Where We Stand Post-General Conference 2019

Friends, I have written and rewritten several times this summary of General Conference.  I am too close to it to properly process it for now.  There are, as we suspected, more questions than answers coming out of the special session.  We can address the details at another time. But for now, I want to give you a general update on where our church stands:

EVERYONE IS WELCOME at Kenton First United Methodist Church.  Everyone is a child of God, a beloved creation, and a person of sacred worth.  We welcome everyone, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender identification, sexuality, socio-economic class, and any other factor.  That has never been, never is, and will never be up for debate.

WE ARE A COVENANT PEOPLE.  Our covenant for our church is the Book of Discipline.  Even when we disagree personally with our covenant, we live into our covenant.  Even when everyone else abandons our covenant, we still live with integrity.

WE UPHOLD THE BOOK OF DISCIPLINE’s view that we do not ordain self-avowed homosexuals, nor do our clergy officiate same-sex weddings.  We uphold the teaching of the United Methodist Church that homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teachings.

WE ARE DIVIDED on this issue.  We are divided on many issues in our church.  We recognize that loving, faithful people of God may disagree.  We refuse to become enemies, and let these divisions tear us apart.

WE ARE UNITED in our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.  We are united in our ministry in Hardin County.  We are united in the historic faith of the Nicene and Apostle’s Creeds.

WE LIVE WITH INTEGRITY.  We live in a covenant as United Methodists.  As long as we continue to be in that covenant, we live into it fully to the best of our ability.  There may come a day when we can no longer, in good conscience, continue to live within the covenant of the Book of Discipline.  I cannot tell the future.  If that day ever comes, we will discuss how to leave our covenant.  That process will be completely transparent, and accomplished in full discussion with our District Superintendent and Bishop.  However, as long as we live in this covenant as United Methodists, we strive to live into it fully, and reject any attempts to break that covenant.  Let our integrity as a church never come into question.

WE TREAT EACH OTHER WITH LOVE AND GRACE IN ALL THINGS.  Even when we disagree, we will strive to treat each other with the love and grace that God gives to us.

This is our church. - PJ

As General Conference Begins

This weekend, a special session of the General Conference of the United Methodist Church meets to discuss proposals for the future of the church.  As we have discussed at Kenton First, our disagreements, while accentuated by issues of sexuality, go much further than those issues.  While no one can see the future, it certainly looks more and more likely that whatever is decided or not decided at GC, the United Methodist Church as we know it will likely face some sort of split or schism.

For me, the United Methodist Church is not just a name on a building.  My grandfather was a United Methodist pastor.  His twin sister and her husband were United Methodist pastors.  My father is a United Methodist pastor.  My brother-in-law is a United Methodist pastor.  I was baptized in the United Methodist Church.  Through the connections in the United Methodist Church, I found the Caleb’s Men group that developed me as a disciple of Christ.  When I felt the call to ordained ministry, I considered other paths, but knew that my calling was in the United Methodist Church.  I fell in love with John Wesley’s standard sermons.  I still hold in my office a list that tracks my ordination back to John Wesley.  As much as the United Methodist Church can frustrate and anger me, I am 100% committed to the United Methodist Church that ordained me and set me apart for vocational ministry.

As I look to the future and know that the church I am committed to may not exist in the next few years, I am absolutely devastated.  It pains me that I see scenarios where I may have to choose a future down another path or in another denomination.  I fear that the church I love to serve, Kenton First United Methodist Church, may not see its future down that same path that I see mine.  The possibilities that may arise are painful, frightening, and daunting, to say the least.

At the same time, this is a glorious reminder that this path has never been about me.

Nor is it about you.

This has always been about God.  God created us.  God calls us into relationship with God.  God created the church and called it to make disciples of Jesus Christ.

When people approach me and complain that worship is not the way they prefer, I often try to gently remind them that worship is not about them.  When people complain the church is not doing enough to serve them, I try to gently remind them that it has never been the mission of the church to serve them.  It has always been the mission of the church to make disciples of Jesus Christ (for the transformation of the world).  That means that sometimes we sacrifice our favorite worship, our favorite programs, our power and influence to serve God.  Because it is never about us, but about what God wants to do in us and through us.

Perhaps in the midst of this conflict of General Conference, God is gently reminding me that this church has never been about me.

