Future Church

As I drove to the Stratford Community of Christ last Sunday morning, my mind wandered to the fall of 1962 and my earliest experience with this congregation. In those days, the church met in a smaller, older building, I believe on the corner of Brunswick and Waterloo. Many will no doubt have pictures of the old building, but unfortunately I do not have even one to share with you here.

I do not know when the conversation started about building a new church. My parents would have been there, but they are no longer around for me to ask. We can be certain, however, that there was not universal agreement that building a new church was a good idea. Some would have been in favour, perhaps arguing that the congregation was outgrowing thier facility. There would also have been those who thought the old building was good enough. Equally certain is that there would have been others who thought they should not spend the money for a new building; it would just be too expensive. We can be quite sure of this because the same debate raged in various cities and towns during the expansive years of the ‘60s and ‘70s. In some cases the “build a new church” folks prevailed, and in others the “stay put” folks won out. It is interesting now, some forty plus years later, to compare the vitality of the congregations that chose those two different paths.

In any event, Stratford congregation chose the future and built a lovely new church on what was then almost the edge of town. It was a good decision. As I sat in the congregation last Sunday morning, I thought about how forward thinking and visionary that decision had proven to be. The congregation meets in an attractive, comfortable and accessible facility that is well positioned for years to come.

I had several reasons for being in Stratford last Sunday morning, but the dedication of the new piano was not one of them; in fact, I didn’t even know there was a new piano. I soon learned, however, that when my cousin Keith Williamson passed away about a year ago, he left the congregation a bequest, and they had decided to use the money for a lovely new grand piano.

As the service progressed, at least 13 people took their turn playing this fine new instrument; children, youth and adults. I was astounded by the number of musicians who were there!Experience levels varied from those who were early in their learning all the way to accomplished, professional musicians, but I cannot tell you which was the more enjoyable. All played well.

It happens that I enjoy listening to music much more than I enjoy singing, so this was my kind of service. The worship was full of music played on lovely instruments; the piano teamed with flute, saxophone and voice. There was even a humorous skit that involved the piano. Oh, there were hymns to sing, but more often we were afforded the opportunity just to listen and reflect.

Perhaps it was during that reflection that the thought came to me that Stratford congregation was once again positioning itself well for the future. They have acquired a lovely piano that young and old musicians will enjoy playing for years to come. In this they have proven themselves to be just as visionary as the generations that preceded them. Good job, Stratford. You are indeed a church with a future.

Posted by Carman

Giants

I have a friend whom I have often heard say, when speaking about those who have gone before us in our faith movement, “We stand on the shoulders of giants!” I had occasion to think of that twice this past weekend, once at the funeral of Leighton Robinson, and again on Sunday while participating in the Wiarton, ON congregation of Community of Christ.

I had the great honour and privilege to read Leighton’s testimony at his funeral. His stories of healing are remarkable, and speak of the tremendous faith of this man, and that of his parents before him. It reminded me again of his father, Sam, driving from Wiarton to Stokes Bay so many Sunday mornings to bring a sermon and share his stories of faith with that little congregation. It may be partially because of him and others like him that I am who I am today.

There are many reasons why Wiarton holds a special place in my consciousness. It is the place where I can draw close to the very source of my own faith roots. In this church I can visualize my grandparents sitting in their place, paying fervent attention to the gospel message being delivered. This is the place where my father grew up. This was also the community that continuously upheld my mother and her family in prayer when she was dying at the pre-mature age of thirty-two. This is the community that surrounded her and us with their love.

The Wiarton congregation was probably the mother ship that launched several other congregations and many remarkable persons on their faith journey. It would be interesting to look at the surnames of the charter members of this congregation, and even more fascinating to know their stories. My memory, of course, does not go (quite) that far back, but I know some of the names who came after. They were the faithful, stalwart witnesses of my childhood. This list includes names like Farrow, Mason, Rydal, Leeder and Robinson to name a few, and of course there were multiple given names to go with each family name. Each of them nurtured the very marrow of the gospel in their bones, and they were always ready to share it. When I think of them, I cannot help but realize, “We stand on the shoulders of giants!”

Having spent this few moments looking back, it now seems appropriate to invest a moment or two in looking forward. What of those who come after us? When they look back, who will they see as being of critical importance in their faith journey? Will it be you? Will it be me? Will the testimony of our lives provide strength and stability, a place where they can grow to discover their own relationship with God? Will our testimonies and examples help them find or plant their own roots in the fertile fields of God's generous grace?

