God invites us, individually and as the church, to cultivate a deeper spirituality.
After all, our church can be no stronger than the spiritual strength of our members. No surprise - right? Spiritual practices matter! Spiritual disciplines are ways of becoming fully awake personally and staying awake to our creator. The disastrous decline in The Episcopal Church gives occasion for renewal; consider, if you will, these seven spiritual disciplines practice by all three Abrahamic traditions - Judaism, Christianity (33% of the world population), and Islam (25% of the world population.) Over the millennia, billions of persons have practiced these ancient spiritual disciplines in a successful quest to draw near to deity and to build community.
First on the list is Fixed Hour of Prayer which is a regular pattern and order for formal worship and prayer that is offered to God at specific times throughout the course of the day. This is the primary way spiritual people hold themselves in communion with the One who created them. There are many names - the liturgy of the hours, fixed-hour prayer, the divine office, the canonical hours, daily prayers - they all refer to the practice of interrupting secular time every few hours for time made sacred by prayer.
The second discipline is Keeping a Sacred Day. This special day is not fundamentally a break, a day off, or a twenty-four-hour vacation. It is feast day that anticipates our play in the new heavens and is celebrated here on earth with family, friends, and strangers for the sake of the glory of God (like practicing eternity.)
Discipline three: Entering the Sacred Seasons. Each year the sacred seasons transmit the full scope of our faith as it gears our rhythms to those who share our faith, everywhere in all time, present and past, and all places, here and there. The sacred seasons tell us over and over again the story that forms us and that we are fulfilling.
Fourth is Fasting - which is the natural, inevitable response of a person to a grievous sacred moment in life. Fasting is found in all the great world religions and philosophies; fasting means to deny oneself of food and possibly water for a time in response to a sacred moment. Fasting is not a bribe to God or a diet or a health regimen and must be done intelligently; nevertheless, fasting can liberate us as the deepest level.
Next we come to the fifth spiritual discipline which is Stewardship/Almsgiving. The preeminent spiritual reason for giving is gratitude to God for the blessings a person receives; the harmony between the Divine and the created is enhanced by giving. In other words, stewardship is more than what you give - it is about how you use what you keep. As a footnote: pledging to a parish or diocesan budget is about as non-biblical as a church can get.
No surprise that sixth is The Sacred Meal which symbolizes the communal unity and communion with God and moves the believer from being a citizen of the world to be a citizen of heaven. Sacrament, symbol, memorial, Jewish, Christian or Muslim - the sacred meal is a spiritual discipline that dare not be ignored.
The final and seventh spiritual discipline as the Sacred Journey. Pilgrimage is in the human DNA and each year millions of Christians, Jews and Muslims visit sacred sites all over the world. Again, pilgrimage is not a vacation or a holiday with a religious shore excursion; it is an encounter. Tourists bring home memories and souvenirs. Pilgrims bring home changed hearts.
Each of us has it within our power to embrace these seven spiritual disciplines. Editing the list down or a half-hearted involvement is a grievous error - both for ourselves and our church.
(Blogger's note: much of this article was taken from material I developed for Kansas City's 8th Annual Health and Spirituality Workshop.)
Rector@garygilbertson.org
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Friday, August 17, 2012
Commission on Mediocrity
In the early 1970’s the Rector of St. Thomas Church-Whitemarsh near Philadelphia, was the chair of the committee to draft the diocesan canon for the new Commission on Ministry. After some time working on it, he said to me that while he thought the commission idea to include more people in the discernment to ordination process had some merit, he also strongly thought that having so many people involved would eventually create “a committee mentality.” He predicted that real genius in leadership and creative eccentricity would be removed with a bland human production line of mediocre clergy emerging in many instances.
Some years later when on the staff of Lyman Ogilby, Bishop of Pennsylvania, I became the coordinator for him for the ordination process and liaison to the Commission on Ministry and seminaries. Because of the human and chronological stagnation that had developed, created by the mess of the COM canonical process, the Diocese had an active list of about 130 people “on the book” toward potential deacon and priest ordinations! Seemingly no one was stating a solid “No” or “Yes” to people until years of interviews, studies and committee meetings had passed. Of course, few young people were waiting around for some answer, and the number of older and suspiciously persistent second career personalities proliferated! I heard occasionally the pathetic notion that if nothing else, “I could be ordained and work for the Church!”
