As I have been sharing some reflections with you about happenings in our churches for 2007, I offer some advice (good advice at that, I think) for the life of our churches in 2008.
Actually, it's not my advice. I picked it up from the regular column in the Business Section of the Syracuse Post Standard, entitled, "Ask the Entrepeneurs." The regular entrepeneurs in the column series are each owners of small businesses in Central New York: Julie Briggs, Tracy Higginbotham and Theresa Slater.
Tracey Higginbotham owns a business networking group called WomenTIES and Five Star Events, an events planning business. She advises small businesses to network regionally in order to increase visibility and sales.
Julie Briggs, owner of the Syracuse Gift Basket Company, confided that this is the time of year where she and her employees go over all of the processes they use to produce their products to see if they can improve on efficiency and service.
Theresa Slater, owner of Empire Interpreting Service, thinks that every business should plan to expand through adding staff.
In reading the column I found myself thinking of our business, the work that churches are called to do, the job that we perform, the services that we offer. And, the more I thought about the advice these business owners were offering, the more I thought about how our churches could benefit from developing similar business plans for 2008.
Yes Polonius, but aye, there's the rub. What is this self to which we are to be true? Regarding our life together in our churches, who are we and what are we supposed to be doing as followers of Jesus?
Well, yes, we're the church. We need to worship and pray. We need to offer Good News to folks. We put money in the offering plates to help those in need. It's also helpful if we can support each other through fellowship, visiting one another when we're sick, etc.
Most churches do these things. But in doing them are we following Jesus' lead? Do we know why we do the things that we do? Do we do them with a purity of heart or are our motives muddled? (As the ad for an upcoming television reality series asks, "Do you really care about starving children in Africa?") And, when we worship, share the gospel, provide ministries of service are we doing them the way that Jesus would have us do them?
So, with Julie Briggs it's always good to look to ourselves, what we do and the way we do the things that we do, in order to grow in faithfulness.
If, for instance we are supposed to worship in the beauty of holiness (Ps. 29:2 KJV), how do we experience the "Holy" in our worship. Is there a sense that we are in the presence of God, of something beyond ourselves as we gather to pray and praise, learn the ways of God and respond with spiritual devotion and personal commitment?
Or, if we are to love our neighbor and particularly our enemy, not out of duty but because we take joy in receiving and sharing God's gracious love, do we find that our fellowship, service and mission activities reflect this joy?
The folks at the Plainville Christian Church UCC are committed to becoming more intentionally welcoming. Following up on the God Is Still Speaking Initiative of a few years ago, the congregation is now ready to take stock of themselves in this key area of church life. They've also been looking at how to share their building (and themselves) with the surrounding community. They've renovated their social hall and have begun a community event series of concerts, speakers, dances, etc. Next week they'll begin a Senior Citizens luncheon program in conjunction with Onondaga County.
The members of the Maine Federated Church (UMC/UCC) will be voting at their annual meeting on a new Sunday morning worship schedule. They've had two services with Sunday School in between. They will vote on whether or not to go to one service followed by Sunday School. More than merely shifting the schedule, the church leaders are concerned with promoting greater unity within the worshiping community.
In advising businesses to develop regional networks Tracey Higginbotham struck a chord with me. A key part of my job is to connect churches and church folks with one another.
The sole reason for denominational structure (at least from the standpoint of our Congregational heritage) is to help local congregations do together what they couldn't do as well, if at all, separately.
Our mission, service, justice advocacy efforts seem much more doable when we do them together. The mutual support that we share with one another, the accountability of covenanting with one another in areas of congregational fellowship and ministerial authorization strengthen us individually.
Networking already takes place among our churches and church leaders, to be sure. For 30 years or more the Susquehanna Association has supported and overseen Family Counseling Ministry as an ecumenical mission to families from Roscoe to Corning and Preble to Binghamton. Oneida Association has also supported a Family Counseling Ministry as an ecumenical mission for 15 years or so.
Mark Lawson, pastor of UCC Bayberry, has hosted a longstanding Ecumenical Lectionary Bible Study. Pastors from community churches meet most every Thursday morning in Mark's office for study, sharing and fellowship.
Every Tuesday, pastors serving in the Rome/Utica area meet for lunch in Marcy. While most of the folks that attend are UCC, there are a smattering of others (even Presbyterians).
Joe Connolly, pastor of UCC Norwich, continues to rejoice in the ecumenical witness of churches in this town as they gather for fellowship and worship.
Such networking also happens in judicatory settings. Over the last six months or so, I've been meeting once a month with 5 colleagues representing other Protestant denominations (United Presbyterian, Evangelical Lutheran, United Methodist, and American Bapist). We gather for lunch and conversation regarding issues that face each of us in supportuing our churches and clergy.
Both Oneida and Susquehanna Association Committees on Ministry are looking for ways to improve our support of churches and authorized ministers.
Theresa Slater urged likeminded entrepeneurs to "plan to expand". She was particularly interested in a strategy of staffing for growth.
Staffing for growth is a time honored strategy in our church life, too. Adding part time paid staff positions to concentrate on Youth, Christian Ed., older adults worked to enhance the ministry of our church in Homer when I was pastor there.
Most of our churches don't feel in a position to be able to hire paid staff. However, there are ways that every church can plan to expand.
Begin with prayer. Pray about your church. How is God blessing you? Where is God leading you? What ministries can be strengthened? What ministries need to be started? How is God showing you to meet the needs for ministry?
Follow prayer with discussion. Get together in a small group. Maybe the group is gathered by the pastor, maybe by the church council, maybe by some church friends meeting over coffee. The point is meet and discuss what insights God has given you in prayer. Where are the areas of your church's ministry around which you have a passion, for which you see a need, about which potential you have confidence.
After praying and discussing, get to work. Decide what you're going to do and do it. A tried and true strategy for doing this is what I call "the Sunshine Lady" model. When I went to Homer, Bernie Newell was the Sunshine Lady. It was her job to send cards to folks on behalf of the Women's Fellowship. That's what she did. The job description was clear. I received regular calls from Bernie to learn who was in the hospital and needed a card. She also knew about birthdays and anniversaries of the members.
Now, the point is that this is the way we can go about doing the things that we need to do. See the need. Feel passionate about responding. Plan your course of action. Do you feel strongly about middle school aged children that have nothing to do between the time that school gets out and their parents get home from work? Do you think the church has the gifts and graces to provide some meaningful ministry to these youth and their families? Do you know of some other people with the same concerns? If so, it sounds like the beginnings of a youth center to me.
Jesus yearned for disciples that had the faith of a mustard seed, that from the tiniest of seeds grows into the largest of bushes. Indeed.
Blessings to you in this New Year. And, blessings to those churches that will be holding annual meetings this month. What a great time to discern who you are and how God is calling you to be faithful. What a great time to reach out and network with neighboring churches to find more ways to do ministry together. And, what a wonderful time to "grow where we're planted" (as my friend Esther used to tell me) and let the tiny seeds of faith flower into wonderful new ministries.
Rick Cowles
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