This morning I ask you two questions. Who are the giants upon whose shoulders you stand? Who is looking to you to provide a shoulder upon which they can depend?

Posted by Carman

History

This past weekend was the first ever gathering and training session of Canada East Mission’s new team of Mission Advocates and Bishops. They met around tables in Kitchener congregation’s fellowship hall to begin to better understand their new roles. The group spent two days listening to presentations, asking questions, suggesting answers, exploring, imagining, discerning and visioning together, all in search of understanding. They also shared in considerable joy and laughter. At the end of that time, it began to feel like we were writing on a new page in the history of Canada East Mission. Indeed we were.

Why was this meeting that important? There are probably several ways to answer that question, but I am thinking of one in particular this morning. This gathering represents a change in our approach to leadership in our mission centre. It is a change born of necessity, but it is also the right approach for our time.

The “necessity” was brought about by changing financial realities. In years past, we often looked to outside experts for guidance and leadership. We expected World Church to send us leaders to teach us about what we should do. If the people we needed were not available, we would simply hire local experts and look to the World Church budget to train and pay them. There is certainly value in that model, and we will continue to draw on the expertise of world church leaders in the future, albeit in a different way, probably in the form of guest ministry rather than resident experts.

We all know that in recent years the World Church budget has contracted and there is not as much money available, so the mission centre staff has grown smaller. We have gone from six or more specialists who were available to travel and support congregations to three, and soon we will be down to two. Because both of these positions are largely administrative, there is little time or opportunity to travel to congregations. Hence, the need for a change. Who will support the congregations as they go about their mission? Who will provide that vital link between World Church and congregations? Who will be there to help pastors, congregational financial officers and others when they need assistance?

The answer lies in recognizing that God has provided many people in our mission centre, called and available, to fulfill these vital roles. They are ministers of vision and ministers of generosity. These women and men have stepped forward and are ready to serve with energy and love. As they begin their work, they are gaining confidence in their God given giftedness and calling. They will serve well. I look forward with a growing sense of excitement as these leaders begin their work.

History has turned a page, and these new leaders are writing our story. Praise God!

Posted by Carman

Flaws

Here we are a couple of weeks into the New Year and still talking about our resolutions. It does seem to be a topic the media have a hard time to put down. Radio, tv, newspapers, even facebook continues to offer me ads about fixing my unsuitable tummy. Now I'm not opposed to folks trying to live healthy or improve their habits, be more fit, eat organic...whatever.

My problem is just how much everyone seems to be so focused on their flaws! I mean, really, what happened to our enduring values about the worth of all persons (and that includes ourselves, by the way), our belief that we're all called according to our gifts? And to me that really, seriously implies that we all have gifts.

Yesterday Carman was celebrating a bright new beginning; and Matthew reminded us that we're all at the beginning of something. He's right you know. Our challenge is to see that for ourselves, to imagine ourselves into that new future. There are people ready to help us find a direction and start to plan strategies to get it.

But as long as we're focusing on who we're not or how we're flawed in some way, we're going to have a much harder time imagining that very fine future.

I know I've talked about this with you before. Do you remember this? Whether it's a personal thing or a congregational thing we'll spend lots less time and effort achieving our vision for a bright future if we focus on our gifts and our worth rather than focusing on our flaws. May I count on you?

Posted by Marion

Day-dreaming

I recently participated in a workshop where we were invited to day-dream about our ideal church congregation. We were encouraged to visualize a church community, not as it is but as it could become in ten to twenty years. We were told not to worry about whether it was an actual congregation or an imaginary one; we were simply invited to picture the highest ideal of what that congregation might look like that we could possibly imagine.

Accordingly, in response to this instruction, some began to converse together, some began to think silently, and others began to write. I was in the latter group, and here is what I wrote.

¨ Congregation = Community

¨ Open 24/7 maybe?¨

Ideal – a centre of active, swirling energy

o Community based

§ Feeding the hungry

§ Counseling

§ Comforting, loving, accepting

§ Safe for children and youth

§ Fellowship for seniors

§ Sharing and being Jesus

I studied my list for a few moments, and came to a startling realization about what was missing. Was this an oversight? No, it simply wasn't there! I reflected on this for a few moments and then wrote in brackets at the bottom,

(note: Does not necessarily involve Sunday a.m. worship!)