So I developed a pre qualifying process starting with a very able psychologist who tested and interviewed people at the initiation of the aspirant after identifying themselves to me. They made their own appointment with the psychologist and paid for the process, the report of which was sent to me. In turn I would review the reports with the Bishop as needed. We would then decide what would get shared with the individual in an interview with me. The aspirants were promised a ninety day turn around by me so they could get on with their lives. With this pre qualification process in place, the Bishop actually knew what he was potentially getting,and the COM no longer was inundated with very unprepared people. As my prime goal for the aspirants was for them to be empowered to move on confidently to or away from possible ordination and/or to some other ministry, I was grateful to find with few exceptions that people did get what they needed in a caring and timely way. I also offered a workshop for the pre qualified aspirants to learn how to take charge of and have a high quality discernment interview, which also benefited the COM.
COM’s are generally overwhelmed with too many aspirants who are at best modestly equippable for any professional level ministry. It has got to be so gummy and passive that the Dean of the cathedral in Jacksonville, FL raised the interesting question on Facebook as to whether anyone can say “No” to someone seeking ordination, a decidedly non-Anglican ecclesiology! (I am not saying she advocated this position.) From fearful priests who just cannot bring themselves to say no to the flinty old senior warden (My memo to the clergy told them to send these people on to me so I could give them their answer protecting the priest from possible angry retribution.), to timid personalities on COM’s and poor psychological testing and interview processes, to bishops who seem to think that there is scoreboard in heaven for how many people they can get ordained, we have a Church fat on clergy and lean on congregants.
What is the answer? Well, to start with, all bishops/dioceses should consider a partial or full moratorium on all ordinations and lead by figuring out what the real and godly professional needs are within the jurisdictions. And then forget “ordaining for the larger church” nonsense! Let the seminaries go as Harvard’s President, Nathan Pusey, had said needed to happen in his 1968 report. (Yes, over forty years ago. . . ) In other words, at least for a while, just say, “NO!”
Some years later when on the staff of Lyman Ogilby, Bishop of Pennsylvania, I became the coordinator for him for the ordination process and liaison to the Commission on Ministry and seminaries. Because of the human and chronological stagnation that had developed, created by the mess of the COM canonical process, the Diocese had an active list of about 130 people “on the book” toward potential deacon and priest ordinations! Seemingly no one was stating a solid “No” or “Yes” to people until years of interviews, studies and committee meetings had passed. Of course, few young people were waiting around for some answer, and the number of older and suspiciously persistent second career personalities proliferated! I heard occasionally the pathetic notion that if nothing else, “I could be ordained and work for the Church!”
So I developed a pre qualifying process starting with a very able psychologist who tested and interviewed people at the initiation of the aspirant after identifying themselves to me. They made their own appointment with the psychologist and paid for the process, the report of which was sent to me. In turn I would review the reports with the Bishop as needed. We would then decide what would get shared with the individual in an interview with me. The aspirants were promised a ninety day turn around by me so they could get on with their lives. With this pre qualification process in place, the Bishop actually knew what he was potentially getting,and the COM no longer was inundated with very unprepared people. As my prime goal for the aspirants was for them to be empowered to move on confidently to or away from possible ordination and/or to some other ministry, I was grateful to find with few exceptions that people did get what they needed in a caring and timely way. I also offered a workshop for the pre qualified aspirants to learn how to take charge of and have a high quality discernment interview, which also benefited the COM.
COM’s are generally overwhelmed with too many aspirants who are at best modestly equippable for any professional level ministry. It has got to be so gummy and passive that the Dean of the cathedral in Jacksonville, FL raised the interesting question on Facebook as to whether anyone can say “No” to someone seeking ordination, a decidedly non-Anglican ecclesiology! (I am not saying she advocated this position.) From fearful priests who just cannot bring themselves to say no to the flinty old senior warden (My memo to the clergy told them to send these people on to me so I could give them their answer protecting the priest from possible angry retribution.), to timid personalities on COM’s and poor psychological testing and interview processes, to bishops who seem to think that there is scoreboard in heaven for how many people they can get ordained, we have a Church fat on clergy and lean on congregants.
What is the answer? Well, to start with, all bishops/dioceses should consider a partial or full moratorium on all ordinations and lead by figuring out what the real and godly professional needs are within the jurisdictions. And then forget “ordaining for the larger church” nonsense! Let the seminaries go as Harvard’s President, Nathan Pusey, had said needed to happen in his 1968 report. (Yes, over forty years ago. . . ) In other words, at least for a while, just say, “NO!”
