Tag Archives: Church

Ten Years

Posted on May 17, 2013 | 2 Comments

Central Baptist CongregationThis past Sunday marked my tenth year at Central Baptist. I was thirty when I arrived with my wife, bringing along two small children to an unknown landscape. Even though I grew up fourteen miles from where I now live, I frequently had to point to folks that my understanding of New Jersey geography consisted of vague blobs marking “Camden” and “The Cherry Hill Mall” with a more finely detailed map in the East marked “The Jersey Shore.” In-between consisted of blank space marked “here be dragons.” Ten years later, even though I find myself glancing longingly over the river from time to time, we’ve settled into life here in Jersey quite nicely. Our kids are in school, my wife and I have become part of the community. We’re “home.”

The church has changed at lot over the years as well. I took a picture on Sunday and I’m struck by just how different it is. New faces have become part of the family, others have moved on because life-transitions, and more than a few departed in reaction to the mistakes and fumbling which are inevitable with a young pastor. More than anything, though, I’ve buried quite a few people – too many people. I hope they are pleased with what Central is becoming.

When I first arrived Central was in crisis. It wasn’t in crisis because the people were awful or because the church was a relic, and I want to make that clear. Central was in crisis because the system which helped keep people in relationship had ceased functioning. The creaking of the gears made it afraid to move, lest a failure create more conflict and begin yet another exodus from the congregation. Ten years later we’re still a congregation in crisis, as is just about every small church, but the nature of the crisis has been transformed. The web of relationships we call Central Baptist is no longer in crisis because it’s afraid to move against creaking joints. Rather, our crisis is about discovering who we’re meant to be. In a real sense Central Baptist Church, which is over a century old, has hit adolescence – again. I don’t take much credit for this. All I did is learn patience, grow in love, and allow my natural obliviousness shield me from the natural storms of emotional upheaval. I’ve done what I was supposed to do.

I know many pastors sometimes feel a mild resentment towards the congregations they pastor because they feel beholden to them. While it’s not healthy, it is understandable. Being dependent on one’s “employer” for salary, community, and even housing can become overwhelming – especially if the congregation likes to point those realities out to the pastor. Ten years in, having experienced many of the ups and downs of pastoral existence, I can honestly say one truth. I am, indeed, beholden to the people of Central Baptist in many ways. Not because they’ve chained me down, but because they’ve set me free. I’m free to learn, grow, write, teach, and challenge. I’m free to imagine, play, and dream. Most of all I’m free to try, and just as free to fail. That last gift might be the greatest blessing the living web we call “Central Baptist” has given me. I hope I’ve helped you be free in Christ as well.

We continue to have much work to do as we move through congregational adolescence together. We have to learn who we are called to be, and embrace our calling with maturity and wisdom. As the process moves forward I need to celebrate accomplishing what I should have been doing, continue doing it, and figure out what I need to do. What an amazing voyage.

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Fitting In

Posted on May 7, 2013 | 1 Comment

I don’t fit in.

Well, that’s not entirely true. It’s just that the spaces in which I’ve felt I’ve fit in have been so rare that when I say, “I don’t fit in” it feels true. As I’ve said on this blog numerous times, I’m not good with small-talk and social situations make me feel extremely awkward. As I’ve gotten older I’ve become better at putting on a good show, for the sake of others as much as for myself, but in any crowd I’ll eventually find a corner in which to hide. Typical social convention and I are acquaintances, not friends.

Today I was pondering those rare times in which I really “fit” and I noticed something I’d never quite seen before. The times in which I’ve felt the most socially comfortable have been when I’ve spent much time with other people who frequently found themselves not fitting in. I suppose I could write that off as “misery loves company,” but these spaces were more than ragtag grouping of misfits because no one else would have them. Rather, they were spaces in which not fitting in wasn’t frowned upon. Instead, it was lovingly chuckled over.

As I’ve said, these spaces have been relatively rare in my life. I thought I’d list some.

