Ponderings from the General Assembly 4
At the “Conversations” session which I attended, hosted by Linda Valentine and Gradye Parsons, I asked a question that has nagged me for many years, and which I also have heard from many people around the church: “How should we interpret and understand the fact that the total membership of our denomination has significantly declined for many consecutive years?”
Gradye shared his own reflections on this question and admitted that this was also an issue which has bothered him deeply. He said that in studying the statistics from all across the church and from demographic studies there seems to be a 20/ 20/ 60 rule which is generally true. In terms of our active membership loss, it seems that about 20% of our loss is people transferring to other churches; 20% of our loss is due to death. But most of our membership loss, about 60%, is due to losses “out the back door.” These are the people that simply drift away from the church; typically they are not angry; there is not an issue or particular cause that created their leaving; often their leaving the church takes awhile as they drift from regular participation, to less and less, and finally to no participation or connection with the church. Simply put, most of our membership loss is due to the fact that for many people the church no longer satisfies their spiritual needs. This is confirmed by other demographic data today which reports that the fastest growing category of religion in America is the “unaffiliated”, the people that simply have no church home and no active religious life.
Generally speaking, our membership decline is not about social issues or theological positions or style or culture. Our membership decline is about the fact that for many people the church is not spiritually enriching and inspiring in their lives. This is wake up call for our congregations. More than anything, we need to create congregations that are spiritually alive, and we need church leaders who live and communicate a vigorous and energetic spiritual life in Christ.
Ponder your congregation, how many people have begun the slow drift out the back door? Create a dynamic spiritual life in the name of Jesus Christ and bring them back in!
See the Presbyterian News article on membership statistics: http://www.pcusa.org/news/2010/7/1/stated-clerk-releases-pcusa-2009-statistics/
Monday, July 5, 2010
Ponderings from the General Assembly 3
Monday July 5, 2010
Phyllis Tickle, The Great Emergence
The book for the week at this year’s General Assembly is Phyllis Tickle’s The Great Emergence: How Christianity is Changing and Why (Baker Books, 2008). She is the guest speaker at several events during this year’s General Assembly including the Presbyterian Foundation breakfast, the Office of the General Assembly breakfast and the Association of Executive Presbyter’s reception.
This book, which I have studied carefully, offers a sweeping historical perspective and a convincing argument about the changes we are living through in our culture and church.
At the Office of the General Assembly breakfast today Phyllis Tickle told this wonderful story as illustration of her thesis. She was speaking at a church conference in Atlanta during which a youth group from a local church was helping serve the dinner. While she was speaking she noticed that one of these young people stopped their dish clean up tasks and started paying very careful attention to her talk. She was, at that time, discussing the doctrine of the Virgin Birth and the ways in which the importance and understanding of theological doctrine is changing in the church today. She was making the point that many new, emergent Christians are not much interested in systematic theology and the classic doctrines of the faith.
After her presentation, and after most of the people had left the room, this young person approached her and wanted to ask a question. The question was about the Virgin Birth. The young person asked what she had meant in her statement that doctrine did not matter much anymore. This young person said that he read the story of the Virgin Birth in the Bible. He thought it was a beautiful, poetic story, and it was very important to his faith.
Phyllis Tickle’s important point is that this perceptive young person exactly articulated the great emergence that is happening in the church. Systematic, precise, intellectual doctrines of theology, like the Virgin Birth, are being replaced with the importance of story, image and mystery, like the Virgin Birth. This is a profoundly new and different way to look at the same Bible story.
What is the difference between systematic theological doctrine and stories, images and metaphors as foundations for our faith? In this difference we see the some of the Great Emergence which is happening all around us.
Phyllis Tickle, The Great Emergence
The book for the week at this year’s General Assembly is Phyllis Tickle’s The Great Emergence: How Christianity is Changing and Why (Baker Books, 2008). She is the guest speaker at several events during this year’s General Assembly including the Presbyterian Foundation breakfast, the Office of the General Assembly breakfast and the Association of Executive Presbyter’s reception.
This book, which I have studied carefully, offers a sweeping historical perspective and a convincing argument about the changes we are living through in our culture and church.