Saturday, August 11, 2012
"To Live in an Evolutionary Spirit"
At the end of the CREDO 2006 report on clergy wellness, there is a quote from Erich Jantsch, an astrophysicist: To live in an evolutionary spirit means to engage with full ambition and without any reserve in the structure of the present, and yet to let go and flow into a new structure when the right time has come."
The right time has come for serious restructuring of our National and Diocesan entities, who by their very nature due to constitutional, canonical and functional characteristics, are almost moribund when it comes to an evolutionary movement into something new and different. They have engaged the present, stay in the present, and form a committee to discuss the matter. If the Episcopal ecclesiastical systems are to change, some kind of flow from that which is into the potential of what could be needs to be addressed. However, we've been so stuck in the past and the present that we cannot begin to imagine evolving and flowing into a new structure.
If the church engaged with full ambition the structure of the present, it would have already figured out that novelty is the key to recognizing our decline, taking steps to reverse it and making it evolve into something new. The church must pay attention to the reality that it lacks people, resources, positive and energizing age demographics and pitiful church attendance. Some of our leaders claim to understand the present situation, but only a few are making any real attempt to engage this on the Diocesan or Parish level.
Recently I received the information about my Diocesan Convention and I found absolutely nothing different in terms of engaging in a systematic newness that would move the Diocese into a more dynamic evolutionary entity. Sure, there will be discussion groups. Haven't we had enough of these already? The Diocese will pay full attention merely to only the present. Homeostasis will reign now and forever amen. The preaching will be designed to provoke a decision of some sort of another, will be listened to respectfully, and then business as usual.
Perhaps something new will come about by a lack of money. It has already happened in Western Kansas where the Bishop is a Rector. Downsizing trends may happen in larger Dioceses in the years to come. Yet most Dioceses continue to function the same old way. This may continue until lack of money creates the political will in the clergy and people, then there will be a demand that will move the Diocese forward into that which is new. Thus the change will be by default rather than a Spirit filled evolution from that which is into that which is something new, different, exciting and challenging. Perhaps lack of money is the only novelty left that will sparked the Diocese to flow into a new structure when the right time has come. In my view, the right time has already come and maybe even gone.
The right time has come for serious restructuring of our National and Diocesan entities, who by their very nature due to constitutional, canonical and functional characteristics, are almost moribund when it comes to an evolutionary movement into something new and different. They have engaged the present, stay in the present, and form a committee to discuss the matter. If the Episcopal ecclesiastical systems are to change, some kind of flow from that which is into the potential of what could be needs to be addressed. However, we've been so stuck in the past and the present that we cannot begin to imagine evolving and flowing into a new structure.
If the church engaged with full ambition the structure of the present, it would have already figured out that novelty is the key to recognizing our decline, taking steps to reverse it and making it evolve into something new. The church must pay attention to the reality that it lacks people, resources, positive and energizing age demographics and pitiful church attendance. Some of our leaders claim to understand the present situation, but only a few are making any real attempt to engage this on the Diocesan or Parish level.
Recently I received the information about my Diocesan Convention and I found absolutely nothing different in terms of engaging in a systematic newness that would move the Diocese into a more dynamic evolutionary entity. Sure, there will be discussion groups. Haven't we had enough of these already? The Diocese will pay full attention merely to only the present. Homeostasis will reign now and forever amen. The preaching will be designed to provoke a decision of some sort of another, will be listened to respectfully, and then business as usual.
Perhaps something new will come about by a lack of money. It has already happened in Western Kansas where the Bishop is a Rector. Downsizing trends may happen in larger Dioceses in the years to come. Yet most Dioceses continue to function the same old way. This may continue until lack of money creates the political will in the clergy and people, then there will be a demand that will move the Diocese forward into that which is new. Thus the change will be by default rather than a Spirit filled evolution from that which is into that which is something new, different, exciting and challenging. Perhaps lack of money is the only novelty left that will sparked the Diocese to flow into a new structure when the right time has come. In my view, the right time has already come and maybe even gone.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
General Convention Chaos and Doughnuts or "Play It Again Sam!"
A Metaphysics of Complexity is about the fundamentals of universal motion in its manifestation through the complex and chaotic dynamics of nature and human reality and the urge towards fulfillment in its evolutionary self-organizing drive.
Social complexity sees humanity and institutions as existing always on the edge of chaos because of the impermanence of emotions, thoughts and actions. Dynamic Social Complexity theory explores the process of social stability by means of signs standing for objects, events and processes that constantly move, change, evolve and transform the social-cultural phenomena.