The LMH dorm

The LMH dorm saved my life in so many ways. It was my first opportunity to knowingly take responsibility for my education, it was the place where I finally heard Jesus calling me to follow him, and it was an amazing group of misfits. Living in a dorm while in college, after all, is normal. Living in a dorm while in high school is a little weird. When you realize that just under a seventh of the total school population dormed, it’s even weirder. “Dormies” were people who never went home because we were home. We ate, studied, played, fought, and wandered the route 30 corridor together. We were people who’d wander into the school wearing socks or sporting bare feet to get help from a teacher, and pretended that Friendly’s was part of campus. We had “sneak nights,” and campus-wide pillow fights, and planned all sorts of odd escapades. While we all had other friends in school outside the dorm who were just as close, when given a chance we Dormies tended to enjoy being odd together. Only a fellow Dormie, after all, could sled down the driveway after an ice storm. The LMH dorm was perhaps the first space in which I really loved being part of a group.

Campus Chorale

Another LMH staple, Campus Chorale, became a safe space for me while at the school. If the dorm was full of crazy misfits, Campus Chorale was filled with an amazingly diverse group of people who got together only because we loved to sing. Our director, Clyde Hollinger, was simply one of the best people I’ve ever known. To him, Chorale was not a class or a performing group – it was a ministry. He pushed us to stretch our abilities, and gently nudged us together so we could function as a whole. When you looked at the overall makeup of the group it was obvious we were comprised of several different social circles. The groups weren’t adverse to one another, but the differences were wide enough that coming together as a group should have been more difficult than it was. But Mr. Hollinger took a bunch kids of who were incredibly different from one another – and made us into a group. We may have not been the most talented Campus Chorale ever – but as the group became safer and safer I’d contend we may have been one of the most heart-felt.

Eastern Biblical Studies Department

Take two years of incoming students interested in studying Biblical Studies and Theology. Add a new professor who happens to be a Patristics scholar, and a mix in a whacky assortment of professors who thought that college should be challenging. Shake them around for a while and you get the group of people I studied alongside of throughout my years at Eastern. While I loved the LMH dorm, and grew so much with Campus Chorale, it was at Eastern that I found the element for which I was created. Suddenly I found myself surrounded by people who also felt a little out of place in “normal” situations. It was at Eastern we discovered we were natural academics, realized that academic passion was not normal, and didn’t care. Yes we had all sorts of typical college experiences, but what I treasure most about my time studying Bible and Theology at Eastern were the insane conversations we’d have at the coffee shop, skipping a class because the professor from another class ordered me to sit down and keep talking over a lecture, and the competition to acquire as many books as possible (yes, Jim, you won – my ADD hyper-focus isn’t as strong as yours).

GCTS Apartments

I didn’t fit in to the Academic culture of Gordon-Conwell, but that was OK because neither did any of the people I lived with down in my apartment building. We weren’t cut from the proper GCTS mold so, naturally, we hung out together – and wonderful things happened. We played Final Fantasy 7 while discussing theology. We forsook the couches in our apartments so we could lounge in the hallway. We moved dozens of people in and out of the building every summer. We said tearful farewells, and walked with one another when we were hurting. I got my MDiv from GCTS, I learned about pastoring down on the set of Sanford and Son (don’t ask). Along the way, as if to celebrate not fitting in, someone started the “Rebel Brown Royal Film Society.” We’d watch terrible movies and laugh so hard we had trouble breathing.

My only regret about living there was I graduated the spring prior to the Halloween in which they decorated the entire building as Noah’s Ark.

Central Baptist Church

When I arrived here, ten years ago this week, I could not imagine what on earth I was doing here. It was a church which continued to suffer through the “worship wars,” had a broken social structure, and an organizational structure which was in just as bad shape. What Central needed, I felt, was an organizational specialist who could navigate through the various social mine fields which had been laid throughout the congregation over the years. Instead, they called me – a man who routinely blows himself up, socially speaking, simply because he can’t pay attention long enough to see the danger. Most pastors start out a pastorate by preaching happy, uplifting stuff. My first major sermon series was 8 months in Ecclesiastes, just because I thought it was so interesting. One year in, I was convinced I was either going to kill the church through my own social ineptitude, or I’d finally step on one mine too many and find myself ejected. I’m sure there were people who would have been delighted to see me tossed, and if I had the social awareness to realize how big that group probably was I may have given up (score one for social awkwardness).

