Author, Photographer, Storyteller
The Website of James Hazelwood author of Everyday Spirituality. Lutheran minister and Spiritual Director
I’m in a bit of a quandary. I’m trying to come up with a subtitle for the Everyday Spirituality Book. What are your thoughts?
Everyday Spirituality: 27 ways to Discover Your Life of Hope and Promise in a Busy World?
Everyday Spirituality: A life of hope and vitality in a busy world
Someone recently sent me this link which relates to my own experience of Social Media us and misuse.
One of the best decision I made last month was to take a leave of absence from Social Media. This Lenten fast has been the diet I’ve needed, especially since I’m trying to write book. According to my screen time report from my iPhone, I’ve picked up just under 2 hours a day. Most of this time has gone to more productive activities including getting up early to write for one hour a day. The key to this Social Media fast (aka not just no Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, but also I removed the apps of various news sources as well) is replacing the time with substantive activities. In addition to writing, I’m now outside more either hiking of biking, plus I’m intentionally reaching out to friends for some face to face time.
The book is coming along slowly, and I’m grateful to all who have made contributions. I received over 116 stories of everyday spirituality. Thank you. The book has chapters with one word titles. Breath, Work, Less, Laugh. They are short chapters and the book when finished will be a quick read, maybe 100 pages. It’s intended to help the average Jill, Joe or Julio discover a deeper truth about everyday life, namely, it’s spiritual. I’m toying with a subtitle of “27 Things you already do that make you the Saint you didn’t want to be.” Clearly, I’ve got work to do.
I’ve finished the first draft and am now in the first round of editing, which essentially means rewriting all the mess of the first draft. It’s a slog. There are days I think it’s worthwhile book, and there are days I’m just completely embarrassed by my work. But, I’m committed so I’ll push on.
Soon, I’ll be announcing an invitation for people who would like to be a part of a launch team. You’ll get a free digital copy of the book and some goodies. I’ll also be asking for input on early drafts of chapters. If this interests you, I can add you to an email list when it all happens. You can email me at Bishop @ NESynod.org
On March 8, 2019 I sent a communication which included several actions of the Conference of Bishops, including a proposed document "Trustworthy Servants of the People of God." (My initial communication can be viewed here.)
The Conference of Bishops affirmed this document (Trustworthy Servants...) as a timely replacement and a faithful expression of our calling to serve as Rostered Ministers in this church. That document can be found here.
The document is currently in draftform as it goes to the ELCA Church Council for review and possible action. Until yesterday, March 18, synodical bishops were asked to receive feedback from Rostered Ministers and Layperson in their synods. Bishops were then to forward that feedback to the Chair of the Conference of Bishops so that a summary report may be submitted to the ELCA Church Council.
Here is a summary of the feedback I have received:
Findings
I received 27 emails regarding this document:
· 4 from lay persons
· 17 from pastors
· 2 from deacons
· 2 from individuals in candidacy
· 2 others who did not identify themselves.
An additional email was a report from a group conversation. I also had 3 telephone conversations and 1 individual who left a lengthy voice message. This totals of 32 points of contact.
As a reference of comparison........
· In January my letter regarding “The Wall and the Government Shutdown” received 6 responses.
· My February request for input regarding “Everyday Spirituality” received 101 responses from laypersons and 6 from rostered leaders during an initial ten-day period.
Feedback
The feedback I have received can be summarized into three categories. Affirmations, Suggestions, and Criticisms as follows:
Affirmations
1. The majority of respondents indicated general support of the document while offering suggestions for improvement (see below). The areas which received the most affirmation was the section on self-care, the part on attending to one's health and fitness as well as the area of personal financial management.
2. There was support for replacing the older document titled "Visions and Expectations" which was viewed by respondents as "outdated", "having a history of misuse", and "so long no one read it, or only read the sections on sexual conduct."
3. Six persons articulated an appreciation for the tone of the new document while making suggestions regarding particular language in specific passages. (Note: All of these suggestions are being passed on to the ELCA Church Council through the Chair of the Conference of Bishops.)
Suggestions
1. Two persons indicated they had wished the document included more of an emphasis on the "missional" or "evangelistic" nature of the office of pastor. They offered language which would affirm the congregation as an agent of change in society for the sake of the gospel.
2. Another person felt the document needed more emphasis on the external life of the office of the pastor. They appreciated the section on Creation Care but perceived it as an "add on." Their suggestion was for a more robust emphasis on the pastor as a public theologian or public church leader.
