In 1940, Brother Roger left his home in Switzerland and settled in the small village of Taizé, France. Not long after, his little home became a refuge for people fleeing the war, including Jews. Eventually, Brother Roger had to return to Switzerland for a short while because the Nazis had a dim view of those who harbored Jews. He was in Geneva for two years, during which time he began to form a small community of like minded men devoted to Christian faith, meditation, celibacy and living simply. In 1944, he and several brothers returned to Taizé and formed an ecumenical monastic order based on simple and faithful living, reconciliation and communal work. Now, there are about 100 brothers of the order living in Taizé, however, the Taizé form of worship has captured the imagination of people worldwide. In fact, many people now go to Taizé for spiritual retreats and many churches have now added a Taizé worship opportunity. There is a very good website at www.taize.fr/en with much more information.
Taizé worship is meditative and contemplative. The music is simple and very much participatory (not performance based). At the service I attended at Alamo Heights UMC in San Antonio, the music was a flute and clarinet, and Pastor Donna Strieb handled the vocals. Most songs are simply one or two lines, repeated for effect. The Taizé community deliberately chose Latin as its primary musical language because of its ancient roots and because it offered a common language among very diverse worshipers. However, there are many songs in English that work just fine. "Jesus, Remember Me", on page 488 of the Methodist Hymnal is an example and I suspect that some churches use more of the English songs than the traditional Latin Taizé songs. There are deliberate periods of silence in the service and time to reflect. I noted that candles and Eastern Orthodox icons were used as focal points in the service. I understand that some Taizé services include a short message and the one I attended included a healing/blessing time at the end.
The Taizé service I attended allowed for more introspection than a traditional worship service, and I found myself listening a bit more for God’s voice. I had recently been reading John 20:19, and I actually gained some insight regarding that Scripture during the service. I surely found myself at peace when I left and for some reason, was quite touched by the blessing at the end of the service.
That, my friends, is just about all I know about Taizé worship, but since our church is seriously considering adding a Taizé service, I would like to know more. In particular, for those of you familiar with this style of worship:
1. How was it received at your church?
2. What age groups were attracted?
3. Did you use the traditional Taizé music resources, or work from a more traditional hymnal?
4. What musical instruments were used in the service?
5. How often do you worship?
6. What words of wisdom would you have for a church starting such a service?
I hope that enough of the folks who read “Reflections” have some experience with Taizé worship and can give us some advice. Please email me: bill@layministryfumc.com. By the way, I trust that you have noted that on my Lay Ministry website, I have a calendar for lay speaking and lay ministry events in the Southwest Texas and the Texas Conferences of the United Methodist Church. If you would like for me to add your event to the calendar (wherever it might be), just email me with the particulars and I will be happy to do so. The folks that administer the site seem pleased with the traffic and it is my purpose to provide that sort of information to as many people as I can.
Joy!
Bill
Friday, April 16, 2010
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Easter Reflections
As all of you know, Easter is much more than the joyous celebration of Sunday morning. Beginning with prayers of repentance on Ash Wednesday, through the introspection of Lent and the passion of Holy Week, we are drawn closer and closer to the Cross, the empty tomb and a resurrected Jesus. Here at FUMC, Seguin, we certainly had a celebration. An intimate remembrance of that last meal with the Disciples marked Maundy Thursday. Good Friday was observed with a properly austere and somber service. Sunday was a series of grand, passionate celebratory worship services. I believe that the pastors, staff, congregation and visitors fully experienced Holy Week. So, now, just like the faithful did after the first Easter, we can all rest and catch our breath a little.
What? You don’t remember Scripture saying anything about them kicking back and taking it easy? That is probably because it didn’t happen that way. Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James, John and two other disciples tried to go fishing, but Jesus pursued them(John 21:1-14). The Disciples hid behind locked doors, but Jesus pursued them(John 20:19). Some took off for Emmaus, but Jesus pursued them (Luke 24:11-35). The early church was gathering momentum, even as the Pharisees and the Romans hunted and persecuted them. The Disciples responded by meeting in prayer and planning the future of the church(Acts 1:14,25). Then, Pentecost came and they really got busy. This group of ordinary men and women, mostly rural fishermen, were transformed by the Holy Spirit into evangelists, church planters, theologians and witnesses of the Gospel. Were they effective?