Here’s the thing, my initial assessment of what Central needed wasn’t correct. Central didn’t need a social navigator, it needed a socially awkward odd-ball who blew things up by accident and laughed at his own mistakes. Central needed someone who would help the congregation embrace it’s own oddness, and cheer. I refer to Central as “The Land of Misfit Christians,” and that’s what we are. The place makes no sense whatsoever – and yet it works. I don’t think I’d like pastoring a church which wasn’t as wonderfully odd as this one. I mean, in how many churches will you find a woman sheepishly admit to her pastor that a friend taught her parrot how to ask everyone who enters he house, “Where’s the beer?”

So, to all the misfits with whom I have journeyed I say, “Thank you, and may God bless your journey.” May you all find keep finding spaces in which your oddness can sing for joy, and Jesus can keep calling you forward.

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Facing fear

Posted on May 2, 2013 | Leave a comment

I’ve been pondering a question for a while, “What am I afraid of?” It’s one of those questions people are tempted to give quick answers too, like “spiders!” I’m not sure the quick answers, however, are good reflections of what people are really afraid of. I think people are alarmed by spiders [1]. Fear, however, is something I define as something which shakes the core of your being.

So, what am I afraid of? Simply put, I’m afraid of being left behind.

No, I’m not referring to the awful apocalyptic novels based on the equally terrible rapture theology prevalent in many Protestant churches. What I’m afraid of is putting down roots some place and then turning around one day to see nothing but tumble-weeds blowing around behind me.

As far as fears go, this is a powerful one for a pastor to experience – especially in a church desperately staving off decline. As with many smaller congregations, we suffer from noticeable “membership churn.” People come into the congregation for a season or two, and then get called away to continue their journey elsewhere. This really isn’t any different than what happens at a larger church, but when you have 40–60 people present on a given Sunday the departure of a family or two over the year is agonizingly noticeable. This is what sparks my fear, “Oh my gosh we can’t keep losing people.”

The worst I felt was a two summers ago when we lost about 10 people through a combination of moves, deaths, and congregational migration. My heart sunk, because I simply couldn’t see how the church could continue. Attendance was down, energy was down, hope was fading. I was at that moment many pastors get to at some point. I saw the light at the end of the tunnel was absolutely convinced it was an oncoming train.

That summer was a low point, but that fear gets acerbated fairly regularly – particularly on holiday weekends when folks take their long weekends and enjoy a nice break away from the community. I don’t begrudge people those breaks, but as I see even more empty pews on a Sunday the fear creeps in. People are free to move their religious setting fairly easily – they don’t have to change their address, employment, or social circles. If I were to do a similar move each of those would go into instant upheaval. If the congregation were forced to close, or if people decided my journey as the pastor of central had run it’s course, the pain of that upheaval would be all the more intense. This makes me afraid.

To be honest, I think it’s a fear many pastors share. It’s what gives us pause before we speak prophetically to our congregations, makes us painfully aware of who the “good givers” are, and makes us want to be liked by the congregation. So if I’m afraid, how do I do ministry? It’s an important question.

Fear can be debilitating. As I described above, I experienced the influence of fear a couple of summers ago – it locked me up for several weeks. I continue to have moments where fear gives me pause – both at Central and at denominational events. While some people would consider admitting such fear is a sign of weakness, I consider it part of the process of handing it over to God. Yes, I’m afraid of being left behind as the structures in which pursue my calling collapse around me. God, however, isn’t. I have a calling on my life, to help people grow in their pursuit of Jesus and his Kingdom, and the comfort of that calling from Jesus overwhelms my fear of circumstances. That’s the work of the Holy Spirit in, and though, me.

My fear is real, but Jesus’ hope is greater – and that is why I am able to continue on my journey.

What are you afraid of?

  1. While I’m not alarmed by spiders, I don’t blame anyone who is freaked out by them.  ↩

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How a church died

Posted on April 28, 2013 | 4 Comments
Stillwaters in an old church

Tonight our association held their annual meeting at a church which shut down several years ago. I’ve been in the building several times since it closed down, and it’s always depressed me — the musty smell, the empty space, the sheer amount of lost potential. Until tonight, however, I’d never quite figured out how the church collapsed so thoroughly. From all reports the church had a sizable endowment as late as the 90’s, and with some decent management it could still be doing significant ministry. So what happened?

