To read and review what Adam has offered in this conversation - click here to visit his blog.
Adam:
I like the imagery you've offered about the importance of sitting down and sharing a meal, particularly in the setting of the Middle East and the conflict that exists between the Palestinians and the Israelis ... I remember the study tour I took with UofT back in the late 80's to that region and over and over when you stepped away from the political rhetoric, and engaged people one on one, they all expressed a desire for peace, and the ALL expressed no personal animosity towards the other ... the problem is the politicking that takes hold and the hollow meaningless, yet potent stereo types that are called upon ...
I once shared a sprite with a "Terrorist" who in 1968 was part of a group who hijacked and blew up a jet as part of the Palestinian struggle for liberation and freedom ... it was one of those moments in my life that dramatically altered my experience and understanding of the world ... He shared openly his involvement and his experience, and he reflected on the pros and cons ... I left his presence different ... such is the power of sharing a meal ... don't you think that's why our founder made the meal - DINNER - actually EATING - central to his ministry???
When you break bread with someone, you are opening yourself up to them ... you are making yourself vulnerable ... but more importantly, you are living your trust ... you trust the other person NOT to poison your food ... you trust the other person NOT to plunge the knife into you ... you trust the other person to sit with you and TALK ...
That's why sharing a meal is not only central to our experience as a people, but is revolutionary and DANGEROUS ... if we can sit down at table with one another, it is POSSIBLE that enemies will become friends ... and the words of the prophets will finally come to pass ...
Yet, in the Church we scoff at such ideas and we 'poo poo' the suggestion that we can actually alter the world and change the trajectory of events ... But, correctly me if I am wrong Adam, but isn't transformation the very heart of the Gospel ???
Isn't bringing the KINGDOM (NOT the Kindom - KINGDOM !!!!) of God into being part of our calling as people of faith??
Alas, somewhere along the line complacency and docility have prevailed, and we in the Church, to say nothing of the society around us sit and wait for things to happen ... we've lost the enthusiasm and passion to be part of the solution in an active way ...
I applaud your contention that you have been called to Ministry ... I too have been called to ministry, and of that there is little doubt. The problem arises when the act of discerning what that means, and what that ministry looks like is vested in the hands of amateurs and people who have nary a clue of what being "called" looked and feels like ...
Can you imagine Amos, Hosea, John, Paul or even Jesus standing before the discernment process in the modern Church expressing their call to ministry??
They wouldn't have a chance ... they would be rejected out-right ...
Yet, we are called ... called to a transformative ministry in a Church that has openly embraced the status quo and that has actively pursued the path of least resistance, while pretending to be inclusive, welcoming and open ...
It's an interesting crossroads we've reached.
Today I read that the General Council has pulled the plug on the Emerging Spirit campaign. Something that doesn't surprise me, but that saddens me greatly.
The Emerging Spirit is indicative of what ails the United Church of Canada ... one segment gets it and welcomes it and is living it, while another segment - the one who controls the money - doesn't get it and openly rejects it and opposes everything it stands for while wondering where the new people are ...
The bottom line is that for all its eloquent and wondrous talk, the United Church of Canada is well and truly doomed by its complacency, its fear and its opposition to new ideas and concepts ...
I would cite as an example of this a blog entry I posted in 2007 that shared a moment I spent with a family who had just received the diagnosis of terminal cancer in their parent. The parent, a dear and cherish personal friend was an avid reader of my blog. When our conversation unfolded with a smile they said - "Blog this ... this is so worth blogging ..."
I did.
I have no regrets for the decision, though that particular entry was cited by many in the community as "PROOF" that I had violated the confidence entrusted in my by the family, and reason to shut down not only my blog, but ALL blogs by ALL clergy ...
Such is the visceral fear that exists in the Church.
People who fail to grasp the potential and possibility of the Internet as a means of communication, information and yes, dammit, I'll use the word - EVANGELISM, want to shut down things they fail to understand before they have taken time to appreciate what they have before them ... these are the people - the SAME people - who will hit 'forward' on a dozen viral emails every day, but who do not want their Minister to post his thoughts and his experiences for the world to see ... WHY???
Fear my friend.
Fear of difference.
Fear of the unknown.
Fear of losing control.
Fear of realizing that they NEVER had control.
These are the folks who want a nice, calm, docile, CONTROLLABLE minister, preferably retired, or close to retirement, who won't rock the boat, who won't ruffle feathers, and who won't challenge them in their complacency ...
I'm not that kind of minister - never was.
You are not that kind of minister - don't even try to be Adam - you're better than that.
Embrace your calling and KNOW that when you are called by God the human institution that is The Church will do EVERYTHING it can to limit and corral and CONTROL that calling ... but the Spirit will do EVERYTHING to unchain, release and enflame that calling ...
At the end of the day it's ALL about transformation ... and transformation is a scary place for many people because it means change and it means having to deal with a complacency that is deep and generational and worst of ALL comfortable. (Find Pierre Berton's book The Comfortable Pew written in the late 60's - he named it THEN ...)
I remember challenging a congregation that was struggling financially to consider putting the equivalent of ONE cup of take out coffee a WEEK onto the collection plate as an extra donation ... now, to contextualize this - it was a very very wealthy congregation. Most of its members were retired folks who drove cars that were less than 3 years old, many got new cars EVERY year, many jetted off every winter for southern holidays, and almost ALL of them had a dozen or more community involvements that required a fairly healthy outlay of financial resources ... I knew for a fact that the vast majority of the folks went out daily for coffee somewhere in the area - I met many of them on an ongoing basis at the local coffee shops ...
SO, the thought of tossing a couple of bucks EXTRA on the offering plate and foregoing a cup of coffee ONE day in the week should not have been a big deal ...
