Sheep

Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff- they comfort me.
Your prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.

Somehow I have never thought of myself as a sheep. In all the years I have been reading the 23rd Psalm, the full impact of that simile always eluded me. At least that was true until recently when along with the CPI pastors I was invited to dwell in that word.

Perhaps it was listening to a farmer who raises these animals and his assertion that 'sheep are the dumbest creatures on God's green earth' that had made me blind to the psalmist's intention. Or, perhaps it is from being involved in ministry for the past 45 years that I have tended to see myself in the pastor/shepherd role rather than that of the sheep. Still, when you really look at it, this psalm makes clear the shepherd to sheep relationship, and identifies which side of that equation we are on. We are the sheep, or more specifically, I am the sheep.

The interesting thing about this realization is that it is okay, in fact it is downright wonderful. Aren't there times, probably a lot more than we care to admit, when we need to lie down in green pastures beside still waters until our souls are restored? Aren't there times, especially for people who are involved in caring for others, when we need to be fed and nourished? Don't each of us sometimes need the oil of blessings to be poured over our heads?

It is a privilege to be able to give ministry for the benefit of others, but there are also times when we need to be able (and willing) to receive. When our cup is empty, when our bodies are weary and our minds exhausted, we need to recognize that we are not and cannot be the shepherd of the world. In such times it is good to accept the role of sheep and have our own needs supplied.

Perhaps if more of us did that a little more frequently, we could do a better job of staying on the "right paths" and avoiding the dangerous and rocky road that leads to burnout gulch.

Posted by Carman

Completed!

CPI Pastors and Instructors, Fall 2011

Three years ago, a group of twelve pastors from seven congregations in Canada East Mission came together for the first time. The twelve were enrolled in CEM's pilot of the Co-missioned Pastor Initiative, or CPI for short. They met that first weekend at Crieff Hills, a retreat centre owned by the Presbyterian Church just East of Cambridge, ON. Also present as guest instructor was Apostle Mary Jacks Dynes along with program leaders Marion Smith and Doug Bolger, plus MCFO Mike Hewitt and (then) MCP Carman Thompson. It was the beginning of a remarkable journey.

Since that time, the group has met together on six additional occasions for a weekend study each spring and a week long session each fall. They have had opportunity to meet and learn from a wonderful group of instructors including Becky Savage of the 1st Presidency, Jim Poirier now of the Presiding Bishopric, (then) Dean of the Seminary Don Compier, Field Apostolic Assistant for Central and South America Mission Field Arthur Smith, Evangelist and Spiritual Director Marvin Rice and many more. Together they have studied theology, personal spiritual practice, Biblical exegesis, Congregational management and approaches to congregational mission just to name a few of their subjects. They have learned together, supported one another, and challenged each other to succeed.

This past weekend the group returned to Crieff Hills where it all began. This time their instructors were Apostle Susan Skoor and President of Seventy Kris Judd, along with Carman Thompson, now Field Apostolic Assistant to Susan Skoor. Also present were CEM president Tim Stanlick, MCFO Mike Hewitt, and program leaders Doug Bolger and Marion Smith. The topic was mission. It seemed a fitting lesson on which to graduate.

Then, all of a sudden it was over! The pilot program has been completed, and this group of twelve join four others in the CEM CPI alumni. The mission centre is blessed to have them, but where did that three years go?

The group learned a lot, of course, and we know they are better pastors and ministers as a result. The mission centre has also learned a lot, and will apply that learning to future endeavors already in the planning stage. You can expect to see and hear more information on that at some future time, but not now. Now is the time to savour this moment of accomplishment for our twelve graduates. They have worked hard. They have studied many books, and were sent away with another one tucked into their bulging cases. For the pastors, it is one more day in a lifetime of learning.

Congratulations CPI graduates. We are proud of you, and look forward to years of ministry that will be all the richer for this remarkable time together.