The end-game of the church was, unfortunately, a story which has played out again and again in churches. A pastor is called without wisdom, severs the church’s relationships with other congregations and the congregants relationships with each other, and then moves on — blaming everyone else for the destruction caused. Yet, a church with the resources that this one had going for it needn’t have taken that path — a path often taken out of a sense of desperation. The reality of what happened to the church never fit with else I knew about it, until tonight.

During the meeting I wound up in a hallway I’d never paid much attention to before. On the walls were several dozen plaques, all dedicated to the same pastor. He was everywhere. The mayor of the town honored him, civic organizations honored him, religious organizations honored him, the church gave him plaque after plaque. From the dates on the plaques I gleaned the pastor had been there for sometime, at least from the 60’s into the early 90’s. When the scope of those plaques hit me I realized what killed the church. When the pastor left, the church just stopped. After showing the hallway to a friend and mentioning my insight, she pointed out another plaque with the pastor’s name on it. This one, dedicating an education wing, listed the dates of the pastor’s reign — 1947 to 1994. Forty-seven years!

As the sheer weight of that reign sunk in, I began to realize something else. The decor of the church was vintage 60’s and 70’s. the upkeep of the building looked like it had slowed to a crawl years before it closed, which was odd given the endowment the church had possessed. The church hadn’t stopped after the 47 year pastor left, it stopped at least a decade before he ended his reign.

Suddenly, the run-down and empty church was no longer depressing, it was frightening. We slip into stagnation so easily, and then entropy — organizational, spiritual, and physical — works it’s deadly power. Stability can be a wonderful thing, but when stability becomes the thing, the death cycle has begun. It’s a sobering thought.

 

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What is a “Creative?”

Posted on April 8, 2013 | Leave a comment

Street LampToday I read an article about finding the next Steve Jobs. It makes the point that many companies are incapable of finding such a person because “creatives” are natural “non-conformists” who get weeded out by the hiring process.  Creative-types tend to throw up red-flags which reveal how they won’t fit in the corporate structure.  This of course, is their most valuable asset to any company which hires them.

Having read the article, I can’t help but agree that church too-often functions the same way.  Churches, of any theological stripe, are naturally “conservative.”  That is, they tend towards a static reality.  This is true of congregations all along the theological continuum – from fundamentalist and progressive.  Congregations tend to get locked into a mind-set, and deviations from it are typically demoralized or expunged, praise God.

What does it mean to be a “creative” though?  Often times, congregations make the assumption that taking part of the latest and greatest “new thing” means “being creative.”  Political protests, best-selling books, and worship music-style become the gage of a church’s “creativity.”  The problem is, this isn’t true.  In fact, most of what churches typically call “creativity” is really more of a sign of consumerism.

Creatives aren’t fad-seekers, nor are they necessarily concerned with being part of the “latest and greatest.”  Some of the most creative people I know, in fact, are part of high liturgical traditions.  On the flip-side, some of the least creative people I know are concerned with using the most current songs/programs/public beliefs.

So what makes someone a Creative?  Simply put, a Creative is simply someone who is able to look at problems from  angels which aren’t typically considered by others.  From their unique vantage points, they are able to consider opportunities which others might not see, or solutions to problems which others wouldn’t consider.  As one might expect, Creatives create.  They write songs, think up new ways to teach people things they might think they know, or consider the best ways to communicate Truth to other’s.

While the article describes Creatives as “non-conformist” this shouldn’t automatically be interpreted as “unable to play nicely with others.”  At their best, Creatives aren’t hostile to the notion of conforming to an existing system.  Rather, their creativity allows them to work around and through conformity.  This tends to have two effects.  First, it allows Creatives bring their new perspective to others in a way which is not overtly threatening.  Second, it affords Creatives a way to highlight the strengths and weaknesses which a given system has.  Such highlighting is what allows Creatives to help systems to flex when confronted with situations it isn’t prepared for.

In the challenging transition which is facing many churches, it would be good if we encouraged Creatives to bring their different angles to the table without fear of the system closing in around them.  In this way our churches might begin to see opportunities where most see only obstacles.

