It is that time of year in the United Methodist calendar. Some of us will shortly be releasing our pastor and others will be getting a new pastor. It is an unsettling time for a church that is doing either, and as lay leaders, it can be a challenging time for us. The itinerancy system of appointing pastors may not be unique to the United Methodist Church, but it is certainly deeply entrenched in our tradition.
(2008 Book of Discipline ¶ 338.) How we release our former ministers and receive our new ministers are some of the most important tasks of the Church, yet there is really very little in the Book of Discipline as to how it ought to be done. There is plenty about the procedure of appointment (¶430, et seq.), but almost nothing about the loving and caring way we bid farewell and welcome. How well we do so is truly a mark of maturity of our congregation and bears some thoughtful and prayerful planning.
I recently attended our district’s pastors and professionals meeting and I was struck at just how much our pastors want the process to work for both the receiving as well as the parting congregations. They want the process to be as seamless as possible so that the work of the Church is not interrupted. Make no mistake; the pastors who are leaving are going through a difficult, emotional process. Most don’t want to uproot themselves and their families. Most have things they feel they are leaving undone. All have formed lasting relationships that must be put aside. But as professionals, they know that the very best thing that they can do for us and the incoming pastor is to begin the distancing process. We have to help them do that, as painful though it may be. That means that we no longer look to them for pastoral care, but trust that God has sent someone else to do so. That is hard when a pastor has been with you during difficult times, life’s milestones and celebrations and times when we really connect during worship.
How can we properly release our pastors and receive a new pastor? I commend to you Dr. Robert Crossman’s “50 Ways to Welcome your New Senior or Associate Pastor” which can be downloaded from http://www.ngumc.org/blogs/detail/122. This is the North Georgia Conference website. Dr. Crossman has as many thoughts about releasing a pastor as he does receiving a pastor. That is because it is really important to the new pastor to know that the congregation cared about their former pastor. Prayer undergirds the entire process. Nothing would make a new pastor feel more welcome than to know the congregation held a prayer vigil for them and their family. Planning is critical. Dr. Crossman suggests that the congregation not just assume that the Staff Parish Relations Committee is doing all of the work. He suggests that the church gather and plan so that important welcoming gestures are not overlooked. Some of the details include having members there on moving day, ready to pitch in. Having the fridge and pantry stocked is a nice gesture. It is especially important to help make the new pastor’s spouse and children feel welcome. Make the moving process a time to carefully evaluate the parsonage, make the repairs and do the cleaning that is required. At our church, we have found that gathering gift certificates from the local businesses for food, services and entertainment are very welcome. When the Church spends some time in brainstorming prayer, we find all sorts of fun ways to do offer extraordinary hospitality.
Rev. Carl Westbrook made several good points at the pastors and professionals meeting regarding record keeping. Good, solid records will help a new pastor do his or her job better. Larger churches have staff that helps the pastor keep these records, but in smaller churches, that task might fall squarely on the pastor. I would think that helping with the record keeping is a perfect job for the laity. After all, many of us make our living keeping records of all sorts. In a year of transition, the pastor has to prepare the end of the year report for the church, yet was not in place for the first six months of the year. I would think that having the records in good order would be quite helpful. More importantly, I suspect that the pastors will very much appreciate some help with this mundane, but important chore.
Celebrating the former pastor with a healthy “goodbye” service is important. The United Methodist Book of Worship has both an order of worship to celebrate an appointment (P. 595) as well as an Order of Farewell (P. 998). In the farewell celebrations I have been involved in, we have taken time to recognize the accomplishments of the pastor. We have always had a dinner of some sort and run a film loop of various pictures and video of the pastor as they have served over the years. We have given folks time to recount something meaningful and to say their goodbyes. I really like the Order for Farewell as found in the Book of Worship because it allows the pastor to ask forgiveness from the congregation, and vice versa. I doubt that any pastoral tenure is ever perfect, and there are always a few hurts along the way. Forgiveness is a core tenet of the Church and it seems that the farewell celebration is the perfect time for that. The Order suggests that the pastor who is leaving lay his or her stole on the pulpit and for the new pastor to take it up. I love the image of connection and continuity that brings.