3. Several people made suggestions to improve the language of sections that seemed to lack clarity or used phrases that confused what they believed was the intent. These detailed suggestions have been forwarded.
4. I also received feedback regarding the unique attributes of deacons (Office of Word and Service)
5. Three persons offered extensive notes with line by line questions/comments/suggestions. (Note: I have tried to capture some of what they offered here but will also forward these more extensive writings in their entirety with my report.)
Criticisms
1. The primary area of criticism was regarding the process. The feedback was divided equally among those who wanted particular groups involved in the shaping of the document, and those who felt the timeline was too short for feedback.
2. The second area of criticism was regarding expectations of marriage as a prerequisite of cohabitation. The criticism was mostly, though not exclusively, out of concerns for the financial impact for persons living together because of the cost of living effects, pension or tax-related matters. The other area highlighted was the impact this expectation puts on single persons navigating a contemporary social life. It has been suggested that lines 265b-266 and 276-277a be omitted. (Note: The challenge with this proposal is that it conflicts with our ELCA Social Statement on Human Sexuality. A few persons indicated that revisiting that Social statement would be their preference.)
3. Some emails articulated the position that the entire document was without merit and a new process should be undertaken.
4. Several points of criticism or concern indicated a suspicion that this document would be used as a disciplinary document especially against people in the LGBTQ+ community. It was also highlighted that the documents release shortly following the decision by the United Methodist Church to exclude LGBTQ persons from ordained ministry contributed to some hard feelings.
As stated previously, the next step in the process is for each synodical bishop to file a report of the feedback he/she has received. I will send this summary, along with some of the more detailed documents of affirmations, suggestions, and criticisms to the Chair of the Conference of Bishops.
The document, “Trustworthy Servants of the People of God”, along with the feedback received from each of the synodical bishops will be forwarded to the ELCA Church Council for consideration at its April 2019 meeting.
Thank you to all who participated in this process of feedback. Your writings were thoughtful and reflected your care and concern for this church.
Sincerely in Christ
Bishop James Hazelwood
New England Synod – ELCA
I’m no a full two and a half weeks into my fast from Social Media. A few random thoughts:
The fact that Facebook, You Tube etc were used as vehicles of communication around the Terror attack at a Mosque in New Zealand is indicative of how far we have come from the early days of social media. What was originally a platform for sharing of news about ones friends, has now moved to a forum for the spread of hate speech (I signed up for Facebook in 2007 to view photos and updates of my son’s year abroad in Argentina). This most recent and tragic event, is yet another example of how antisocial Media tools are being weaponized to spread vicious lies and horrific hate speech.*
I genuinely wonder about it’s overall value in my life.
For the most part I’m not missing Facebook, Twitter, etc. Though I admit the photo based Social media platform Instagram is the one forum I am most tempted to engage.
Because I’ve removed all the apps from my phone, my screen time usage is down 50%.
The extra time I now have means I’m engaging in more reading and more writing.
While I’m still planning to return to some modified and lightened use of Social Media when this fast is concluded on Easter Sunday, I currently am harboring even deeper suspicions of what positive use it may have in my work and personal life.
*To be clear, I have not watched any of the online videos but read about this in the Boston Globe.
Sebastian Junger, New England native and bestselling author of The Perfect Storm, has penned a fascinating quick read in Tribe. The book explores the way in which modern US American society is structured in an inhospitable manner. He uses both Native American Indian encounters with white europeans in the 1700’s as well as returning veterans from recent wars to drive home his point. This book weaves in some new perspectives that most people who read this blog would not normally encounter. That alone makes it worth the read. Want to understand why men are not in our congregations? Want to get a glimpse into evolutionary forces that help explain genuine community? Want to understand how the legalism on both the left and the right are tearing a part culture, society and democracy? This book will force you to reexamine some of your foundational beliefs. But, I’d only read it if you want that challenge as it’s not for those who wish to continue in a kind of reaffirmation echo chamber.
Dear Pastors, Deacons and Members of Congregations of the New England Synod,
Last week I attended the Conference of Bishops in Chicago. The Conference meets twice per year to hear reports, to network and to discuss matters relevant to the life of the church. Among the many issues we reviewed, (including a full day retreat focusing on congregational vitality), were two documents that I wish to bring to your attention.
