One of my friends sat in the General Administration committee this past week, which is the committee responsible for the bulk of the Call To Action legislation (the global church restructuring). He emailed out his reflections that I’m posting below with permission. This is from a young clergyperson in the North Central Jurisdiction.

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I walked around a little dazed last night after the conclusion of the General Administrative legislative section. Working with the Love Your Neighbor Coalition, I had sat through each and every moment of the committee’s work, including the structure sub-committee. I watched how despite all of the pressure brought by the Connectional Table leadership and the Council of Bishops, the restructuring proposal in the end could only get 25 votes (to prevent substitution). After hours of pain staking committee work, after a successful melding of Plan B with principals of the Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA) plan, I had had real hope that we would adopt a new way of organizing that provided for more accountability while greatly increasing the influence of the Central Conferences in the life of the church.

Then the last two hours happened. Admittedly, it was somewhat insane to have to present the amended restructuring plan to the full committee with only 2 hours left. But, honestly, it seemed few were even willing to listen to the work that had been done. The first motion was simply to ignore all the committee work and to revert to plan B. Not to understand better, not to tweak, but simply to dismiss. Then finally, the plan for which so much work was given died a parliamentary death.

Suddenly, the Connectional Table machine whirred back into life. They sprang forth with new handouts, new graphs and charts. A powerpoint presentation the just happened to be available with 30 seconds notice. I suppose one could argue it was resurrection, but I would argue it was a Zombie that just wouldn’t die. Indeed by the end of the night, it was ruled that the plan was indeed dead, always dead, we were just confused by parliamentary jujitsu and the still warm, twitching carcass of the plan.

As I sat there, angry by the events, someone behind asked just what did I have against the “new” Call to Action plan. To be honest, in those emotional moments I couldn’t give her much of an answer. I was more fixated on the whole winning and losing aspect of the debate. I was just a little stunned.

Having had a night to sleep and meditate on all that happened, I’m better able to articulate why the Call to Action reform plan leaves such a bitter taste in my mouth. I simply have a fundamentally different model of leadership then that proposed by the Connectional Table.

Let’s look at the process: when it came to restructuring the church, the Connectional Table folks did attempt to listen. I believe that is what they were trying to do with the mounds of research presented. Having listened in some fashion, a smaller group went and crafted a proposal that put real power in the hands of few. They saw this as a feature- not a bug. The church wasn’t moving forward because power, the ability to change course, was too spread out. So power needed to be consolidated. So they formed a plan. And they started the PR. They talked at us constantly about how great the proposal was. [Editor's note: the term "talked at us" is completely appropriate and not a typo]

Many didn’t quite buy the PR and sought to put their own plan together. So a new MFSA plan emerged and later a “Plan B” came forward. Each represented a reaction to the crisis at hand, but each reflected different values. Behind the scenes, Plan B and MFSA entered into serious negotiations to try and find common ground. Much was accomplished. The few areas of disagreement (representation of Central Conferences, independence of monitoring functions, Connectional Table) were left to work out in the committee. The authors of both plans listened, sat at the table and sought to find common ground. The Connectional Table folks, however, would have none of that. They simply had no desire to negotiate. They were too busy putting together the flashy presentations and twisting arms to sit down at the table and really try and find common ground. Sure, they tweaked their plan based on the blowback of their PR blitz, but they never wanted to offer anyone else a seat at the table.

After losing a key vote, the Connectional Table folks simply checked out. Their three delegates who sat on the subcommittee abstained from nearly every vote. Why bother to try and legitimately work to perfect this plan? After all, they were working behind the scenes to craft their own. Why sit at the table of the sub-committee, one with people from each plan at the table, one with six central conference members, one with three US ethnic minorities, to try and get us on the right path? Because that’s simply not the way they do leadership. Leadership, for the CT, is working out the details in a smoke filled room rather than at a public table where all forms of diversity are welcome. Leadership, for them, is behind the scenes crafting rather than inviting all to the table. Leadership, for them, is worrying far more about the flashy presentation than true dialogue and consensus building.