The transition between pastors is truly a time for the laity to shine and to show their love and appreciation for their pastors. It is a milestone for the Church that should be remembered as something done well. It is an opportunity for laity to find new ways to serve in the Church. Most importantly, it is a time to praise God for his providence in providing pastoral leadership for our Church.
Joy!
Bill
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Children's Sermon
It was time for the Children’s Sermon on Mother’s Day Sunday. I always get a kick watching the children come from all parts of the church to the front. Most run forward with anticipation and a smile. Some hold the hands of a brother or sister, and approach cautiously. Some are making their way under obvious parental threat and a few turn around and run back to their parents before they get there. However they came, they gathered on the steps by the prayer rail with John Holt. The little red piggy banks were a nice touch. John has a great way with kids and soon they were attentive and responding to the lesson. The topic was saving money to buy mosquito nets. The little ones were probably thinking what a great adventure it would be to sleep under one of the nets. We had several hung around the church for folks to see. They each got a little bank with instructions to save their coins and help buy a net for some little boy or girl in a far away country. When children’s time ended, they all scattered, some going on to “children’s church” and the rest back to mom and dad. They were all smiling and seeing how their little bank opened up.
If they had looked at the adults closely, they would not have seen many smiles; they might have even seen a tear or two. If these little ones of ours were children from the Congo, one out of five would not reach age five. The child would have died from malaria. We are told that a child in Africa dies every 30 seconds from malaria. We had talked about that a little during the opening of the service and how The United Methodist Church, hand in hand with a number of other organizations, has a vision of raising $75,000,000.00 to buy and distribute mosquito nets in Africa. Besides the high death rate, 23.6 million people get the disease each year. Malaria is a debilitating disease that preys on people in poverty and keeps them in poverty. An adult with malaria cannot work and provide for his or her family. Even if they survive the disease, many victims develop lifelong health problems associated with malaria and they never can reach their potential.
$75,000,000 is a bunch of money. It is a dream; a vision of visionary men and women who want to help change the world. How can we raise that much? We have the goal, in our church, of buying one insecticide treated net for every man, woman and child that calls First United Methodist Church “home”. The nets cost $10.00 each. We are making it a family project, with the smallest of children getting their little red piggy banks, the youth having car washes and bake sales and the adults leading by example. In Joshua 24:15, Joshua told the people to choose whatever god that they wanted to serve, “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord”. Being a witness for Christ is best when it is a family decision and putting together the money for the nets is a good family project. Clearly, this is a laity driven project organized by the lay leaders and ministry teams, and responsive to our conference leaders. Most certainly, our clergy are very much behind the effort, but it is taking its energy from the laity, especially the children and youth. The work is deeply Scriptural.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8
These are the words of Jesus as he left the Disciples, telling them what they must do until he returns. For the disciples, the “ends of the earth” would probably be about what was included in the Roman Empire. They would not have known about most of the world. For us, the ends of the earth are the places that we know exist, but we will likely never travel to. At least I don’t have the missionary spirit. Even so, our family will witness in Africa by helping provide these nets. Our church will witness there by making sure the nets are distributed where they are needed.
There is a website called “Imagine No Malaria” that has all of the information about this ministry. I hope you visit the site, and then call a family meeting. That meeting can be a powerful time for your family; a time to read some Scripture and a time to witness in a single voice. A time to decide that we can make a difference when people of faith unite. Imagine; no more malaria.
Joy!
Bill
If they had looked at the adults closely, they would not have seen many smiles; they might have even seen a tear or two. If these little ones of ours were children from the Congo, one out of five would not reach age five. The child would have died from malaria. We are told that a child in Africa dies every 30 seconds from malaria. We had talked about that a little during the opening of the service and how The United Methodist Church, hand in hand with a number of other organizations, has a vision of raising $75,000,000.00 to buy and distribute mosquito nets in Africa. Besides the high death rate, 23.6 million people get the disease each year. Malaria is a debilitating disease that preys on people in poverty and keeps them in poverty. An adult with malaria cannot work and provide for his or her family. Even if they survive the disease, many victims develop lifelong health problems associated with malaria and they never can reach their potential.