"With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, 'Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.' Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day." (Acts 2:40-41)
"Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." (Acts 2:46-47)
If Holy Week has created spiritual momentum and passion in our churches, it seems wrong to simply let it dissipate. We work so hard to attract visitors to our worship, ought we not to invest similar effort in following up and making sure that all their questions have been answered, telling them that their attendance was appreciated and that we would love to have them back? Perhaps we were able to discern some ministry needs or opportunities that need attention. Have we profusely thanked our clergy, ushers, cancel choirs, praise bands, special musicians, nursery workers, acolytes, liturgists and all of the rest of the staff and volunteers for making worship so marvelous? Can the joy we have experienced be infused into each following Sunday?
As you can see, catching this spiritual wave is not clergy driven; rather it is the work of the laity. We are the ones who visit with our friends, acquaintances, co-workers and others about our church. If they are not members, then they know about our church from what we witness. If our witness reflects well on our church, then our church will grow. As importantly, when we remember to thank those who work so diligently to make worship at our church special, we encourage them and they grow stronger. Working together, and driven by the Holy Spirit, we can vitalize ministry in our church and community. We can parlay the joy of our Easter celebration into so much more, as Jesus pursues us and puts us to his work.
Joy!
Bill
What? You don’t remember Scripture saying anything about them kicking back and taking it easy? That is probably because it didn’t happen that way. Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James, John and two other disciples tried to go fishing, but Jesus pursued them(John 21:1-14). The Disciples hid behind locked doors, but Jesus pursued them(John 20:19). Some took off for Emmaus, but Jesus pursued them (Luke 24:11-35). The early church was gathering momentum, even as the Pharisees and the Romans hunted and persecuted them. The Disciples responded by meeting in prayer and planning the future of the church(Acts 1:14,25). Then, Pentecost came and they really got busy. This group of ordinary men and women, mostly rural fishermen, were transformed by the Holy Spirit into evangelists, church planters, theologians and witnesses of the Gospel. Were they effective?
"With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, 'Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.' Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day." (Acts 2:40-41)
"Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." (Acts 2:46-47)
If Holy Week has created spiritual momentum and passion in our churches, it seems wrong to simply let it dissipate. We work so hard to attract visitors to our worship, ought we not to invest similar effort in following up and making sure that all their questions have been answered, telling them that their attendance was appreciated and that we would love to have them back? Perhaps we were able to discern some ministry needs or opportunities that need attention. Have we profusely thanked our clergy, ushers, cancel choirs, praise bands, special musicians, nursery workers, acolytes, liturgists and all of the rest of the staff and volunteers for making worship so marvelous? Can the joy we have experienced be infused into each following Sunday?
As you can see, catching this spiritual wave is not clergy driven; rather it is the work of the laity. We are the ones who visit with our friends, acquaintances, co-workers and others about our church. If they are not members, then they know about our church from what we witness. If our witness reflects well on our church, then our church will grow. As importantly, when we remember to thank those who work so diligently to make worship at our church special, we encourage them and they grow stronger. Working together, and driven by the Holy Spirit, we can vitalize ministry in our church and community. We can parlay the joy of our Easter celebration into so much more, as Jesus pursues us and puts us to his work.
Joy!
Bill
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Clear Springs
I was blessed to attend the New Church Leadership Institute (“NCLI”) a few months ago. The setting was Mt. Sequoyah in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is a beautiful retreat center and conducive to study, discernment and learning. It was also cold and snowing like crazy, so we were not tempted to goof off very much outside. The purpose of the institute is to help pastors discern if they are really well suited to plant a church, and if so, how to go about it. To that end, the folks in attendance went through a Personal Discernment Inventory (“DISC Profile”) to assess if we have the personality and leadership traits which are proven successful for church planting pastors. After years of research, the data has revealed some fairly obvious conclusions:
• Not every pastor has the talents and gifts for church planting. It is critical to identify and encourage those that do.
• Properly and intensively educating, training, coaching and equipping the church planting pastors greatly increases their likelihood of success. NCLI is a big part the process, followed by a “boot camp” for pastors who have demonstrated the talents that will be required.