So, in an epic night of parliamentary intrigue, all of the plans died. The CT plan. The Plan B. The MFSA plan. The perfected Plan B. Dead. Buried. Destroyed.

Sure, some things are going to be resurrected on the floor next week. Some zombie plan is going to come and try to rule over us all. The CT may indeed get their plan through. And if they do, we’ll be in a church largely of their making.

• One where a powerful few will listen, but ultimately they’ll decide.
• One where a powerful few will talk at you, but not with you.
• One where only a powerful few are welcome at the table; the rest of us just will have to anxiously wait to be told what is good for us.

This is the church I believe they want. It may indeed be the church we get. But please don’t tell me its a church filled with life.

Long live the zombie church. Perhaps only Christ can bring resurrection to it now.

Jared Littleton is a provisional elder in the East Ohio conference. He is working at General Conference as a legislative monitor for the Love Your Neighbor Coalition. He is hoping that his mild concerns with the Connectional Table (that his bishop chairs) doesn’t make his next appointment in Siberia.

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Thoughts?

On the first night of Exploration 2011, Adam Hamilton used a fascinating illustration from Rev. Kyles, a preacher who was standing close to MLK Jr. when he was assassinated.

It interested me so I Googled and couldn’t find Stevenson’s original words. But I found the NPR piece that Hamilton heard it from and it has Rev. Kyles telling Stevenson’s story in his own words. Take a listen (the leading question is at about 3:43):

 It is said that Robert Louis Stevenson was a man who never enjoyed good health. He spent a lot of time in his room even as a child. He was always looking out the window. His nurse asked him one day, Robert, what are you doing? He said, I’m watching that old man knock holes in the darkness. She said, what are you talking about?

He would climb up the ladder and light the light, come down, move the ladder to the next pole, climb up, come down, move the ladder. And everywhere he would light a light it appeared to him with his little quick mind that a hole was being knocked in the darkness.

And so I’m suggesting that those of us who have the strength and the ability, we should be knocking holes in the darkness. So, Martin Luther King came to Memphis – it was a dark place to come, but he came and he came knocking holes in the darkness.

Short post, just putting the original source out there for the blogosphere to hear. It’s a great illustration for a generation that considers faith to be an active thing.

(Photo Credit: “Light and Darkness” by nanda_uforians on Flickr, Creative Commons share)

So far in this blog series, we’ve acknowledged uncertainty as a part of the grace given to us at baptism. We’ve allowed uncertainty to be a part of our life as we hit the roadblocks in our journeys. Now we come to the point when we challenge uncertainty and make inroads into our call.

The twitter stream of updates indicates that many of the small groups reached a fever pitch in excitement about their calls, even if they don’t know what they are. Little wonder: On the first night, Adam Hamilton gave a realistic portrayal of the status of the United Methodist Church and how they were their only hope. On the second night, Bishop Robert E. Hayes Jr. of Oklahoma (my bishop) talked about his conviction that the next 15 years of the UMC will be as formative as the last 50 years. The preaching had the intended effect: this group is pumped and excited about what roles to do.

Today, it falls to my friend Shalom Agtarap to rock it and bring it home: these are the avenues to follow your call in. These are the grooves that have been etched in the ground that your call will have the most effect on and pick up speed. Your direction of your call may not be set, but there are ways you can interact now with the world and change it.

When I think of call, I think of Andy Dufresne. He’s a character in the movie The Shawshank Redemption that came out probably the year the youngest of the Exploration young adults were born.  Andy was a banker who was falsely accused of murder and he was sent to life in Shawshank prison under the authority of a corrupt warden and a sadistic prison captain. While there, he met a fellow prisoner named Brooks, an elder prisoner who has been inside for fifty years. Brooks is well-liked and runs the prison library very well. He is accustomed to the rules of the prison, but what happens when he gets out? He can’t adapt, he can barely bag groceries, has no idea how to use a portable phone. He can’t handle his new freedom, his life without structure. He tragically ends his own life rather than adapt.