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Going Back

Posted on March 28, 2013 | 2 Comments

image

This past weekend I traveled to my almost alma mater to see my Parents, sister, and nieces in a performance of The Music Man.  It was the first time my parents ever did something like that, so there was no way I was going to miss it, but it was also the last show of the first choir director I ever had – there was no way I was going to miss that.  Monica was great to me when I was in Springfield.

When I arrived at the school for the performance, I dawned on me that it was the first time I’d set foot in the school for over twenty years. As that realization dawned on me, it  felt almost like I was transforming back into the scared and lost teenager I’d been while attending the school. Springfield was hard nut for me to crack  – I never felt “real” there – it’s one of the reasons my parents ended up sending me to Lancaster Mennonite to finish high school (for which I’m extremely grateful).

I’ve never been good with “small talk,” my ADD and introversion get in the way, but as I bumped into people who knew me back then I felt like I took social awkwardness to a whole other level.  My brain kept saying, “You know, you really aren’t that mumble-mouthed or socially uncomfortable any more,” but my body kept disagreeing.  When I was in that environment as an adolescent, trying to hide as much as possible was how I responded to stress.  Twenty years later my body remembered.  It was weird, and slightly alarming.

Don’t get me wrong, it was wonderful to see the stage, applaud my family, and say goodbye to an old teacher.  If I’d been able to audition for the show and be on the stage I probably wouldn’t have felt so odd, but in the audience I had no where to hide and so old behaviors crept back in.

As is my habit, I started thinking about people who get hurt at churches – and why they find it so difficult to come back to the same congregation after they begin dealing with the pain (if any church at all).  This “hurt” can be some kind of physical or emotional abuse, a relationship struggle, a bad experience with a pastor, a fight over style, or the decision to stop serving decaf coffee after worship.  No matter what it is, when people depart from a congregation because they’ve been wounded they rarely come back – even when the hurt has pretty much been healed.  Pastors often fret over these lost sheep, wondering how to get them back into the fold.  To be honest, I’ve not spent a whole lot of time pursuing the matter, I just hoped that people who departed would be blessed by God. I’ve also prayed that whatever hurts the congregation and the person caused each other (or the pastor and the other person) forgiveness could be found.  For the most part, it’s worked out OK. Having now felt the anxiety which comes with entering a place in which I was wounded I think I know why I’ve never done much to pursue people who have departed the church.

I’m starting to understand that people wounded by a congregation find it difficult to go back because when they are there, they regress.  That is, they tend to become the people they were at the time the wound was originally received.  It feels awkward, uncomfortable, and unsettling – so, they stay away.  I don’t blame them.

Sometimes, healing needs distance.  Sometimes, the survival habits a body forms in response to stress can do more harm than good – whether it be going back to a school, a church congregation, former place of employment, or even a house.  Sometimes we can be healed enough to grow and learn and thrive, but not enough to go back.  As painful as that might be, I think that just might be OK.

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Trained Up

Posted on March 5, 2013 | Leave a comment

Accordance TrainingTwo years ago, the folks who make Accordance graciously accepted an invite to come Central Baptist and offer a training seminar for the folks in South Jersey (and beyond).  Just over a month ago, I got an email from those same folks saying they were going to be in a nearby seminary, and wondered if we would be interested in hosting another seminar.  Of course I said yes.

Since I moved over to the Mac platform, Accordance has been my “go to” tool for Bible Study.  I’ve used other programs on other platforms, and I like them each in their own way, but the speed and versatility of Accordance has held my attention longer than any other.  It’s truly a joy to use, and not just for the software.  The developers of accordance, as well as the other employee’s of OakTree Software, are good folks – and that shows in the community which has sprung up around their powerful suite.  These are folks who are easy to host.

Not only are these easy to host, they are easy to listen to. The people who teach these seminars  are “on” for hours with very little in the way of breaks.  They play multiple roles during the course of the day – teacher, IT troubleshooter, and salesperson are just a few.  The amount of care and energy these folks expend to present a free seminar is truly impressive. My hat is off to both Mark and Paul.

I always learn something new at the training seminars, and this year was no exception.  I need to go back and practice it, but the ability to compare texts for similar word-structures just blew my mind.  I also look forward to playing with the construct engine, so I can learn how to use it more effectively.  The power of these tools simply blows my mind.