$75,000,000 is a bunch of money. It is a dream; a vision of visionary men and women who want to help change the world. How can we raise that much? We have the goal, in our church, of buying one insecticide treated net for every man, woman and child that calls First United Methodist Church “home”. The nets cost $10.00 each. We are making it a family project, with the smallest of children getting their little red piggy banks, the youth having car washes and bake sales and the adults leading by example. In Joshua 24:15, Joshua told the people to choose whatever god that they wanted to serve, “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord”. Being a witness for Christ is best when it is a family decision and putting together the money for the nets is a good family project. Clearly, this is a laity driven project organized by the lay leaders and ministry teams, and responsive to our conference leaders. Most certainly, our clergy are very much behind the effort, but it is taking its energy from the laity, especially the children and youth. The work is deeply Scriptural.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8
These are the words of Jesus as he left the Disciples, telling them what they must do until he returns. For the disciples, the “ends of the earth” would probably be about what was included in the Roman Empire. They would not have known about most of the world. For us, the ends of the earth are the places that we know exist, but we will likely never travel to. At least I don’t have the missionary spirit. Even so, our family will witness in Africa by helping provide these nets. Our church will witness there by making sure the nets are distributed where they are needed.
There is a website called “Imagine No Malaria” that has all of the information about this ministry. I hope you visit the site, and then call a family meeting. That meeting can be a powerful time for your family; a time to read some Scripture and a time to witness in a single voice. A time to decide that we can make a difference when people of faith unite. Imagine; no more malaria.
Joy!
Bill
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Sabbath Rest
It has been too long since my last post. It has been a busy time at work and in the church. We launched the new Taizé inspired service and I was privileged to bring the message. I served on an Emmaus team last weekend and have generally filled most days with some sort of work. I had timely started this “Reflection” only to get sidetracked more than just a few times. Unfortunately, little of that involved Sabbath rest.
The April 9, 2010 issue of the United Methodist Witness had a really good article about Sabbath rest written by the managing editor, Rachel L. Toalson. She cites some words of wisdom by Abraham Heschel in his "The Sabbath: Its Meaning for the Modern Man", telling us that we are allowed six days to wrestle with the world; six days to dominate the earth, but on the Sabbath day “we especially care for the seed of eternity planted in our soul” while we try to dominate our self. Toalson interviewed several pastors for her article and asked them how they “do Sabbath”. Bottom line for them was not to work, to be in prayer, be with family and listen carefully for God’s word. As we all know, we can keep Sabbath on days different than Sunday, and because pastors typically work on Sunday, their Sabbath necessarily is another day of the week. As I read this article, I began wondering how we laity are doing when it comes to Sabbath rest. More particularly, I wondered how I was doing. The answer was not all that encouraging.
There is ample Scripture regarding the Sabbath. We all know the commandment to keep the Sabbath. "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God...." (Exodus 20:8-10). Sometimes, we might forget what a really huge blessing the Sabbath rest was for the Israelites. They were a newly freed slave people. Slaves don’t get regular days off. They don’t get vacations, personal leave or anything else we take for granted. They just work every day unless whoever is in charge says otherwise. At first, the Jews took this law deadly serious. A violation meant death by stoning.(Numbers 15:32). But eventually, the Jews took a fairly simple rule and turned it into a legalistic mess that Jesus absolutely hated. It seems like Jesus intentionally healed people on the Sabbath just to get the Pharisees riled up and point out how they had twisted the law. Witness the man who was healed, and took up his mat that he had been laying on. Rather than celebrating the miracle, the Pharisees fussed at the fellow for carrying his mat on the Sabbath. (John 5:9-18). And certainly we remember Jesus telling us that it was all right to do good works on the Sabbath.(Matthew 12:9-21). In fact, Jesus said that he was Lord of the Sabbath, and we take that to mean that Jesus defines the Sabbath, not us. So, it would seem that after reading Scripture and knowing what Jesus did and said, we could figure out how to keep Sabbath. Unfortunately, it just is not that easy for most folks, laity or clergy.