At the Office of the General Assembly breakfast today Phyllis Tickle told this wonderful story as illustration of her thesis. She was speaking at a church conference in Atlanta during which a youth group from a local church was helping serve the dinner. While she was speaking she noticed that one of these young people stopped their dish clean up tasks and started paying very careful attention to her talk. She was, at that time, discussing the doctrine of the Virgin Birth and the ways in which the importance and understanding of theological doctrine is changing in the church today. She was making the point that many new, emergent Christians are not much interested in systematic theology and the classic doctrines of the faith.
After her presentation, and after most of the people had left the room, this young person approached her and wanted to ask a question. The question was about the Virgin Birth. The young person asked what she had meant in her statement that doctrine did not matter much anymore. This young person said that he read the story of the Virgin Birth in the Bible. He thought it was a beautiful, poetic story, and it was very important to his faith.
Phyllis Tickle’s important point is that this perceptive young person exactly articulated the great emergence that is happening in the church. Systematic, precise, intellectual doctrines of theology, like the Virgin Birth, are being replaced with the importance of story, image and mystery, like the Virgin Birth. This is a profoundly new and different way to look at the same Bible story.
What is the difference between systematic theological doctrine and stories, images and metaphors as foundations for our faith? In this difference we see the some of the Great Emergence which is happening all around us.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Report from the General Assembly 2
COPIED FROM THE PRESBYTERIAN OUTLOOK NEWS RELEASE
For moderator, it's Bolbach in four
By Leslie Scanlon, Outlook national reporter
MINNEAPOLIS - After four rounds of voting and some worry about technical difficulties with the electronic voting keypads, the 219th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) elected as its moderator Cynthia Bolbach, a lawyer and the only elder in a six-person field.
Bolbach - tall, plain-spoken, with a crisp sense of humor - brings to the office decades of experience in church life, from the congregational to the national levels of the denomination.
She has served as a deacon and clerk of session for her congregation, as well as moderator of National Capital Presbytery, chair of the presbytery's Committee on Ministry and its interim general presbyter. She also serves as co-moderator of the Form of Government Task Force, which is bringing to this assembly a proposal - four years in the making - to streamline and make more flexible the denomination's Form of Government section of the Book of Order.
After the fourth-ballot, the candidate with the second-highest number of votes was Julia Leeth, a pastor from California, who earlier in the evening said she guessed she might be the most conservative of the candidates.
In that final ballot, Bolbach received 325 votes (51 percent) and Leeth 148 votes (23 percent), out of a six-person field. But Bolbach led from the start, winning 149 votes (30 percent) in the first ballot - with things splitting neatly from there, with four of the other five candidates drawing from 71 to 76 votes apiece that time around.
Before her election, Bolbach used a biblical analogy - drawn from the New Testament story of the friends who raised up a paralyzed friend, cut a hole in the roof of a building where Jesus was inside, and dropped their friend down into the room with Jesus.
The PC(USA) is paralyzed by uncertainty and fear about how to proclaim the gospel in the 21st century, Bolbach said. "You and I are the friends who can help our paralyzed denomination see Jesus," and be healed.
For moderator, it's Bolbach in four
By Leslie Scanlon, Outlook national reporter
MINNEAPOLIS - After four rounds of voting and some worry about technical difficulties with the electronic voting keypads, the 219th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) elected as its moderator Cynthia Bolbach, a lawyer and the only elder in a six-person field.
Bolbach - tall, plain-spoken, with a crisp sense of humor - brings to the office decades of experience in church life, from the congregational to the national levels of the denomination.
She has served as a deacon and clerk of session for her congregation, as well as moderator of National Capital Presbytery, chair of the presbytery's Committee on Ministry and its interim general presbyter. She also serves as co-moderator of the Form of Government Task Force, which is bringing to this assembly a proposal - four years in the making - to streamline and make more flexible the denomination's Form of Government section of the Book of Order.
After the fourth-ballot, the candidate with the second-highest number of votes was Julia Leeth, a pastor from California, who earlier in the evening said she guessed she might be the most conservative of the candidates.
In that final ballot, Bolbach received 325 votes (51 percent) and Leeth 148 votes (23 percent), out of a six-person field. But Bolbach led from the start, winning 149 votes (30 percent) in the first ballot - with things splitting neatly from there, with four of the other five candidates drawing from 71 to 76 votes apiece that time around.