Posted by Carman

Shepherds

I have shared previously in Whats the Good Word that my morning quiet time has brought me to a review of the writings of the prophet Jeremiah in the Hebrew scriptures. This morning I am thinking about the shepherds in Jer. 23:1-4. Jeremiah used the term “shepherd” in a different way than we normally do today, so perhaps that is the place to start.

For me, and perhaps for you, the image of the shepherd is coloured by years of Christmas pageants and the many idealized and romanticized paintings of Jesus the Good Shepherd we are probably all familiar with. In the gospels, Jesus uses this pastoral image to describe his own role. This must have been quite jarring to the people of his day, since shepherds were not the normal, ideal role model for a teacher/rabbi.

Jeremiah uses the image of the shepherd to refer to the kings of Israel and Judah. The author blames the rulers of the nations for destroying and scattering the sheep, referring to the invasion of King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian captivity. In this text, the scattering of the sheep is a direct result of not being faithful to God and allowing the people to chase after other deities.

Today it is common to use the image of shepherd interchangeably with that of the pastor. The pastor/shepherd is one who watches out for and cares about the well-being of the congregation, the people within her/his care. Rather than destroy or scatter the flock, the pastor is expected to protect the sheep, see that they are spiritually fed and nourished, and generally tend to their needs.

Perhaps the oldest question in Scripture is “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9) Am I expected to guard, protect, or attend to those around me? The testimony of both Jeremiah and Jesus is a resounding YES! The thing all of the above images have in common is the idea that we have responsibility to care for others, especially those within our sphere of influence.

Inevitably, that bring me/us to a consideration of my/our own pastoral ministry. Am I/are we being a responsible shepherd in caring for the needs of others? Do I/we attend to them, notice when they are missing, go visit them and check to see if they are okay, assuring them that they still have a place within the flock? Or do I/we simply lament the fact that they have wandered away somewhere,and the flock keeps getting smaller? Am I, as a pastor responsible for all of that? Once again, the testimony of both Jeremiah and Jesus is a resounding YES!

That peaceful, pastoral image of the shepherd can be most disturbing at times, can't it?

Posted by Carman

Priceless

How often do we say it: I hear you!

Not only have your words been heard, but your meaning is understood. Jesus used to say it when he’d told one of his good stories: him who has ears to hear, let him hear. (For example see Mark chapter 4.)

In other words, disciples “Listen up!”

One of the phrases I kept hearing last week as our dozen co-missioned pastors worked together with Apostle Susan Skoor and worship specialist and president of the High Priest quorum, Jane Gardner was some version of that phrase, I hear you. Judi Hopkin and Mike Hewitt also brought glimpses into other areas of pastoral ministry that were much appreciated.

Extensive discussions of church policy, or excellent practices for public worship along with some very philosophical concepts about what it means to be a pastor, to bring compassionate ministry and create truly hospitable welcomes gave lots to listen to, for sure. But opportunities for one-on-ones, or quiet solitary walks added time for reflection. All of it necessary to translate those hours of listening into moments of understanding—of real hearing.

Combine all this with on-the-job experience of being pastors in congregations working together in pastoral teams, leadership teams, community projects and I’m seeing some amazing growth in these committed people. Nobody has it easy; many are dealing with incredible life challenges and everyone has the demands of family and employment. But they have formed strong networks and caring bonds of support with each other and with coordinators and instructors. Each pastor expresses appreciation for the investment being made in them and in their congregations. Again and again someone remarks on the opportunity of making personal friendships with church leaders who might otherwise be quite remote.

We’re a little more than halfway through our CPI experience. One more week of training in the autumn of 2011 and two spring retreats in 2011 and 2012 will complete the formation experience for this group. No decisions have yet been made about what happens next. Mission leaders and staff want to find ways to replicate the best parts of this initiative to develop skill and confidence in congregational leadership as a way to build up the CEM cadre of mission-focused healthy congregations with the optimum level of investment of resources. Lots of conversation will be happening to this end.

What do we get for your investment? More and more often we hear those precious words indicating another new insight: I hear you.

And when we do, it’s priceless!

Posted by Marion

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