A fellow prisoner described it like this: “The man’s been in here fifty years. Fifty years! This is all he knows. In here, he’s an important man. He’s an educated man. Outside, he’s nothin’! Just a used up con with arthritis in both hands.” When Andy hears of this, it’s a turning point for him, the moment where he decides to put his long-laid plans to escape from that prison in action. He says the memorable line, ”Either get busy living or get busy dying.”

We also live in prisons of our own or our families’ creation. We live in a culture that keeps on punching as down.

So my hope for these young adults is that they do some punching of their own: punch holes in the darkness, as Adam Hamilton quoted the first night. That they get busy living into that call, that they risk some comfort to try out a path of their call, that they have the courage to turn from one path that isn’t working onto another.

The call is heavy, make no mistake.

We can get busy living our call, or we can get busy dying from the weight of the call.

But can I tell you something?

From this weekend’s uplifted songs to the preaching to the small group reflections, I can say with conviction that….the call? The one placed on my heart?

It feels lighter.

(Photo: iPhones, iPads, Smartphones held up in the air as this generations’ lighters, shot 11-12-2011 in St. Louis MO)

I like this photo of our two Explo2011 hosts. These two have been the public face as they hosted the conference and gave us lots o’ information. I really enjoyed this candid shot of them both as they assumed their default positions before going on the altar.

On the left is Rev. Juan Huertas, an Elder in Louisiana. He seems quieter of the two, so his posture is more pensive, thinking. It’s a wrong assumption, really, as his out-of-the-ballpark end of his sermon this morning indicated that he’s anything but shy when it comes to the Gospel.

On the right is Rev. April Casperson, a Deacon at Methesco. She seems the more mystical of the two, her arms open and singing, waiting to go on the altar area. At first I thought she was holding a bible but why would I be stuck in the Gutenberg generation: clearly, it’s an iPad.

Thanks to the leadership for their commitment to diversity and depth of expression of the wide spectrum of ordained and lay ministry options in the United Methodist Church. Our diversity makes us strong.

The best thing about life in the Spirit is that it is not scripted. Consider the passage for this morning from Acts 16: Paul and Timothy are STOKED, they are ready to engage Asia, to tell the Gospel of Jesus Christ to them and what? The Spirit prohibits them? What? That doesn’t make a lick of sense. Surely those places needed to hear the Gospel. Surely those places needed to see Christian lifestyle.

What did it mean to be blocked?

I wonder how many blocks I was given walking down on my call to ministry. Since Melissa (another #explo2011 official blogger) gave lots of personal testimony in her blog post, here’s some of my blocks I’ve experienced:

• As a Senior in high school, I remember being frustrated that I wasn’t able to go to a concert because I had told my youth minister I would help lead a middle school bible study. But I did and after a great study I got another inkling that I was supposed to be there.
• When I was applying to college, I applied to five colleges to study psychology and exactly one to study ministry (to appease my relentless youth minister). I got negligible scholarships for the five…was sweating figuring it out. I didn’t know what to do. Then in the mail came a full ride to study ministry at that one college. I guess that’s where I was supposed to go.
• During college, I was engaged to a woman and we planned to attend a particular seminary together. We eventually ended our relationship. I opted to attend a different seminary. I got the best life-changing theological education and met my future spouse. Exactly where I was supposed to go.
• As a clergyperson, I often feel blocked, like the right words aren’t emerging from my lips and that I just can’t connect with the people at times. Then someone stops me and tells me how much they were inspired. It never fails to amaze me because I just can’t see it.

My hope and prayer for these young adults is that they not only acknowledge uncertainty (like last night’s blog post) but allow it. If I didn’t accept these blocks, allow them rather than fight to get around them, then I wouldn’t have been on the path I’m on for sure, and you wouldn’t be reading this quaint little blog.

In Process Theology, they have a great understanding of God’s omniscience. It’s not that God wills each thing to happen (a concept called Determinism that Adam Hamilton destroyed last night at worship) but that God knows all possibilities. God knew every possible choice I would make, and was nudging me (or offering me a “divine lure”) towards a better path.

I was led down a better path. I allowed the blocks to take place. I didn’t assign them meaning, and I don’t feel like I had to experience them to be where I am today. But looking back I see how God was nudging me on this path, and I hope the same for our young adults.