It was an interesting and somewhat surprising exercise.

So let me invite you, dear reader, to do a little day-dreaming of your own. What would your ideal congregation look like? If you could start from scratch and grow a church over 20 years, what would you see? I have posted my thoughts here for all to see. Are you willing to share your ideal with the rest of us?

Posted by Carman

Congregation-less

Several times in recent years I have heard people say, “This is my congregation.” In each case, the congregation in question was a reunion. The speaker was usually someone who feels a very real connection to the church, but no real connection to a congregation. It is no longer uncommon to hear statements like, “This is my community.”

There are probably as many stories behind such statements as there are people who utter them, however the reasons behind this trend are not the subject of this blog. It is the trend itself that interests me. It seems to me I am hearing that statement more and more frequently, and at several different reunions. If increasing numbers of people continue to find meaning (or life, energy, spirit, joy, hope, love or peace) in the reunion experience but not in the congregations, then the congregation’s days are numbered. What would that mean for the church? Is that the future? Could the church survive without congregations? I am having difficulty imagining how.

It is quite possible for people not to attend a congregation but still feel committed to the worldwide church community. Already I know several such persons. Some are diligent readers of church materials, and their spiritual practice may well be exemplary. I suspect some are faithful tithe payers to world church or other levels of church life. Some also give generously to organizations such as World Accord and consider that their tithing. The one common denominator appears to be that they just don’t find it meaningful to go to church.

It is not my intention here to be critical or sit in judgment on people in this situation. That is not my job and I have no interest in doing that. I do have interest in the trend, however, and its implications for the future. I don’t know that any of the people who follow What’s the Good Word? are in this situation, but if so, I would love to hear from you. If you are not in that boat yourself, you probably know someone who is.

What are your thoughts on this? Could the church survive with reunions but no congregations? If so, for how long? Would it go past the second generation? Would such a fellowship be enough community for you?

Questions by Carman

Pastor

This week we have been having a fascinating conversation about church. It began with Tuesday’s post entitled Distinctives, and continued with Marion’s Wednesday’s post, Wisdom.

That conversation continues, and this morning I am thinking about a central figure in this discussion; the pastor. After all, it was the vision, and the passionate sense of calling of the pastor of the congregation described in Distinctives that brought that church to new life.

The stimulus for this morning’s pondering is probably Ann’s comment yesterday about paid pastors. Add to that, the situation of two of our congregations that are having difficulty finding a pastor, and you have the making of a whole lot of questions. Is a full-time, paid pastor the answer? We have that now in one CEM congregation. Is that the way we need to go in others?

Any conversation about paid pastors quickly leads to talking about money. For easy figuring, let’s assume we pay our pastor a modest salary of $50,000 per year. Add in the cost of benefits and pension contributions, then throw in a little expense money, and that quickly brings us to a total cost of $75,000 or more. How would we pay for that?

Fifteen years ago, a young woman of our acquaintance began attending a new church in Waterloo, ON. If memory serves, that congregation was started by eight families, each of whom pledged to give $10,000 a year for five years. Allowing a little for inflation, lets round that figure up to $1,000/month. Would you be willing to give that amount to cover the cost of a pastor?

At the recent World Conference, the Presiding Bishops provided some helpful facts. Eighty percent of church members give 20% of World Mission Tithes, and Twenty percent of members give the other 80%. Further, the average giving by the first eighty percent is $200/year while the twenty percent who carry the load gives $2,200. Of course that is only “World Mission Tithes,” so the total giving by both groups is at least double, but it still doesn’t seem like a lot of money does it?

Paid pastors are not the answer for many of our congregations, but it may be for some. If you think full-time pastors are the way of the future, are you willing to increase your giving to support that?

Please join this fascinating conversation!

Posted by Carman

180

The day of this writing is April 6, 2010. It won’t actually appear in What’s the Good Word until tomorrow, April 7, and those readers who subscribe by email probably won’t receive it until April 8. I don't know why, but even with rapid technology, some forms of communication just take longer I guess!

Today is exactly 180 years after the founding meeting of our church, the Community of Christ. Happy 180th Anniversary!

The world has changed a lot in the 180 years since 1830. We can still recognize remnants of that world, thanks to books, movies and our Old Order Mennonite neighbours. For most of us, however, the world of horse and buggy has been left far behind.