Before her election, Bolbach used a biblical analogy - drawn from the New Testament story of the friends who raised up a paralyzed friend, cut a hole in the roof of a building where Jesus was inside, and dropped their friend down into the room with Jesus.
The PC(USA) is paralyzed by uncertainty and fear about how to proclaim the gospel in the 21st century, Bolbach said. "You and I are the friends who can help our paralyzed denomination see Jesus," and be healed.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Ponderings from the General Assembly 1
Ponderings from the General Assembly 1
July 3, 2010
This morning a new feature was added to our General Assembly. In the past there had been a time of orientation and training for all of the Commissioners together on this the first day of the meeting. Instead of these traditional training and orientation sessions, this year there were six different “conversations” offered this morning, all at the same time, for the commissioners to choose from as they prepared for the start of the plenary sessions this afternoon. Several of the conversations were focused on the large issues that this Assembly faces, for example, the Form of Government report, the Middle East report, and changes in the Book of Order. I attended a “Conversation” with Gradye Parsons, the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly and Linda Valentine, the Executive Director of the General Assembly Mission Council.
They offered a short presentation on their “Hopes for the 219th General Assembly". Together they listed and discussed seven hopes. I was very pleased by the deep spiritual quality of this conversation. The hopes of these two leaders of the church are spiritually very significant and theologically very sophisticated.
Hopes for the 219th General Assembly are that we:
Practice prayerful decision making;
Discern a deeper awareness of the whole PC(U.S.A.);
Discern a deeper understanding of the issues facing individual congregations;
Identify a common calling within our changing church;
Focus attention beyond ourselves;
Develop enthusiastic sharing of our Faith;
Further the mission of Jesus Christ.
I was very impressed and pleased that this discussion of the hopes of our General Assembly is much deeper than any of the individual topics and actions items which we will consider. We need this deep spiritual foundation to our work.
July 3, 2010
This morning a new feature was added to our General Assembly. In the past there had been a time of orientation and training for all of the Commissioners together on this the first day of the meeting. Instead of these traditional training and orientation sessions, this year there were six different “conversations” offered this morning, all at the same time, for the commissioners to choose from as they prepared for the start of the plenary sessions this afternoon. Several of the conversations were focused on the large issues that this Assembly faces, for example, the Form of Government report, the Middle East report, and changes in the Book of Order. I attended a “Conversation” with Gradye Parsons, the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly and Linda Valentine, the Executive Director of the General Assembly Mission Council.
They offered a short presentation on their “Hopes for the 219th General Assembly". Together they listed and discussed seven hopes. I was very pleased by the deep spiritual quality of this conversation. The hopes of these two leaders of the church are spiritually very significant and theologically very sophisticated.
Hopes for the 219th General Assembly are that we:
Practice prayerful decision making;
Discern a deeper awareness of the whole PC(U.S.A.);
Discern a deeper understanding of the issues facing individual congregations;
Identify a common calling within our changing church;
Focus attention beyond ourselves;
Develop enthusiastic sharing of our Faith;
Further the mission of Jesus Christ.
I was very impressed and pleased that this discussion of the hopes of our General Assembly is much deeper than any of the individual topics and actions items which we will consider. We need this deep spiritual foundation to our work.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Report to the Presbytery June 22, 2010
"Outlining what is yet to be."
A recent Newsweek article on Walt Whitman inspired me to consider again his famous collection of poetry published as "The Leaves of Grass". First published in 1855 the collection was expanded significantly through Whitman’s life time, and has become one of the most famous books of poetry in American history. On this fifth anniversary of my service with you, I wanted to claim some of Whitman’s bright, forward looking American spirit in my reflections.
Walt Whitman “To a Historian”
You who celebrate bygones,
Who have explored the outward, the surfaces of the races,
the lifethat has exhibited itself,
Who have treated of man as the creature of politics, aggregates,rulers and priests,
I, habitan of the Alleghanies, treating of him as he is in himselfin his own rights,
Pressing the pulse of the life that has seldom exhibited itself,
(the great pride of man in himself,)
Chanter of Personality,
outlining what is yet to be,
I project the history of the future.