The blocks will be there, some you will have to overcome, some you will go around, and some force you on a side trail that you didn’t expect to be on. And I for one will pray for discernment for you as you find that path that God would have you be on. And only God knows which one that is, and I hope the Church continues to help facilitate that for you.

As Tolkein reminds us: not all who wander are lost. They’ve just found some blocks and are looking for the right path again. May it be with you.

I’m a young clergyperson, ordained as an Elder in the United Methodist Church. Whenever I baptize a child, I do so with a tremendous amount of uncertainty. Who will this child become? Am I baptising a saint or a sinner, the next Mother Theresa or Stalin? What will this child’s relationship be with the church: will this child accept Christ later in life or forsake him? Will this child be gay or straight? Will they dye their hair into an embarrassingly late age? Will they cure cancer?

I have no idea.

But the truth is…all that uncertainty doesn’t matter.

Not knowing what will happen doesn’t stop me from dipping my hands in the water and welcoming the child into the church family. No amount of uncertainty keeps me from marking the child with water and I know God marks them with the Spirit.

This weekend about 650 young adults join together to discern their calls to ministry at Exploration 2011. When their pastors baptized them, I doubt they knew they would answer a call to ministry. Even if they were just baptized a few months ago, there was no foreknowledge this is where they would end up.

And tonight the young adults themselves don’t know what this call to ministry is…what it might look like, where they might go with it, what God would have them do with it. And that’s okay.

As we begin tonight with remembering our baptisms, my hope for these young adults (many less than 5-10 years younger than me!) is that they remember God was not uncertain about their baptisms. God knew every possible trajectory they would walk on. God knows every possibility and knew that one of those paths would lead them here. They have been called here for a purpose and my hope is that they live into that uncertainty of what could be and embrace it.

You, young adult, are a water-washed and spirit-born children of God. Remember your baptism and be thankful. The church family ever since you were born has taken it on faith, has loved you even without knowing who you would become. And now this next step: stepping out into the unknown is a scary one. But one that I hope your church families, and your chosen families, are behind you once again even if they don’t know where you will end up.

I’m one of the bloggers for this weekend event. My blog posts for this weekend will focus on this uncertainty: what do you do with a call you are not positive about, and even if you know your call, how do you live it out? That’ll be the primary topic of my blogging, though there will be anecdotes and reports on experience mixed in. I hope you enjoy the journey with me.

I hope you enjoy the journey.

Remember your baptism and be thankful.

My friend Rev. Becca Clark and I got to participate in a “shadow pastors” project by the United Methodist Reporter. They wanted to know what an average week was like for four very different pastors in very different contexts. So for a week we logged our every pastoral action (minus congregants’ personal info, of course) and UMR staffer Mallory McCall compiled it. It is really interesting to read the final project and look at the breadth of actions that pastors do.

Sound familiar? This project reminded me of our own #Pastors24 project (and Becca’s #OurExamen project) where the great diversity of pastoral concerns and activities was exhibited. I think any article that raises awareness about what we do all day is a commendable one, and any project that makes pastors more human and approachable absolutely makes my calling easier.

Here’s the article: Shadowing Pastors: A Week in the Life of a UM Pastor

There were obviously space restrictions (as with any print media) and I regret that in the UMR article, my Wednesday activities do not indicate the reality that that’s my heaviest ministry day. On that particular day, I had a lunch meeting, a funeral, an after-school program, and a youth bible study. Whew! I promise I did not sit on facebook all day! Ha!

For people that are interested, I’ve uploaded my log for that week to Google and you can download it or view it here for your own enjoyment and/or stalking pleasure.

- Stardate: PastorsLog

Thanks to the UMReporter for the opportunity, glad to get to know Revs Brown & Lyon (and Clark, of course!) a little better…and I hope readers of the blog enjoy the article.

Facebook has a new Comments system they are offering. Basically, it links facebook posts and blog posts. So if someone comments on facebook, it will republish that here on this blog. And if anyone comments on the blog, it will republish that on facebook.

