It's interesting how fast I got a comment on this post...and anonymous. The comment was right on and I loved it. This person without knowing me (I assume) and without knowing much about me made a judgement. I thought it would good to respond in a new post instead of just in the comments section for this one. Here is the comment he/she left:
I stumbled on your blog through Google. I was searching for stories from people about their call to ministry and your blog entry from 2007 came up. Very interesting and uplifting. After I read that, I clicked the Home link to read your most current entry and found this. Wow! I read some more entries looking for clues to explain what may have happned to justify such a bitter and spiteful entry, and the only thing I could find was an entry where you said something to this effect, "...at Sardis, I was the preacher I always wanted." Perhaps you should've tried to be the preacher Sardis needed instead. Sad.
Well....1st bitter and spiteful are pretty harsh words. Hard truth would have been better. If I describe you as a middle age woman with long hair and brown eyes I would be telling the truth. If I described you as a pew warmer that jumps in when she finds time and one day said "I think I can preach a good sermon too"...maybe that's truth also. I don't think I know you. It's just an illustration.
Many of my blog entries are thoughts I want to put down, maybe something another person will glean some insight into, maybe something they have no idea about but helps me to put it down. You read a few sermons and then some of my postings after leaving Sardis. Unfortunately it's not everything. However, just maybe it's a good picture. One thing about my blog entries...many of them are written as thoughts come to me. Sometimes I flesh them out and sometimes I don't.
I was the pastor at Sardis I always wanted. One who followed God instead of pandering to man. One who preached the Word instead of watered it down. One who sought the approval of God in everything I did.
And the most interesting thing....I was the pastor Sardis needed. That's the great thing about God. He worked it out perfectly. For 10 years this church had a pastor that just came to preach and leave. Then they got a good student pastor for 3 years that didn't push too hard but showed the congregation they had to work in the church also. Then they got me. I was the change/transistion pastor (if you accept a call to ministry you will read about him). I showed the church there is more than Sunday morning worship. And I stretched them...a lot. The pastor before me gave his entire salary back to the church because he had a pension from another career. I couldn't do that for sure. Neither could anyone coming after me.
Probably the last thing to tell you. Out of 40-50 people in worship on Sunday morning, it was half a dozen that were my antagonists. You have to read posts like mine to know what to expect. Also, read Antagonist in The Church. When you get behind the scenes, you see what really happens.
Oh...BTW...yes I was hurt. It took a year to get over it. There are still times my blood pressure goes up. However, since leaving I've been in two great churches. The year at Sardis was the best year and worst year I have had. My call hasn't changed. But the way I see my realtionship to God and to his church has evolved into something greater. I look forward to 2009 and the wonderful experiences it will bring in the Kingdom.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
What I learned from being a pastor (and other thoughts)
Brandy and I talk about maturity and experience. The older we get, the more experience we get and (sometimes) the more mature we get. Mature can mean many things so don't read too much into that word. I was having some thoughts on what I learned while I was a pastor and some other things in the past.
You see, when you go from warming the pews and maybe a Sunday school class or small group to actually working behind the scenes, you see a very different process and procedure than what you are used to. Here are some thoughts:
* People love change until it's their pet project. Try to cancel some beloved children group that Ms Mary has been doing for years even though the kids are tired of it and no one really enjoys it and boy there will be an uproar.
Another one on that subject is music. At Sardis for one month a year they did the Cokesbury hymnal. These were songs that very few people knew, liked, or cared about. Outside the church walls there was grumbling, but inside everyone was glad to "remember and sing those old songs". And don't ever consider unplugging the organ. (BTW...when is the last time you heard an organ playing on the radio?).
* If it's something people have no history with, they will be against it until the end. At one church we were at, a small group of people wanted to start a contemporary service. 95% of church growth in the UMC came from contemporary services. People who worshipped in them loved them (and didn't sleep). I was tasked with leading this small group. The 1st question asked was "where will the money go that is collected at this service?" Blank dumbfounded look from me. uuummm church service in the the church, maybe the money goes to the church.
Oh and that part about being against it until the end....that is true (in most cases) even if they can come around and see the true possibilities of God moving in the change. They cannot lose face and change their mind.
* Long term far-sighted projects are a LOT less popular than quick turnaround ideas. At Sardis they have this empty lot next to the church. It's a complete waste of space and not being used but owned by the church. It steeply slopes and you can't do anything with it in the current situation. Since there were some people who wanted to build a gym on that site in the future, I recommended that when a builder or the county has fill dirt they will give to us, to get it and level out that land so it will be ready for the building in the future. You would have thought I suggested we put up "welcome to the dump" signs. I got remarks of "people will start throwing trash in our lot if we do this." No idea what they were talking about. Never brought it up again. The current pastor is bringing up building again though. Good luck.
* People like to have their own ideas instead of being told what needs to be done. This is one I should have know from the beginning at Sardis. It's part of managing people and getting progress moving. At one board meeting I came up with a long list of physical projects that needed to be done on the property to make it more attractive and what newcomers would see when coming in. Well I was just ATTACKING these people directly. This was their sacred church.
Here is the funny part. About a month later, that list (that disappeared after the meeting) started getting worked on by the people in the church.
* Generations are stubborn. I say generations because all the generations are stubborn. The baby boomers at my last church (not all old people) were fixed in thier worship style and didn't want to change. Next younger crowd wanted change to more contemporary but control trumps desire.
* Perception is everything. When Sardis heard I was a young pastor, the talk automatically went around that "this pastor will focus on youth". This could not have been farther from the truth.
Another one that I heard thru the grapevine was "we can train this young pastor how we want him". I actually had one guy (so many other labels I can place on him) tell me the church was there to train me. There was no co-learning. There was no relationship.