• The best church planting model is that of a mother-daughter church, not the old fashioned “parachute drop”. Having a parent church and its resources and support is critical for the daughter church. Simply dropping a pastor into an area with instructions to start a church does not work very well. The success rate for a parachute drop, on a national average, is about 20%, whereas the success rate climbs dramatically to 80% using the mother-daughter model.
By now, you might be wondering what I was doing at NCLI. A lay minister is not going to be assigned to start a church. The General Board of Discipleship website for CLM does, however, include “Deploying qualified CLMs for missional leadership in new church starts or redevelopments” as a proper assignment. Otherwise stated, a CLM might be assigned to assist a church planting pastor. First United Methodist Church of Seguin reckons that it is 169 years old this year. We have never planted a new church and we decided a few years ago that it was high time to do so. We bought some property in the Clear Springs area because it is in the center of a dynamically growing region. A team was selected and it has diligently been planning for at least two years. We submitted our grant application to the Conference. Finally, Senior Pastor Steve Purdy and I packed up our winter clothes and headed to Fayetteville. We wanted to know what a church planting pastor would go through and how the parent church could best support him or her.
The major question I had going in was how a CLM might best assist a new church planter. I learned that the leadership skills for a successful new church planter are well complimented by someone who scored high in pastoral, administrative, analytical and organizational skills. That profile probably fits most CLMs quite well. It did in my case. We recently learned that the Conference grant we applied for last fall had been favorably acted on and that we would be assigned a church planting pastor in June, 2010. What was something of an academic exercise back in February has quickly become a reality. We will have our new pastor and all of the work and planning we have done is beginning to bear fruit. I suspect that future “Reflections” will include updates as this exciting new ministry progresses.
I do ask for your prayers for the new pastor and her family, for our church, for the launch team and most of all, prayers for the new church God will plant over in Clear Springs.
Joy!
Bill
• Not every pastor has the talents and gifts for church planting. It is critical to identify and encourage those that do.
• Properly and intensively educating, training, coaching and equipping the church planting pastors greatly increases their likelihood of success. NCLI is a big part the process, followed by a “boot camp” for pastors who have demonstrated the talents that will be required.
• The best church planting model is that of a mother-daughter church, not the old fashioned “parachute drop”. Having a parent church and its resources and support is critical for the daughter church. Simply dropping a pastor into an area with instructions to start a church does not work very well. The success rate for a parachute drop, on a national average, is about 20%, whereas the success rate climbs dramatically to 80% using the mother-daughter model.
By now, you might be wondering what I was doing at NCLI. A lay minister is not going to be assigned to start a church. The General Board of Discipleship website for CLM does, however, include “Deploying qualified CLMs for missional leadership in new church starts or redevelopments” as a proper assignment. Otherwise stated, a CLM might be assigned to assist a church planting pastor. First United Methodist Church of Seguin reckons that it is 169 years old this year. We have never planted a new church and we decided a few years ago that it was high time to do so. We bought some property in the Clear Springs area because it is in the center of a dynamically growing region. A team was selected and it has diligently been planning for at least two years. We submitted our grant application to the Conference. Finally, Senior Pastor Steve Purdy and I packed up our winter clothes and headed to Fayetteville. We wanted to know what a church planting pastor would go through and how the parent church could best support him or her.
The major question I had going in was how a CLM might best assist a new church planter. I learned that the leadership skills for a successful new church planter are well complimented by someone who scored high in pastoral, administrative, analytical and organizational skills. That profile probably fits most CLMs quite well. It did in my case. We recently learned that the Conference grant we applied for last fall had been favorably acted on and that we would be assigned a church planting pastor in June, 2010. What was something of an academic exercise back in February has quickly become a reality. We will have our new pastor and all of the work and planning we have done is beginning to bear fruit. I suspect that future “Reflections” will include updates as this exciting new ministry progresses.
I do ask for your prayers for the new pastor and her family, for our church, for the launch team and most of all, prayers for the new church God will plant over in Clear Springs.
Joy!
Bill
Sunday, March 21, 2010
The Greatest Generation
The Greatest Generation
They are the greatest generation. In their youth they fought wars, rescued the economy from a deep depression, built churches, taught Sunday school classes and brought a country to greatness. They danced the jitterbug, listened to big band music, watched Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn navigate the African Queen and they loved mightily in their time. They mourned the loss of husbands, wives, uncles, aunts, children, grandchildren and even great grandchildren to war and the ravages of time. They have taught us the great lessons of life. They are the saints of our churches and we honor their witness.
