Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Thoughts on Equipping Leaders for the Church in a Changing World.

This morning I was stimulated by a post by Cynthia Holder Rich on equipping leaders.  What follows is largely my response to her thoughts.  (Several years ago, I wrote a short thought about the life of our seminaries called A Developing Vision of the Seminary.  I am beginning to see how far my thinking has developed!)

In an interesting way I found myself pondering two books.  One that I read a long time ago - Ed Farley's "Theologia: The Fragmentation and Unity of Theological Education" and another book that I have been reading recently by Chris Scharen and Aana Marie Vigen entitled, "Ethnography as Christian Theology and Ethics". In both books, there is a sense of what my pastoral theology professor, Charlie Brown, called "the Prego principle" - after the popular spaghetti sauce. The concept is that God blesses and enriches each person with insight and imagination sufficient to strengthen the witness of the church and the work of ministry. The challenge for leaders in the church is to have developed skill in "teasing out" that which already exists within each Christian and place those gifts within a framework for faithful witness that aligns with the calling of the Church. Farley approaches the question from a theologians point of view. Scharen and Vigen draw their insights from an effective method we rarely teach in a structured way to people entering the ministry - ethnography.

I have been richly blessed by exposure to the global church and international theological education. Even more, in particular while serving in Arizona, I learned much from the immigrant communities with whom we worked as new communities emerged. Yet what I have learned is that every place has a local language that is influenced by a wide range of forces that bring change to the doorstep of every Christian at a dizzying pace.

Thus, the gift of ministry and deep spiritual reflection is now, more than ever, a requirement for all dedicated disciples. Those who will be blessed by graduate training for ministry, and the academy that provides that training, must be equipped with sufficient skills to assess the wide and various contexts in which the Gospel is proclaimed - so that the message is intelligibly received in the local language. Even more, that depth level of theological training should equip future leaders with powerful skill at listening to the lives of those they serve so each localized manifestation of witness can be nurtured and offered to God's symphony of praise in every language.

Indeed I realize that the world is now demonstrating a more diverse and rich cultural and spiritual fabric that most of us have recognized in the past.  This diversity of expression in the language of faith does not necessarily mean a fracturing of the unity of the Gospel and its witness in the Church.  What it does portend is the requirement that Christians will need to be as culturally multilingual in matters of faith as they are having to be in the global village that keeps getting smaller by the day.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Seeking a Spiritual Center for the Church

My friend, Michael Kinnamon, recently quoted John Cobb and Joseph Hough who wrote, "The expectations for leadership in society as a whole have increasingly been adopted as normative for church leadership as well. Following the general pattern of bureaucratization, the churches, too, have focused on routinized problem solving in the organization and maintenance of their institutions as the chief locus of leader effectiveness." There was a definite ring of truth in this assesment for me.

The truth of this assesment was driven home as I recently observed a highly motivated group of people gathered as "The Fellowship of Presbyterians" in Minneapolis. To their credit each plenary included prayer, reading of scripture, and proclamation. Moreover, they sustained an effort to speak in a positive way about what God might be doing in the Church - in particular the Presbyterian tradition.

However, as the introductory address was offered by Jim Singleton of Colorado, the language used to redefine the nature and shape of the church (ecclesiology) drew heavily from the insight of leadership guru Ronald Heifetz. Now, I actually liked the use of Heifetz's "adaptive change" paradigm as a leadership tool for a world filled with change. Yet what was missing to my mind was a healthy appeal to the nature of the Body of Christ and its consequences for our lives together.

This is to say that the answer to our bureaucratic woes in denominations is not a newer and better approach to corporate leadership that has been adapted to the non-profit religious environment. This would be just a newer, shinier tool in the corporate leadership toolchest.

It seems to me that the Christian Church would benefit from leadership that engages in deep and committed prayer and conversation about the best way to embody the living presence of Jesus Christ in the world. Now, I realize that my colleagues who draw upon the latest leadership resources would probably claim to have a similar aim. However, I'd prefer to start a conversation about change with the wisdom of scripture and a testimony of lives changed and the world transformed.

For example, here are passages worth considering. "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? ... Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it." (1 Cor. 6:9, 12:27) The church has been given a holy calling that is always about fundamental adaptive change - we are not our own, we belong to God - this is a biblical word that calls us to constantly remember and adapt.

In my experience, the church is genuinely a living organism that draws in new vitality and perspective with each new soul joining our witness. This sometimes causes controversy because the scriptures are not always read in a uniform manner on issues of deep significance. We are given a challenge of the kind presented in Jesus' parable in Matthew 13:24-30 where the Master instructs us, to let both good wheat and invasive weeds "grow together until the harvest" (v.30).

I have found this biblically articulated reality of post-modern life in the Church to be a helpful challenge. When confronted by believers who read scripture and its application in a differnt way than I read, I am forced to reflect anew on the core of our faith and our calling in the world.