The first is a Pastoral Messagein which the Conference of Bishops acknowledges the hurt and pain caused by the uneven and inequitable ways in which the document “Vision and Expectations” have been applied to the LGBTQIA+ community and others. In my view, this message is our attempt to articulate our regret and grief over the ways in which V&E was used. That Pastoral Message can be found at this link.
The second is a document entitled "Trustworthy Servants of the People of God." We spent considerable time reviewing this document, which, if adopted by the ELCA Church Council, would replace “Vision & Expectations”. As Bishops, we affirm "Trustworthy Servants"as a timely replacement and a faithful expression of our calling to serve as Rostered Ministers in this church. That document can be found here.
You will note that this document is in a draft form as it goes from the Conference of Bishops to the ELCA Church Council. Let me be clear in explaining that while the Conference has initiated this replacement document, it is only the Church Council, as the legislative body, who has the authority to adopt this document. In the period between now and March 18, synodical bishops will collect feedback regarding the substance of this draft. As we gather feedback, should we see cause for a major revision, we will advise the ELCA Church Council. I invite you to offer your feedback to me at Bishop@nesynod.org
As I have begun conversations with some of you regarding these documents, I want you to know that I am seeking ways for us to have a meaningful and helpful dialogue about these documents. More broadly, I think a substantive conversation about some of the topics "Trustworthy Servants" addresses is worthy of our attention. For instance:
- Line 2- "Every church has hopes and expectations for its leaders." In an era, where leaders in business, government, sports, and other organizations are routinely revealed to be sorely lacking in their conduct, what does it mean for a church to have hopes and expectations for its leaders?
- Line 19- What does it mean to be a blessing as a leader "advocating against all the ways that racism, sexism, classism, and other forms of prejudice and injustice limit participation and harm individuals, communities and the whole body of Christ."?
- Line 24- through 63 are the tasks of Ministers in this church. As you review them.... What strikes you? What needs re-reminding? How do the people you serve respond to these tasks which are a part of our calling?
- The document encourages faithfulness and trustworthiness in a number of areas: Health & Self Care (158), Relationships & Friendships (183), Family Life (196), Finances & Intellectual Property (205), Communications (222) Human Sexuality & Gender (231), Sexual Conduct & Speech (238), Marriage (273), Creation (290). As you read all of these sections...... What challenges you? What resonates? What confounds you?
As we engage this draft document, I ask us to be the thoughtful and prayerful leaders I know us to be. As we talk with one another, I encourage us to engage using vehicles of communication that bring out the best in us. I also believe there is wisdom to be gained from conversations that include the breadth of our synod. People in the pews should be engaged as well as pastors and deacons.
This may be time for a broad discussion on leadership in general. As I have always maintained, congregations and ministries serve the Kingdom of God when pastor/deacon and people are bothengaged and exercising leadership. I commend this document as an opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue.
Sincerely in Christ,
Bishop James Hazelwood
Last week, on Facebook and Twitter I announced that I would begin my Lenten Fast early. The initial plan was for me to make this a Lenten discipline, but I couldn’t wait, so I started a week early. The primary impetus has been my reading of Cal Newport’s fine book Digital Minimalism. What Newport describes in the early chapters was so sobering, that it literally scared me away from not only Facebook and Twitter, but also much of my habitual phone use. Since last week, or was it two weeks ago, I’ve not only been off Social Media, but I’ve removed those and many other apps from my phone. I realized it wasn’t just my obsessive use of Twitter, it was my checking various News apps, the stock market, sports scores & news. The final blow came when my Apple phone screen use app reported that I was on my phone an average of 3 hours per day.
Is my life any better because of those 3 hours of news, sports, and Facebook? NO!
What’s different now? The most notable change is a sense of relief. I attribute this to my lack of an online presence of Facebook. I realized that what was once an enjoyable tool for engaging in conversation with friends, had devolved to a cauldron of opinions, and sharing of blog posts that were designed to amp up ones response. Yes, there were mixed in photos of children and an occasional original writing that had some thoughtfulness, but those were much less common. For me, the simple knowledge that I don’t HAVE TO engage is a relief.
The second change is more challenging. My phone use is down, but it still lingers in my mind. I use my phone for texting and for calls, but I also still find myself obsessively picking it up when I have no real reason to do so. I’m trying to navigate this, as well as ask myself, what’s going on inside my brain that seeks some kind of chemical reward, stimulation, etc that I get from my phone.