At this June Presbytery meeting in 2005 I was examined and elected to this position with this presbytery, and I am very grateful. Indeed in this year of the Lord, 2010, I give thanks for five years of service with you. Not only that, in this year of the Lord 2010 I will celebrate my 50th birthday; our 25th wedding anniversary, the 25th anniversary of my ordination; and in this year of the Lord 2010 we have celebrated our beloved, oldest son’s wedding. (My son called me on Father’s Day, from his honeymoon, to report that he and his wife were on schedule to hike to every waterfall on the island of Maui.) In my life this year, 2010, is sacred and blessed, overflowing with gratitude and joyful blessing.
All these events of joyous memory and hopeful vision define my thinking and guide my reflection. With such a repertoire of blessing holding and surrounding me, I cannot but be hopeful for tomorrow. With Walt Whitman, I want to “press the pulse of life that has seldom exhibited itself.” This rare, cherished pulse of life is, in my mind, the spiritual life. The pulse of life, although increasingly rare in our society is still very real for you and I. This is the pulse of the Holy Spirit that thuds through the veins of faith keeping us alive, motivating us to love and serve. The pulse of life itself is for me, and for us, the very presence and power of Jesus Christ. Our fault and our problem is that powerful pulse of life is indeed seldom exhibited. So we need a new boldness in proclaiming with word and deed that we are disciples of Jesus, and this church belongs to him.
And with Walt Whitman, “I project the history of the future.” “I project the history of the future.” What a wonderful phrase. This task is not a celebration of bygones, but a new and full pressing of the pulse of life. I project the history of the future, and this is what I see:
I see a church connected. This is the great question of our day in our church. What does it mean to be connected and connectional? Is your church isolated or connected? There are fifty two congregations in our presbytery; how many of them do you feel connected with today? We are starting this grand new experiment with our Regional Associates and this is, in my mind, our motivating question: What does it mean to be connected? How may we connect together? What does that look like?
I project the history of the future, and this is what I see:
I see a church claiming a powerful, open relational spirituality. We have not paid much attention to this; but I believe the spirituality of the church is shifting and moving. I believe there are those among us who are uniquely in touch with this new, pulsing relational spirituality. You are our women in ministry. I ask this question: What does it mean to be a woman in ministry today? How does it feel? I grew up in ministry in the 1980s and 90s. In those years all the doors were, of course, officially open but still there was this unspoken sense that the women still had to prove it. It is different now; and we need to claim and celebrate it. When I see women in ministry now I see networking, collegiality, support and connectionalism all of which many of us simply do not know how to do. I see this relational spirituality increasingly blessing our church.
I project the history of the future, and this is what I see:
I see spiritual energy for mission. This is the center of my passion. I see a growing heart for mission. I define mission carefully, using the work of Professor Andrew Walls as my guide. I define mission as intentionally crossing a cultural barrier in the name of the Jesus Christ. In those crossings I have seen energy and transformation, power and blessing. We are a world full of cultural barriers; and every time we cross one, and break down these dividing walls of hostility, we bring honor and glory to our Lord.
I project the history of the future, and this is what I see:
I see a church finding new ways to do the old conversations. I am discouraged by many of our old conversations. As we move to another General Assembly this summer I am very concerned again about the toxicity of our debate. Specifically, in response to the public policy paper on the Middle East and again in response to the proposed changes to our ordination standards and revisions to our Book of Order I feel division, paralysis and a lack of inspiration. Maybe we will soon be blessed with new ways to have these old conversations.
Because of the health, the vitality, and effectiveness of this Presbytery maybe we here in this little corner of God’s Holy Church may join together in, Whitman’s words, "outlining what is yet to be". Please join me in that work. Amen!
Mark J. Englund-Krieger
Executive Presbyter
A recent Newsweek article on Walt Whitman inspired me to consider again his famous collection of poetry published as "The Leaves of Grass". First published in 1855 the collection was expanded significantly through Whitman’s life time, and has become one of the most famous books of poetry in American history. On this fifth anniversary of my service with you, I wanted to claim some of Whitman’s bright, forward looking American spirit in my reflections.