Many clergy I know struggle to keep Sabbath. They know they are supposed to set the example, yet they fail to set boundaries. They are available most all of the time. At the New Church Leadership Institute, many of the church planting pastors gave witness to how the job has a tendency to consume marriages and families. The divorce rate is alarmingly high for those folks. One spouse declared that she had refused to “sacrifice her children on the altar” of the church, leaving me to believe that she and her spouse had really been challenged as they tried to find some balance in their lives. In the Toalson article, several clergy and youth ministers spoke of how they were intentional about Sabbath, and I hope that more of our clergy take that to heart. The laity can do their part by understanding what day their pastor has set aside, and doing all that can be done to shield that time for them.
Laity fall into several categories. Many are able to simply keep the Sabbath as it was intended. Others struggle to various degrees. There are many people who just flat have to work Sundays because their jobs require them to do so. As a result, they fight to find rest of any sort on any day of the week. A full day of rest may just not be possible for them. Others have enslaved themselves to their work just as surely as the Jews were enslaved. It is not that they can’t take a day of rest; they just won’t. Still others, in lay ministry, work a full time job and then make the time to serve. That service can consume much of their free time. We are comforted by Jesus’ telling us that is just fine to do good on the Sabbath, but we can cross the line easily from doing good works to just working. As I examined how I keep Sabbath, I mentioned that I was not encouraged. There was a time in my life when I probably was a workaholic, and I fight that now. I am not very happy at rest, and things that I believe need to be done prey on me. In short, I just have not been very good about Sabbath rest. I plan to do better, and this is the plan:
1. Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath. Every Sabbath moment and all Sabbath rest have to begin there. I want to recognize and understand that better. I want to be more prayerful as I enter into Sabbath time.
2. I will take some liberty, and the clergy can fuss at me. When it comes to matters of faith, we really do nothing perfectly. That probably includes Sabbath rest. Rather than just give up or give in, perhaps we need to learn to start with an imperfect Sabbath rest and build from that. To me, an imperfect Sabbath rest means that I do set aside at least part of a day, or part of several days, to really rest and get away from work and from ministry. That time must include family time. Being consumed by ministry while working at a full time vocation can be damaging to a marriage.
3. I cannot see how, for me, Sabbath rest will not include some time of study. I just feel empty unless I do so at some point in the week. The problem is that I get so deep into study and writing that I can use every evening that way. The result can extend into a series of ten hour days that look too much like a 60+ hour work week. I need to set some limits on how long I work, read and study each day.
If I do these three things: 1.) be intentionally prayerful about Sabbath rest, 2.) Perhaps not have a full day, but at least have part of a day devoted to Sabbath rest, and 3.) limit my work and study, I probably am celebrating Sabbath imperfectly, but that is better than what I have been doing. I hope that my friends in lay ministry take the time for a self examine. Are you getting rest? Do you honor your family with your presence and attention? Do you honor God by keeping his commandment, even imperfectly? Let’s all of us try to do better.
Joy!
Bill
The April 9, 2010 issue of the United Methodist Witness had a really good article about Sabbath rest written by the managing editor, Rachel L. Toalson. She cites some words of wisdom by Abraham Heschel in his "The Sabbath: Its Meaning for the Modern Man", telling us that we are allowed six days to wrestle with the world; six days to dominate the earth, but on the Sabbath day “we especially care for the seed of eternity planted in our soul” while we try to dominate our self. Toalson interviewed several pastors for her article and asked them how they “do Sabbath”. Bottom line for them was not to work, to be in prayer, be with family and listen carefully for God’s word. As we all know, we can keep Sabbath on days different than Sunday, and because pastors typically work on Sunday, their Sabbath necessarily is another day of the week. As I read this article, I began wondering how we laity are doing when it comes to Sabbath rest. More particularly, I wondered how I was doing. The answer was not all that encouraging.
