When was the last time you watched a bird fly—no, a hawk soar? When we are children we marvel at such things. Then, we grow up and become consumed with so many different things that we take simple things such as this for granted. Recently I was driving home at the end of my day and above me, through the sun-roof, I noticed a hawk soaring. Taken by the sunshine, the arrival of the long anticipated warmth of spring, and now this hawk I pulled over just to let my soul soak up the brief moment. It’s amazing what these birds can do. They can fly! What a gift God has given them. It occurred to me that for centuries humans have marveled at the flight of the bird. Up until 1903, we had not the capability to do what the bird makes look effortless. Now, we have flown as far as the moon, and have come to realize that we could go further if it was necessary to put our energy into doing so. Many have claimed that the greatest invention of the 20th century was the computer. But, one could make a valid argument for the Wright brothers’ discovery of flight. Before this discovery it was determined that flying was simply one of those things that we who are created without wings are not meant to do. But, this discovery changed that. We had learned to defy the laws of gravity. This discovery altered the course of technology, and inspired us to dream of things that were forever thought to be impossible. Within 60 years of this discovery our nation heard its president announce that going to the moon, the stuff of dreams, was now possible. It was the science and technology coming out of the pursuit to fly that led to the invention of the computer. These things, of course, have changed the world. But, it was learning to fly, defying gravity that spirited the momentum which yielded the inventions that have changed our world. Still today, as we stop to let our soul soak up the majesty and wonder of a bird in flight, we are inspired to defy gravity.
Ever since Abraham first looked to the heavens seeking the One True God, we have been a people with faith in a God who invites us to defy the gravity of life. Actually, with tongue in cheek, we could declare that Christians were the first to truly discover how to fly, that is, to defy gravity. There is nothing more gravity defying than believing that Jesus has made it possible for you and me to defy our own grave. From the moment we first believed that Jesus has secured for us life beyond death we have been forming and reforming a religion around the pursuit of flight with the Holy Spirit. As Christians who stand beneath a banner called Lutheran we carry with us the legacy of a man whose faith enabled him to defy the gravity of Roman tyranny. Still today, God calls us to dream for things that seem impossible, defy gravity, and fly with the Holy Spirit.
Today, the gravity of our world weighs heavy upon the church. Global issues such as poverty, war, and climate coupled with our cultural issues such as a widening gap between the wealthy and the poor, declining public schools, struggling healthcare, and homeland insecurity make up a portion of gravity’s weight upon all of us. Locally, we here in Honey Brook add the weight of urban sprawl, and a variety of issues pertaining to middle-class survival. Add to these a host of issues before our national church such as human sexuality, an increasing disparity between available clergy and churches without clergy, a loss of perceived relevance in our society and we begin to feel the weight upon our denomination in America. Beneath this gravity, our national church saw the loss of 200,000 people just over the last 5 years1. Here in Southeastern Pennsylvania, our synod faces similar drop offs. According to Dr. Gemechis Buba, assistant to the bishop for mission development, 80% of the Lutheran churches in our synod are either in a state of plateau or decline, most are in decline. Our congregation bears this weight as well. We may be growing, but most of our growth is not due to missionary work that yields new Christians. Our growth is primarily due to the migration of people out of other churches and into ours as people relocate here. Our church’s growth is not so much a sign of growth in the kingdom of God as it is a shuffling of the deck. It is important for us to recognize this as it helps us to understand some of the dynamics of the gravity which impacts our congregation.
This year I have made use of this annual report to share with you my reflection of the gravity we bear together as we learn to fly together in ministry here at Living God. As I see it, beneath the gravity of issues we are given two options. One is to let ourselves be blown about by the winds of fear, which lead to a variety of destructive responses ranging from ambivalence to hostility. The other is to follow the lead of all the faithful people who have striven to do God’s holy will. We can look to the heavens for the One True God to guide us. For the church today, and indeed for our congregation, now is a good time to stop for a moment and let our souls soak up the majesty and wonder of the Holy Spirit in flight, so that we are inspired to defy the gravity of our world and learn to fly to the heights of God’s calling.
Before the Wright brothers’ discovered the means of flight, they were first and foremost very aware of the gravity they had to overcome. So, let’s recognize the gravity in our church for what it is. For matters pertaining to this report, I’ll be using the word gravity to indicate the forces which push against the church’s movement forward. By understanding the gravity of our situation, with God’s help we can muster up the faith to defy it, and learn to fly in spite of it.
Gravity #1: The honeymoon is over.
