.  We are in one of those times, and it’s clear we are not getting out of this any time soon.  What’s a cub scout leader to do?

 

I propose three quick and easy fixes that will solve all of your problems in less than 24 hours.  Yeah, right.  We live in an age of the quick fix, which of course we know, does not exist.  But, it does sell a lot of books and seminars.  I know of no quick fix, but here are some things I have learned, and continue to learn.

  1. 1.     My own temptation (and this is me, and may not be you) is to go toe to toe with the recalcitrant behavior.  One of the key learnings I’ve experienced is that is not only ineffective, it also does little to grow the capacity of the other parents of the scout troop.  It’s essential for me to gather other people, take them to lunch, seek their wisdom, share all the information, ask for help.  In other words, don’t go it alone.  You’ll be carrying the burden alone, absorbing all the anxiety.  Whenever, I find myself going it alone, I stop and call a friend, whose job it is to ask me the ghost busters question: “So, who ya gonna call?”
  2. 2.     Remember there is a difference between people who come to you with a complaint, and speak in a language that suggests reasoned thoughtfulness versus those that have gone overboard on a relatively small matter.  The first person often comes with “I” language, and even possible helpful suggestions.  The second person comes with accusatory and conspiratorial “you” language often siting chapter an d verse from constitutions, state criminal code and policy numbers from page 47 of the iTunes user agreement.  Obviously, engaging with person number one leads to solutions, engaging with person number two, is why you are continuing to read this post.
  3. 3.     In my experience, the parent in the cub scout troop who is threatening to file legal charges over the new color coding system of the six year olds, is most likely projecting some unresolved matter from their family of origin.  The reactivity, blame displacement, herding instinct are all symptomatic of “stuff” they have in their family.  How many times have I been on the receiving end of a viscious email, only later to discover the person has a major health crisis with themselves or another member of their family, a child going through a messy lawsuit, financial instability and 400,000 other possibilities.  My point here is that rarely is the issue the real issue.   Now, here is a cautionary note.  The reality is we can all become reactive and blaming.  Everyone one of us.  It’s part of protoplasm since the move out of Eden.  I point this out, because we all have the potential for thinking it’s all about the other person, and not about us.
  4. 4.     What’s particularly challenging is that I am more vulnerable when I’m more vulnerable.  Huh?  In other words, the cub scout parent seems to emerge around the same time that my daughter in Oregon suddenly needs extra attention, or my employer is changing the work schedule in such a way that messes up my ability to do my work/family life balance.  In other words, when %#(! Happens, more %$@! Happens.  Theologically speaking, Sin abounds.  It’s almost as if the forces of malfunction discover each other and sense an opportunistic infection. 
  5. 5.     I do two very concrete and specific things to maintain my own sanity.  First, I get deeper into my tradition.  For me that means, reading the Old Testament.  Those stories of prophets and kings.  The narratives of disruption and survival.  If all else fails, I go to the Psalms.  If nothing else, it reminds me that what I’m dealing with is not about the cub scout parents and color coded bands, it’s about a multi-thousand year old evolutionary process.  The other thing I try to do, is dream BIG.  Where do I want to be in 12 months, 24 months?  Where do I want the organization I’m leading to be?  I write it down. I rewrite it.  I try to get clearer and clearer on where I’m going, where we are going, where God is leading us.  Once I get super duper clear on that, I start talking about it.  Telling friends, then telling my enemies.  In a certain sense, I’m working on my own “I have a Dream" speech.  If appropriate, I’ll even stand up some day and give that speech.

And finally, if all else fails, just let the crazies take over the scout troop, walk away and go find something else to do on another planet - cause we all know there are seats available on the next rocketship.

We live in times that manifest anxiety, where the public discourse is giving permission for people to be mean and stupid.  The challenge for all of us is to dig deep into the inner resources that lead to maturity over data, stamina over technical solutions, and personal responsibility over niceness. This is stuff that’s true for presidents and parents, CEO’s, educators, coaches and pastors.

A resource that has helped me immensely is Ed Friedman’s A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix. 

 

Responding to the Orlando Massacre

A LETTER FROM BISHOP JIM HAZELWOOD 

This past weekend we held the 29th Assembly of the New England Synod under the theme “No Reservations: A Place at the Table for Everyone.”