Walt Whitman “To a Historian”
You who celebrate bygones,
Who have explored the outward, the surfaces of the races,
the lifethat has exhibited itself,
Who have treated of man as the creature of politics, aggregates,rulers and priests,
I, habitan of the Alleghanies, treating of him as he is in himselfin his own rights,
Pressing the pulse of the life that has seldom exhibited itself,
(the great pride of man in himself,)
Chanter of Personality,
outlining what is yet to be,
I project the history of the future.
At this June Presbytery meeting in 2005 I was examined and elected to this position with this presbytery, and I am very grateful. Indeed in this year of the Lord, 2010, I give thanks for five years of service with you. Not only that, in this year of the Lord 2010 I will celebrate my 50th birthday; our 25th wedding anniversary, the 25th anniversary of my ordination; and in this year of the Lord 2010 we have celebrated our beloved, oldest son’s wedding. (My son called me on Father’s Day, from his honeymoon, to report that he and his wife were on schedule to hike to every waterfall on the island of Maui.) In my life this year, 2010, is sacred and blessed, overflowing with gratitude and joyful blessing.
All these events of joyous memory and hopeful vision define my thinking and guide my reflection. With such a repertoire of blessing holding and surrounding me, I cannot but be hopeful for tomorrow. With Walt Whitman, I want to “press the pulse of life that has seldom exhibited itself.” This rare, cherished pulse of life is, in my mind, the spiritual life. The pulse of life, although increasingly rare in our society is still very real for you and I. This is the pulse of the Holy Spirit that thuds through the veins of faith keeping us alive, motivating us to love and serve. The pulse of life itself is for me, and for us, the very presence and power of Jesus Christ. Our fault and our problem is that powerful pulse of life is indeed seldom exhibited. So we need a new boldness in proclaiming with word and deed that we are disciples of Jesus, and this church belongs to him.
And with Walt Whitman, “I project the history of the future.” “I project the history of the future.” What a wonderful phrase. This task is not a celebration of bygones, but a new and full pressing of the pulse of life. I project the history of the future, and this is what I see:
I see a church connected. This is the great question of our day in our church. What does it mean to be connected and connectional? Is your church isolated or connected? There are fifty two congregations in our presbytery; how many of them do you feel connected with today? We are starting this grand new experiment with our Regional Associates and this is, in my mind, our motivating question: What does it mean to be connected? How may we connect together? What does that look like?
I project the history of the future, and this is what I see:
I see a church claiming a powerful, open relational spirituality. We have not paid much attention to this; but I believe the spirituality of the church is shifting and moving. I believe there are those among us who are uniquely in touch with this new, pulsing relational spirituality. You are our women in ministry. I ask this question: What does it mean to be a woman in ministry today? How does it feel? I grew up in ministry in the 1980s and 90s. In those years all the doors were, of course, officially open but still there was this unspoken sense that the women still had to prove it. It is different now; and we need to claim and celebrate it. When I see women in ministry now I see networking, collegiality, support and connectionalism all of which many of us simply do not know how to do. I see this relational spirituality increasingly blessing our church.
I project the history of the future, and this is what I see:
I see spiritual energy for mission. This is the center of my passion. I see a growing heart for mission. I define mission carefully, using the work of Professor Andrew Walls as my guide. I define mission as intentionally crossing a cultural barrier in the name of the Jesus Christ. In those crossings I have seen energy and transformation, power and blessing. We are a world full of cultural barriers; and every time we cross one, and break down these dividing walls of hostility, we bring honor and glory to our Lord.
I project the history of the future, and this is what I see:
I see a church finding new ways to do the old conversations. I am discouraged by many of our old conversations. As we move to another General Assembly this summer I am very concerned again about the toxicity of our debate. Specifically, in response to the public policy paper on the Middle East and again in response to the proposed changes to our ordination standards and revisions to our Book of Order I feel division, paralysis and a lack of inspiration. Maybe we will soon be blessed with new ways to have these old conversations.
Because of the health, the vitality, and effectiveness of this Presbytery maybe we here in this little corner of God’s Holy Church may join together in, Whitman’s words, "outlining what is yet to be". Please join me in that work. Amen!