In the dynamics of social complexity, Strange Attractors of Meaning (SAM) emerge out of the chaotic dynamics of the thoughts and feelings constantly swarming in the mental space of each individual and groups that form into vortexes of meaning (SAM).
The Strange Attractors of Meaning are an energy source that exhorts and motivates human action. They are a source of mental and spiritual energy that moves a social system to growth. If there are no or weak attractors of meaning behind the social actions then actions are simply meaningless. Human positive energy dissipates and the counter for of negative energy drives the system into disorder (entropy). It mean s that the lack of meaningful support, be it mental, emotional or spiritual is incompatible with the growth of the social system.
When SAMs become a counter force, new meaningful action attractors are brought to life in the mental and spiritual space of the social system. A spontaneous creation of an attractor happens when the system parameters pass beyond certain critical values. For example, the House of Bishops and the General Convention have served as a critical SAM in The Episcopal Church, but it is presently passing beyond the point of being an effective attractor energizing the institution. In turn, a SAM becomes a counter force when it loses its ability to provide positive energy for meaningful and pragmatic action.
In the case of General Convention and the energy of a House of Bishops the attractor has turned into a Fatal Attractor. This type of an attractor has a pulling force where energy is focused on maintaining the status quo. The energy of this attractor puts into operation a special self-protecting and self-justifying mechanisms. The pulling force of this attractor is achieved by drawing energy to customary internal habits and attitudes and external signs of ecclesiastical and religious authority.
As a result the General Convention states that the structure needs change, therefore we will examine the issue. It is at this point where the fatal attraction turns into a torus attractor. As a system responds to chaos it retains its life by repeating similar but not identical patterns held in place by torus attractors, e.g. National and Diocesan Conventions. Torus attractors are described as doughnuts as round and around the same circle the events go, never exactly repairing, but never leaving the circumscribed area of power. The torus motion keeps spinning in circles around the same issue in a stuck loop e.g. We will put it into committee, then into study, then under advisement and back into committee. It creates an infinite loop intended to go on until the end of time and beyond if possible.
The Episcopal Church as a system in high chaos is in meed of emergence attractors. New meaningful actions require new Strange Attractors of Meaning. According to chaos theory the spontaneous creation of an emergence attractor happens when the system suffers a boundary crisis i.e. the torus attractors lose their energy.
An emergence must occur when the pulling force of torus attractors becomes counterproductive. A vacuum is created that waits for new creative attractors of meaningful action to stabilize the system and grow. In complexity theory, these emerging attractors are the small rumblings of butterfly effects that just might cause a massive tornado of deconstruction.
So what happened at the last General Convention? Well, we put more sprinkles on the Episcopal Doughnut. Once again it was an Episcopal Torus Attractor exercise of "Play It Again Sam!" Meanwhile, we, the butterflies of change, must keep flapping our wings.
This article was written by Bill McVey. He is on vacation and I am simply his scribe. Thanks. Bob Terrill
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Parish Taxes
It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that ain’t so. (A staple of folk wisdom attributed to both Mark Twain and Will Rogers and repeated by Sachel Paige and Yogi Berra.)
We know for sure that we need over 100 dioceses, or else why would we have so many? Just ignore our 47% membership loss in the last five decades and our closing of over 300 congregations in the last five years. Turn a blind eye to the fact that comparable National Churches in the Anglican Communion average over 120,000 members per diocese while our average is under 16,000 members. Overlook that the United Methodists, the Lutherans, and the Presbyterians all have more members and fewer jurisdictions (dioceses) then we do. Yes, we know for sure that we must have over 100 dioceses. Friends, it ain’t so!
We also know for sure that diocesan mandatory assessments are necessary for the survival of the Church. This must be true because over 95% of our dioceses “tax” congregations. Only one actually uses the word tax but make no mistake about it, forced payments by any other name such as assessment, apportionment, tithe, pledge, or fair share, are still mandatory taxes. The Bishop of a Diocese that uses the polite term tithe wrote “This 10% is the minimum that any congregation should do.” Then he then asks for additional giving for five separate budget categories: youth, Latino, leadership training, the diocesan camp, and expanded support for the National Church
That’s right, congregations must depend on voluntary giving from their members and the National Church
So when the Episcopal Church decides, or is forced, to reduce the number of dioceses - the key element is voluntary giving by congregations to the diocese. This is the Bishop’s worst fear! Nevertheless, necessity will cause some dioceses to merge as local congregations decide on the best uses of resources to do ministry, provide pastoral care, be served by trained rectors, and support the bishop. Congregations working together can provide most if not all the program ministries of the diocese. We trust our people to give (return to God) out of their blessings to the parish. We, in turn, should trust our congregations to give to the diocese the correct proportion of parish blessings. It is incongruous to trust our members as individuals but not to trust those same people when they are acting as a parish.