On Saturday, we received greetings from Imam Wissam Abdel-Baki and Interfaith and Outreach Coordinator Dr. Mohammad Saleem Bajwa of the Islamic Society of Western Massachusetts. That same afternoon, Lutherans and Muslims were working side-by-side packing meals to be served in local food pantries.

Throughout the Assembly, a number of people who identify within the LGBTQ community led worship and other exercises.

I left the Assembly inspired by the witness we are making in New England: The Lutheran expression of the Christian faith is boldly embracing of all God’s people.

I then began to read about the horrific tragedy in Orlando, where a man, armed with a “civilian version” of a military assault rifle, murdered 50 people. I am sickened, heartbroken and outraged.

I am shocked, and I deeply lament for the victims and their friends and families who have lost loved ones in this tragedy. I find myself running short of words, beyond those of sorrow and grief.

My insides are turned inside out; specters of death have me down.
I shake with fear, I shudder from head to foot.
Who will give me wings, I ask – wings like a dove?
Get me out of here on dove’s wings; I want some peace and quiet (Psalm 55, The Message)

I am heartbroken that the broad inclusiveness and love we as Lutherans demonstrated toward our Muslim brothers and sisters and LGBT leaders this weekend are potentially marred by this act. Perhaps more frustrating is the way this event is being used to promulgate a racial and religious bias against people in the Islamic community here and abroad.

Once again, we hear calls to ban groups of people based on their religion. This is both outrageous and unconstitutional. At the same time, this targeting of the nightclub in Orlando because of its LGBTQ clientele breaks my heart that still, in this 21st century, we allow God's children to be denigrated because of their sexual orientation. I am equally outraged that years of scapegoating LGBTQ people by some religious leaders — including in my own Christian tradition — have allowed this community to be abused, and have even directly or indirectly invited violence upon them.

God, put an end to evil; avenging God, show your colors!
Judge of the earth, take your stand; throw the book at the arrogant
God, the wicked get away with murder- how long will you let this go on? (Psalm 94, The Message)

While I support and treasure the Constitution of the United States as a living document – including its Second Amendment – I do not believe there is any case that can be made on moral, cultural or theological grounds for the easy availability of military-style assault rifles. How many times must we endure these kinds of tragedies?

Newtown … Aurora … Virginia Tech … San Bernardino … Charleston … Orlando …

The argument, often cited, that if an armed person were around, they could have stopped the shooter falls apart when the armed assailant is carrying an AR-15. What should we do? Have everyone carry an assault rifle? We are a nation of laws. We are governed by a code of communal loyalty. We are not, nor do we want to be, the wild west or Mogadishu. Can we at least agree that military-style assault rifles should not be available for sale on the open market?

Is this any way to run a country? Is there an honest politician in the house?
Behind the scenes you brew cauldrons of evil, behind closed doors you make deals with demons. (Psalm 58, The Message)

I am a bishop in this church for several reasons. One of them is my clear and unequivocal conviction that all people are Children of God. There are no buts, no exceptions. I deeply value our Muslim brothers and sisters. I love all of God's people in the LGBTQ community. I believe in the vital role of healthy religion as a voice in the republic, and value living in a place and a land where I am able to articulate that voice. My place in these times is for us to stand with those who can all too easily become the object of derision and scorn, while at the same time lift up that we are not a people of fear; we are a people of hope.

It seemed like a dream, too good to be true, when God returned the exiles.
We laughed, we sang, we couldn't believe our good fortune ...
And now God, do it again, bring rain to our drought-stricken lives. (Psalm 126, The Message)

The tragedy of Orlando is a symptom of a society increasingly focused on violence as the solution to all our debates. This tragedy will continue if we allow these two communities, Muslims and the LGBTQ community, to be pitted against one another for political gain. This tragedy will continue if we do not take a mature approach to regulating the easy access to assault rifles. This tragedy will continue if we allow hate to be the dominant voice.

Love conquers all, but not the love of sweet sentimentality or the cheap love that asks for nothing. The love that conquers all is a powerful voice in the public square. It is a love that calls for:

  • Change in our attitudes toward gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons
  • Change in our attitudes toward people of the Islamic faith
  • Change in our gun laws.