Mark J. Englund-Krieger
Executive Presbyter
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Preparing for General Assembly: Keeping a Long View
Psalm 90:2 “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”
Two of the congregations of the Presbytery of Carlisle – First Presbyterian in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and Silver Spring Presbyterian in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania - celebrated their 275th anniversaries in 2009. Both of these congregations continue to be vital, growing and forward looking communities of faith. It was a deep joy for me to participate in their joyful birthday celebrations. Of course, we are in Pennsylvania where the Presbyterian Church is planted deep in the soil. Indeed there are Presbyterian congregations to the east of us, in Donegal and Philadelphia Presbyteries, that are older than 275. As we prepare for another meeting of the General Assembly, I believe it is inspiring and helpful to ponder our long Presbyterian heritage. Ponder in your heart 275 years of church life. Faithful Presbyterians were sitting in the pews of these churches wondering about the ability of George Washington’s rag-tag army to defeat the mighty British Redcoats; these congregations may have lifted up joyful prayers for our nation every time a new state joined the union throughout the 1800s, and, I am sure, these congregations gathered for deep prayer during those fateful days of July when rivers of blood flowed in the fields of Gettysburg; these congregations would have named in prayer the people from among their flock who boldly served during the Great War and then again during World War Two. These congregations would have prayed deeply and reached out with care and compassion to neighbors during the dark years of the Great Depression. Through it all the church continued; all the way down to this year of the Lord 2010.
I am not encouraging us to rejoice in some great imaginary, bygone era when “all the men were strong, the women good looking and all the children were above average. (Yes, Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion is in Minneapolis.) I am not encouraging us to spend too much time remembering and reminiscing. I am simply encouraging us, as we gather for General Assembly, to maintain a long view. This year’s General Assembly is not the first, nor will it be the last, it is not ultimate, and the whole fate of God’s universe does not rest on the shoulders of our commissioners. Take a deep breath of Presbyterian heritage. We have been doing this for a long time; and faithful Presbyterians in ages past have struggled and argued, debated and decided concerns and questions that are as important as the ones we will consider. Maintain a long view of time and providence. There is indeed a long view behind us as we remember our heritage and history. And I believe there is also a long view in front of us as we begin each new day to build on the gifts we have received and live into the church which God is bringing forth for our life together.
Two of the congregations of the Presbytery of Carlisle – First Presbyterian in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and Silver Spring Presbyterian in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania - celebrated their 275th anniversaries in 2009. Both of these congregations continue to be vital, growing and forward looking communities of faith. It was a deep joy for me to participate in their joyful birthday celebrations. Of course, we are in Pennsylvania where the Presbyterian Church is planted deep in the soil. Indeed there are Presbyterian congregations to the east of us, in Donegal and Philadelphia Presbyteries, that are older than 275. As we prepare for another meeting of the General Assembly, I believe it is inspiring and helpful to ponder our long Presbyterian heritage. Ponder in your heart 275 years of church life. Faithful Presbyterians were sitting in the pews of these churches wondering about the ability of George Washington’s rag-tag army to defeat the mighty British Redcoats; these congregations may have lifted up joyful prayers for our nation every time a new state joined the union throughout the 1800s, and, I am sure, these congregations gathered for deep prayer during those fateful days of July when rivers of blood flowed in the fields of Gettysburg; these congregations would have named in prayer the people from among their flock who boldly served during the Great War and then again during World War Two. These congregations would have prayed deeply and reached out with care and compassion to neighbors during the dark years of the Great Depression. Through it all the church continued; all the way down to this year of the Lord 2010.
I am not encouraging us to rejoice in some great imaginary, bygone era when “all the men were strong, the women good looking and all the children were above average. (Yes, Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion is in Minneapolis.) I am not encouraging us to spend too much time remembering and reminiscing. I am simply encouraging us, as we gather for General Assembly, to maintain a long view. This year’s General Assembly is not the first, nor will it be the last, it is not ultimate, and the whole fate of God’s universe does not rest on the shoulders of our commissioners. Take a deep breath of Presbyterian heritage. We have been doing this for a long time; and faithful Presbyterians in ages past have struggled and argued, debated and decided concerns and questions that are as important as the ones we will consider. Maintain a long view of time and providence. There is indeed a long view behind us as we remember our heritage and history. And I believe there is also a long view in front of us as we begin each new day to build on the gifts we have received and live into the church which God is bringing forth for our life together.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
A Model for Mission Partnership
A Model for Mission Partnership in Tegucigalpa, Honduras:
The Presbyterian Church of Honduras,
The Presbytery of Carlisle and
Presbyterian World Mission
This mission partnership is intended to promote and encourage the community outreach ministry of the Presbyterian Church of Honduras.