Boy, was I wrong. The hew and cry that erupted was almost scary ... people accused me of being a "socialist" ... people told me I was being "absurd" and "stupid" ... the old guard were outraged that I should suggest that they curtail their personal pleasures for a donation to the church ... and on and on it went ...
All for the price of one cup of coffee ...
I experienced a similar reaction when I and others suggested that our local presbytery begin using Fair Trade Coffee exclusively for our meetings and for ALL Presbytery related gatherings ... One of our colleagues objected on the basis that it was "more expensive than regular coffee, and it was too inconvenient to get ..."
"Isn't that the point?" I countered, "Fair Trade is about helping the coffee growers by making the commitment of our time and our MONEY to the cause of JUSTICE ..."
Eventually the proponents of Fair Trade prevailed ... but it was not a pleasant fight ... all within the Courts of the Church ...
All for the price of a cup of coffee ...
We in the Church have gotten very good at saying the right words and committing to the "right" concepts providing it is happening somewhere else, and it isn't interfering with our lives and our immediate tiny little world ... And the Leadership of the Church, instead of challenging people to overcome thier short-sightedness have instead committed themselves to spoonfeeding the laity, patting their hands knowingly, and comforting them in their complacency ... warm pink fuzzies ALL the WAY !!!
Transformation and Change are good buzz words, but remain nothing more than words ... they are never put into action ... Instead you WILL hear over and over the refrain - "wait, just wait ... change will come ... trust in the Spirit ... just wait ..."
I've heard it a MILLION times Adam ... from people I once respected, who have long tenure of service to the Church, and who have witnessed change unfolding ALL around them ... but for some reason when it comes to embracing change on their front door step they chose to pull up a chair, put up their feet and let the status quo prevail ...
I wonder if the fundamental problem here is a difference between a leadership who is CALLED and a leadership who is self-appointed ??
I've always feared the politically ambitious in our Church. They hunger for position and prestige all the while denying they are trying to climb the corporate ladder ... I fear those people, and our Church courts and our committees are overflowing with them ...
I, like you have never aspired to attain offices in the Church. I seek only to serve with the talents and abilities I possess. I've offered myself to the Church and at times have been "rewarded" with positions and offices that in the opinions of the Old Guard I was NOT suited for ... I know my tenure as Chair of our Presbytery ruffled more than a few feathers ...
But at the end of the day, I need to look into the mirror that is before me and I alone have to utter the words - "I'm okay!"
I am called to ministry - not ministry to The Church, but ministry to the World by sharing the Gospel, and that calling invokes fear in many people, because when you stand before the world buoyed by the Spirit, there is not control by the Institution that is The Church!
I would cite as an example of this conflict my tenure as Soccer Coach to the Over 16 Year Old boys in my community. For four years I coached a team of boys and spent many hours in conversation and in community with them. On the sidelines I CHOSE to talk in their language. I never swore at them, but did at times swear with, or more aptly swear LIKE them ...
Along the way we formed a relationship that was more than just coach and player ... I became a friend, a counsellor and a trusted source of advice and a listening ear. In short, by NOT acting like a Minister, I became their minister ... to this day I still get phone calls, emails, and visits with the "boys" ... we talk about life, the universe and everything ... By being real and being me, I became something more than a mealy mouthed ivory tower lap dog for the old guard.
Along the way though, there were voices who opposed what I was doing and how I was acting (my choice of words would NOT be acting but simply BEING). They didn't want their minister "swearing". They didn't want their minister "being real". They didn't want their minister "being like those teens ..."
In short - THEY WANTED POWER.
And when they didn't get it, they responded with FEAR ... I've often wondered what they were afraid of ... did they envy the rapport I had with the kids ?? ... did they fear the skeletons in their closets being dumped out on the floor by their children, thereby eliminating the myth of pristine and perfect community leaders?? ... or did they just fear the simple fact they had no control over me because I wasn't willing to play their petty politicking games ???
Whatever it was that motivated them, the outcome was the brutal and savage and anything but faithful ... yet, it was ALL in keeping with the polity and procedures of the United Church of Canada ...
We're in an interesting time ... the status quo is complacent and docile, with a self-appointed leadership who manipulate the political process of the Institution to maintain at ALL costs, control over The Church ... while the winds of change are blowing and the Spirit is leading the CALLED leadership to places and corners that yearn for the Gospel ...
The Church is about power and control ...
The Gospel is about Grace and Freedom ...
I was called to be a minister of the Gospel ...
The funny thing though, looking back over the last three years, the Leadership of the Church - that pious faithful group who enacted the rules and faithfully followed the policies and procedures, have not ONCE asked about me or how I'm doing ... Like Pilate, they've washed their hands of their responsibility and returned to their petty palaces focusing on their positions of power and authority leaving the wounded to die alone, forgotten and outside the halls of prestige they roam about in ...
My soccer boys - the unwanted youth who were regarded as "outsiders" by the "good" church people have kept in touch and have repeatedly asked me how I've been doing ...
I wonder Adam, which group is being truly faithful ???
And yet, when I dare to raise this question in Church Courts I am reminded that ONLY members of the Church have a say in Pastoral Matters and it is ONLY the Members of the Church who direct the policy and procedure of The Church ... and so today the members tighten their grip on the status quo and tell the 2.2 MILLION folks who are United Church, that THEY SIMPLE DO NOT MATTER, and they never did ...
All because we fear letting go of what is and embracing what the Spirit calls us to ...
I am Called to Ministry Adam - so are you ... and that Calling is NOT to the Institution that is The Church ... it is a calling to sharing the Gospel - don't EVER forget it ... it starts by having the WILLINGNESS to engage people where THEY are, and to hear their stories on THEIR terms ... it starts by being real, and that is perhaps the greatest threat to the status quo that there is ...
peace my friend,
No comments:
Post a Comment