Cal Newport’s book is beyond excellent. It will be one of my top books of 2019, and his suggestions regarding alternative activities such as solitude, walking, writing are in the tradition of Thoreau and others. Now that I’m regaining upwards of 3 hours per day, I’ll have more time to engage those activities. I’ll be back here with more updates through the season of Lent.
From Steven Pressfield excellent little book The War of Art.
Self-doubt can be an ally. This is because it serves as an indicator of aspiration. It reflects love, love of something we dream of doing, and desire, desire to do it. If you find yourself asking yourself (and your friends), "Am I really a writer? Am I really an artist? Am I really a _________?" chances are you are.
The counterfeit innovator is wildly self-confident. The real one is scared to death.
Lent starts in a few weeks…..What to do for Lent this year? I'm considering a fast - Not of food, but Facebook, and Twitter and Instagram. That's my unholy trinity. Why? Candidly, I think it's eating away at my brain and my soul. Yes, in the same way, an addict needs just a little bit more. I now find myself strangely fixated and frustrated at the same time.
the one hand, I want to go and see what you are all doing, how my grandkids are growing up and what interesting, trivial or significant ministries are happening in and around our synod. On the other hand, there's a lot of …well, nothing. Political drama and virtue casting, bad photos of indoor painting projects and whiny complaints about clothes not fitting or airport security personnel misbehaving. Plus, do you care that I was at St. John's by the Gas Station last Sunday, and that my sermon, bombed. (It did, but it wasn't at St. John's, it was at St. Bartholomew's by the Donut shop)
Mostly, I'm wondering about what's happening to me. I find myself chasing the bird, the squirrel and bell that Pavlov is ringing. My attention span is decreasing. My ability to focus on reading something of substance or listening to a friend is in decline. Cal Newport authored a book called Deep Work. Yup, you don't even need to read the book. You know just from the title that it's about the real need in our current cultural context for us to focus. He argues that what we need now more than ever is the capacity to pay attention and dive deep into our work. That work could be child rearing, parent attending, or report writing. It could also be plumbing, surgery, and cooking…all three of these tasks need focus to be done well. After all, no one wants a distracted surgeon operating on your (fill in the blank). Newport's new book Digital Minimalism is just out, but I don't have time to read it, cause I'm spending time coining a catchy twitter post.
So, I'm preparing for a Forty Day Fast. Ash Wednesday to Easter 2019 I'll be living without the Social Media world that defines our age. I may miss the chatter about some upheaval in a church institution, or controversy of a politician. You'll miss out on my quirky humor, photos of grandsons, and my political outrage. I'm confident you'll survive. What will I learn? What will I miss? Hmmm, I'll let you know on the other side.
P.S. To be clear. Yes, I'll still use the internet. Yes, I'll continue to correspond via email and text. It's just Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Starting March 6, Ash Wednesday through Easter April 21.
I'm writing a book on Everyday Spirituality, and I'm looking for examples of God showing up in people's lives, in the ordinary, commonplace parts of our lives. Interested?
Where and when have you seen God?
- at the grocery store
- on a vacation
- while spending money
- around the cafeteria
- over coffee
- in the hospital
- on the soccer field
If you've got a story, (even a weird one) I'm interested in hearing about it. It just might end up in a book, and it might help other people realize that God shows up in unexpected ways and in unexpected people and places. We can do this anonymously if you prefer.
Let me know. Just send an email with your story. It doesn't need to be perfectly written, cause this is just a first draft.
Send me an email at bishop @ nesynod.org or use the contact form on this website
Two years ago, nearly to the date of this writing, Timothy Snyder released this little book.
I write ‘little’ as a reference to its size, a four inch by five inch paperback. It’s cute, fits in your jeans back pocket. But, don’t let its size deceive you. This little book is, or should be, the BIGGEST book of our time. In 20 short tightly written chapters, Snyder reminds us of the essentials of democracy. He outlines the wisdom of the founding fathers of these United States of America, by pointing to its fragility.
Hamilton (have you seen the musical?) Jefferson, Adams, Madison, Franklin understood our human proclivity to acquire power. They designed a government that included competing institutions that would balance each other in order to protect the larger vision of governing. That wisdom is on full display today as we see the various branches of government and society holding each other accountable.
On Tyranny demonstrates what can happen if one person or a small group of persons are left to an unchecked access to power. The titles almost tell the story themselves: Do not obey in advance, Be kind to our language, Investigate, Contribute to good causes, Listen for dangerous words, Be a Patriot. On this last one, I think he is speaking not of Super Bowls.
