ImperfectChurches.org

I just met with a man in a nursing home who is facing a major medical challenge.  He has also been sober and in AA for over 30 years.  He told me about how he was handling this challenge.   I suggested that AA helps people to face their challenges.  He said it helps you to face life.   He told me that he was avoiding life and growing up when he was drinking.  When he got sober and started working on the 12 steps he said he started facing life and growing up.  He said it was then that he started being responsible for himself.   I walked away hoping that I would have the same kind of courage he has in the situation he is in.  I also went away with the hope that the church would be able to help people face life and deal with challenges in the same way.   God is good and he wants good things for us and from us all.

I just got back from a trip to Dubuque Iowa. I was presenting a seminar for the Sacred Practice Leadership series which is a program sponsored by the Alban Institute and the Center for Renewal. I presented with another Alban author named Karen McClintock. We spoke about the spiritual practice of healthy relationships. Karen was great to work with and it was a joy to be a part of this program. There were people there from a variety of denominations. There were Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Reformed Church of America, Southern Baptists, A Mennonite Pastor, and at least one from the United Church of Christ. It was a great group of people and we had a great time exploring themes related to healthy relationships with God and each other. I focused my presentations on what it means to be honest with God and what it means to be an “Honest to God Church.” It is interesting to think about how honesty regarding the issues in our lives helps us to have better relationships with God and each other.

I was paying for my coffee at Cumberland Farms a few weeks ago, and I noticed that they were selling cigarette lighters at the counter.  I did not need one, but I was looking at the sayings and pictures on them.  One said, “I have Issues.”  This made me laugh and I pointed it out to the cashier.  She laughed as well and said “yea, who doesn’t.”  Then I thought about how this would make a good t-shirt.  I went on line and found a site where you can design your own t-shirt.  I made one that says, “I have issues” on the front and “My help comes from the Lord” – Psalm 121:2  on the back.

My denomination won a grant from the Lily foundation on sustaining pastoral excellence. This focus on excellence has been an interesting one for our clergy and churches. I remember one setting where the pastors of our churches wanted to strive for “effectiveness” rather than “excellence.” For me the key is distinguishing between “excellence” and “perfection.” Churches and pastors that strive for perfection often fail or fall. Churches and pastors that strive for excellence rather than perfection place themselves in a better position to thrive. Striving for perfection can be demoralizing, because perfection is impossible. Striving for excellence ought to be encouraging and exhilarating.

I have included a link for the Sacred Practices Leadership Series. This is a two year program for clergy and lay leaders that I am helping with. It is a program which is in part sponsored by the Alban Institute and the Center for Renewal. The focus is on spiritual practices and their impact on effective leadership within our churches. See my blog roll for the link.

One of the key things I have been focusing on at my new church is communication. I think that avoiding triangular relationships with others and being “triangled” by others is a key step to improving communication. Church people need to learn how to interact with each other in direct ways. People need to stop talking about each other and they need to learn how to talk with each other. We need to be willing to have difficult discussions with each other. I love the church I am currently serving. I have enjoyed getting to know the people and I am enjoying the opportunity to help the people to work more productively together. My hope for churches in general is that they will “challenge the church monster” by having the difficult discussions that need to take place between individuals in the leadership and the membership of our congregations.

I had a meeting yesterday to talk about the Sacred Practice Leadership Series that I am involved with. I am one of the presenters in this program. There are six sacred practices that we are focusing on: visioning, discernment, relationship, prayers, proclamation, and service. I am presenting on the Practice of Relationship with Karen McClintock who wrote a book on “Healthy Disclosure.” I will be focusing on material from my book “The Honest to God Church.” The interesting thing about this program is that the participants will be participating in six weekends over a two year process. This is a cooperative program being presented by the Alban Institute and the Center for Renewal. The other presenters will be Carol Merritt, Craig Nessan, Anthony Robinson, Graham Standish, Dick Bruesehoff, Jane Vennard, Lillian Daniel, Craig van Gelder, George Hunsberger, and Susan Briehl.

I was officially installed as the new senior pastor of the Evangelical Covenant Church in Attleboro, Massachusetts yesterday. This is the imperfect church I am now serving. I left one imperfect church to begin serving another imperfect church. We are off to a good start. It has been fun getting to know each other and to share in worship and ministry during this early stage in our relationship as pastor and congregation. There is a lot of excitement that comes with a new beginning like this, but what I am most excited about cannot be rushed. It is what comes when trust is established and this cannot be achieved in the first few weeks or months. My sense is this takes years. My hope and prayer is that God will help me to be the person and pastor he wants me to be and that I will be able to serve this imperfect congregation as faithfully as I can — given all of my personal imperfections. We are all sinful and broken human beings in need of God’s grace and in need of sharing God’s grace with others through the worship and ministries of our imperfect churches.

My primary focus at my new church has been getting to know the staff and getting to know the people.  I am getting to know the staff through staff meetings and working together.  The primary way I am trying to get to know the people is through “focus groups.”  These are groups of people who get together with me.  I ask them to share their stories as they relate to the church.  Then I ask them to share about what they value most at the church. Then I ask them to share about their hopes for the future or what they sense God is leading us into.  It has been fun and exciting to get to know the church through these meetings and to discover what their values and priorities are.

I have had 8-10 of these meetings so far and they have been very helpful.  I am beginning to feel more settled and a part of this church because of these meetings.  The other night I was talking with a long term member of Salem Covenant Church, where I served for 15 years.  She was reflecting on my new beginning in Attleboro and said, “You know what I think was helpful?”  I said, “No, what.”  She said, “it was those meetings you had with us when you first arrived 15 years ago.”  She was referring to these focus groups.  I use these meetings to get to know the church and to establish a vision for our congregation.  It is helping me and I hope it is helpful for our church in general.

The month of August has been a bit of a blur. On August 2 & 3 we celebrated 15 years of ministry at Salem Covenant Church in Washington, Connecticut. It was a great weekend filled with a lot of emotion and appreciation. Then on Tuesday the moving trucks came and packed our house. On Wednesday we drove two cars, two kids, and a dog to Attleboro. On Thursday we closed on our house. On Friday the trucks arrived with all of our belongings. Then on Sunday I preached my first sermon in Attleboro. It has been a whirlwind. However, we are settling in and we are confident that this is the place God wants us to be during this season of our lives. Transitions are difficult, but there is something good about a new beginning. I am currently preaching a sermon series on new beginnings. It feels particularly appropriate for me and my new church.