Some will suggest that various Constitutions and Canons make such a plan impossible. Nonsense! If enough of us who care about the future of the Episcopal Church band together we can make this happen. “Be it resolved that it is the mind of this Convention that all parish giving to the Diocese be voluntary effective immediately.” “And be it further resolved that it is the mind of this Convention that all mandatory congregational formulas and penalties be unenforced until such time as they are removed from Diocesan documents.” Pity the bishop that would deny the will of the people by resorting to legalistic maneuvers.
Who is willing to join in the campaign to undo what we know for sure, but ain’t so?
Saturday, July 21, 2012
A General Proposal for Reform
The Episcopal Church and the Diocese of WhereEver have long and grand traditions of creative use of resources for Christian mission. Here locally we have *** years created a great number of parish churches, hospitals, schools, community services organizations and provided an environment to educate and deploy lay and clergy leadership locally, nationally and for the Anglican Communion worldwide.
We know we are immersed in a new era of national, local and congregational life that challenge us and require a new focus for a radical reallocation of our financial, physical and human resources. We know we have hit a powerful spiritual downward headwind that causes us fear that we can no longer cope effectively. This fear is born of scarcity. Our fear causes us to see our situation and mission as fatally threatened.
However, the true compass of faith is the Word, Sacrament with the annual liturgical cycle which we know by experience and hope overcomes pain, suffering and death. All causes of fear are finally transformed by casting our vision toward the resurrection to eternal life and full promise of life and love in the Trinity. When we review our diocesan and congregational histories and our personal circumstances, we are to be guided in faith and hope and lead by the the power and promise of Abundant Life.
Abundance is the real dynamic, overwhelming force of life. Therein we can find renewal. We must see what we have and who we are by discovering the hidden pearls, the dust covered gems in our storehouse of mission lessons, our tales of joy and wonder, that are the vital aspects of our oral and written memories. To do so will allow us an imaginative and rational basis to make challenging and clear decisions about how we structure our circumstance and how we allocate our resources. We need to become once again rigorous and impassioned disciples and the embodiment of hope.
To do so will require historic analysis and a full review of the success and errors of mission in our Anglican tradition, our Episcopal Church, of the Diocese of WhereEver and our local congregations over the last two hundred years. These are some of review tasks:
-the 20th century development of a postcolonial vision of national churches called Mutual Responsibility and Interdependence (MRI) and its organizational development from the 1960’s.
-the further evolution of MRI into the implementation of stewardship education, capital funding and planned giving and its ultimate success in Venture in Mission as the single largest capital funding in North American Church history by the mid 1980’s, our last period of recorded growth, and with it the reintroduction of the legislated leadership principle and practice of tithing.
-the rise of suburban mission development out of urban city and small town/rural congregations and the decline of all these entities over the last 50 years.
-a full diagnosis of our various corporate system failures that have inhibited our regrowth.
In the immediate circumstance and as a show of good faith, we should ask for and legislate a seven year plan to reallocate all but a basic 10% of diocesan assessments from congregations back to them for mission development. The plan would include the following:
1. A progressive decline of congregational assessments to 10% of net parochial income (not monies from capital funding and certain existing mission work) commencing in the third year of the plan for five years so that the diocese can deal with the change incrementally rather than all at once.
2. The first two year period as the implementation of the educational and organizational requirements as noted above.
3. A firm commitment and plan of each congregation to use their extra monies for mission development and their collection of personal or family tithing commitment statements at a minimum of 33% of the households by the end of two years at the latest.
4. A commitment statement of the Bishop(s) with a personal witness to tithing, to reduce the cost of his ministry and staffing by the end of the second year.
5. A collective statement of the Bishop, Staff, Council, Standing Committee, other official committees and commissions and Diocesan Convention to tithing and plan to provide on site, local leadership to facilitate the plan with the congregations.
6. A commitment of the Bishops, etc. to a plan for discussion with Dioceses of X, Y and Z regarding the merger of as many jurisdictional and ministry functions as possible in order to free up all existing physical, financial and human resources for mission and supportive ministry and implementation.
7. At the end of sixth year, a full and open accounting of all work in progress to be in draft form for the review of Diocesan Convention.
8. At the end of seven years, the Diocese of WhereEver will report the changes extensively and be able to start the next seven year cycle of mission development and will state its next step in mission.