I love their old photographs. The jaunty hats, practical clothes, coifed hair, old cars, kids and sometimes a farm animal or pet. All carefully posing and seldom caught off guard because photos were a special event back in their day. Many times they have stern, confident expressions. On other occasions, they have a devil-may-care smile, like they were up to something. From the tales told by my parents, they often were. I have heard their stories of sacrifice, hope, joy, sorrow and neighbor helping neighbor and stranger helping stranger. I have heard their stories of faith.
As lay ministers, the greatest generation is many times in our care. We owe them the best we can give. I began nursing home ministry a few years ago. I didn’t mean to. I was driving to Austin one day and was listening to a Christian station. They were talking about nursing home ministry and at first; I said (to myself) “no way” could I do that. After a few miles down the road, I became more and more convinced that God had that ministry in mind for me. Two days later, I was asked to preach at a local home. God can be direct when he wants to.
I would like to tell you that I studied and planned and read about this type of ministry, but instead, I just went. I had my Bible and I had some Scripture I wanted to read and some prayers I wanted to share. Fortunately, I had a great musician with me to bring music. I discovered pretty quickly that I had better bring a sermon and a good one. They have plenty of experience to tell the difference. I learned that they have trouble holding the hymnals and finding the pages, but that is alright because most have the words to the old Hymns memorized. I have learned that many of them are fearful now, a little lonely, and tired of constant aches and pains. They miss their spouses, friends and children. They are aggravated that their bodies have given out. Their memories have sometimes faded. But with all of this, they love to visit. They love the old Hymns and hold the Scripture sacred. They need to tell their stories. They need to be comforted and reassured how much Jesus loves them. Prayer is important to them. They look out for each other.
Today was my day to preach at the nursing home and we brought a good (I hope) message and sang all of the old songs of Eastertide. I now consider the residents friends. That is hard because I lose them fairly often. But I remain amazed at their hope and their faith. They take the promise and assurance of salvation very seriously. We read from the 14th chapter of John quite often because they love to hear the words of Jesus and how he has prepared a place for them. Many of my friends are packed and ready for the trip.
After I just jumped in, I have found that there are some good resources for this ministry, such as Lay Pastoral Care Giving by Timothy Farabaugh, Discipleship Resources, 2009. The elder care sections of the certified lay ministry courses certainly are excellent. It is good to talk with your mentoring pastor about the ministry and to spend a little time with the social director at the facilities you visit. They will have some helpful ideas. Be mindful of HIPAA rules and regulations. Mainly, it is important to be there in mind and spirit, pray hard about what God wants you to do there, treat each resident with dignity and listen to them. Frankly, it takes some time to win their trust. Consistency is really important and when you serve on a regular basis, they will begin looking forward to your visits. After a while, you will be hard pressed to discern who has been more blessed by this ministry; you or the folks you visit with.
Bill
They are the greatest generation. In their youth they fought wars, rescued the economy from a deep depression, built churches, taught Sunday school classes and brought a country to greatness. They danced the jitterbug, listened to big band music, watched Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn navigate the African Queen and they loved mightily in their time. They mourned the loss of husbands, wives, uncles, aunts, children, grandchildren and even great grandchildren to war and the ravages of time. They have taught us the great lessons of life. They are the saints of our churches and we honor their witness.
I love their old photographs. The jaunty hats, practical clothes, coifed hair, old cars, kids and sometimes a farm animal or pet. All carefully posing and seldom caught off guard because photos were a special event back in their day. Many times they have stern, confident expressions. On other occasions, they have a devil-may-care smile, like they were up to something. From the tales told by my parents, they often were. I have heard their stories of sacrifice, hope, joy, sorrow and neighbor helping neighbor and stranger helping stranger. I have heard their stories of faith.
As lay ministers, the greatest generation is many times in our care. We owe them the best we can give. I began nursing home ministry a few years ago. I didn’t mean to. I was driving to Austin one day and was listening to a Christian station. They were talking about nursing home ministry and at first; I said (to myself) “no way” could I do that. After a few miles down the road, I became more and more convinced that God had that ministry in mind for me. Two days later, I was asked to preach at a local home. God can be direct when he wants to.