I had read this book when it was first released. Today, it dropped into my hands again. I’m reminded of our responsibility as citizens. Pick it up, read it. Carry it around with you. Give it to friends, and those who you disagree.
Then, act…or as the title of chapter twenty “Be as Courageous as You can.”
So the people shouted, and priests blew the trumpets; and when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with a great shout and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city (of Jericho). [Joshua 6:20]
But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh, he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace. [Ephesians 2:13‐15]
St. Paul provides a different perspective on walls than the one we have been hearing about in the last few weeks. Or shall I say years? St. Paul is articulating one of the visions of the faith of Jesus – namely the tearing down of what divides us.
We are in a time of great division. We now define ourselves by what we are against, and sadly, we are more eager to find that it is our neighbor, our fellow pew sitter, our co-worker whom we oppose. In many ways, the wall has already been built.
However, like Jericho, the walls can come down…at least for New England Lutherans
First, let’s reclaim and recall our identity as immigrants. In recent years, I have celebrated church anniversaries throughout our New England Synod. Several of them were 125th anniversaries. Why so many, 125 year events? In the 1880s & '90s, there was significant immigration from the Southern region of Sweden, due in large part to a multi-year drought. Farmers, lumberjacks and merchants left there and came to the United States where they established churches, schools, colleges, and hospitals. These anniversaries are but one of hundreds of reminders that we are an immigrant church.
Second, let's fully embrace our companion relationships with our two Global churches. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan & the Holy Land, as well as the Lutheran Church in Honduras. They are our partners in ministry. We have people in these churches who need our prayers, our support, and our advocacy. Each of them struggles in different ways and in circumstances that would make many of us shocked, outraged and disgusted.
In February, I along with a dozen people from our synod will travel to Honduras for a week-long mission trip. We are going there to do light construction on a Lutheran church, provide resources so children can attend school and be with them as the hands & feet of Jesus engaged in ministry together. We are also going to visit this country because it is at the epicenter of an ongoing debate about immigration in our own country.
The United States is currently in the middle of a partial government shutdown that has impacted hundreds of thousands of federal workers, and is potentially having a negative impact on the US economy. The primary reason given for this shutdown is over the President of the United States desire for funding for a border wall. In addition, for several years we have heard this President make numerous statements disparaging our fellow human beings, fellow people of the faith and all of them children of God.
This leads me to our third way forward in bringing down the wall that divides us and pits us against one another. We need to reclaim a Christian ethic of civil discourse. We also need to recover that simple, but increasingly challenging call to be decent and kind people.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that”. Martin Luther King Jr.
This does not mean that we are to lack clarity of purpose or strength of our convictions. I believe one can be kind and decent, yet still forceful.
When the chaos of this time recedes, and I believe it will, there will be a need for people to rebuild our connections to one another, to civic life & democracy as well as to the healing of the injustices that this wall is causing in our souls, in our country and around the world..
New England Lutherans are here because immigrants came here. We continue to be here in our ecumenical, inter-faith and global companionships. We find our strength in Jesus, who demonstrated convictions and actions that tore down the walls of hostility between us.
These are days of division – that cannot be denied. However, these are also days where together with Christ we can rebuild, not walls of division but bridges of understanding, kindness, and justice for all.
Sincerely in Christ,
Bishop James Hazelwood
I commend to you this letter by my friend and colleague Bishop Abraham Allende. He has been a consistent voice on matters of immigration.
Click here
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace.
Ephesians 2:13‐15
The article "Where is Christianity Headed?" has been making the rounds on the internet. It is by W. Granberg-Michelson whose book Future Faith was released last fall. I've been recommending this article to our congregation councils.
For me the most significant sentence is here following a section describing the influences of non-western Christianity:
These new influences are raising new questions about the relationship of the individual to the community, rational versus nonrational pathways to perceiving truth and the interplay of the spiritual and material realms.
I think this touches on something that goes to the heart of our ELCA decline. As I entered this office of Bishop, I became aware that the culture of the ELCA is centered around carefully worded rationales for the way we operate. We are a church whose essence is defined by words, and often linear rational approaches to ALL aspects of our life, faith, and governance.
