Last fall, your finance committee met and painstakingly put a budget together. Every department was asked to either cut costs somehow, or at least not add any costs. Times are tight, you know. Stewardship kicked off their fall campaign, and urged everyone to step up their pledges so the budget could be met. However, the pledges were less than the year before. Times are tight, you know. Churches generally figure that the pledges represent about 70% of what actually is donated, and when the total of the pledges plus the anticipated 30% don’t add up to the budget requirements, folks start talking about stepping out in faith. The budget gets adopted, no one loses their job and ministries continue as planned. However, as the new year progresses, the reality sinks in as the expenses exceed the income and red ink covers the financial report. The budget is in shambles. Times are tight, you know.
Does this sound like your church? I don’t know of any churches where the situation has been much different. It is especially true this time of year as attendance falls off and folks don’t pay as much attention to their giving. For some churches that have few reserves, the situation can be critical as there is not enough money to pay the bills and keep the ministries going forward.
Stewardship is uniquely in the hands of the laity. It is not up to the pastor. It is our church and our responsibility to give sufficiently to keep the ministries going. How can we approach money issues in a healthy way? Like everything good that we do, we turn to Scripture. From a Biblical perspective, we are to offer our first fruits to God. Not the surplus, not the leftovers and not the stuff that we would otherwise just toss out. We give the first and the best. The reason is clear. If we are to love God with all of our heart, soul and mind, our offering has to reflect that kind of love. We can start with the Old Testament, but quickly remember what Jesus had to say on the subject. Jesus reminded us many times that we are not to hoard money and possessions, but rather store up treasures for heaven. We are not talking about St. Peter’s ATM either. We are talking about the joy and blessing we have from supporting God’s work. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” That is pretty clear.
You might be saying, “Yes, Bill, I know that. But how do I find money in an already lean bank account?” Betsy Schwarzentraub has written a little article that is posted on the GBOD website under “Stewardship” called “First Fruits Living”. Betsy writes about attitude and spirit, and how we might prioritize by offering first fruits to God, and let all else follow, especially the blessings that come from such an attitude. This style of living is not so much about money as it is about how we spend our time and what relationships we build. Here is an example. I used to play golf just as often as I could. By the time I slipped out of the office, (or played on the weekend), hit some practice balls, had a quick sandwich from the grill, played the round and then hashed it over and settled the bets in the 19th hole, 6 hours were typically gone. If we played an out of town course, it was more like 8 hours. With the cost of the round, golf balls, constantly updating the equipment, a desperately needed lesson now and again (not counting the lost wagers—I was not very good), I spent some money. I also developed relationships with my golfing buddies and even structured vacations so that I could play some nice courses here and there. You can see that golf was a priority that had nothing to do with first fruits living. It did not make me a terrible person, and the guys I played golf with are real good people. But if I was playing golf and spending my time, money and relationship building doing that, the church and my family were getting second best from me. I finally realized that if I was going to get serious about serving God, I had to take a hard look at my priorities. I have some old golf clubs in the garage if you need some. I cannot honestly say that I have fully developed a first fruits attitude, but I sure am more intentional about how I spend my time and money.
Changing attitudes takes some time. One of the quickest ways to help the church and yourself get through the financial doldrums of the summer is to emphasize electronic funds transfer (“EFT”). It is really simple. Your church should have a little card whereby you direct your bank to automatically withdraw a set amount each month and pay it over to the church. No searching for checkbooks on Sunday morning and no worries about making an offering while you are on vacation. The money, your first fruits, comes right off of the top each month. The church knows that it can depend on you just as surely you know that you can depend on God. Studies show that churches that offer EFT have a steadier and better rate of giving, especially during the summer. The lay leaders can have an EFT campaign any time of the year.
There is quite a temptation for the lay leadership to go before the congregation and point out how far behind we are in the budget. We get focused on the church’s need for money and lose focus on our need for the church’s ministries. People tend to give generously to causes they believe in. It is up to the laity to make the church a cause that folks can get behind. We do that by reminding the congregation of how our church does ministry that changes lives. We use the offertory call as an opportunity to celebrate ministries. Stewardship is a year round discussion and is not reserved for the fall campaign. Moreover, it is a festival of God’s work through and in our church.
If the budget has been a wreck so far this year, then it is time to celebrate how much we love God and our church. Give everyone an EFT card and help them understand how that little piece of cardboard can be an expression of a first fruits attitude. Talk about the ways your church has changed lives in the community and in the congregation. Develop an attitude of abundance, not of scarcity when it comes to the work of the church. Don’t treat the finances of the church like a wake, but rather have a fiesta as we give generously, even extravagantly, to do God’s work.
Joy!
Bill
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Conference!
I am just back (and recovering) from the Southwest Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, and thought I might share a little with you. Even if you are not United Methodist, I would be willing to wager a bit that most large church conferences are just about the same. The Southwest Texas Annual Conference has approximately 1,500 lay and clergy delegates, representing about 350 churches. The territory includes the Corpus Christi coastal area, down to Harlingen and picking up a large part of the Rio Grande River area, up to San Angelo, across the Hill Country to Kerrville, down a little to Austin and all around San Antonio and Victoria. It is a large and diverse area. It is a fun bunch of Christians. There are a few “mega churches”, many, many small chapels and every size in between. We have ethnic diversity among and within these churches and there is a mix of wealthy and not so wealthy congregations. The big equalizer is our “Connection” through which we all care for each other, support one another and share resources. Our pastors are appointed rather than called and usually spend around six years with a congregation before being moved to another congregation. Sometimes longer, sometimes shorter, but always in the tradition of the itinerant pastor.