For God is sheer beauty, all-generous love, loyal always and ever. (Psalm 100, The Message)

In the name of:

The one who most profoundly embodied that love,

The one who experienced a violent death,

The one who would not let hate be the final word,

The one whose love conquers all,

Jesus the Christ.

Jim Signature

Bishop Jim Hazelwood

The Big 3

What are the BIG issues facing our world today?   I mean the BIG ones, the ones that if you tackled them, you'd be tackling the right issues.

 

For me

1.  The growing gap between the rich and the poor.

In my mind this is the big number one, because it impacts everyone.

2. Racism/Nationalism/Ethnic bias

The number one and number two are related, for sure.

3. Violence and the easing access to weaponry

I put this one here because it ratchets up the first two, and makes for a literally explosive situation, in neighborhoods and between nations.

Some one could probably argue that Climate Change should be on this list.  I hear that.  In my mind climate change is connected strongly with the distribution of wealth in number one.  But, if you wanted to name it as a separate item, I get it.

The Screen Generation aka Gen Z

Many are starting to write about our kids or in my case, grandkids.

Thom Rainer writes, and I'll editorialize.  You have heard a great deal about the 1980-200 generation often called the Millenials.  What about the next generation born 2000 to 2020.  I call them the Screen generation because they are the ones growing up with iPads and iPhones as the norm, nopt something new.   Some folks call them Generation Z

Their birth years are 2001 to 2020. The oldest Gen Zer is 15; the youngest has not yet been born.

We have much to learn about this young generation, but we have learned much already. Church leaders, particularly, need to keep an eye on this generation. There are some fascinating trends taking place.

For now, let’s look at ten things you should know about Gen Z.

  1. They will be the largest generation in history. Each of their birth years is already a large cohort. By the time 2020 concludes, this generation will include about 82 million people. They will supplant the Millennials who supplanted the Boomers as the largest generation.
  2. The majority of this generation is non-white. That is a first in the history of the United States.
  3. Hispanics are the fastest-growing group in Gen Z. It is simply a matter of fertility rates. Hispanic mothers have an average of 2.4 children, compared to black mothers (2.1), and Asian and white mothers (1.8).
  4. At least one of ten of this generation will marry across ethnic and racial and religious  lines. But the number could be higher.
  5. Homosexual marriage will be embraced as normative. But we cannot tell yet what percentage of Gen Z will be in a homosexual marriage, it's too early for estimates on that.
  6. Two historic events have shaped Gen Z. Most of them were not born when 9/11 took place, but their parents and others have made the event a part of their lives and insecurities. The second event, the Great Recession, is still a reality though the recession is officially over. Gen Z parents, and thus, their children still feel the impact of a weak jobs economy. (In addition, the fact that President Obama was/is such a dominate figure is significant.  THen there are the unseen events going forward.)
  7. Gen Z will be highly entrepreneurial. They have learned from their parents that you cannot trust an employer to take care of you. It is best to create your own job.
  8. Gen Z is and will be in church more regularly. I read one study by Joan Hope that noted a big spike in church attendance by Gen Z. My anecdotal observations confirm an increase in Gen Zers church attendance, but I was surprised by the magnitude of the increase in Hope’s study. We will need to monitor this behavioral pattern closely. (Those are Thom Rainer's words.  I'm not convinced, and I'm also concerned that people will read this and think, oh we can just keep doing what we are doing and wait for these kids to grow up.  Not gonna happen)
  9. Rapid change is normative for Gen Z. None of us could have imagined the Internet of Things or wearable technology or many other technological trends. They are normative for Gen Z. This generation is accustomed to rapid change. (What does this mean for worship, service, faith formation?)
  10. Gen Zers prefer personal contact. Yes, they are fully immersed in the Internet and social media, but they really want to have personal interaction. Perhaps it is because of the Internet and social media that they desire personal interaction. (But, careful here, it's not an either/or phenomenon but both/and)

The trends are early. The demographics are breathtaking. And the signs are, to a large extent, hopeful. Let me hear from you about Gen Z. But, this all points to a shift away from institutional structures, which we in the church are too wedded to at this time.