I would like to tell you that I studied and planned and read about this type of ministry, but instead, I just went. I had my Bible and I had some Scripture I wanted to read and some prayers I wanted to share. Fortunately, I had a great musician with me to bring music. I discovered pretty quickly that I had better bring a sermon and a good one. They have plenty of experience to tell the difference. I learned that they have trouble holding the hymnals and finding the pages, but that is alright because most have the words to the old Hymns memorized. I have learned that many of them are fearful now, a little lonely, and tired of constant aches and pains. They miss their spouses, friends and children. They are aggravated that their bodies have given out. Their memories have sometimes faded. But with all of this, they love to visit. They love the old Hymns and hold the Scripture sacred. They need to tell their stories. They need to be comforted and reassured how much Jesus loves them. Prayer is important to them. They look out for each other.
Today was my day to preach at the nursing home and we brought a good (I hope) message and sang all of the old songs of Eastertide. I now consider the residents friends. That is hard because I lose them fairly often. But I remain amazed at their hope and their faith. They take the promise and assurance of salvation very seriously. We read from the 14th chapter of John quite often because they love to hear the words of Jesus and how he has prepared a place for them. Many of my friends are packed and ready for the trip.
After I just jumped in, I have found that there are some good resources for this ministry, such as Lay Pastoral Care Giving by Timothy Farabaugh, Discipleship Resources, 2009. The elder care sections of the certified lay ministry courses certainly are excellent. It is good to talk with your mentoring pastor about the ministry and to spend a little time with the social director at the facilities you visit. They will have some helpful ideas. Be mindful of HIPAA rules and regulations. Mainly, it is important to be there in mind and spirit, pray hard about what God wants you to do there, treat each resident with dignity and listen to them. Frankly, it takes some time to win their trust. Consistency is really important and when you serve on a regular basis, they will begin looking forward to your visits. After a while, you will be hard pressed to discern who has been more blessed by this ministry; you or the folks you visit with.
Bill
Saturday, March 13, 2010
1208 Crosses
In our Holy Conversations series, Gil Rendle stated, quite bluntly, that non profit entities seldom know exactly what it is that they produce. It is not like they fill a loading dock with goods that are sold and shipped. It is hard to point to an inventory, accounts receivables or other typical measures of output. The result is that the non profits tend to focus on activities and gathering resources, and equate both with success. If we have more and do more, surely we are doing God’s work. That is the theory. The trouble with that approach is obvious. If that is the way we measure success, then we have to do more and gather more resources. Obviously, that is not a wholesome or efficient model. Fortunately, there is a better way.
One of Gil’s best quotes is “If you don’t know where you are going, any path will get you there.” Obviously, any church has to clarify its mission so that it knows what resources are required to fulfill that mission. Stated another way, a church best measures its output by describing the effects of its work. The clear truth of this analysis is why we just spent two years learning how to strategically plan. The starting point was to describe what we do. It is more than just a mission statement. We have one of those: “Share the Joy of Knowing Christ- Reach, Teach and Serve!” Instead, it is a description of how reaching, teaching and serving changes lives. What do we produce with all of the time, energy and money we spend? Our answer? Changed lives! And with the Holy Spirit working through us, we produce Disciples of Jesus Christ.
Here is just one example. Our youth participated in the 30 Hour Famine, complete with a fast, lock-in and several service projects to raise money to help combat world hunger. One project was to make 1208 crosses and put them on the church lawn for Sunday morning. That is how many children starve to death each hour. As they put the crosses in the ground, they knelt and prayed for those little souls, and the ones to come. They prayed for a better time for the people who have so very little food, and questioned how they might be a part of the process to provide. Through the awesome grace and might of our God, the faith of our youth, the dedication of our adult volunteers and a generous congregation, lives were changed.
If we began to measure what we do by the lives that are changed and the Disciples that journey in faith, then our churches can see the results of their work and plan accordingly. And if a program no longer has that effect, then it is time to shift resources. Over a longer term, we will ask this question: What will be different in this person’s life in 5 years if they participate in the life of this church?
By the way, this inquiry, this search for purpose and mission, is lay driven. It is the work of the priesthood of all believers. It is our sacred work.
Joy!
