MVP Pastoral Letter (Second of Three installments) To the Company of Elders from the Mission Coordinating Council From the Mission Coordinating Council They all joined together constantly in prayer. ACTS 1:14 Having received the gift of the Spirit, God is calling us to release the past into his care that we might build the new. Likewise, God is calling us to nurture the Spirit that dwells within each one of us. Just as we were called to wait upon God, so also we are called to depend upon God. To "depend" means to place our reliance or trust in another; to exist by virtue of a necessary relationship; to be dependent. The early church depended upon God. They revealed or showed or demonstrated their trust in a variety of ways, including their prayer life (1:14, 4:24); their communal discernment (2:1, 4:6); their daily study of the Word (2:42). They not only listened to God, but expecting direction, they also looked to God. And direction was given. In a very real sense, they had "ears to hear." Today more than ever we need to hear from God; we need direction. Trusting God is not easy. But, unless and until we offer God our trust, God cannot grow us as disciples and thereby shape us as leaders. Holding back is not a good option. Rather than depending on God, Annias and Sapphira for security reasons, held money back from the sale of property and then lied to Peter about their actions (5:1-11). The result was death. Seeking security in earthly terms always results in death, a sobering reality to ponder. Upon whom do you depend? Are you willing to trust God with your church? With your ministry? With your treasure? With yourself? As a presbytery, will we depend upon God by placing worship at the center of our life together? We know that worship draws us into the mystery of God being formed in us. Worship brings our whole selves before God. So also, will we depend upon God through prayer and on-going immersion in the Word? Like the early church, will we hold nothing of ourselves back, but rather dare to follow where the Spirit leads? Living forward, may we commit anew to nurturing the spiritual community that has been emerging over the last decade in Muskingum Valley Presbytery. We need to honor that God's Spirit is indeed dwelling within us. This is a precious and vital gift of God. Belonging and relationship in response to God's call precede ministry and structure. Being precedes our doing. As pilgrims on a journey, God is inviting us to: - Delight ourselves in the Lord and in one another as we play and laugh, worship and enjoy
- Honor grief born of change and loss, knowing that joy dwells in the hollow carved out by grief
- Participate and be vulnerable as the living Christ is formed in us
The work of the Parishes and the Discernment & Discipleship team are crucial here as they call us to celebrate the movement of the Holy Spirit in our midst. As Joe Small, honorably retired director of worship for the PCUSA, reminds us: "Without the corporate engagement in biblical, theological and ecclesiological inquiry, ecclesial order is easily bureaucratized while discipline is either ignored or factionalized." We are reminded of Calvin's Company of Pastors who: - Educated themselves biblically and theologically
- Mutually encouraged one another
- Pursued joint missionary work
- Met regularly for prayer and support
- Enhanced the community's capacity to live the faith.
Isn't that what we have been about in our parish gatherings, while on retreat, at the Mission Immersion! As in other times of revival, our presbytery gatherings have turned over the majority of our time together to prayer, worship and fellowship (2:42). Our Company of Elders must be foundational to all that we do if we are to be a spiritual community rather than a dying religious institution. We believe that this time for boldness (4:31) comes only by the Holy Spirit. In support of the spiritual community shaping and forming us, we also must be intentional about the institutional transformation that has already begun. It is helpful to remember that there was a second supporting body in Calvin's time: the Geneva Consistory. It was made up of ruling and teaching elders who were responsible for church order and discipline. To that end, we propose the formation of three commissions to oversee our shared work: Calling - While we are all called into relationship and service through our baptism, the particulars of how we live out our respective calls are born of the intersection of our passions and strengths with the needs of the community. A strong underpinning of our Reformed theology understands that call, while experienced by the individual, is confirmed by the voice of the collective body.