It is pretty easy to recognize that our world, the world of cell phones and satellites was totally unimaginable to even the most far-sighted inhabitants of that day. The idea of having a little device in your pocket that would allow you to talk, text or tweet with other people all the way round the world would simply be too fantastic to contemplate.

All this makes one wonder what amazing things will be everyday reality 180 years from now. For most of us, just like our ancestors, that world is probably just too fantastic to contemplate!

Between looking back 180 years and looking forward the same amount, we stand right in the middle. We are exactly where we need to be. We dare not live in the past, and we cannot live in the future. We can only live in the here and now.

All of this reminds me of a Charlie Brown comic strip I saw once. I share it with you here as a smile for the day. Charlie Brown was visiting Lucy in her “Doctor’s office” and was apparently depressed about his lot in life. Lucy said to him, “Charlie Brown, this is the only world you know, right? As far as you know, this is the only world there is, is that correct?” To these enquiries, Charlie Brown agreed. Lucy then shouted in a voice that knocked him completely off his chair, “THEN LIVE IN IT!”

Happy Anniversary, fellow time travelers!

Posted by Carman

Generations

Not many years ago the church’s youngest appointee came from Canada East. I well recall feeling a sense of pride as one of our young people spoke with passion and eloquence in support of the World Conference resolution endorsing the UN statement on Rights of the Child. We’ve been proud of young adults who’ve directed our reunions and we rely on the hundreds (Yes, that’s the right word!) of young adults who make our camping program possible. Young adults are bringing us their traveling ministry; they’re integral parts of important boards and committees across the Mission and in their congregations.

Why then do we also collectively hold the certain awareness that senior high students will go away to school and never return to home congregations? Leadership positions come open, wise elders look around at empty pews and, yet again, step into those roles for the sake of the survival of the community. Everywhere we go we hear the question “where are our young people?” and we bemoan the future of the church.

Yet, young campers long for that single week in the distant next summer when they’ll reconnect with friends once again. Carman has shared his experience with Gracelanders who do long to serve the church they care deeply about. Have they really become invisible to us? Or have they truly gone missing?

Here is our paradox. We have many congregations with aging leaders and young adults who stay away, and young adults who want to serve but feel they will never have the chance. This paradox is what we in CEM want to address with our 2020 Vision Goal #1: Young Adult Leader Empowerment (YALE). We are determined to tackle the challenge to bring our passionate and capable young people into positions of genuine authority and opportunity.

We must get intentional about handing off and supporting the direction younger leaders want to go. We need to give them the training, the experience, the opportunity they need to truly lead our congregations of the future, the congregations of the present.
Maybe it’s time for you to examine your own ideas and attitudes toward the next generation around you. Can you see who the next leaders should be? What if those leaders do something or suggest a direction that isn’t what we’re used to? Are you ready to respond with a heartfelt “let’s give it a try”?

It’s time to take this goal seriously. We don’t even think it’s too late. But we need you to make this your goal too, whatever your age or generation. We need you to do some things, maybe even many things, differently. And we intend to help you.

We’d love to hear from you; how are you committing to Goal #1: Young Adult Leader Empowerment?

Posted by Marion

Leaders

In no particular order, let me share a few names with you.

Renee, Grant, Sarah, Andrew, Kevin, Heather, Annie, Joe, Derek, Keira, Alysa, Rachel, Bryce, Karen, Aaron, Kyle, Lija, Lauren, Lisa, Serenity, Duane, Christopher, Rebecca, Meredith, Marc, Jordan, Ryan, Robyn, Matthew, Irena, Taffia, Adam, Kristin, Scott, Dariq,
Tamara, Alfredo, Mark, Natasha, Rachel, Jon, Christine, Shawn…

These are but a few of the names of young adults we have observed leading, and wanting to lead, in Canada East Mission. The list is no where near a complete list. These young leaders are honing their skills, helping where they can, and looking for places they can fit in to offer their ministry. They are exceptional, outstanding young leaders. They do not know everything, but then again, who does? They have ideas, energy, enthusiasm, and a willingness to try. You will, no doubt be able to think of more names when you put your mind to it.

(Young Adults, if you don’t find your name here, the fault is mine, not yours. We have not forgotten you!)

Young adult leaders also have frustration. Some have grown disillusioned, reporting not being listened to in their congregation, and sometimes not even being seen. Some have quit attending church, but will travel long distances to serve in our camping community, often at great personal sacrifice.