We know we are immersed in a new era of national, local and congregational life that challenge us and require a new focus for a radical reallocation of our financial, physical and human resources. We know we have hit a powerful spiritual downward headwind that causes us fear that we can no longer cope effectively. This fear is born of scarcity. Our fear causes us to see our situation and mission as fatally threatened.
However, the true compass of faith is the Word, Sacrament with the annual liturgical cycle which we know by experience and hope overcomes pain, suffering and death. All causes of fear are finally transformed by casting our vision toward the resurrection to eternal life and full promise of life and love in the Trinity. When we review our diocesan and congregational histories and our personal circumstances, we are to be guided in faith and hope and lead by the the power and promise of Abundant Life.
Abundance is the real dynamic, overwhelming force of life. Therein we can find renewal. We must see what we have and who we are by discovering the hidden pearls, the dust covered gems in our storehouse of mission lessons, our tales of joy and wonder, that are the vital aspects of our oral and written memories. To do so will allow us an imaginative and rational basis to make challenging and clear decisions about how we structure our circumstance and how we allocate our resources. We need to become once again rigorous and impassioned disciples and the embodiment of hope.
To do so will require historic analysis and a full review of the success and errors of mission in our Anglican tradition, our Episcopal Church, of the Diocese of WhereEver and our local congregations over the last two hundred years. These are some of review tasks:
-the 20th century development of a postcolonial vision of national churches called Mutual Responsibility and Interdependence (MRI) and its organizational development from the 1960’s.
-the further evolution of MRI into the implementation of stewardship education, capital funding and planned giving and its ultimate success in Venture in Mission as the single largest capital funding in North American Church history by the mid 1980’s, our last period of recorded growth, and with it the reintroduction of the legislated leadership principle and practice of tithing.
-the rise of suburban mission development out of urban city and small town/rural congregations and the decline of all these entities over the last 50 years.
-a full diagnosis of our various corporate system failures that have inhibited our regrowth.
In the immediate circumstance and as a show of good faith, we should ask for and legislate a seven year plan to reallocate all but a basic 10% of diocesan assessments from congregations back to them for mission development. The plan would include the following:
1. A progressive decline of congregational assessments to 10% of net parochial income (not monies from capital funding and certain existing mission work) commencing in the third year of the plan for five years so that the diocese can deal with the change incrementally rather than all at once.
2. The first two year period as the implementation of the educational and organizational requirements as noted above.
3. A firm commitment and plan of each congregation to use their extra monies for mission development and their collection of personal or family tithing commitment statements at a minimum of 33% of the households by the end of two years at the latest.
4. A commitment statement of the Bishop(s) with a personal witness to tithing, to reduce the cost of his ministry and staffing by the end of the second year.
5. A collective statement of the Bishop, Staff, Council, Standing Committee, other official committees and commissions and Diocesan Convention to tithing and plan to provide on site, local leadership to facilitate the plan with the congregations.
6. A commitment of the Bishops, etc. to a plan for discussion with Dioceses of X, Y and Z regarding the merger of as many jurisdictional and ministry functions as possible in order to free up all existing physical, financial and human resources for mission and supportive ministry and implementation.
7. At the end of sixth year, a full and open accounting of all work in progress to be in draft form for the review of Diocesan Convention.
8. At the end of seven years, the Diocese of WhereEver will report the changes extensively and be able to start the next seven year cycle of mission development and will state its next step in mission.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
It is Now Time to Restructure and Merge Dioceses
General Convention is over and some really good things happened. The blessings of committed same sex couples is a blessing and permitting transgendered persons to enter the ordination discernment process are spirit filled decisions. And the decision to study church restructuring and report back three years hence is indeed another blessing and long overdue. Good work, General Convention. Now it is time to turn our attention to merging and restructuring Dioceses.
The starting point for this discussion is still the now familiar refrain of church decline. Already Dioceses are stretched financially to pay their National Church Assessment. Parishes Churches are likewise stretched to pay their Diocesan Assessments. Fewer people are attending church on Sundays and members are either leaving or dying off. Based on this alone, there is a need to examine not only the number of Dioceses, but also the present funding of the Dioceses that we have. This twofold approach is necessary.
