January 2012
Through the Facebook “grapevine” I received an article (December 2, 2011) from Bishop Mike Rinehart of the Gulf Coast Synod. The person who sent it to me did not know that Bishop Rinehart and I were seminary classmates, and friends, so I read what he wrote with considerable interest. His words were bold, and had a familiar ring to them in at least one way. Here’s what I mean by bold, he begins by saying: “Here’s my hunch. Everything for me rises or falls on this bet. I’m putting all my eggs in this basket: the turn around of the mainline churches will happen when we in those churches care as much about those outside the church, as we do those inside. To embrace relevance, we have to let go of survival. That’s it. That’s all I’ve got. If I’m wrong, fire me now. I’ll die on this hill. What does this mean? My theory is that the mainline churches have ceased to be relevant to the culture because insiders trump outsiders every time.”
See what I mean … it’s bold. And it becomes bolder – and more disconcerting – the longer we ponder what Bishop Rinehart is implying. Oh, we can say that certainly we care about those outside the church, especially since many of our own family members, friends, co-workers and neighbors are included. (Remember…we are talking about people for whom participating in the church - in worship, in Christian education, in church sponsored groups, activities or projects – has little or no significance or value.) BUT, when push comes to shove, decisions are made based on what insiders want – on what’s comfortable, on what’s beneficial, on what – to quote my Bishop friend – “will please the card-carrying, bill-paying member.”
There’s no doubt in my mind that this is true and that I too struggle with being a “card-carrying, bill-paying member” with certain preferences. Take, for example, my yearly “fight” to maintain Advent and sing the hymns that I love for at least three weeks of that season, before turning to celebrating Christmas. In spite of my beating the “Risk and Change” drum so long and so hard (there’s the familiar ring) it’s difficult to imagine actually doing what Bishop Rinehart suggests…an idea that I remember mentioning in a sermon at one time or another. Let me quote him again:
“So here’s the plan. New policy. Every decision, every single decision made by staff, council and every committee is made on behalf of those not yet here. Every sermon choice, every hymn, song and musical choice, every building and grounds choice, every spending choice is made with outsiders in mind.”
One of the reasons that is so challenging is that I do not have the mind of an outsider…as is true of most of us! That excuse, though, will not change the reality that the “stability” we treasure is detrimental. Did I say detrimental? Why? Here are a couple more ideas to ponder: “When the rate of change outside the organization exceeds the rate of change inside the organization, the organization is doomed.” If that’s true, then adapting is crucial. Stability is good in a stable culture. But, our culture is anything but stable (just consider one area … technology) and “in a climate of rapid change, adaptability is the higher value (than stability).”
I confess to you that all of this puts me in a quandary. I do not particularly like it, but I see the truth in it. What then, does all this imply for Faith Lutheran Church? That, my sisters and brothers in Christ, is what our discernment process is attempting to address and why attentiveness to each other’s voices and God’s guidance are so crucial.
And, that’s why I invite you to - with “the outsider” in mind, and an attitude of openness - attend the Brainstorming Forums in January as we seek to hear God speak together.