Equipping - of pastors, leaders, and congregations for ministry in the 21st century requires a different approach than that of the last century. This team will seek to identify the resources, training and tools needed for faithful, effective ministry in the context of accountable relationships. Serving in Mission - beyond the local congregation and community is part of Jesus' call to us in Acts 1:8. This team will identify the processes by which we might discern ministry opportunities and serve in partnership together-across our parishes, country, and world. Anticipate The promise is for you and your children and for those who are far off--for all whom the Lord God will call. ACTS 2:39 In anticipating the work of the commissions, it is helpful to reflect on the nature of change. As we know from both the study of change and our own experience of change, the early adaptors will follow the innovators. Likewise the early majority will follow the early adaptors, and the late majority the early majority. There is a sequence to change that must be honored. It is not possible to have everyone on board before initiating change. Furthermore, those who are of the late majority must first experience change before they can "buy into" it.[1] The clear consensus articulated at the Mission Immersion is that we are at the point of institutional transformation. Yet, there was also a concern voiced for those not there. It is instructive to remember that adaptive change is a process that engages people at different stages. Put another way: change is adopted at different rates within a community. As Reformed Christians, we profess our belief that God is in control. Yet, how many of us truly live trusting that God is in control? Following the martyrdom of Stephen, the church scattered as persecution broke out in Jerusalem. It would be easy to see how some might have concluded that all was lost. Instead, God leveraged the bad intentions of Saul and others to accomplish his purpose: the spreading of the gospel. In Acts 8:1-8, we find the apostles scattered, enabling the faith to be spread throughout Judea and Samaria. Jerusalem becomes a "multiplying church" as new churches are born across the region. Indeed, opposition to the gospel repeatedly leads to growth of the kingdom (12:1-9). Anticipating victory means we will trust God's perspective. When difficult times come, look hard for the Lord's hand. Over 90% of the time, opposition arose after the preaching of Christ in the book of Acts. We should not be shocked by its presence today. Growth attracts opposition, and God leverages all of this for the transformation of people and community. As we enter into a season of intentional realignment of ministry and mission, beginning with ourselves, we would do well to remember who is in charge. The past decade has marked a gradual letting go of many former ways of being church and presbytery, even as we have come to hold one another and ourselves accountable to ever-deepening relationships in Christ. In the last six months alone, four new pastors have come into our presbytery, the latest in over thirty pastoral transitions over the last decade. When we truly allow God to take charge of our lives, it's amazing to see what God can do. Anticipate God!
The gift of Change Style Indicator is that we know that we all have a role to play in change. Conservers prefer current circumstances to the unknown. They tend to accept the structures and prefer change that is incremental. Pragmatists prefer to explore the existing paradigm in an open and objective manner. They prefer change that is functional. Originators challenge present structures and prefer change that is expansive.
Each change style has a contribution to make on this journey. We can trust our conservers to get things done on schedule and to attend to detail. They are the ones among us who will handle the day-to-day operations efficiency. We can trust our pragmatist to address the needs of the presbytery as they arise. They will get things done, often in spite of the rules, not because of them. We can trust them to negotiate and encourage cooperation around a common purpose. Our originators understand complex problems. They bring strong conceptual and design skills and will push the presbytery to understand the system as a whole. They are the ones we can trust to serve as catalysts for systemic change, bringing energy and vision to the process that will result in transformation. As a Council, we give thanks for the Innovators (2.5% of the population) and Early Adaptors (13.5%) in our midst, who are blessed with the ability to initiate change. They are pathfinders ahead of us-like the pioneers on the frontiers of Ohio 200 years ago.
With regard to doing things, "decently and in order," we do well to remember the context of that phrase in scripture which comes to us from I Corinthians 14:40, referring back to verses 26-35, where the Apostle Paul is providing instruction on an orderly approach to speaking in tongues! While it might be argued that adaptive change is in many ways parallel to the experience of a congregation speaking in tongues, it is important to note that we cannot structure ahead of living the change to which God calls us. Institutional transformation follows the exploration of new paths. Experimentation and flexibility precede the emergence of new structures.
A Prayer for the Journey God help us to change. To know the need for it. To deal with the pain of it. To experience the joy of it. To undertake the journey without knowing the destination. The art of gentle revolution.
Michael Leunig, A Common Prayer
(Be looking for the next week's installment...)
The Mission Coordinating Council Jon Carlisle, moderator David de Vries, chair Andy Gerhart, Administration Tom Houston, Area II Bob Meyer, Discipleship & Discernment Cathy Piekarski, Preparation Tim Pollock, Area IV Suellen Skinner, Area III Chris Stewart, Ministry Karin Wright, Area I Ex Officio Paula Lane, transitional stated clerk Shauna Engeldinger, ministry coordinator Barb Schie, financial coordinator Jim Spain, Treasurer Debbie Rundlett, general presbyter
a. Everett Rogers in his groundbreaking study on change, The Diffusion of Innovations, found:
Innovators (2.5% of the population) initiate change.
Early Adaptors (13.5%) keep the momentum going.
Early Majority (34%) are the pragmatists who make change functional.
Late Majority (34%) are the "guardians of tradition" who eventually join in.
Laggards (16%) are the people for whom change is extremely hard, if not impossible.
b. Historian William McLoughin in his study of Revivals, Awakenings, and Reform: An Essay on Religion and Social Change in America, 1607-1977 found that religious renewal follows five movements:
1.Crisis of legitimacy (conventional doctrines, practices, and identity no longer work or satisfy)
2.Cultural distortion (fault finding of institution and structures, "us-they", attempts at reorganization, even as innovation is seen as deviant)
3.Emerging new vision (breaking free of old structures and emergence of new practices)
4.Following new paths (experimentation, flexibility, exploration)
5.Institutional transformation (new paths seen as relevant, valid and applicable, allowing new structures to emerge; loss of the old is not seen as the end)
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