Hear me out: I am NOT opposed to logic or rational thinking. I sometimes engage in it myself. 😊 I do think that we have more to learn from our non-western non-white brothers and sisters than we realize. I'd be very interested in having some "developing world" theologians engage us in this topic. For me, the crux of the matter falls around our western dualistic thinking where we divide “sacred and secular”, as one example.
As Lutherans, I think the origin of the divide for us is between Luther and Melanchthon. How's that for bringing up a sensitive topic?. Luther had a love relationship with the divine. Melanchthon got the theology but didn't seem to have the same spirituality. Then again, Luther was rooted in the Old Testament, he had a Hebrew approach to faith, as opposed to the Greek dualism that dominated theological thinking.
Today, we wonder why our people seek out their spirituality outside of the church. Is it possible they are connecting to something we are missing? Our recent visit to the outdoor church in Texas as part of the 2019 Bishop’s Academy struck me when the Pastor said, "We talk with our neighbors who are not enthusiastic about the church. They say ‘we worship when we are in nature’. Her response was, ‘well we do too, come check us out’ - outside." There is something more profound in that than simply a church that decided not to build a building.
I'm working my way through Larry Rassmussen's book Earth Honoring Faith. What a treasure trove of integration of science, theology and the arts. Larry is touching on something that is similar to the quote from Granberg's article above. He sees a theology that is integrated with all aspects of life, and some of it mystical and non-rational.
How can we lift this up? How can we get our clergy to preach and teach around this? How can we shift our ELCA culture toward where the broader culture is going, while connecting it to the best of Luther?
Perhaps our struggle is not in our ecclesiology, perhaps it is in the DNA of how we live, move and have our being in the Spirit.
Just a thought or two
What to do when you are watching the Patriot runaway with a playoff game? Answer: Do a word search on the word “wall” in the Bible. I selected some to share with you. Yes, this is called proof texting also known as picking those verses that say what you want them to say. But, hey, others have done this for centuries to justify their positions, so why not. Is this high level critical scholarship? Hmmmm. But, it did keep me occupied during an NFL football game.
“‘Of the animals that move along the ground, these are unclean for you: the weasel, the rat, any kind of great lizard, 30 the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink and the chameleon. Leviticus 11:29&30 NIV
“Suddenly, Saul tried to skewer David with his spear, but David ducked. The spear stuck in the wall and David got away.” I Samuel 19:9. The Message
“then Meshullam son of Berekiah rebuilt the wall in front, of his storage shed.” Nehemiah 3:27 The Message
“We’re nothing but a joke to our neighbors, graffiti scrawled on the city walls.” Psalm 79-4 The Message
“Anyone who loves to quarrel loves sin; anyone who trusts in high walls invites disaster.” Proverbs 17:19. NLT
“Why bother even trying to do anything with you when you just keep to your bullheaded ways? You keep beating your heads against brick walls.” Isaiah 1:5 The Message
“You trusted in thick walls and big money, yes? But it won’t help you now.” Jeremiah 48:7. The Message
“So I will tear down the wall which you plastered over with whitewash and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation is laid bare; and when it falls, you will be consumed in its midst. And you will know that I am the Lord.15 Thus I will spend My wrath on the wall and on those who have plastered it over with whitewash; and I will say to you, ‘The wall is gone and its plasterers are gone,” Ezekial 13:14-15 NASB
“God sent the hand that wrote on the wall,and this is what is written: mene, teqel, and peres. This is what the words mean: “Mene: God has numbered the days of your rule and they don’t add up. Daniel 5:24-26 The Message
“For he (Christ) is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.” Ephesians 2:14 NRSV
As a Bishop, one of the concerns I hear about from people in congregations falls into the category of complaints about their pastor. Oh, I hear complaints about me as well, my decisions, my dress code, my height, my theology, my progressiveness, my conservatism. But, this colum is about complaints about the minister.
Whenever, I hear about someone complaining about their pastor, I tend to listen to the way they phrase the complaints, as opposed to the content. For instance, if I get an email, phone call or letter and the language is all about how horrible the pastor is, with no reference to other factors, I wonder if the author has really taken the time to be a thoughtful and helpful participant in resolving differences. In other words, if it's all ‘you’ language, I tend to be suspicious. On the other hand, if the complaint is rooted in some "I" language, I tend to pay attention. As an example, "You know, it's been a stressful time for our community, and I believe our pastor really cares about us, it's just that I notice s/he tends to...." That's a very different form of communication, than "you know Bishop, this pastor has never done anything right in his/her ministry...ever." My response is typically along the lines of "really, never done anything right? Ever?"