It is interesting that "differentiation" was a term in frequent use during the Minneapolis gathering. I don't believe that differentiation requires separation. Indeed, I believe Jesus constantly gave his disciples the challenge of hospitality and holiness at the same time. We are to be good wheat growing alongside the weeds working out our own salvation dilligently (Phil. 2:12-13) and trusting in the good judgement of God.

Here is my challenge for leaders of the Church in a world of constant change - seek the spiritual center of our life. Return to the witness of scripture. Hear the voice of other believers. Act with sincerity and humility. And never forget that we belong, body and soul, in life and in death – to our faithful savior Jesus Christ.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Psalm 23 - A Perspective on Stewardship

The LORD is my shepherd;

We are stewards of Christian life.

I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:

We are stewards of “just enough” for contentment.

he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul:

We are stewards of our souls.

he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

We are stewards of a witness.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:

We are stewards of faith.

for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

We are stewards of spiritual companionship.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:

We are stewards in remembrance of the Lord’s Supper.

thou anointest my head with oil;

We are stewards of purpose.

my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:

We are stewards of gratitude.

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever (all the days of my life).

We are stewards of commitment.

© Brian R. Paulson, 2011

Sunday, April 3, 2011

The Circle is Wider and God is Greater: A word amidst the current PCUSA restructuring debate

God is greater than every vessel we construct to represent the Body of Christ. Also the circle of faith, hope, and love inaugurated by Jesus Christ is wider than every circumference we establish to clarify our belonging. It seems to me that our conversation about Presbyterian witness should bear in mind these comparative spiritual metrics as we fashion our future.

It is my hope that competing voices leading the current conversation about our future witness would demonstrate greater forbearance and an appreciation both for one another and also for the place we hold within the broader course of Christian witness. While perceived pejorative hooks being used in conversation may become scattered salt for old wounds, I think the notion of a non-geographic governing body need not be rejected out of hand.

Yet since the Body of Christ is a greater reality than our denominational boundaries, I believe some humility in our line drawing would demonstrate a measure of deepening faith. It serves no lasting benefit for Presbyterians to be drawing lines finer and finer to ensure a uniformity of cause and commitment. While the Reformed tradition was begun as an attempt to reform and revitalize the Body of Christ, its schismatic outcome for the life of the Christian Church was not an intended outcome. Unfortunately, we have spent more of our time throughout the centuries in squabbles with each other than in reforming dialogue with the larger communion of believers. This heritage has not added to our benefit. The circle is wider.

It seems to me that some thoughtful leaders of our congregations are seeking to find a way to keep communion within our denomination while allowing room for a distinction of voice. As a local pastor I appreciate the need for each shepherd to teach and lead a congregation in a manner that generates greater faith and charity within the unique context of each setting. If circles need to have sub-circles with dotted lines and permeability, I believe that a generous spirit within our body can allow for that. Yet it would be both refreshing and faithful if greater energy were applied to the challenge of growing together than spending our energy in currents that deplete and separate our witness. Throughout history, I believe the separations of Christian communions have not served to strengthen the witness of Christ for the world. Indeed, such divisions have made our witness smaller in spirit and manner.

Presbyterians would acknowledge that God is greater than all human conception. So also, we surely acknowledge our apprehension of the Body of Christ is only partial. Each generation seeks to fashion a faithful vessel by which the eternal God can be praised. The shape of our belonging in Christ can surely flex and adapt while remaining true to God.

We need not disdain others who propose alternate patterns for our witness and communion. Indeed, the character and concerns of the Church are often framed by the attitudes of each age. As a confessional church, we believe that not only the community of believers in the ancient church but even also the faithful of the 19th
century church speak – indeed every era of faith informs our witness. Yet while the witness of prior generations guides our current confession, former structures need not be a prison of the past. Our calling is to demonstrate faith today.

Our knowledge of God’s sovereignty ought to generate greater patience and humility in our conversations than I currently see amongst my colleagues. We can do better, and certainly, God is greater.

Brian R. Paulson, D. Min.
Pastor, First Presbyterian Church of Libertyville, Illinois
March 28, 2011

References:

A Shorter Version of Commentary on PCUSA Restructuring Conversations

God is greater than every vessel we construct to represent the Body of Christ. Also the God’s circle of faith, hope, and love is wider than every circumference we establish. I believe our conversation about Presbyterian witness should bear in mind these comparative spiritual metrics as we fashion our future.

We need not disdain others who propose alternate patterns. Non-geographic boundaries are imaginable.

Yet our conversation should demonstrate greater forbearance and an appreciation both for one another and for the place we hold within the broader course of Christian witness. Every age must grapple to witness faithfully. No single era of church can make exclusive claim to God’s design for Church.

We do not strengthen our witness by making more and smaller circles of faith. Holiness is a gift more powerful expressed as invitation than exclusion. Surely we can elevate our witness. The circle is wider and God is greater.