I also enjoy the people I meet when I host events such as this one. I may be a natural introvert, but it’s also fun to hear some of the stories which surround the people who come.  This past event was especially interesting as I invited a pastor to join myself and three other ABCNJ staff members for lunch.  He seemed to have a lot of fun, and actually enjoyed the sales pitch for ABCNJ. You never know what God does with something as simple as, “Hey, wanna tag along?”

Thanks for coming, Accordance. Come back again.

 

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Hello 2013

Posted on January 1, 2013 | Leave a comment

The last several years as December has drawn to a close I’ve taken time to reflect on the year past. As I prepared to sit down this year and write my 2012 reflection, however, I drew a blank. Instead, I began to think about my hopes for 2013. So now I write to you my goals for 2013.

Writing

I continue to have a couple of writing projects in progress. I’d like to get these completed, and add one more project to the list.

First, I would like to finish Idea Painting and get it published in the major eBook outlets, and also have an enhanced version for the iBooks store. The bulk of the material is completed, but I’d like to add more depth to the opening section, which means I will have to do some significant research. I’m beginning to compile a list of books to read, in 2013 I will get to it!

Second, I would like to finish my novel, In the Land of the Penny Gnomes, before NaNoWriMo next Autumn. I didn’t get to write much as 2012 came to a close due to my own mental weariness, but I’m beginning to feel refreshed and I’d like to get back to it! I don’t care if it is only ever read by my friends and family, it’s just something I’ve always wanted to do.

Third, I’d like to write a new devotional study for Central Baptist to journey through in the fall. In the past I’ve written studies on evangelism, pilgrimage, hospitality, and the Holy Spirit. I’m not sure where to go next, but as I sit here the notion of “calling” is popping into my head. We shall see!

Geek Goals

I have four geek goals for 2013.

First, Central has purchased FileMaker Pro so we can create a good membership database. I have our data in, but I need to create reports and queries and layout. This will take time, and I’ll need to learn FileMaker’s scripting language to do it well. I haven’t been this excited for a project like this in a while, hopefully it turns out well!

Second, I want 2013 to be the year ABCNJ gets its video studio up and running. This will require work, funding, and much learning. It’s my hope a video studio, with several live shows along with recorded news and interviews, will help ABCNJ to strengthen its sense of kinship.

My third goal is to work with the ABCNJ staff to better equip them to use the regional tech tools. Being part-time can be frustrating, I see holes which I can’t properly address due too sheer lack of time. This year we will try to remedy that.

Finally, now that my kids are both hitting adolescence, as are their friends, I feel the time is right to work on a project I’ve pondered for years – an internet safety seminar. My wife has been incredible working with our daughter as she learns the freedom of having a phone, and it has inspired me. The lessons we’ve learned in our home, along with my technological understanding, are a valuable combination. I’ve already written a rough outline, by spring I’d like to have it put together. If this can be a skillshare class, so much the better.

Pastoral Goal

I have one main pastoral goal this year, finish our transition! Our transition team has done admirable work, it’s now time to put it to use and let the Holy Spirit use it to take us toward our next journey as a congregation.

Conclusion

These goals, along with my normal work of pastoral care (preaching, visiting, praying, teaching) and ABCNJ’s normal rhythm (Annual Session approaches), should keep me vocationally busy for 2013! As always, however, family comes first. With all my lofty goals, being a decent husband and father trumps my other goals (I have no illusions about being good at either role, I just try to do my best and not screw my family up too much in the process).

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Pastoral Expectations

Posted on August 18, 2012 | 1 Comment

Wizard Island

When people want a mountaintop experience expectations often get in the way of spiritual growth

Today I was out at a party where a member of central was also attending. At one point he joked, “I need to watch what I say, I'm sitting next to my pastor.” This brought forth a cry from the other side of the room, “Pastor's shouldn't judge, they can't judge you, pastors shouldn't judge.” I don't know the person who uttered this cry, and the guy who made the first remark didn't mean anything by the statement, so I just let it drop. Thankfully, I was updating Java on an ancient Windows XP install so I never even looked up from the computer screen. This did get me thinking about the expectations people have for pastors, so I came up with a short list.

Pastor as Prostitute

Ancient religions occasionally incorporated temple prostitutes as part of their worship. Sometimes the act of intercourse was meant to provoke the deity to a showing of fertility – the prostitutes were simply tools through which people could show they were keeping their part of the bargin.