All this reminds me of a chart from Ed Friedman's classic book on congregational life Generation to Generation. The chart is below, and I've left it large so you can print it out. Ed's main point is that all of the complaints that have ever been lodged against the clergy can be found on this chart. Rarely is the complaint have anything to do with the content. 99.9999999 times out of 100, it's about unresolved conflicts in either a) the family of the complainer b) the family of the congregation as a whole.
How many times have I been attacked for something I never said in a sermon? Let me count the ways.
Finally, this all should take us back to Jesus and his admonition to first approach the person you have the disagreement, then if unsuccessful in addressing the matter bring someone with you for the second meeting, then a third meeting in front of the leaders of the community. Most of the time, we go talk to everyone else first, and never sit down with the person we have the disagreement. If we did that, we’d solve virtually all the differences. Oh, and then there is that great admonition by St James the Lessor, “Don’t deal with conflictual matters by email.”
Now having said that, it's equally important for the parish pastor to recognize that a third and important factor plays into this as well, and that is c) our own unresolved matters from our family of origin. That's a topic for another post.
For now, spend some time studying this chart, and then listen to the complaints people say. I bet it fits on the chart.
The odds are good you are not interested in this article, nor are you interested in my Best of 2018 list. But here you are wondering, curious and sitting on your couch trolling the internet. Maybe you have even found this page via a Google search or Exposing the ELCA hacks sent you here in search of some heresy. Good news. I’m about to give you some heresy mixed in with some worthwhile thoughts. The challenge is to discern which is which.
Prediction # 1. The coming year will seem like more of a roller coaster ride than any other year. We are in for a wild ride. That’s true for geo-political economics as well as restaurants that will open and close. My advice is to find your center, and hold on to that above all else. It’s going to get worse before it gets better.
Prediction # 2. No matter what you think about New England sports teams, odds are we’ll be in the run for championships. This means January, May, June and October are going to have energy. Sorry, rest of America, we are just in one of the phases. Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins and Patriots. It’s been a great run since 2000…it’ll continue.
Prediction # 3. In the life of church world, I’m maintaining that even in the midst of all this change, the basics are still what matter:
Churches that do the following will find life and energy:
Focus 70% of their energy on serving their neighborhood.
Hold worship services that are inspiring & meaningful to newcomers
Engage in helping people grow a healthy mature spirituality
Care for the poor, widowed and orphaned
I could add a million other items, but I think if you do these four well, the rest will follow. The challenge is doing these four consistently over a long period of time. Yes, this is hard work because there are forces that want you to have cat fights about money, the placement of napkins at coffee hour and Facebook arguments. If you can keep your head and heart about you, and focus on keeping the main things the main things…I believe the Holy Spirit will be reborn in your congregation. If not, then….
Prediction # 4. More churches will close.
Prediction # 5. I’ll finally finish that book I’ve been working on and it will be published. Working title: How Heresy is What the Church needs Now or Rocky & Bullwinkel discover Boris & Natasha infiltrated the Altar Guild.
The promise was clear. “The only person who ever regretted taking this class was the guy who didn’t invite anyone to the final performance.” Those were the words of the person on the other end of the phone when I called to inquire about Poppy Champlin’s Comedy class. I had seen the flyers around town for years. While I’ve incorporated humor in my public speaking, preaching and presentations, I’d never done anything close to Stand-Up comedy. I’ve been intrigued and frightened by it for decades.
My first attempt to be a part of this class ended in failure. I showed up in September, only to find the course was cancelled since I was the only participant. But two months later the minimum registrants of four had gathered to begin our journey into comedy. Throughout the next six weeks, we would engage in a crash course in the world of Stand-up Comedy. The final exam would be a live performance on a Saturday evening in December. Each of us would prepare and perform an 8-10 minute set. We were encouraged to invite friends and family. Thank you to all of you who showed up, I was grateful for the support. How’d I do? Below or here you can watch my performance, and judge for yourselves.
What I learned over these six weeks.
Comedy is hard. Many people think they are funny. That may or may not be the case, but standing up in front of a live audience with a microphone, keeping their attention and sustaining laughter is not easy. First off, this is public speaking on steroids. If the fear of public speaking is the highest angst producing activity for US Americans, then add the expectation of generating consistent laughs. No wonder, I and my classmates were nervous back stage. In Jerry Seinfeld’s recent Netflix special, Jerry before Seinfeld,there is a brief scene in which he teases the audience. I’m paraphrasing, but the essence is this: “I know you’re thinking, I could do this, but I just decided to do something else with my life…like sell life insurance.”