But first there is a theological issue to be resolved. Most Bishops believe that the Diocese is the fundamental unit of the Church. Based on the Romanizing model of the late sixth century in England, it is popular for the hierarchy to assert that Augustine's organizing principle is God's Word. Not so if we revert to Holy Scripture. Among several descriptions of the New Testament Church, the two identifiers that impress me in this regard are the ecclesia, those called out to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world, and the metaphor of the human body; the Church as the Body of which Jesus Christ is the head. When Paul is writing about the church, he is not referring to a Diocese, he is referencing local groups of believers in major metropolitan centers. In Paul's mind, the local congregation in a given place is the fundamental unit of the Church.
If it is true that the fundamental unit of the church is the local assembly, then it is true that the majority of resources should go to support that body. While we may theologically debate the Episcopacy, and while we may agree as Anglicans that Bishops are important if not integral to our tradition, and while we may agree that some sort of central office is necessary to conduct the ministry of the Bishop, it is still true that resources devoted to that office are out of line when considered alongside the meager resources of the vast majority of Episcopal Churches.
We have way too many Bishops and Dioceses in TEC. Therefore, the first step in restructuring should be to decrease these. This would then allow more resources to flow downwards towards local churches. Meanwhile, current Dioceses could trim their expenses, tighten their belts, and allow more finanacial flexibility on the local level. This movement outwards from Dioceses would be then consistent with the biblical theology of the local church as the fundamental unit.
Diocesan Conventions are the places where these issues must be addressed. But they first have to be supported by the Bishop of each Diocese. Bishops, are you ready to have these discussions?
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Episcopal Chaos
The National Convention has gathered, and we are probing into the future of the Episcopal Church. It appears that there is the growing realization that the Episcopal community is in a state of chaos. Yes, it is in chaos , but it has from concepton been on the edge of chaos.
Indeed, the modern science of complexity and chaos theory teaches that any interconnected process always exists in a state of chaos seeking stability. People educated in western theology find it difficult to observe reality in terms of the science of chaos. The theological culture believes that God gives us a proper view of reality based on an all knowing, powerful and loving Being. The church, therefore, is designed to bring the God message of stability to a fallen world. It is a typical western Platonic metaphysics. Whereas, chaos theory is another expression of a process metaphysics.
Chaos refers to an underlying interconnectdness that exists in apparently random events. Chaos science focuses on hidden patterns, nuance, the sensitivity of things and the rules for how the unpredictable leads to the new.
If there is one thing, we can predict it is that randomnicty is the fundamental driving force of the universe. God has created a world of chance events, where we must live in a constant state of adjusting and moving with the chaos of randomnicity. Consequently, every material, social and individual phenomena always exists in a state of chaos seeking constantly throughout the evolutionary process to maintain stability. Chaos theory holds that chaotic systems lie beyond all our attempts to predict, manipulate and control. Instead of resisting life's uncertainties, we must embrace them, go with the flow and become creative.
The Episcopal church cannot escape the laws of choas. We are presetly in a state of high chaos that will lead to implosion. Unless we engage in a creative deconstruction and reconstruction of the organization. It is the high state of chaos and possible implosion of the Episcopal institution that is causing a current of anxiety at our National convention and thoughout every diocese and parish in the country.
In terms of chaos science, I suggest that the Episcopal Church led by the House of Bishops has become a Limit-Cycle system. A system, when faced with high chaos, cuts itself off from the flux of the external world because it targets its internal energy to resisting change and maintaining relatively rigid and mechanical behaviors. When we attempt to control or overpower limit cycle dominated systems, we end up reinforcing the cycle of increasing chaos. The result is the system becomes power obsessed and implodes.
There is one way out of this cycle, and it is creativity. However, creativity can never come from the top of a system that is locked into limit-cycle management. It must come from the Trickster figures who show how creativity can overcome over whelming odds. Tricksters see beyond the limits of the system and bend the rules. The Tricksters make rigid organizations and hierarchial churches uneasy. However, it is such limit-cycle organizations that need them most.
I think I have defined an important new role dedicated to the realistic survival of the Episcopal community; it is the Celtic Trickster. I wonder if there where any really dedicated Tricksters at the convention. We have a House of Deputies. Why not have a House of Trickters?
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Episcopal Church - Golden Anniversary
You will not see banners marking our “Golden Anniversary of Decline” when The 77th General Convention of the Episcopal Church convenes this week in Indianapolis United States
The 1950s were filled with religious energy and worshippers overflowed our buildings, but that changed when we were confronted with the tumultuous Age of Aquarius. Our bishops in the 1960s sought to identify the Church with the culture’s needs but were ‘out at first’ by half a step and the decline began – 50 years ago.