Weird ByLaws

Guest Blog post from Thom Rainer

Because I am so radically ecumenical (translation I steal from anyone) I subscribe to Thom Rainer's weekly email.  Tom speaks to and in the language of US American Evangelicalism.  He is a Southern Baptist. Today's email caught my attention, and I'm sure you will appreciate this one.  If you think our ELCA churches have some quirky characteristics, check this out.

"Sometimes reading a church’s bylaws is like taking a trip to the twilight zone.

Some are lengthy, very lengthy. Some are irrelevant. Some are unreadable.

And others are weird, really weird.

Knowing that I would get some incredible responses from my Twitter followers, I simply asked them if they were a part of a church with some weird bylaw provisions. Keep in mind, these are provisions in bylaws, not in a policy manual.

Here are my twelve favorites:

No one can bring a colored drink to church, especially red Kool-Aid. I wonder how many church members were sneaking that stuff in their flasks.
An active member is defined as one who gives at least one penny a year. Oh my. That would cut the Baptist church rolls in half.
There will be very specific guidelines regarding the church van (but the church doesn’t own a van). The new bylaws amendment will be called “the Uber amendment.”
Men serving communion are required to wear a coat and tie. I am totally flabbergasted they don’t have to wear pants.
The church has to have a minimum of five deacons (but the church only has 20 members). It may get complicated if one of the available deacon candidates is a preschooler.
No one can sell cassettes on church grounds. But 8-track tapes and vinyl records are fine.
No one is allowed to bring glitter to church. I am definitely boycotting this church!
No church member can be a part of a secret society. I wonder if that includes Democrats and Republicans.
No church member can drink alcohol except during the Lord’s Supper. So that’s why the Lord’s Supper day is always such a high attendance day!
No one can sell paintings on church grounds. This issue is indeed a pervasive sin in many churches.
No one can come to church with diarrhea. That’s okay. They probably wouldn’t pay much attention to the preaching anyway.
Members cannot have assigned pews. But you are allowed to bring your own personal chair."

Guest Blogger Pastor Jon Heydenreich

Jon is Lead pastor of Faith Lutheran in Andover, MA.

I invited him to pen an article on something that's working at his church.

Faith Lutheran meditation program

We started a centering prayer/guided meditation session at Faith Lutheran.  We meet once a week – discussion, scripture, guided meditation and communion. Typically, 4 – 13 people attend each week, age 8 to 78.  These are their reflections….  

My Prayer/Meditation  Practice…The daily practice of centering prayer has changed my life. It's a place, a space, a time, a process, a home that I go to and carry around with me all at the same time. Practicing centering prayer with others on Wednesday nights has been a gift. There really are no words to describe what I receive on those nights.

The daily practice of centering prayer has changed my daughter. The less I say, "hurry!" the less she says, "wait!"

My Prayer/Meditation Practice… What meditation has given me is space.  Prior to starting this last fall, my days were packed.  Packed with to-do lists, obligations, meetings…pressure, stress and anxiety.  Today, we have no less activities, but there is space.  Space in my mind, my heart; space for fun and reflection, and space to remember to listen fully, use a kind word and hug a little longer, smile more. 

My relationships with my children are deeper and richer, my teenage daughter speaks with me (in large part because when she speaks, I stop what I am doing and I am fully present.)  I have helped my younger daughter use meditation to get over anxiety and she uses meditative breathing to help study.  My husband and I no longer have logistics meetings, we converse, often over a cup of coffee; it has become a wonderful Saturday morning ritual.  In all areas of my life I feel more focused and more genuine.  I am learning to trust my instincts again, something I didn’t even know I had lost amidst all the distractions. 

My Prayer/Meditation Practice… The sign-up sheet read “Meditation - A Time for Stillness & Disconnection“. I joined the group to help me do just that … unplug from the wake of uncertainty from  tragic family calamity. Why not add a coping technique? Yet looking back, the irony is not lost on me… We forged great connections with our fellow meditation teammates as we learned to “disconnect together.”

     For me, our time together was an exploration as each session tended  to provide a foundation for me to seek, find and reflect in a rediscovery of faith. Midway, I ceased psychological counseling as Faith Lutheran had greater effect and tangibility.  Thoughtful communion was most definitely experienced with my companions in meditation. I believe that being there for one another helped me be there for me and helped me heal my family. Eyes closed & eye opening. Thank you.

