Random thoughts on a Wednesday

I have just returned from our second day of the clergy conference.  We have had a dynamic speaker on church leadership talk to us about the changing culture of church.   Gil Rendell is a well known consultant and walked us through some interesting insights into the issues that our churches are facing today.  I have found that it has helped me understand some of the ways that different people react to change and the perceived threat of change.  I hope to share some of these with a few of our leaders to start a conversation with them about their views and to help began a process that will guide us in our ministry.

As I was listening to Gil and to examine some of the talk about church and ways of addressing how we can be more effective in our ministries, I came across a quote from Rich Warren.  He said, "The church is a body not a business; an organism not an organization."  The struggle I believe the church is facing how do we learn from what organizational leaders can teach us and remain faithful to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Rendell points out that with the radical changes that have occurred since World War II that the church is now facing some of the concerns that are so evident in our society.  We have become a church of preferential choices rather than a cohesive group identity.  Pastors who are effective in leadership go from providing and persuading answers to facing questions that arise and helping others begin the process of discussing those questions.  There was a lot more discussed and I will be bringing that back to our leadership in the church.

At the same time as I was reading the devotion in "Disciplines," the scripture came from Mark 1:17-18.  "Jesus said to Simon and Andrew, 'Come with me.  I'll make a new kind of fisherman out of you.  I'll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass."  The Message.

We did discuss about how Jesus led and taught his disciples.  One of the many comments was that it was messy and there were many starts and stops along the way.  None of the disciples took a management course.  They did learn from conversations rather than problem solving techniques or surveys.  Gil also felt that there was a limited benefit to most surveys as it produces preferences rather than direction.  Interesting.  I feel that we have to make room to discern the Will of God in what we do.  The key is that we do what we discern and not spend time rehashing ideas and interactions.

So when some wants to know what I am doing, I think I will tell them I am going fishing.