Since 2006 I have been leading mission teams from the Presbytery of Carlisle to Honduras to build relationships with the pastors, leaders and members of the 20 congregations of the Presbyterian Church in Honduras. One of my goals has been to help the Honduran pastors and congregations begin to understand and express a commitment to mission work. The Honduran Presbyterian Churches are all small by our standards, i.e. less than 100 people in worship and very, very poor. As I have met with and developed close relationships with the pastors, I have encouraged them to reach out with compassion and service to the members of their congregations. In many ways, this was a new idea for them although they understand the concept to be deeply biblical. Nonetheless, these churches do not have any resources for any kind of service and mission projects.
This April 10 to 17, 2010 I led my ninth mission team to Honduras for what was truly a breakthrough in our partnership. Building on conversations and planning meetings from previous mission trips and with our Presbyterian missionaries Tim and Gloria Wheeler serving as our communication link, I challenged the Honduran Presbyterian Churches to identify a mission project which our team could participate in and support. In preparation for our mission trip, the flagship congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Honduras, the Pena de Horeb Presbyterian Church in Tegucigalpa, selected a family from their congregation for whom they wanted to build a new house.
During our week in Honduras our team met with and started the construction on a new home for this family from the Pena de Horeb Presbyterian Church. What is very special about this construction project is not the construction itself; many groups do the same kind of work. What is very special is the partnership and cooperation that is behind this project. It is this partnership that is a powerful model for what I believe is the proper way to do mission work today. It is this concept of mission partnership that I am asking our Presbytery to support. This project included the full cooperation and sharing of our Presbytery of Carlisle mission team, our Presbyterian missionaries Tim and Gloria Wheeler, the leaders of the Presbytery of Honduras and specifically Pastors Rene and Juan from the Pena de Horeb Presbyterian Church, Presbyterians from other congregations who participated in the construction, the Honduran masons who were hired to lead the actual construction, and, of course, the Presbyterian family who are receiving the new home.
Specifically, I plan to repeat indefinitely the model of mission partnership which we used this month. A Presbytery of Carlisle mission team will be recruited and each member will be responsible for their own airfare and room and board in Honduras. All our logistical support in Honduras is provided by Tim and Gloria Wheeler: they provide room and board at their retreat center for $20 per day per person, they provide all transportation in Honduras for a cost of $80 per person for the week. In addition each member of the Presbytery of Carlisle team will be expected to contribute $200 toward the home project. We are seeking other congregations and members of the Presbytery of Carlisle to support the cost of the home project beyond that which is funded by the members of our mission team, in this example, $2,300. Depending on the availability of funding we may encourage the Presbyterian Church in Honduras to identify family for new homes, and begin the planning process to work with those families. My goal is for the Presbytery of Carlisle to make a commitment to fully fund ten new homes for members of the Presbyterian Churches in Honduras, a financial commitment of $23,000.
Funds needed, New Home Project
Mission Team Contribution:
One Home: 7 members X $200 each: $1,400
Ten Teams for Ten Homes: $14,000
Other contributions:
One Home: $2,300
Ten Homes: $23,000
TOTAL COST:
One Home: $3,700
Ten Homes: $37,000
This project is intended to be a long term, sustainable relationship between the Presbytery of Carlisle, the Presbyterian Church of Honduras and Presbyterian World Mission. As long as the congregations in Honduras are able to identify families and organize the home projects and we are able to identify mission teams and funding this project will continue. The initial goal defined by the Presbyterian Church of Honduras is two new homes per year.
The project will directly support families of the Presbyterian Church in Honduras. These very poor people often live in substandard housing. Typically, we will be replacing very poor, wooden homes which seldom have doors, windows or floors with new concrete block homes.