What does a Bishop do?

As I visit congregations, one question from children recurs, “What does a Bishop do?”  I suspect the adults wonder the same thing.   Now, that I’m nearly four years into this call to serve as your bishop, I realize that my work is in three areas.

  • Say Thank you
  • Provide Clarity
  • Cause Trouble

Let me expound.

Say Thank You.

Gratitude is everything. It just is, you won’t budge me on this one.  I think it is the central value of the Christian walk, heck, I think it’s the central value to being human.  You want scriptural evidence for this?  OK, I’ll give you scriptural evidence.  (66 uses of the word Thanksgiving from Leviticus to Revelation click here)  You can also find almost every Letter of St. Paul beginning with exhortations of gratitude.  It’s everywhere.

I’ve come to realize that a big part of my calling as your bishop is to say, Thank you.  So, I’m visiting church councils and saying “thank you” for your financial Mission Support to the New England Synod and the ELCA.  I’m grateful because those dollars are translating into the work of renewing congregations, like Redeemer in Lawrence, MA.  Your Mission Support has made it possible for the theological education of the new pastor, Rev. Eric Worringer.  It also made it possible for myself, Diaconal Minister Susan Lindberg Haley, and Rev. Jon Niketh to receive training in the Lombard Peace Mediation school, and use those skills to help the congregation gain clarity for it’s future.

This past winter, at our 3G Generosity training events, I was able to articulate the value of creating a culture of Generosity and Thanksgiving.  These events, combined with my church council sessions of 2015, enabled us to connect with 50% of the congregations in our synod.  Not only did I receive ‘thank you’ notes from these events, but I also heard of congregations such as St. Andrew in Charlestown, RI, where 35% of the members increased their giving as a result of implementing an Ask, Thank, Tell approach to stewardship.

Are you saying thank you?  You can’t do it enough.  Are you writing thank you notes to people in your church, your family, your community?  People love it.

One third of my ministry is saying “thank you.”  Sometimes, I think it should be 50% or more. 

Provide Clarity

Some people have told me this should read, “Tell the Truth,” but I prefer “provide clarity.”  Tell the truth reminds me of Jack Nicholson in that courtroom scene in the movie, oh what was the name of that movie.  You know, the one with Tom Cruise as the young JAG officer, and he says, “I want the truth.”  Nicholson says, “You…”  Well, you know what I mean.

I’m called among you to provide clarity.  This means I’m often the one in the room that has to say, “OK, let’s be honest now.  It seems to me that what we are really talking about is…”    Another way of putting it is that someone has to say “no.” or variations on no.  This means I’m not always popular.  I’m learning to live with that, which is getting easier, cause I was never very popular in high school either. 

I’m finding that my role is to help congregations face some difficult choices when it comes to their future.  When you are down to 12 people, and your building is falling apart, and you have no money – it might be time to look at other options.  I know it’s tough, and the memories and legacy are hard to move on from, but maybe Jesus has something else in mind. 

In addition, my role in providing clarity is to this whole synod.  I have attempted to do that in many ways:  Describing the reality of our cultural context as the most unchurched region in the United States, outlining my strong convictions that this synod is to be a place of full inclusion of all people, honestly answering the question “what’s one easy thing we can do to grow our church?” by saying, “there is no such thing in life as one easy thing.”

I fully recognize that engaging in ministry in our time is challenging.  But, it’s not just us, it’s true all across the ELCA.  We live in a transition zone from a mode of operation as church to something new that is being born.  But, I have no reservations, that the way forward is through a spirit of experimentation.

  • Prince of Peace in Claremont, New Hampshire took the leap of faith and partnered with the local Episcopal church to form something new. 
  • The members of the Intersection ministry in Dorchester, MA  are courageously entering into a new venture with a developer so that their ministry can move forward with space and resources. 
  • The Campus Ministry at Yale is engaging in plans to sell their property and re-birth themselves as a 21st century campus ministry.
  • Bethany Lutheran in Cranston merged with St. Paul in Warwick, Rhode Island, and they begin a search for a new pastor this month.
  • Philadelphia and Gettysburg Seminary are coming together to form a new Theological School that in time will train the next generation of pastors and deacons for this church.