* The building is the church. At Sardis the 100 yr old building was the church. Without that building, they would not have known what to do. And please don't make changes at the building. I did a trial ballon suggestion that our church would stand out and look glorious if we outlined it in white lights of Christmas. I was actually told that would be too commercial. Forget being a "light" on the hill. Someone once said the best thing that could happen to the church would be for us to not have a building and be nomads. I will never say who told me that, but unfortunately they were exactly right.
I'm sure I will come up with more soon and have to add to this list. I will as they come up.
You see, when you go from warming the pews and maybe a Sunday school class or small group to actually working behind the scenes, you see a very different process and procedure than what you are used to. Here are some thoughts:
* People love change until it's their pet project. Try to cancel some beloved children group that Ms Mary has been doing for years even though the kids are tired of it and no one really enjoys it and boy there will be an uproar.
Another one on that subject is music. At Sardis for one month a year they did the Cokesbury hymnal. These were songs that very few people knew, liked, or cared about. Outside the church walls there was grumbling, but inside everyone was glad to "remember and sing those old songs". And don't ever consider unplugging the organ. (BTW...when is the last time you heard an organ playing on the radio?).
* If it's something people have no history with, they will be against it until the end. At one church we were at, a small group of people wanted to start a contemporary service. 95% of church growth in the UMC came from contemporary services. People who worshipped in them loved them (and didn't sleep). I was tasked with leading this small group. The 1st question asked was "where will the money go that is collected at this service?" Blank dumbfounded look from me. uuummm church service in the the church, maybe the money goes to the church.
Oh and that part about being against it until the end....that is true (in most cases) even if they can come around and see the true possibilities of God moving in the change. They cannot lose face and change their mind.
* Long term far-sighted projects are a LOT less popular than quick turnaround ideas. At Sardis they have this empty lot next to the church. It's a complete waste of space and not being used but owned by the church. It steeply slopes and you can't do anything with it in the current situation. Since there were some people who wanted to build a gym on that site in the future, I recommended that when a builder or the county has fill dirt they will give to us, to get it and level out that land so it will be ready for the building in the future. You would have thought I suggested we put up "welcome to the dump" signs. I got remarks of "people will start throwing trash in our lot if we do this." No idea what they were talking about. Never brought it up again. The current pastor is bringing up building again though. Good luck.
* People like to have their own ideas instead of being told what needs to be done. This is one I should have know from the beginning at Sardis. It's part of managing people and getting progress moving. At one board meeting I came up with a long list of physical projects that needed to be done on the property to make it more attractive and what newcomers would see when coming in. Well I was just ATTACKING these people directly. This was their sacred church.
Here is the funny part. About a month later, that list (that disappeared after the meeting) started getting worked on by the people in the church.
* Generations are stubborn. I say generations because all the generations are stubborn. The baby boomers at my last church (not all old people) were fixed in thier worship style and didn't want to change. Next younger crowd wanted change to more contemporary but control trumps desire.
* Perception is everything. When Sardis heard I was a young pastor, the talk automatically went around that "this pastor will focus on youth". This could not have been farther from the truth.
Another one that I heard thru the grapevine was "we can train this young pastor how we want him". I actually had one guy (so many other labels I can place on him) tell me the church was there to train me. There was no co-learning. There was no relationship.
* The building is the church. At Sardis the 100 yr old building was the church. Without that building, they would not have known what to do. And please don't make changes at the building. I did a trial ballon suggestion that our church would stand out and look glorious if we outlined it in white lights of Christmas. I was actually told that would be too commercial. Forget being a "light" on the hill. Someone once said the best thing that could happen to the church would be for us to not have a building and be nomads. I will never say who told me that, but unfortunately they were exactly right.
I'm sure I will come up with more soon and have to add to this list. I will as they come up.
Monday, December 01, 2008
Books I'm reading
I just finished reading Malcolm Gladwell's book Blink! Great book and fast read. I would highly recommend it to anyone. He gives a laymen's understanding of how we make decisions within the first 2 seconds.
The book I'm reading now is Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell. It's an economics book for the everyday person. No graphs or charts. Just good information in 'normal people terminology'. In the first chapter, Sowell is talking about a price-coordinated economy and how scarce resources determine what you buy and how much you pay. The definiition of economics is "the study of the use of resources that have alternative uses." This one paragraph really hit me so I thought I would post it (from page 15):
The book I'm reading now is Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell. It's an economics book for the everyday person. No graphs or charts. Just good information in 'normal people terminology'. In the first chapter, Sowell is talking about a price-coordinated economy and how scarce resources determine what you buy and how much you pay. The definiition of economics is "the study of the use of resources that have alternative uses." This one paragraph really hit me so I thought I would post it (from page 15):
In a price-coordinated economy, emplyees and creditors insist on being paid,
regardless of whether the managers and owners have made mistakes. This means
that businesses can make only so many mistakes for so long before they have to
either stop or get stopped - whether by an inability to get the labor and
supplies they need or by bankruptcy. In a feudal economy or a socialist economy,
leaders can continue to make the same mistakes indefinitely. The consequences
are paid by others in the form of a standard of living lower than it would be if
there were greater efficiency in the use of scarce resources.
He goes on to give examples of the former Soviet Union and other countries that were socialist or communist and have moved to a freer economy (or vice-versa). It interesting because today I was reading another website mouseprint.org today. It's a consumer website devoted to helping you keep from getting screwed. The link takes you to a particular post about Circuit City which just filed bankruptcy. Their line in the post is great..."I guess when you are in bankruptcy you can’t count on suppliers to fulfill orders for advertised items when the retailer already owes them a ton of money. " It's so true in a free economy. Makes you rethink all the bailouts we have had in the past two months huh.
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