Still, they are here, they are willing, and they are able. They are the reason Young Adult Leader Empowerment (YALE) is the number one goal of Canada East Mission in the coming decade. It is number one in importance, not merely first on the list. We are blessed with a wealth of fine, young adult leaders. They may think, act, and dress a little differently than you (or not), but we definitely need their energy and ideas.

At Canada East Mission, we are looking hard for the young adults who will lead us into the next decade. We will be giving them important assignments, even if it seems they’re not really ready. Don’t be surprised. If you believe in this goal, we’ll need you to back us up. Out loud, and with real commitment.

We believe the future, under their leadership, will be amazing. Are you ready to give them a chance? Who are the young adults you are mentoring to fill your leadership roles?

Momentum

If one were going to sail across the universe on a voyage of discovery, the journey would begin with several years of activity before the ship ever left the gravitational confines of earth. There would be the need to design and build an appropriate space craft, or at the very least modify and fit an existing one. A crew or staff would need to be recruited, trained, and prepared. We would need to make lists of the tools required. We might even need to create those tools, and then teach the crew how to use them. A long list of supplies would be formulated, collected, and stored. Test flights would need to be taken to see if the vehicle was really up to the rigors of the journey. The list of things needing to be done would go on and on.

It feels like an apt metaphor for CEM. The past week saw several important steps in preparing for that kind of voyage for Canada East Mission of Community of Christ. We are preparing for a journey of discovery and transformation; a courageous trip into the future. Once we embark, the voyage will change us, and there will be no going back to the old and familiar.

A lot has happened in the past week. The twelve pastors in our first CEM CPI cohort met together for a week of formation studies in order to prepare and equip themselves to be better ministers and leaders. The directors of our camps, reunions, and retreats met together for a weekend to talk about how to design safer, better, more effective camps. Our new Camping Commission met together for the first time to begin discussing how our training programs might be able to go to the next level. The “Merrie Bande of Bishops” met with CEM leaders to begin creating a map that will take us where we need to go. There is activity. There is building momentum.

In President Grant McMurray’s famous sermon a decade ago when he launched Transformation 2000, he challenged us with the following words. “We are packed and ready for the journey. Will you come?” In CEM we are not yet packed, but we are preparing. Workers are needed for the crew. Would you like to come aboard?

Team

Those of you who were at Mission Conference on Saturday will have noticed--at least I hope you did--that our team is expanding.

While we've certainly felt the impact of recent cuts to our finances and have had to reduce staff significantly, our response has been to reach out to enlist other parts of our team. You saw many of them in action at conference. You've heard of others who are picking up new duties and will be taking their places on our expanding team.

There will be growing pains as we transition to working from "away" or finding our way with a new committee or unfamiliar duties. As our"public" you may experience these as something less than seamless. That's just the way it is.

But let's give each other space to get comfortable with new roles. Let's celebrate just how many competent people are willing to step up and take on responsibilities. Give them your thanks. Give them helpful feedback. Give them time to learn.

Consider what new or different role you might take on yourself and let us know.

And celebrate with us what a great job we're all going to do as we create our wonderful future together.

Yeah Team!

Rear-view mirror

One thing I've noticed at some of the reunions I've visited (and some congregations as well) is the tendency to dwell in the rear-view mirror. It gets just too easy for some of our wise elders to get into the swing of reminiscing and praising the ancestors who made "this wonderful place possible."

Unfortunately, however true and right the things they're saying, the mood does get a tad nostalgic and the message heard by younger ears is closer to: those days were better, past is good, present is not, future is unlikely!

Those are NOT the messages we want planted in those young ears, believe me!

Sometimes it seems to take a real effort to get older eyes turned away from the past and focusing forward -- to the future to which we are called. I really appreciated Don Robb's efforts in the Erie Beach adult class to remind us that the real reason we're here is not to celebrate the past so much as to speak of our vision for a better future.

The message to be putting in front of all those youth and children who truly ARE here in our midst is one of hope and confidence that together, we and they, can indeed create the peaceable kingdom but it's going to take work. And we can do it, working together.

Youth love to hear testimonies of real experiences with the Divine in your past and in your present, and they need to hear your hope for the future. If we get too focused on the rear-view mirror exclusively, we may just find ourselves riding alone.