These are good things.  I celebrate them all as expressions of bold experimentation.  We cannot go forward doing things the way we used to do them.  Yes, we embrace the core elements of our Lutheran identity centered around the justifying grace through faith in Christ Jesus.  But, we must be open to new initiatives in the style and language of ministry.  I encourage congregations to be laboratories of experimentation with worship, mission, outreach, service, education, etc.

Cause Trouble

Yup, this is my own addition.  I could have a more sophisticated phrase like, “be a disruptive innovator.”  But, that sounds too clinical for my shoot from the hip, be a little defiant, iconoclastic personality disorder.  Or is it a syndrome?  Anyway.

Romans 12 has been a verse that has rung in my heart for decades, “Do not be conformed by this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing (experimenting?) you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

I do not believe we are called to be conformed to the standards of society,  whether that is in politics, culture or religion.  I’m not interested in being politically, socially or religiously correct.  I’m deeply interested in discovering what God is longing for in our world today.  I recognize that this third area of my calling has meant that I get in trouble.  That’s ok, I’d rather get in trouble by causing trouble, than stand around and watch, and do nothing.

In my role as Bishop, I want to be the cajoling, friendly yet cranky uncle who is pushing you to something new.  So, you will sometimes find me verbally poking  people, because I want them to think differently, act on creative impulses and move from safety to adventure.  The church of Jesus is an adventure, not a security blanket.  I push this out of love, not from a place of mischief or malice.  In other words, I’m not causing trouble for the sake of causing trouble.  Rather, I’m hoping to nudge, push and prod this church into a future that it does not know.  Why?  Because, it has been experience as well as my reading of scripture that the church has always been better and truer to it’s calling, when it is on the edge, fragile and slightly insecure.  The church is best when it’s on a mission.

 

 

 

 

 

Pastoral Leadership and the Future in New England Part 1

This is a first version of a series of writings that seek to get at some core issues that we are facing as a church.  More will come. Some of it will be wrong, probably most of it, but we will press into the future.

The purpose of this letter is to provide all of you with information about the broader context of the present and future of pastoral leadership in our church and in our congregations.  Over the past several years, I served on the ELCA Task Force TEAC (Theological Education Advisory Committee).  Among the many purposes of this task force was an investigation into the current and future state of the preparation of leaders in this church.  We examined the ways in which this church can better prepare leaders (clergy, deacons and lay) for the emerging context that demands a new set of skills for a changing culture.  The full TEAC report is available online.  The purpose of this letter is to highlight some specific points that are impacting the New England Synod.   I frame this letter in a series of questions that I am occasionally asked as I visit our congregations around the synod.

Will there be enough new pastors for the church?

The following chart points to the trend of enrollment in our eight ELCA seminaries.  These numbers reflect the total enrollment at the various schools of both full- and part-time students.  As you can see, there is a trend toward declining enrollment. 

LTSG=Gettysburg LTSP=Philadelphia LTSS=Southern LSTC=Chicago PLTS=Pacific

The chart does not include ELCA students who may be studying at Yale, Harvard, Duke, Princeton or other Divinity schools.  In addition to this trend, I can tell you that the total number of candidates available for first call to a congregation was 76 this year, down from over 100 last year.  The New England Synod requested 6 first call candidates.  This year we received only 2.  They are the kind of candidates we are seeking, but the question of what we will do when we need four more is now upon us.

What does this mean?

It means that for the foreseeable future, we can expect very few first call candidates to be available for our congregations in New England.  The impact of this will be felt in congregations that, either by size or choice, prefer a first call pastor. 

What is happening with the overall picture of all clergy in the ELCA?

The chart below depicts the number of ELCA Clergy by age.  As you can see the largest number are currently age 61, and the age wave of one of the largest generations in US history is reflected in the cluster of people between the ages of 55 and 65.

 In New England, we are beginning to see the trend of retirements of pastors in this wave.  In 2016 & 2017, I anticipate retirements will increase steadily.

When you look at the two charts above, you can conclude that we will begin experiencing a shortage of clergy.  This means we will have fewer pastors available to serve congregations.  It means that although we offer congregations the option to interview up to three candidates at a time, the reality is that we may not be able to find three qualified candidates for you to interview.