I often get the feeling this is the way most people approach pastors. We live in the temple, and we're there as tools through which people can show their deity they haven't forgotten. So people come when their children are born “to get them done” through baptism or dedication, they show up wondering what it will take for me to preside over a wedding, and get invited to “do something nice” for a funeral. There's no intention of relationship, and often times the parties asking for services want to know how much I charge for access to their deity. There's no intention of forming a relationship, or continuing down life's journey together. People get their services, and get on with life. Wham. Bam. Thank you, sir. To be honest, it makes me feel cheap.

Pastor as “trophy Christian”

This is a view I've only recently come to understand among people. In this expectation, the pastor is expected to be the paragon of Christian virtue. They dress nicely, have a gentle disposition, speak rather blandly, and admit no obvious vices. People who want a “trophy Christian” pastor want one who has never tasted a beer, doesn't watch movies, understands nothing about popular culture, and is seen in a tie and suit-jacket so much it seems odd when they are wearing anything else.

Here's the thing with this expectation, it exists so that other people feel like they don't have to live out the faith. The pastor does that, and it's good that the pastor does that because it shows how blessedly boring the Christian faith can be. The average person with this expectation, however, wants only to show their pastor off – the same way insecure men do with a “trophy wife.”

Pastor as autocrat

Some people really want a “strong pastor” who will literally tell them what to do in every facet of life. These people expect their pastors to tell them what books not to read, movies not to see, beverages not to partake of, and TV shows not to watch. Many folks think that living under an autocrat pastor can only be a life of torture, yet it's shocking how many people actually seek out this type of pastoral expectation. It's easier to be told what to do in order to attain salvation, than it is to bear the terrible responsibility of freedom in Christ. This expectation isn't limited to religious circles either, a lot of people from all sorts of backgrounds seem to crave being ruled. Ironically, it's often the people calling out against perceived tyranny who flock to the autocratic expectation – both within the Church and without.

Pastor as “the Man”

This expectation is a close relative as “Pastor as autocrat.” Often, people with this expectation have been burned out by the security of being dictated to. As such, they form a strong antagonism towards authority in general and seek to undermine it at every turn. These folks rarely work in the open, as their lives under autocratic pastors have taught them how dangerous it was to speak openly. Instead, they work on the sidelines, subtly taking the opposite tack as the pastor on small issues. People with this expectation also tend to publicly display their opposition through acts of faith which are good on the surface, but are meant to be seen by the targeted authority figure as a way of saying, “You're not the only spiritual one here.”

Many folks with this pastoral expectation are wounded, and need to have their ability to trust healed. Others have unintentionally become abusers in their own right, and frequently leave a wake of confusion and anguish in their wake.

Pastor as CEO

Many people see the pastor as the chief executive of the company, answerable to the board for the growth or decline of business. Among low-church Protestants, many of whom are enamored with the mega-church movement or memories of times long-gone, the “Pastor as CEO” model is predominant. If the congregation grows, it's the pastors' success. If the church shrinks, it's the pastor's fault. Chances are, when there is a congregation which has cycled through pastors every couple of years for a couple of decades, the CEO expectation is dominant. The “board” is still looking for the right person to lead the business back into growth.

Know harm done

This is certainly not an exhaustive list, nor is it mean to throw the church under the bus. These are simply the most common pastoral expectations I've encountered during my time as a pastor. Many I've encountered personally, others I've encountered through friends and colleagues who have bared their struggles to me during conversations. None of these expectations, however, is healthy.

The CEO and trophy Christian models relieve the congregation of the wonderful privilege of being the image of Christ in this world, stunting their own spiritual development. All the benefits and consequences of success or failure rest solely on the pastor's shoulders. It's a burden not meant to be carried alone – and the pressure of these expectations often do violence to a pastor's faith.

The kin expectations of autocrat and “the Man” leave a wake of mistrusting, wounded, people behind them. Churches filled with people who have these expectations often look stable, but are frequently engaged in a cold war. Those on the side of the autocrat attempt to smoke out resistance, and those who see the pastor as “the Man” quietly try to topple the regime. Pastors who relish being the autocrat may revel in the exercise of authority. Sadly, many are haunted people looking for sense of security.