Bill
One of Gil’s best quotes is “If you don’t know where you are going, any path will get you there.” Obviously, any church has to clarify its mission so that it knows what resources are required to fulfill that mission. Stated another way, a church best measures its output by describing the effects of its work. The clear truth of this analysis is why we just spent two years learning how to strategically plan. The starting point was to describe what we do. It is more than just a mission statement. We have one of those: “Share the Joy of Knowing Christ- Reach, Teach and Serve!” Instead, it is a description of how reaching, teaching and serving changes lives. What do we produce with all of the time, energy and money we spend? Our answer? Changed lives! And with the Holy Spirit working through us, we produce Disciples of Jesus Christ.
Here is just one example. Our youth participated in the 30 Hour Famine, complete with a fast, lock-in and several service projects to raise money to help combat world hunger. One project was to make 1208 crosses and put them on the church lawn for Sunday morning. That is how many children starve to death each hour. As they put the crosses in the ground, they knelt and prayed for those little souls, and the ones to come. They prayed for a better time for the people who have so very little food, and questioned how they might be a part of the process to provide. Through the awesome grace and might of our God, the faith of our youth, the dedication of our adult volunteers and a generous congregation, lives were changed.
If we began to measure what we do by the lives that are changed and the Disciples that journey in faith, then our churches can see the results of their work and plan accordingly. And if a program no longer has that effect, then it is time to shift resources. Over a longer term, we will ask this question: What will be different in this person’s life in 5 years if they participate in the life of this church?
By the way, this inquiry, this search for purpose and mission, is lay driven. It is the work of the priesthood of all believers. It is our sacred work.
Joy!
Bill
Monday, March 8, 2010
Holy Conversations
The Community of Learning for Holy Conversations and Holy Actions. Sounds a little like a monastery. One might expect austere rooms and monks moving about in silence. I guess I could claim a little personal hardship, but the truth is that we stay at a very nice corporate retreat center in Houston. Holy Conversations is a Texas Methodist Foundation strategic planning series. There are four long weekends spread over a two year time period as five church teams study and learn about planning the future of our churches and their work in the Kingdom. Gil Rendle is the primary speaker, and he and Alice Mann wrote the book that we used. Gil was a senior consultant for the Alban Institute and his insight into leadership, planning and Scriptural relevance is just awesome. John Thornburg helps out with worship and the music, and if Gil is the head, then John is the soul of the weekend. He likes to use pirate songs, African music, poetry and other things he has picked up from his world travels to make worship delightful.
The neat thing about Holy Conversations is that it does not work without the laity. In fact, the premise is that the laity and clergy plan together and implement together. One of the first tasks was to really get to know our own church and community through demographic, historical and measured research. We found our church in the Biblical story as Antioch, sending forth Paul and Barnabas to start new churches. We learned who our neighbors really are, especially out in the area where we are planning a new church start. We were invited to step up into the balcony of the church and observe, as opposed to being down in the congregation doing our usual work. Then came the interesting part, which was relearning our role as leaders. Not to strictly be problem solvers, but to ask and consider the hard questions. Solving problems just maintains the status quo, and that may not be a broad solution for underlying issues in the church. Gil talked quite a bit about discomfort. Discomfort can lead to conversation which may bring about needed change. We learned about facilitating conversation and sustaining that type conversation and avoiding real blow ups in the congregation. We learned a few Swahili songs.
One of the best parts about Holy Conversations is the people we met from the other churches. We got a glimpse of their vision on ministry, their successes, their hurts and their passion. We learned from each other and we worshiped together. We celebrated lay ministry together. As laity in ministry, it is good to walk together a while on our faith journeys. To carry someone's backpack for a bit as they catch their breath. To sing and listen to songs of the road and to hear tales of other journeys. To have Holy Conversations.
Joy!
Bill
The neat thing about Holy Conversations is that it does not work without the laity. In fact, the premise is that the laity and clergy plan together and implement together. One of the first tasks was to really get to know our own church and community through demographic, historical and measured research. We found our church in the Biblical story as Antioch, sending forth Paul and Barnabas to start new churches. We learned who our neighbors really are, especially out in the area where we are planning a new church start. We were invited to step up into the balcony of the church and observe, as opposed to being down in the congregation doing our usual work. Then came the interesting part, which was relearning our role as leaders. Not to strictly be problem solvers, but to ask and consider the hard questions. Solving problems just maintains the status quo, and that may not be a broad solution for underlying issues in the church. Gil talked quite a bit about discomfort. Discomfort can lead to conversation which may bring about needed change. We learned about facilitating conversation and sustaining that type conversation and avoiding real blow ups in the congregation. We learned a few Swahili songs.