We are taking a number of steps to address this situation.  Those steps include a renewed emphasis on searching for pastors who desire to come to the New England Synod.  I have enlisted retiring synod vice president Mark Winzler, along with retired pastors Tom Chittick and Ed Saling to assist in evaluating potential candidates.  They are all serving in a voluntary capacity in this work.

Secondly, our staff will be working with congregations to help them evaluate creative ways forward. This may include conversations about shared ministries, alternative approaches to staffing, options for working with our ecumenical partners, and other ideas that will emerge.

Finally, I believe we need to be intentional about inviting the next generation of leaders to consider service in the church.  The future pastors and deacons of this church are in our confirmation classes, youth groups and Sunday morning worship services.  We need to have conversations with people we think would be good church leaders.  In addition, we need to make theological education affordable, so we have launched a New England Synod Fund for Leaders.  This will help support this next generation of church leaders.

I have always maintained that the church is in labor pains for the new thing God is birthing.  The labor pains are all around us and within us.  This one issue is among many.  We need to experiment, try something new, be willing to fail, and then get up and try again.  I invite you in to a time of persistence and patience as we move forward.

A Communication Plan for your Church

Guest Blog Post from Thom Rainer's Blog

Four Reasons You Need a Communications Plan for Your Church

By Jonathan Howe

Most, if not all, churches have a plan for their worship services. Hopefully your church has a plan for discipleship. And many churches have a long-range plan.

But what about how you communicate to members and guests? Do you have a plan for that? Here are four reasons you should have a communications plan in your church.

  1. Everyone knows their role and responsibility. Unless one person is handling all of the communications of a church, everyone on the team needs to know who is responsible for each channel. With Facebook, Twitter, email newsletters, Instagram, bulletins, phone calls, and more available to churches, it’s easy to see how communication could get confusing. A plan where everyone knows what they need to distribute and when it needs to go out helps align all of your communication channels.
  2. Fewer items fall through the cracks. Even when one person is in charge of all church communications, things get missed when there is no plan. Add in three or four other people, and that creates even more opportunities for things to fall through the cracks. Having a plan—and possibly a weekly checklist—allows you to be consistent with what, when, and where information goes out.
  3. Your communication is more strategic. If you lack a communications plan, you cannot be strategic with how you communicate. When you lack strategy, members and guests are less informed and less engaged. And with attendance waning in many churches, we should be doing everything possible to increase engagement from members.
  4. Members and guests benefit from consistency. Related to the previous point, having a communications plan that is consistent in distributing information about your church allows members and guests to become more engaged with your church. Engaged and informed members are more likely to attend and, as a result, grow in their faith. As for guests, moving them to membership is much more likely when their questions are routinely being answered before they have to ask them.

Next month, I’ll discuss the components of a strategic church communications plan. But for now, what other benefits do you see of having a strategic plan for your church communications?

David Bowie, Close Friends and an Affirming God

Ironically, my rather traditional Midwestern conservative father was the one who introduced me to music.  He was a little flummoxed when I moved from his love of Jazz to the wild sounds of David Bowie.  I recall him seeing the album covers, and just closing his eyes. If Bruce Springsteen grabbed my attention for the stories he told, David Bowie captured my imagination.  The Los Angeles that I grew up in the mid 1970’s had an underground rock scene that would later emerge as punk rock and new wave sounds.  It began in 1972 with what many consider one of the finest rock concerts of history.  Bowie’s music was constantly changing and evolving from ballads in the late 60’s through an Avant gaard period in his collaborations with Brian Eno in Berlin.  I began going to Bowie concerts on the Station to Station tour in 1976.  

But, David Bowie introduced something else to me at an impressionable age.  Like many adolescents, our views of human sexuality are profoundly influenced by events in our lives.  These events can include family dynamics, divorces, exposure to images and practices of human sexuality, along with our own psychological development.  I’ll spare you the Psychology 101 lecture, along with the views of Freud, Jung, and Erickson.  You get the idea.