There is ample Scripture regarding the Sabbath. We all know the commandment to keep the Sabbath. "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God...." (Exodus 20:8-10). Sometimes, we might forget what a really huge blessing the Sabbath rest was for the Israelites. They were a newly freed slave people. Slaves don’t get regular days off. They don’t get vacations, personal leave or anything else we take for granted. They just work every day unless whoever is in charge says otherwise. At first, the Jews took this law deadly serious. A violation meant death by stoning.(Numbers 15:32). But eventually, the Jews took a fairly simple rule and turned it into a legalistic mess that Jesus absolutely hated. It seems like Jesus intentionally healed people on the Sabbath just to get the Pharisees riled up and point out how they had twisted the law. Witness the man who was healed, and took up his mat that he had been laying on. Rather than celebrating the miracle, the Pharisees fussed at the fellow for carrying his mat on the Sabbath. (John 5:9-18). And certainly we remember Jesus telling us that it was all right to do good works on the Sabbath.(Matthew 12:9-21). In fact, Jesus said that he was Lord of the Sabbath, and we take that to mean that Jesus defines the Sabbath, not us. So, it would seem that after reading Scripture and knowing what Jesus did and said, we could figure out how to keep Sabbath. Unfortunately, it just is not that easy for most folks, laity or clergy.
Many clergy I know struggle to keep Sabbath. They know they are supposed to set the example, yet they fail to set boundaries. They are available most all of the time. At the New Church Leadership Institute, many of the church planting pastors gave witness to how the job has a tendency to consume marriages and families. The divorce rate is alarmingly high for those folks. One spouse declared that she had refused to “sacrifice her children on the altar” of the church, leaving me to believe that she and her spouse had really been challenged as they tried to find some balance in their lives. In the Toalson article, several clergy and youth ministers spoke of how they were intentional about Sabbath, and I hope that more of our clergy take that to heart. The laity can do their part by understanding what day their pastor has set aside, and doing all that can be done to shield that time for them.
Laity fall into several categories. Many are able to simply keep the Sabbath as it was intended. Others struggle to various degrees. There are many people who just flat have to work Sundays because their jobs require them to do so. As a result, they fight to find rest of any sort on any day of the week. A full day of rest may just not be possible for them. Others have enslaved themselves to their work just as surely as the Jews were enslaved. It is not that they can’t take a day of rest; they just won’t. Still others, in lay ministry, work a full time job and then make the time to serve. That service can consume much of their free time. We are comforted by Jesus’ telling us that is just fine to do good on the Sabbath, but we can cross the line easily from doing good works to just working. As I examined how I keep Sabbath, I mentioned that I was not encouraged. There was a time in my life when I probably was a workaholic, and I fight that now. I am not very happy at rest, and things that I believe need to be done prey on me. In short, I just have not been very good about Sabbath rest. I plan to do better, and this is the plan:
1. Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath. Every Sabbath moment and all Sabbath rest have to begin there. I want to recognize and understand that better. I want to be more prayerful as I enter into Sabbath time.
2. I will take some liberty, and the clergy can fuss at me. When it comes to matters of faith, we really do nothing perfectly. That probably includes Sabbath rest. Rather than just give up or give in, perhaps we need to learn to start with an imperfect Sabbath rest and build from that. To me, an imperfect Sabbath rest means that I do set aside at least part of a day, or part of several days, to really rest and get away from work and from ministry. That time must include family time. Being consumed by ministry while working at a full time vocation can be damaging to a marriage.
3. I cannot see how, for me, Sabbath rest will not include some time of study. I just feel empty unless I do so at some point in the week. The problem is that I get so deep into study and writing that I can use every evening that way. The result can extend into a series of ten hour days that look too much like a 60+ hour work week. I need to set some limits on how long I work, read and study each day.
If I do these three things: 1.) be intentionally prayerful about Sabbath rest, 2.) Perhaps not have a full day, but at least have part of a day devoted to Sabbath rest, and 3.) limit my work and study, I probably am celebrating Sabbath imperfectly, but that is better than what I have been doing. I hope that my friends in lay ministry take the time for a self examine. Are you getting rest? Do you honor your family with your presence and attention? Do you honor God by keeping his commandment, even imperfectly? Let’s all of us try to do better.
Joy!
Bill
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