Finally, as alluded above, the expectation of the pastor to be a religious prostitute cheapens the entire faith. It leaves pastors feeling used, and creates an expectation of an “on demand” faith among the general populace. Where this expectation is popular, religion is a commodity item to be purchased or tossed away depending on the present need – spirtual depth and religion as commodity do not co-exist well.

I have a much different pastoral expectation.

Pastor as fellow pilgrim

I expect my pastor, and thankfully I have one as many pastors do not, to call me to walk together in the journey after Christ. On this journey I can be encouraged and encourage, learn and teach, be humbled and humble. I expect my pastor sometimes to take a slightly different path than me, if that's what the journey calls for. When we have disagreements we still share the same goal – binding us together. I don't expect the undivided attention of my pastor, because there are other pilgrims to walk with and I know I can't be selfish – but I know when we find ourselves at different points of our journey we'll be able to meet again along the path.

This the pastoral expectation I try to encourage in the people I pastor – walking with folks in all things, being free to disagree and learn from one another, and always saying “Jesus is our goal.” Sometimes the other expectations people have blur this one – but the quiet power of a shared pilgrimage is usually more than enough to help people move along together.

Now, pastors also have some equally unhealthy expectations of the laity – so perhaps I'll meditate on these post those in the coming week.

 

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A thought on iBooks

Posted on August 3, 2012 | Leave a comment

A window

If a picture is worth 1000 words...

I am writing my first book using iBooks author. It's nothing major, just about 50 pages on a presentation concept I call “Idea Painting.” As I continue to research the concept, and do more reading on communication theory, I be adding to the book over time, and issue updates through the iBooks store. Yes, there will also be editions for the Nook and Kindle, but the multi-media aspects of iBooks Author make it idea for my subject.

It's the ability to update editions, and push them out to clients, which intrigues me. This morning I receive a FaceBook message from a friend who happens to be a missionary in Israel. Apparently the newsletter he mailed to us bounced back to him and he wanted me to confirm my mailing address. I provided it, but I also told him to save the cash and just email me a PDF of the newsletter to me (I hate paper, saving cash for him was a win-win). The newsletter is laid out pretty well, and has some good updates. My friend is a decent writer, and so you actually get to meet a little bit of his heart in his stories.

As I waited for my iPad to open up the PDF, I began to wonder if there might be an even better way for him to send out his updates. What if he could still write his stories – but include videos, sideshows, charts, and interactive maps with them? What if he could have his friends and supporters download his newsletter once, and have it updated automatically when he adds new content? If this were possible, his readers wouldn't have to dig through an in-box or rustle through papers to try to find the newsletter which was “on the counter somewhere.” As an added bonus, the newsletter could grow over time, with each successive updated becoming a new chapter. Old reflections and highlights can be easily referenced and searched, and updates on previous stories can be linked back to their antecedent thoughts for better context.

I find this idea compelling. Of course, the drawback currently is that comparatively few people currently own an iPad, which would limit the field such an edition could reach. On the other hand, uploading this edition to the iBooks store would also make it discoverable by anyone, with a good description and some word of mouth it could have a wider audience than we might think. There other major eBook stores would also be remiss if they left something like iBooks Author to go unchallenged, and there are currently technologies for eInk type displays which can do both color and full motion video. In the next several years an edition similar to an iBooks Authored work should be available on all the major platforms, so why not begin to practice with the concept? It's certainly worth a shot.

I see two downsides to this concept.

First, it puts a third party between a missionary and supports which is outside the missionary's organization. The iBook stores are businesses, not missionary or philanthropic endeavors. Still, missionaries have been using government mail services for years so adding a third party intermediary does seem to be a huge obstacle.

Second, and more difficult to overcome, is a lack of subscriber data. I know magazines have negotiated with the major eBook stores to gain subscriber information. I have yet to see if such information is available to eBook authors. If this information is not available, then this might not be a path to take as missionaries really need to form something akin to an actual relationship with those who subscribe to their updates. Still, if updates could be submitted as a free magazine, subscriber information could be obtained. I have no problem with this as long as the authors let subscribers know their information will be shared!

Anyway, just a thought on yet another way for workers in the field to share their amazing stories.

 

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