In all of this conflict, we can remember that it is not about us.  It has never been about us.  While decisions beyond our control may bring the United Methodist Church into conflict, it remains not about us.  It remains about what God wants to do in us and through us.

In the months to come, there may be pain and difficulties.  Things may not go as we like.  But remember—it has never been the mission of Kenton First United Methodist Church to serve us, make us happy, and increase our comfort.  It remains the mission of the church—no matter what name may be on the sign—to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

The Way of the Warrior Review

(Disclosure:  I received a free early review copy from the publisher as part of their launch team).

The Way of the Warrior:  an Ancient Path to Inner Peace by Erwin McManus, available February 26, 2019

4.5/5.0 Definitely worth a buy, read, and spot on your shelf

Okay, I fully admit:  I am over the trend of "maximum masculinity" Christianity.  You know, the type of Christianity that tries too hard to appeal to American males.  I am also over the trend of looking to pseudo-spiritual places for inspiration about our faith.  So, even though I like McManus and his writing, I was a tad bit skeptical about this book when it arrived in my mailbox.

I need not be.  McManus writes a focused, fantastic book giving life-guiding principles.  It is not focused on men (although certainly the appeal to men is obvious).  It takes some inspiration from samurai and other places, but it is thoroughly seeped in scripture and faith.

McManus outlines the path to peace.  We are a people of war.  We often erupt into violence.  The way of peace is not to avoid war.  But to realize that the real battle is within one's self.  This is the crux of McManus' thesis--to be people of peace, we need to fight the war within.

McManus lays out eight principles that follow from there.  The way of the warrior is not to avoid battles, but to choose the battles that are worth fighting (notice I said "fighting," not "winning").  The way of the warrior is to stand in our fears, face our pain, take ownership for our lives.  The way of the warrior is to realize we cannot control the world, but we can control ourselves.

McManus calls readers not to a life of ease, but to a life worth living.  The life that God truly calls us to.

I could break down more of McManus' way of the warrior, but instead, I want to offer a personal anecdote.  My daughter is terrified of learning to swim.  Her first swim lesson was yesterday.  As we were waiting for her brother's swim lesson to end, she was visibly nervous, shaking, and doing anything she could think to try to find a way out of her lesson.  She saw I had this book (I had maybe ten pages or so left to finish).  She asked about it, and I told her about the way of the warrior.  The way of the warrior is not to avoid fear, but to stand and face our fears.  We talked about the way of the warrior, and even read a little from the relevant chapter.  We worked on our "warrior face" that we will use when we face our fears (McManus does not explore warrior faces.  Maybe for the sequel?).  When it was her turn, she turned to me, and said, "I am a warrior!"  And she slowly took her first steps into the pool.

This book is worth a buy, and worth a spot on your crowded shelf.  As for my family, we are together learning the way of the warrior, to find inner peace, and discover a life worth living.

The Life Giving Leader Review

<Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book from the publisher as part of their launch program.>

The Life Giving Leader:  Learning to Lead from Your Truest Self by Tyler Reagin, available September 18, 2018

3.5/5 stars.  Doesn't cover a lot of new ground, but very accessible.  Worth a read.

Leadership matters.  Reagin, the President of Catalyst, starts his book by addressing the importance of leadership.  Bad leaders can hurt others and turn them away from the faith.  We have a responsibility, therefore, to lead well.

Reagin suggests of the model of a life-giving leader.  In any organization with a life-giving leader, grace, encouragement, and empowerment should flow from the leader to the followers.  Many of us have experienced organizations where the employees must show grace and encouragement to the boss.  Reagin's model turns that around.  Reagin theorizes that God has chosen us to be leaders.  Therefore, the path to becoming a life-giving leader revolves around learning to embrace your God-given skills, and leading out of your strengths and calling.

Reagin is well-organized and well-read.  Most of the chapters include bullet points or checklists to evaluate your leadership and outline a way to improve.

If you regularly read leadership books, The Life Giving Leader does not cover any new ground.  However, this book was written in an easily accessible way, and may be a great help to those finding themselves unexpectedly in leadership.  For myself, it was worth a read, but I may not refer back to it often.  However, a copy of this book would be very helpful for members of my staff, who are not used to leadership and are still discovering their place.  In the right audience, this would be an excellent resource.