One of the best parts about Holy Conversations is the people we met from the other churches. We got a glimpse of their vision on ministry, their successes, their hurts and their passion. We learned from each other and we worshiped together. We celebrated lay ministry together. As laity in ministry, it is good to walk together a while on our faith journeys. To carry someone's backpack for a bit as they catch their breath. To sing and listen to songs of the road and to hear tales of other journeys. To have Holy Conversations.
Joy!
Bill
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Alpha and Omega
A questions I am often asked is "What exactly do you do as a lay minister?" Because I was already serving on several committees at church (and still do), my role as a staff lay minister and as a church team member seems a little blurred from time to time, even for me. This might sound odd, but the main difference is how I feel about ministry and how I perceive myself as a minister. That perception becomes very important as I talk with people and listen to what is going on in their lives. As a team member or a committee member, once a meeting is over, I typically lay the materials aside until I need to work on them. Ministry is more difficult to lay aside. Part of the reason is the joy of the work.
This last Sunday, I was privileged to assist in the baptism of a precious little girl. I didn't do much, but being just a little part of that family's big day was absolutely incredible. That afternoon, I preached over at a local nursing home. I have been doing that for a while, and have come to really know and love those folks. My friend Tom brings the music. He is wonderfully talented and dedicates those talents to God. We pretty much sang all of the old songs suitable to Lent and Easter. For the most part, the residents pick the songs and Tom knows how to play most all of the music on his guitar. We are short on hymnals over there, so I shared a hymnal with one of the residents. I don't have a great singing voice, but something about sharing a book and singing together really filled us with an unexpected joy. The Spirit was working mightily in us and as we prayed with the residents after the service, I could tell that each of them had been touched. I certainly was.
The baptism of that little girl and the joy of my friend as we sang together at the nursing home struck me as something beautiful and holy. Something that witnessed the completeness of God in our lives, beginning to end. Something that cannot be and should not be laid aside. Of course, not all of the work I do as a lay minister is as compelling. There are reports to prepare, meetings to attend and generally, my effort to take some of the day to day pressure off of our clergy. But, as I perceive myself as a minister, I am in that relational role with people, sensing their needs, praying with them and for them and counseling as I feel comfortable and qualified. I tell you this; lay ministry is so much more than I expected because of how my self image has changed. It is not so much what I do as a lay minister as it is who I have become. I praise God for that sanctifying work in my life.
Joy!
Bill
This last Sunday, I was privileged to assist in the baptism of a precious little girl. I didn't do much, but being just a little part of that family's big day was absolutely incredible. That afternoon, I preached over at a local nursing home. I have been doing that for a while, and have come to really know and love those folks. My friend Tom brings the music. He is wonderfully talented and dedicates those talents to God. We pretty much sang all of the old songs suitable to Lent and Easter. For the most part, the residents pick the songs and Tom knows how to play most all of the music on his guitar. We are short on hymnals over there, so I shared a hymnal with one of the residents. I don't have a great singing voice, but something about sharing a book and singing together really filled us with an unexpected joy. The Spirit was working mightily in us and as we prayed with the residents after the service, I could tell that each of them had been touched. I certainly was.
The baptism of that little girl and the joy of my friend as we sang together at the nursing home struck me as something beautiful and holy. Something that witnessed the completeness of God in our lives, beginning to end. Something that cannot be and should not be laid aside. Of course, not all of the work I do as a lay minister is as compelling. There are reports to prepare, meetings to attend and generally, my effort to take some of the day to day pressure off of our clergy. But, as I perceive myself as a minister, I am in that relational role with people, sensing their needs, praying with them and for them and counseling as I feel comfortable and qualified. I tell you this; lay ministry is so much more than I expected because of how my self image has changed. It is not so much what I do as a lay minister as it is who I have become. I praise God for that sanctifying work in my life.
Joy!
Bill
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