This was, in many ways one of the hardest things I’ve done in a very very long time. Imagine bringing material, yes, your own precious ideas to class each week, and having them summarily dismissed. “Nope, that’s not funny.” “Too long, get to the point.” As I was describing the process to my analyst, he encouraged me to, “Think of it as having some narcissism burned off.” Sheesh, now I’m getting it on two fronts. I’m paying people for this kind of help? And yet, our instructor Poppy Champlin, an experienced comic with credentials that included appearances with Rosie O’Donnell, Second City in Chicago, and Bill Maher, was a master of encouragement. Her contagious and boisterous laugh communicated when you were on the right track. She challenged us and lifted us up along the way.
The combination of sharp criticism and celebratory praise was just right for me. The honesty was so refreshing over other seminars and classes I've had where sugary politeness drowns out the opportunity for real learning. “Comedy is different than other forms of communication,” Polly said. “Each word, each phrase has to have a purpose.” I think her favorite mantra was “cut, cut, cut.” Her edits, her suggestions were mostly right on target. If you disagreed with her, you could push back. The engagement was lively…and tremendously helpful.
The best comedy is all scripted. When you go to a comedy show or watch Comedy Central, it often looks as if these people are just naturally funny. All they do is get up on stage and start talking, random funny things must come to mind, and they just say them. WRONG! It's all scripted. Every single sentence is structured and tested and retested. Then it’s memorized, familiarized and incorporated into one’s very being. Those seemingly spontaneous moments are plotted out. Even those interactions with the crowd. For me this involved an editing process that had 12 versions of my script. Over time it was reduced down to a core 8 minute or six-page document. I spent every spare moment I had learning that script. This included various techniques of reading it out loud, recording it, then listening to it over and over and over again. Practicing both in my living room as well as in my head on walks or while driving. If it looks spontaneous, and you don’t notice the preparation, that means someone spent tons of time preparing that performance.
Would I do this again? Absolutely. However, at the three-week mark, my answer would have been “no way.” I had this sense I was just failing miserably. But, like most things in life, the rewards come out of the struggle.
What's next? Will you do more comedy? Right now, I'm just enjoying this moment. We will see. I'm very intrigued by the area of humor and faith, because I think this is an untapped resource for us in the church. Humor can be effective in preaching, leadership and culture forming in our congregations. Comedy is rooted in honesty, which has a closer sister in confession and absolution. I also believe that the best comedy comes from our personal lives. I think of Molly Phinney Basket’s book Standing Naked before God. Plus there is the Humor of Jesus, an older book by Earl Palmer. And one of my favorite classics and now out of print, Jurgen Moultmann’s Theology of Play. So, I'm very interested in exploring the connection between personal storytelling, comedy, and faith. We'll see where it all goes.
Hey, you never know, I may end up seeing you at a club…or in a cathedral.
We have been reading lots of stories over the past 5 or so years about the end of the church. This post is a counter argument.
While it’s true that the nature or form of the church is changing, and I’ve written about that elsewhere. Click here for my paper from earlier this year on that subject. What I want to highlight here is that the tools that church world lives and breathes are needed now more than ever, and I believe will be needed in the future.
Obviously, there is a theological/spiritual/biblical understanding that the church is eternal just as Christ is eternal. But, some have wondered if the current form of congregation centered church has a future. What about social media? What about Artificial Intelligence? What about automation? Yes, these are impacting the work world, but let’s remember that ministry is really centered around somethings that can’t be automated.
Church world is built on relationships, with one another and the Divine.
Technology will continue to change the way we do things over the coming decades in ways we probably can’t even imagine. But church life and ministry will always require:
trust
people skills
the correct temperament
the ability to tell your and God’s story
the ability to make the case for the value of your ministry
communication skills
As I travel around New England, and elsewhere, what I’m seeing is those ministries that hit most of those points have vitality, energy, meaning and purpose. Some of them have lousy websites, never do Social Media but they have a vibrant relationally. They have a connectedness with both God and the neighborhood.
My point is simple, but increasingly we are distracted from this work: Go out and connect with people, build trust, engage in conversation, practice relational prayer. That’s the work that matters, and that’s why there will always be church.