 

Bowie as an artist personified a different way of expressing his sexuality.  He could be androgynous in his appearance.  He would move from wearing elaborate makeup to dressing like a suave European nightclub singer.  He once described himself as a “closet heterosexual.”  An eye injury from an early age left one eye permanently dilated.  This appearance added to the mystery.

Later, in college I became friends with several young men who were struggling to understand their own sexual identity.  Over those college years, we talked on occasion, and in the end several of them came to a full understanding that they identified as young gay men.  This was between 1977 and 1981, not exactly a time period when homosexuality was embraced by the culture. 

From an early and formative time period in my life, I had been exposed to various perspectives of human sexuality.  I had heard stories of family members who had come to understand themselves as gay, of men and women who were comfortable in same gender relationships. 

By the time, I had moved toward an acceptance of a life as a follower of Christ at a Lutheran Camp in Southern California, I had already known many people who were gay.  They were my friends, acquaintances and neighbors.  I naively entered the Lutheran church with the assumption that everyone had this same experience.  Didn’t we all know people who were gay?  Didn’t we all grow up with David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, and Rock Hudson?  Didn’t we know that the church organist was gay, or that college professor was lesbian?

 

It was only much later while in seminary that I began to pick up on this notion that not everyone in the church accepted gay or lesbian people.  I never entered into any form of activism about the issue.  I just watched and listened.  I heard people say things I couldn’t believe.  Eventually, I was asked to address the matter in a series of private conversations with people who were members of congregations that I served.  In settings of pastoral confidentiality, I was asked about my views.  I articulated an unequivocal acceptance, grace and embracing of people.  I couldn’t see why people would not.

All this is to say, that I’ve never really thought of sexuality as something to fear.  Oh, to be confused by, yes indeed.  I think we are all trying to understand who we are as sexual beings.  That’s part of the life long journey. 

Somewhere in the time period between the formal beginnings of my Christian faith and my second parish, I took time to study the various biblical passages that had typically been used to support a case against homosexuality.  What I found were a few passages in Leviticus and a passage in Romans. I did some reading and research, and I’ll admit it was not a thorough dive into all the scripture, but it was enough to give me a solid perspective.  There were a range of responses from those who held up these passages as clear evidence of God’s condemnation of homosexuality.  There were also clear bodies of scholarly work that pointed out these passages were not to be understood as legislative rulings.  I also found absolutely ridiculous ideas on both sides of the argument.  I concluded that while there are passages in the Bible that speak to this matter, there were also passages in those same parts of the scriptures that we choose to ignore.  For instance, it’s clear that the Biblical concept of Jubilee, in which all debts were wiped clean was never practiced in ancient times, and certainly we don’t practice that today.  

In addition, our understanding of human sexuality has evolved over time.  One brief example.   It used to be considered that the sole purpose of human sexual activity was for the purpose of child bearing.  Fertility was everything.  Do we still hold that view today? 

I recognize that my perspective is not embraced by everyone.  That’s ok.  I’m not writing this to be coercive.  I’m simply articulating some, and not all, of the pieces that brought me to this understanding. 

In 2009, the ELCA made a decision that opened up this church to the gifts of gay and lesbian persons.  The reality is that gay and lesbian people have been serving in the church for 2,000 years.  But, now it could be publically affirmed in our denomination.  We as a church developed some careful guidelines, that made it possible for there to be clarity around the circumstances those persons could be authorized for ordination, such as committed relationship, which has now evolved to legal marriage since the Supreme Court decision.  We also put in place provisions for persons and congregations that did not want to be served by a gay or lesbian pastor.  In short, we opened the tent, allowed for flexibility yet embraced a non-coercive practice.

Since being elected as Bishop in New England, I’ve had the opportunity to preside at the ordination of a number of persons who express their sexuality in multiple ways.  Some are gay and single, others are straight and married, and others are celibate.  In other words, there is a range.  And what I have found in this range of expression of human sexuality is some amazingly gifted and faithful people.  I want to emphasize this point.  THESE ARE GIFTED PEOPLE AND GIFTED PASTORS.  In many cases the congregations they serve are thriving.  They are thriving because they are being served by gifted people, who happen to be gay.

David Bowie, some close friends and an affirming God gave me a gift early on – the gift of accepting people as sexual beings in various expressions.  I’m grateful for that.