The Most Beautiful Thing I've Seen Review

My Review of The Most Beautiful Thing I've Seen, by Lisa Gungor
Available June 26, 2018

****/5, meaning it won't make my Ten Books Every Person Should Read list, but definitely earned a place even among the limited space of my bookshelf

(Full disclosure:  I am a member of the Launch Team for this book, meaning I received a free copy of the book before it was released, in exchange for the promise to review it and share some information about it.  At no point have I felt pressured to give a positive or insincere review.  I mean, it's not like Lisa Gungor is reading this and calling me afterwards.  But I want to have the integrity to reveal I did get a free copy up front).

This is a book about a journey.  About finite humans trying to understand an infinite God.

Gungor writes this memoir, according to the introduction, as a letter to her mother, trying to explain their separation over the years.  Gungor describes her upbringing in what would probably be described as a fundamentalist, charismatic church, to her questions about faith, and growing understanding of love.  This story is framed ultimately around the birth of Gungor's second child, Lucie.  Lucie's birth, diagnosis of Down's Syndrome, and the soul-searching it provoked, focuses Gungor's faith wanderings, and ultimately brings her to a new understanding.

While my journey is definitely different from Gungor's, there is enough here that universally connects.  I laughed out loud (for longer than is socially acceptable) at her reflections on "dating Jesus."  My heart broke with some of her struggles with Lucie, and I reflected on some of my struggles as a foster parent (especially with the comments from others meant to be positive, but ultimately hurtful).  Much of Lisa Gungor's journey centers around learning to live with an open hand instead of a closed fist (appreciating what is rather than demanding what should be), and learning to be present.  As someone who has been described as a "control enthusiast," Gungor's journeys hit home.

I made myself a mental checklist of people I wanted to share this book with, who might find hope and company in the journey.  My wife, as she struggles feeling inadequate in parenting.  The friend trying to find a new concept of faith out of a very conservative religious upbringing.  The friend looking at her life and feeling the pain of unexpected difficulties and conflicts.  So, even though I received a free copy of this book, there is a good chance I will purchase several copies. 

Check it out.  It's worth the read.

My New Years' Resolution for the Church

George Bernard Shaw famously quipped, “The power of accurate observation is sometimes called ‘cynicism’ by those that don’t possess it.”  My brother-in-law often says that my family has turned sarcasm and cynicism into our spiritual gifts.  If you have ever sat next to me during a meeting or conference, you can probably attest—I can be a wealth of witty, fun negativity.  It may be funny, or entertaining, but the fact remains, I am often naturally a very negative person.

This past week, I co-taught a Course of Study class at United Theological Seminary.  Although my content was good, and helpful, the content of my lectures was not what stuck with the students most.  What really connected with students was the encouragement.  We purposely tried to provide some encouragement to these students, many of whom were in their first appointment, struggling to learn what it meant to be a pastor.  There were even times we did not intend to be encouraging, but were.  We shared some of our struggles, stories of times that we felt discouraged, and the students were amazed to know that they were not the only ones.  Our content was good, but the power of encouragement was better.

I am amazed by the story of Barnabas in Acts.  Barnabas is identified as the “encourager.”  Barnabas is not the first person we think of when we think of the leaders of the early church.  I have seen many churches named after St. Paul or St. Peter, but never St. Barnabas.  Yet, Barnabas is a crucial figure in the story.  After Paul’s conversion experience on the road to Damascus, Paul eventually came to Jerusalem to connect with the established church.  James wanted nothing to do with Paul; he had been an enemy of the early Christian church.  But Barnabas vouched for Paul, and arranged for Paul to meet with the  other leaders.  Barnabas accompanied Paul on his first missionary meeting.

And Barnabas’ influence does not stop there.  John Mark was one of Paul’s companions, but seemed to lose his heart.  Paul wanted nothing to do with John Mark.  But Barnabas left Paul to go with John Mark, and bring him back into the fold.  We traditionally believe that John Mark became a travelling companion of Peter, and from Peter’s stories, wrote the Gospel of Mark, which influenced the other gospels.  If not for Barnabas’ encouragement, there would be no gospels.