The House of Deputies Committee on the State of the Church published report to this General Convention details the loss of membership numbers noted above and the fact we also lost over 300 congregations between 2006 and 2010. We will lose twice that many in the next five years because, as the Committee reports, 72% of Episcopal congregations are in financial difficulty. This would equate to shutting down 20 dioceses in a fifteen year period. Considering the ageing of our membership and that most of our congregations are small with low average Sunday attendance, the number of viable dioceses in ten years could be calculated at 25 to 30 rather then the current 100 domestic dioceses. The time to pursue mergers and/or partnerships is now and not after scores of jurisdictions have sunk in a sea of red ink. For example, it is not that difficult to imagine six or eight jurisdictions forming together to become The Diocese of the Heartland.
Readers should be aware of our other marks of decline as reported to an Executive Council meeting this past January: child baptisms down 36%, adult baptism down 40%, confirmations down 32%, Church school enrollment down 33%, and marriages down 41%. Equally as troubling is that our number of clergy has jumped 80% during our half century of decline; when we were 3.6 million members strong there were 10,000 clergy and now that we are 1.9 million members we have over 18,000 clergy – more clergy is obviously not the answer to stopping decline.
The General Convention will this week consider a great number of important but secondary issues all the while believing that our diocesan and national leadership, both ordained and lay, must be on the right track and that if they ‘keep doing what they have been doing’ -- divine intervention will turn a dying denomination around. The last fifty years suggest otherwise.
Many of the entries in Episcopal Journey of Hope by my fellow bloggers and comments from our readers provide insight to the issues that ought to be on the floor of Convention but won’t make it. As a responder wrote this past week, about all we can expect is rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Professional Drunks. . .
On June 13, the front page of the Kansas City Star, there was the following: "Professional drunks, is what Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe calls drivers who habitually consume alcohol before getting behind the wheel." What got my attention was the attribution of professional to qualify driving drunks! “Sir, you are now a certified professional drunk.” Congratulations?-reminding me about the devolution of that word professional as to be applied to any specialized and skilled job. However now the devolution is to a habitual activity. Wow, I suppose defecation is professional!! Of course, I have known some professional sh**s. . . but, as they say, that is a whole other story.
In its origin, professional as in profession, comes from monastic life: to profess to a spiritual life and its discipline in a specific religious community way. The word profession has as its necessary precedent, vocation. To have a vocation or calling assumes the sacrament of baptism as the gift of entry into the general community of Christ’s Church from which lay and ordained vocations are realized in a personal lifetime discovery of who we are as God’s children maturing in body, mind and spirit. Vocation is to the word inspiration as expression is to profession. We are inspired as we receive the Holy Spirit as to breath in or ingest the fullness of the gift of eternal life. We profess existentially as we come to express our spiritual gifts in a life style and ordered discipline of those gifts into communities needing our well honed and disciplined categories of educated and trained abilities. So hence we have the classic professions of teacher, lawyer and pastor, etc. The baptismally derived vocations of lay, deacon, priest and bishop come alive as they are expressed professionally. The indelibility of vocations gets expressed in what can be multiple and consecutive professions so that a priest can also be a lawyer and doctor and as Jesuits, for example, do frequently even before they are ordained as priests.
But, alas, now in the Church and society, ordination is about having a job, a set of skills to learn effectively to be a parish pastor, mission executive, canon to the very ordinaries, etc. So for about thirty years in my hearing, new assistants may ask the rector/CEO about “comp time,” as if they punch a clock so many times weekly. Then there is the necessary negotiation of a benefit package well ahead of paternity or maternity leave, sabbatical, continuing education and so on. Not that these are not good and necessary things; yet they are not for us “job benefits” but necessary attributes of how professionally we maintain and grow our well being and spiritual gifts for the community.
Is this just all wordplay? I beg to state, “Not,” as real and true professionals know. We are paid and compensated not to work but to set aside our whole lives, our time and talent, our personhood to be able to see, discern, lead and act authoritatively for the good of the community. We use the set of ordered gifts we have so assiduously developed and practiced with a savoir faire born of full focused devotion. Being rector of a church is to be able to take excellent actions according to the required commitments made at the time the parochial call is accepted and licensed. It is not about putting in the time and getting compensation to use some set of job skills and certainly not about doing something out of rote, necessary habit or emotional or financial dependency.
Can a car mechanic, ditch digger or plumber be a professional? Has that computer programmer, grocery clerk or hotel maid given over their time, talent and treasure to express their sainthood in a life of perfecting service for the good of Christ’s Body? Has the CEO of a major corporation? Has the deacon, priest or bishop? Have you?
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