Last year, at the writing of my annual report, I had served among you for only about 5 months. It is safe, and honest, to say that we were in a honeymoon period together. I was still very enthusiastic to get started with things, and you, the congregation, were enthusiastic as well. Like two people anxious to get to know one another the very air in our Sunday mornings was charged with expectation. Now, we’ve come to learn a bit about what to expect from one another. You have learned that I am different from that which you expected at first, and I have learned likewise about you. As is true of any relationship, once the initial infatuation wears off, the warts and blemishes of our true selves begin to show.
A year ago average attendance in worship saw a general increase during the honeymoon period to a peak of 177. During this time there seemed to be more than enough energy to move forward with necessary changes. Therefore, last year I wrote about the need to move swiftly from a Pastor-Centered model of ministry to one that lifted up the church’s programs as central. I also wrote about the need to begin plans toward a larger church building. We can not grow in programs without having a place for those programs to carry out their work. A year ago there seemed to be plenty of support and enthusiasm to move us through this transition. But, that was a year ago. This year, attendance has stabilized at about 160. That’s still above the threshold of 150 for moving from Pastor-Centered ministry to Program ministry2. However, this year the enthusiasm to make this transition appears to be waning. Among the leaders within the church there is confusion over the pastor’s direction, and over who is responsible for what. It is fair to say that a certain measure of frustration and burnout accompanies this confusion. Church council members, on occasion, have left meetings angry and disheartened, as did the parents of our youth group after one particular meeting. The Visioneering Team (name given to the strategic planning team), after getting off to an enthusiastic start have since lost a great deal of momentum. They now find it increasingly more difficult to get the members of the group together for a meeting. Our Sunday School program, which was lifted up a year ago as one of the reasons we need to build larger, now struggles to manage the critical mass necessary to justify the teacher’s time and the costs of the curriculum. And last but not least, a small number of members have cared enough to share confidentially their discontent with me personally as well as professionally.
Defying Gravity #1: Normalize and remain patient.
Sometimes it helps just to state the obvious. We are a church in transition. As a matter of fact, we are a church in the middle of two very BIG transitions. You’ve had to change pastors and our growth has brought about the need to change the way we do ministry together. My style of leadership is primarily to help you lead yourselves. From my perspective, this style is quite the opposite from that which you’ve grown accustomed. Therefore, we are not even enduring a typical change of pastors; we are enduring a full swing of the pendulum from one side to the other. This will take patience and lots of forgiveness. And it’s also very helpful to remember that a certain measure of frustration, burnout, even drop-out is quite normal and even healthy during times of transition. When we finally get through this, Living God will be healthier and stronger as a result. I like to say at weddings that the real marriage doesn’t truly begin until after the honeymoon. This is true of ministry as well. Now that the honeymoon is over, the real ministry that God has in store for us together can begin.
Gravity #2: Centralized Authority
As a church grows it goes through stages. At infancy, it is a small group of less than 50 centered around an idea, a dream, and a hope—Christ. Then, it grows to a stage when there needs to be a central figure to organize and authorize the movement forward. In most cases this figure becomes the pastor. When a congregation is gathering between 50 and 150 regularly, this centralized authority figure can manage to keep the plates of ministry spinning. But, when a congregation moves beyond 150, the centralized authority can no longer spin all the plates and one by one the new plates added are not given enough attention and they fall and crash. In other words, in our congregation, centralized authority is squelching the spirit of growth forcing us to settle for the status quo. This problem is seen and felt in a variety of ways at our church. It is common for me to hear, in one way or another, the expression “It’s your church, pastor.” Church council regularly finds itself micro-managing the work of the ministry teams. Leaders often do not make decisions without seeking permission from the pastor. There are complaints that point to this common problem as well, such as poor communication, not enough volunteers, and people not receiving enough personal attention. Among those who have been a part of this church for a while, there is a feeling of loss for the church of the recent past. I often hear the lament, “I miss the days when we used to worship in the school. Back then we all knew one another.”
Defying Gravity #2: Decentralize Authority
Church council has heard me preach this over and over to them, but it is necessary that this message be shared with the whole church. Church council needs to be free to council, and leaders need to be free to lead. We are in the process of rising up and equipping leaders in six key areas of ministry: Worship, Education, Outreach, Fellowship, Support, and Stewardship. In time these leaders will act as shepherds to the flock. On one level they will be given the authority to make most of the decisions for the ministry team. But, on a much deeper and much more necessary level they will serve as shepherds. They will pray with and for those who are in their ministry team. They will care to the spiritual welfare of their team members. They will provide comfort and support, as well as celebration for the individuals in their team. And, when necessary, they will refer members to the pastor for care and attention. These leaders will be active in recruiting by routinely introducing themselves and welcoming all people into the work of the ministry. By doing these things, the team leaders will be modeling a way of living together in Christian community where all are shepherds for each other.
