Learning to Change, Changing to Learn

Man it’s been a while!

I was sent a link to the video below this morning by a friend who thought I would enjoy it.  She was right!  It is a series of reflections on the shift in narratives that education must take if we are to truly educate people in this intensively connected world.  In short, if we’re going to have students who learn how to think in the 21st Century, we’re going to have to move away from the factory model of education that’s dominated our system since the industrial revolution.  I’m in general agreement with the premise of the video – though I do think the first point is a bogus stat.  What matters isn’t the amount of IT an “industry” uses, what matters is the connectivity that an industry leverages to grow in understanding.  In this world, that will inevitably lead to IT – but as the expression of connectivity, not as the goal itself.  At least, that’s what I think.

Anyway, enjoy the video.

The Weakest Link

One of the great things about our region is that our regional pastor (rough translation, “A Bishop with severly limited powers, given that they herd cats for a living”) is big on spiritual development.  When I moved to the area he was starting up a mentoring program, akin to a spiritual confessor, called “Pastor to Pastor.”  I signed up immedately and Lee gave me some names of people to talk to, one of which has become a great friend and mentor, Frank Reeder.  Frank and I have been through a lot together, and have supported each other’s call through thick and thin – a true give and take friendship that I’m priviledged to be in.

Frank and I probe each other, and he asked me a question last week that struck me deeply, “What is the biggest obstacle to Central Baptist becomming genuinely healthy in the long-term?” (my paraphrase).  I didn’t even really need to think about the answer to the question, I wrestle with it every day.

You see, I’m the biggest obstacle to Central Baptist transitioning to long-term health and growth in the Gospel.

I don’t say that with a sense of despair, but as recognition that I have some transitioning to do myself.  You see, in all my years as a Christian I’ve never been near the leadership of a healthy church – one that was making disciples who are deep in the faith and bound together in community.  Every congregation that’s ever migrated me to “leadership” has been on the cusp of needing an emergency restart (one of them is, in fact, now closed).  So, while I’ve had lots of exposure to faithful pastors who keep loving people who actively try to tear them to pieces while they point to the narrow path of discipleship, I’m lacking in the examples of pastors who have been through the process of transition and come out on the other side nimble and ready to keep transitioning as they pursue Jesus with their congregation.

So that this means is that I’m really good at helping folks begin the process of understanding the nature of the Church differently, I really have few models from my personal background upon which to build in the wake of that rethinking process.  It’s this profound lack of models that led me to serve on the regional staff for ABCNJ, what Lee and the Staff are doing to bring some health to an unhealthy region was something that I wanted to witness close up so I could learn – even though it sucks up some time from my local pastoral responsibilities.

Everyone from the region who comes to Central for worship or another event has told me how much the congregation has changed – people appear to genuinely respect and have affection for one another, which has not always been the truth of the congregation over the last 25 years of so (with grave mistakes being made both by pastoral leadership and the congregation).  It’s good to hear that a transition has been noticed – it’s come with a lot of blood, sweat, and “conversations” with God.  Changing that portion of the culture, however, was easy compared to what needs to happen next.  That sense of trust and affection needs to be put to the test so that it emerges as a clearly articulated (and enacted) mission which a new structure that supports that clearly articulated direction.  This is the tack where I end up in uncharted waters.  Here be dragons, as the old saying go.

I honestly don’t know if I’ve got what it takes to pull it off.  Or, if you will, to be the vessel that is part of how Jesus pulls it off.  I look at my background and say, “I got nothin’.”  Of course that seems to be the very type of person that God often uses to pull off the seemingly impossible with next to nothing.  That fact doesn’t make it any less intimidating.

Now in saying all this I want to be perfectly clear, I am in no way feeling unsupported by the folks at Central Baptist Church.  This was the other part of the conversation Frank had with me last week.  Here’s how supported I feel at Central:

• I have at least one person who will get in my face and talk to me about how I’m doing
• I have a couple who are able to interact with my sermons with critiques which are not “theological muggings” (which invigorates me, by the way)
• I have more than a few who will come up and ask me, “What do you need us to do right now?”
• I have several others who are psyched about the things they are learning,and the impact they have on their lives
• I have people who have, over time, come to the conclusion that even though I’m not a “traditional pastor” I’m actually worth trusting and have their best interests for Christian spiritual growth in my heart.
• Even though I make up a good portion of our budge short-fall, I’ve had people (even from unexpected sources) tell me how much they want me to stick around.

So is everything roses?  Not at all.  We have conflict, disagreement, and struggles.  There are times where the congregation wants to strangle me and I want to whack them upside the head (probably with good reason on both counts) – but there is love, and i appreciate that fact.

What it comes down to is this.  Even though I’m woefully ill-equipped to be taking the journey I’m about to begin with Central, I’ll bank on that love which exists among the congregation as being an expression of Jesus’ love for us, and his desire for us to become who we need to be in this place, and at this time, for the glory of his Kingdom.  It’s just daunting to think that I probably have to change more than anyone – even as I’ve already changed more than just about anyone realizes.

“Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done….”

We don’t do that any more

When you’ve been part of system where the default stance is to be in hostile conflict for a lengthy period of time, it tends to be bad for your soul.  This is because the system sucks in you energy, hopes, and passion and gives back only bitterness, burnout, and anger.  This is not a good thing.

Such was the world I pastored in up in MA for two years, and such was the world that I entered into here at Central five years ago (wow, five years).  Folks were just used to being at each other’s throats, and it was choking the life out of the community.  I knew the cycle had to be broken from the moment I got here, I also knew the simply white-washing the internal conflicts and the lack of direction in the Central Baptist community would put this community into a sedated “maintenance-mode.”  I’ve made mistakes, and have certainly been sucked into the dysfunctional system more-often than I’m even aware of – but we’ve all made progress, and for that I’m grateful.

One of the best behavioral changes that’s happened here over the last 2 1/2 years or so is that we’ve pretty much nipped the mocking, “But we’ve never done it that way before” chant.  This statement would pop out any time we tried something creative in the Central community.  One of the folks setting up, or playing-out, a new idea would put it out on the wind and the rest of those present would chuckle and add to the remark.  I played this game myself.  It’s poison.  There is no other reason for making such a remark then to remind those “in the know” that what’s really important is beating those people who don’t like what “we” (the “real” Christians) into submission – causing them to repent of the error of their ways.  Does that sound like Jesus to you?  Me neither.

It finally dawned on me just how poisonous that statement was, and I not only made an effort to prevent it springing from my lips – I also took people aside who made the comment and told them, “We’re not going to do this any more, and here’s why.”  After all, if our target of ministry is “them,” rather than a reaching out towards Jesus, we’re not going to experience the breaking-in of Jesus’ kingdom very much!

It took a while to douse the fire, and there are still flare-ups (old habits die hard), but I haven’t heard this for a while and the less I hear it the more I see the community beginning to come together as one.  There are still people who want no part of being one body (both young and old), and who still try to stir up some of the old fights in an effort to regain some power, but they are having less an less success – and I really think it’s because many folks finally figured out that trying to “win,” rather than striving to be “faithful,” was going to kill this community completely.

We don’t do that any more – and a small wound in our collective soul has begun to heal.