There’s 4 reasons why we’re being curmudgeons and not using that system here:

1. Privacy concerns. When people post comments on my facebook, they know my security is pretty high so none of my parishioners or public people will see it. So they freely comment. However, I’m not
2. Trolls are low. Unlike Slate which has a significant troll problem, we don’t. Spam is taken care of for the most part, and the trolls tend to be mediocre at best.
3. Pseudonymity is a value. I had a pseudonym for 4 years running an online religion forum. I know its value and the theological freedom of inquiry that comes with it. As long as you don’t abuse it, it’s here to stay.
4. The functionality is already here. People can login via Facebook or Twitter already and comment using their own names and pictures. So the only added functionality by using the new system is the privacy-questionable one. Hence, why upgrade?

Thanks for reading and I hope you continue to find commenting at HX helpful, easy, and secure.

Blessings.

Still one of my most embarrassing moments in ministry was when I was an intern at a UM church. For youth, I volunteered to choose a movie for movie night. I remembered a movie I watched a year previously that I thought was a great example of dealing with racism. It was called Pleasantville.

I still remember sitting in the youth room with 5 teenage girls and one female adult watching the bathroom scene where the mom is in the bathtub and…well, she ends up setting the tree on fire. Watch the movie and it makes more sense. The look on the youth sponsor’s face as she delighted in my 19yo embarrassment is burned into my head. Sigh.

However, today I can tell you that it will never happen again. I am thankful for the Internets that give people like me, who pastor youth, a simple(?) way to measure if a movie is appropriate.

Via Richard Hall, here’s the Youth Pastor’s Coefficient (originally from zoomtard.com):

The formulas are hence (most text taken from zoomtard.com though edited for my blog readership):

• S = Swear-words
• ! = Super swear-words (you know the ones…)
• b = Breasts or other PG-13 nudity
• V = Tame violence (Like a cartoon slapfest or someone getting in a playground fist-fight)
• G = Serious nudity (The kind you don’t want to watch with your mom in the room)
• m = Serious violence (The kind that is in Call of Duty that they will play when they leave)
• i = Innuendo (That most slippery of youth group movie downfalls)
• A = Alternative music laden soundtracks (Kids dig those block-rockin’ beats)
• H = Happy endings (All youth group movies ought to have it!)
• PRm = Positive Role-model (If the star of the movie prays, talks kindly to people with mental disability or t least shaves regularly then you have some prime youth group movie potential.)
• SI = Sermon Illustrations (Every scene that can be the basis of a preachy-session at the end of the night has to be very valuable)
• ir = Improper Relationships (Varies to your youth group’s level of prudishness: could be a divorced and remarried woman [shock!], to a sassy gay couple [shockiest!], up to domestic violence or teenage abuse)

The goal is to for the final total to be close to 0.5 (though depending on your students you could go up to around .75…but anything beyond 1.0 is right out, apparently!).

There you go. Now you know how to rate Saved as compared to Book of Eli on the level of youth group appropriateness. Good luck.

Please read this.

4 bullying-related suicides in as many weeks? My heart aches. I don’t care if it is a media-created epidemic, there are still people dying because of bullying. And we only know of few of them.

I work with teens and cannot help but cry when I think of losing one of them to the effects of bullying.

When I counsel youth, I often rely on a quote from George O’Malley from Grey’s Anatomy:

O’Malley: You just have to get through high school. Because high school sucks for anyone who is the least bit different.

There is more than your little sliver of the world where terror reigns. There is more out there. Find the friends around you that can trust, find the adults you can trust, and survive.  And keep reading:

Please watch this.

I’ve never ever seen a video reposted 27 times around my facebook friends. But this video by Ellen has been. She says “you should be alive to see it.”

Please watch it.

Please do this.

If you are struggling with bullying because of your identity, please call the Trevor Project. 1-866-4-U-TREVOR. It is safe and confidential.

Please know this.

You are a beloved child of God.

There’s more out there.

You are a beloved child of God.

Even if you think the whole world calls you the worst of names, it’s my experience that even the worst people want you to live long enough to either change your life or accept who you are.

And the ones who don’t are the ones who need to be cut out of your life, not cause the life to be cut out of yours.

You are a beloved child of God.

Please.