This decentralization is a process of transformation. Over time this will transform our congregation. Communication channels will be much clearer than they are now. New members’ ideas and enthusiasm will quickly receive a welcome into the ministry through personal invitations by the ministry leaders, rather than wait for the pastor. And, most importantly, Christ will be encountered in the relationships formed along the common journey of ministry together. But, the only way for this transformation to take place is from the inside first. The members, especially those who are leaders, must begin to let their own views and expectations be transformed. The transformation of a church begins with people who are transformed. A Christian transforms the lives of those around him only in so much as he is first transformed by Christ.
An easy place to start this personal transformation is just to become more aware of the language you use. For instance, recently a member came up to me and said, “Pastor, how much money has YOUR youth group raised so far?” It’s not MY youth group. It’s not MY church. Pastors come and go; it’s the congregation that remains. So you might say it’s YOUR church. But, actually it’s ours. Better yet, it’s God’s. We are in ministry together. Another place to start is to recognize that we are all shepherds of and for one another. Don’t come up to the pastor on Sunday and ask, “Pastor, who is that person over there?” Go over to that person and introduce yourself. Take an active role in making sure that you’ve personally welcomed every person into the ministries of our church. We do a great job of welcoming people into the worship service. Now, we need to take the next step. Take an active role in being aware of the church calendar and personally inviting people into the life of the church. Also, don’t wait for the pastor to meet with new members in their home to talk about the church, or about joining the church. Invite them to your house. Ask them if they would mind you pray for them while they are considering active participation in the ministry of Living God.
Transformation is a time and painstaking process. Over time we will begin to see how decentralizing the authority of our church opens up the possibility for a spiritual transformation of the whole congregation.
Gravity #3: Mission Accomplished
It may be that many of you who remember meeting for worship prior to the existence of 3200 Horseshoe Pike remember a kind of enthusiasm for building a new church that permeated all that you did together. You may recall the way the energy of planning and expecting to build a church fused you together as a congregation and gave you a sense of vision. Now, it may be that after building the church you feel a sense of accomplishment. You may feel as if your work is finished. I hear a common expression that resonates from this sentiment, “Let some of the new people do the work now.” As if, somehow, modeling a lack of effort and enthusiasm will motivate others to give effort and enthusiasm. My friends, we can’t expect the 200 new people to serve with any more or less enthusiasm than that which the original 100 model to them.
It may be that you’re new to Living God and you really don’t know where your place is just yet. Hang in there, you’re very much needed and there is a place for you. It may be that you really just want to be left alone. Well, here’s my apology up front. The church is not going to leave you alone. Our faith in a God who creates out of love is a God who has created us for relationship. We don’t know how to be church and allow our members to sit idle outside the bonds formed by the work we do together in relationship.
Denying gravity #3: Vision Accomplished
In truth our mission is not accomplished. As a matter of fact, it will not ever be until one of two things occurs, our death or Christ’s return. This means our mission is not about the building, even though we can become so caught up in this task as if it were. We need to expand our building, but not because doing so would somehow bring to completion our mission. Instead we need to expand our building because God’s vision for ministry in Honey Brook includes people we haven’t yet met. God’s vision is being accomplished. He has gathered all 300+ of us together into this one community of faith so that we might build His church. The exciting part of this is that all of us are needed; nobody gets left out, not the young or the old, the rich or the poor, the strong or the weak. Everyone has a part to play, and the spirit has given to us gifts to use for this purpose. God’s vision is being accomplished. He wants to do miraculous wonders through the people here in Honey Brook, and this vision includes us. God has come to personally invite you and me to be a part of this. Wow!
My friends, we are not just planting a building here in Honey Brook, or even the Lutheran faith. We are planting God’s vision of hope, the church, the body of Christ, here in Honey Brook. And, we’re not just doing it for this generation, but for our grandchildren’s grandchildren. The things we do today, the work we do to follow God’s vision will set this church on a course of action, and faithfulness that will define it and equip it for the generations to come. It is the story of our faith together now that will be told and retold through the history of this congregation. So, our mission is definitely not yet accomplished. But, oh what marvelous wonders God’s vision has in store for us as we faithfully follow God’s direction here in Honey Brook.
My friends, gravity is all around us. It has always been and it will always be. But, God has given us the gift of faith. And not just any faith, we have faith in the One who died and was resurrected. This faith of ours has the power to move mountains, roll away stones, walk on water, and defy gravity. It’s time we defy the gravity that is holding us down. Indeed, now is a good time to set our sights on the majesty and wonder of the Holy Spirit in flight, defy gravity and learn to fly to the heights of God’s calling.
Your servant in Christ,
1 ELCA Statistics complied by the Office of the Secretary,
2Alice Mann, Raising the Roof, The Pastoral-to-Program Size Transition, p. 7.