The project is an expression of partnership in mission between Honduran and American Presbyterians to the glory and praise of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Presbyterian Church of Honduras,
The Presbytery of Carlisle and
Presbyterian World Mission
This mission partnership is intended to promote and encourage the community outreach ministry of the Presbyterian Church of Honduras.
Since 2006 I have been leading mission teams from the Presbytery of Carlisle to Honduras to build relationships with the pastors, leaders and members of the 20 congregations of the Presbyterian Church in Honduras. One of my goals has been to help the Honduran pastors and congregations begin to understand and express a commitment to mission work. The Honduran Presbyterian Churches are all small by our standards, i.e. less than 100 people in worship and very, very poor. As I have met with and developed close relationships with the pastors, I have encouraged them to reach out with compassion and service to the members of their congregations. In many ways, this was a new idea for them although they understand the concept to be deeply biblical. Nonetheless, these churches do not have any resources for any kind of service and mission projects.
This April 10 to 17, 2010 I led my ninth mission team to Honduras for what was truly a breakthrough in our partnership. Building on conversations and planning meetings from previous mission trips and with our Presbyterian missionaries Tim and Gloria Wheeler serving as our communication link, I challenged the Honduran Presbyterian Churches to identify a mission project which our team could participate in and support. In preparation for our mission trip, the flagship congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Honduras, the Pena de Horeb Presbyterian Church in Tegucigalpa, selected a family from their congregation for whom they wanted to build a new house.
During our week in Honduras our team met with and started the construction on a new home for this family from the Pena de Horeb Presbyterian Church. What is very special about this construction project is not the construction itself; many groups do the same kind of work. What is very special is the partnership and cooperation that is behind this project. It is this partnership that is a powerful model for what I believe is the proper way to do mission work today. It is this concept of mission partnership that I am asking our Presbytery to support. This project included the full cooperation and sharing of our Presbytery of Carlisle mission team, our Presbyterian missionaries Tim and Gloria Wheeler, the leaders of the Presbytery of Honduras and specifically Pastors Rene and Juan from the Pena de Horeb Presbyterian Church, Presbyterians from other congregations who participated in the construction, the Honduran masons who were hired to lead the actual construction, and, of course, the Presbyterian family who are receiving the new home.
Specifically, I plan to repeat indefinitely the model of mission partnership which we used this month. A Presbytery of Carlisle mission team will be recruited and each member will be responsible for their own airfare and room and board in Honduras. All our logistical support in Honduras is provided by Tim and Gloria Wheeler: they provide room and board at their retreat center for $20 per day per person, they provide all transportation in Honduras for a cost of $80 per person for the week. In addition each member of the Presbytery of Carlisle team will be expected to contribute $200 toward the home project. We are seeking other congregations and members of the Presbytery of Carlisle to support the cost of the home project beyond that which is funded by the members of our mission team, in this example, $2,300. Depending on the availability of funding we may encourage the Presbyterian Church in Honduras to identify family for new homes, and begin the planning process to work with those families. My goal is for the Presbytery of Carlisle to make a commitment to fully fund ten new homes for members of the Presbyterian Churches in Honduras, a financial commitment of $23,000.
Funds needed, New Home Project
Mission Team Contribution:
One Home: 7 members X $200 each: $1,400
Ten Teams for Ten Homes: $14,000
Other contributions:
One Home: $2,300
Ten Homes: $23,000
TOTAL COST:
One Home: $3,700
Ten Homes: $37,000
This project is intended to be a long term, sustainable relationship between the Presbytery of Carlisle, the Presbyterian Church of Honduras and Presbyterian World Mission. As long as the congregations in Honduras are able to identify families and organize the home projects and we are able to identify mission teams and funding this project will continue. The initial goal defined by the Presbyterian Church of Honduras is two new homes per year.
The project will directly support families of the Presbyterian Church in Honduras. These very poor people often live in substandard housing. Typically, we will be replacing very poor, wooden homes which seldom have doors, windows or floors with new concrete block homes.
The project is an expression of partnership in mission between Honduran and American Presbyterians to the glory and praise of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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