We have the usual business sessions at Conference where we vote to fill our numerous conference committees, adopt a budget and hear reports. Some of the reports are very exciting, and there are a few that are not so much. I looked around the room one afternoon and I might have seen a few people dozing and I am pretty sure several of the clergy were writing Sunday’s sermon. I must admit that my eye lids drooped a few times. The sessions last from early to sometimes late, and we meet from Wednesday afternoon to about noon on Saturday. We don’t get as much sleep as we like and that is a long time for me to be away from home. So, why do I go? I go for the spiritual refreshment. I go to see friends I have not seen since last Conference. I go to learn how to do ministry better. I go to learn what the churches in the Southwest Conference have done during the past year and what they plan to do this coming year. I go so that I can worship God in a beautiful setting, with friends old and new.
The Conference usually structures itself around a theme. In our General Conference (all of the United Methodist churches), we are focusing on “Re-Think Church”. That means that we are considering how we can reach new people in new places. At our Conference, we are working on “Developing Principled Christian Leaders for the Church and the World” and our Bishop Dorff saw the theme as “Creating a Culture of Growth”. Not just in numbers, but growth in our leadership abilities. All that we do is based in Scripture and John 12:24 became a focal point for the Conference.
“I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”
In our context, that means that we have to invest ourselves in order that we grow and become fruitful in our ministry. As you can imagine, the preachers, musicians, choirs, speakers, dancers and others planning worship and events were able to mine the imagery from this Scripture to create great sermons, music and presentations. I must say that we had some lively worship services. The Rev. Tyrone Gordon from St. Luke’s Community UMC in Dallas is one of the more dynamic preachers you will ever hear.
I came away from this Conference with a better understanding of the role of leadership in our church and how good leadership in every aspect of the church is critical to making disciples. As laity, not only do we lead our churches, but we must be vigilant in identifying and cultivating the leadership potential in others. The preachers and the presenters pointed out that strong principled leadership is required if we are going to be successful in planting new churches, conducting stewardship and capital campaigns, offering quality Christian education and of course, having dynamic, life changing worship. Good leadership requires personal growth in prayer, reading and understanding Scripture, better strategic planning, embracing the diversity of our congregations, building consensus and avoiding destructive and divisive courses of action. I believe that we have to take advantage of educational opportunities and invite others to join us. I think we have to challenge each other to embrace Bishop Schnase’s concepts of radical hospitality, passionate worship, intentional faith development, risk taking mission and service and extravagant generosity(1).
It is going to be an exciting church year, filled with possibilities.
Joy!
Bill
(1) Robert Schnase “Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations” Nashville: Abington Press 2007
We have the usual business sessions at Conference where we vote to fill our numerous conference committees, adopt a budget and hear reports. Some of the reports are very exciting, and there are a few that are not so much. I looked around the room one afternoon and I might have seen a few people dozing and I am pretty sure several of the clergy were writing Sunday’s sermon. I must admit that my eye lids drooped a few times. The sessions last from early to sometimes late, and we meet from Wednesday afternoon to about noon on Saturday. We don’t get as much sleep as we like and that is a long time for me to be away from home. So, why do I go? I go for the spiritual refreshment. I go to see friends I have not seen since last Conference. I go to learn how to do ministry better. I go to learn what the churches in the Southwest Conference have done during the past year and what they plan to do this coming year. I go so that I can worship God in a beautiful setting, with friends old and new.
The Conference usually structures itself around a theme. In our General Conference (all of the United Methodist churches), we are focusing on “Re-Think Church”. That means that we are considering how we can reach new people in new places. At our Conference, we are working on “Developing Principled Christian Leaders for the Church and the World” and our Bishop Dorff saw the theme as “Creating a Culture of Growth”. Not just in numbers, but growth in our leadership abilities. All that we do is based in Scripture and John 12:24 became a focal point for the Conference.
“I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”
In our context, that means that we have to invest ourselves in order that we grow and become fruitful in our ministry. As you can imagine, the preachers, musicians, choirs, speakers, dancers and others planning worship and events were able to mine the imagery from this Scripture to create great sermons, music and presentations. I must say that we had some lively worship services. The Rev. Tyrone Gordon from St. Luke’s Community UMC in Dallas is one of the more dynamic preachers you will ever hear.
I came away from this Conference with a better understanding of the role of leadership in our church and how good leadership in every aspect of the church is critical to making disciples. As laity, not only do we lead our churches, but we must be vigilant in identifying and cultivating the leadership potential in others. The preachers and the presenters pointed out that strong principled leadership is required if we are going to be successful in planting new churches, conducting stewardship and capital campaigns, offering quality Christian education and of course, having dynamic, life changing worship. Good leadership requires personal growth in prayer, reading and understanding Scripture, better strategic planning, embracing the diversity of our congregations, building consensus and avoiding destructive and divisive courses of action. I believe that we have to take advantage of educational opportunities and invite others to join us. I think we have to challenge each other to embrace Bishop Schnase’s concepts of radical hospitality, passionate worship, intentional faith development, risk taking mission and service and extravagant generosity(1).
It is going to be an exciting church year, filled with possibilities.
Joy!
Bill
(1) Robert Schnase “Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations” Nashville: Abington Press 2007
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Comings and Goings
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
(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 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
Friday, April 16, 2010
Taize Worship
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
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
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
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