2015 is a year of easy cynicism in the United Methodist Church.  At our annual conferences, we will elect representatives to General and Jurisdictional Conferences.  There are serious questions about the long-term future of our denomination.  There are concerns about the entire Church in an increasingly secular and sometimes hostile society.  Add to this the sometimes strained relationships we may also have among clergy—the artificial sense of competitiveness, the lack of confidence we sometimes feel from our churches.  It is easy to be cynical and sarcastic.  And there is an element of sarcasm that is probably healthy.  But if can also manifest itself in some unhealthy ways.  We seem to celebrate when another big pastor fails.  We see another church grow, and treat it with mistrust and sometimes anger.

My 2015 New Year’s Resolution for the Church is to declare this the year of Barnabas.  To build each other up.  To celebrate the blessings of our churches and congregants.  To celebrate the strengths of our colleagues, and help each other grow in the faith.  To find the hope in even the toughest of situations.

One encourager, one Barnabas, set in motion the ministry of Paul and wrote the first gospel.  Imagine what a church of encouragers can do.  

Empty Christmas

I am a hypocrite.  I do not practice what I preach.

I hate Christmas.  There, I said it.  I have hated Christmas for years—long before I was ever a pastor.  I hate the busyness of the season.  I observe how people kill themselves to finish projects at work, get kids to Christmas programs, attend work and social Christmas parties, shop for all the Christmas presents, stress over Christmas decorations, etc.  Advent is an endless list of cultural responsibilities, economic consumerism, and other distractions that take us away from what is truly important.  What’s worse is this idea that a “good” Christmas attitude is about giving presents to others.  But of course, this only extends to our family and friends who already have more than enough.  What a distortion of the gospel message.  I hate Christmas.  And I find a lot of churches, including mine, help perpetuate this cycle of Christmas craziness.

Naturally, I rally around the programs like Advent Conspiracy and Christmas is Not Your Birthday.  Let’s rally against this ridiculous holiday that Christmas has become.  When I was a layperson, I thought our churches didn't do enough to stand up against this destruction of the Christmas miracle.  After all, we preach that people are too busy, but we schedule extra programs during Advent.  We speak out against the consumerism of the season, but then we go out and buy Christmas trees, Christmas lights, etc. that just support the Christmas industry.  When I become a pastor, I’m not buying into this whole scheme….

Now, as I experience my sixth Christmas, I have to admit that I don’t practice what I preach.

I am spending my third consecutive Christmas battling illness.  I have almost no voice, a cough that’s barely contained, and I feel like I just want to crawl back into bed.  I had the same experience last year, and the year before that.

Here’s the thing:  this isn't just a random flu epidemic going around.  My body was sending my signals weeks ago that the schedule I was holding was unsustainable.  I just did not listen.  I pushed through.  After all, there’s a lot going on this month for pastors.  There’s the Christmas decorating at the church, the cookie exchange, the children’s movie night, extra work for the Advent services, Christmas Eve services, the kids’ program, preschool Christmas program, etc.  And new this year—ordination requirements, a special meeting with the village council, and a special musical number my wife and I had planned for Christmas Eve, until we both lost our voices.  And I have not even yet touched on my own family requirements, with Christmas shopping, Christmas cards, in-laws visiting, daughter’s Christmas program, etc.  Oh, and because January is a big kick-off month, I also need to working ahead.

So, I ask you honestly to evaluate my schedule, and yours.  What here really has to be done?  What, in my schedule, is truly important to the Christmas season?  What truly preaches the message of Christmas?  Not as much as I want to think.  I have stretched myself too thin, worn myself out, sacrificed myself at the altar of overwork for a secular message, far removed from that of the original Christmas.  I have done everything I hate about Christmas.  I have failed to keep focused on what is truly important.

People in our congregations know it, too.  Not everyone.  Some still think we work for an hour on Sundays, and that’s it.  Some see ourselves working ourselves to the bone, and wonder why we aren't working more.  But others get it.  They see that we preach against the busyness, against the consumerism, against what Christmas has become, and then fall into those same traps.  I just hope and pray they don’t evaluate the message of the Holy Spirit based on its servant’s inability to live it out.

I offer no solutions.  If I had the easy fix, I wouldn't be battling yet another year.  Just a word of advice to all of my #Refresh colleagues who may be experiencing one of their first Christmases from the pulpit.  We are not immune to the temptations of the season; if anything, we are more susceptible to the challenges.  Stay the course!  Keep your spiritual disciplines.  And take every chance possible to focus on the true miracle of Christmas.

And if that doesn't work, take lots of Sudafed.