In the midst of contention, with the Episcopal Church facing schizm and other denominations weathering storms of their own making, what if we are able to say this:
Two years from now, I want the people to be able to say, “My Church is not perfect; there are some things my pastor does that get on my nerves. But you know what? I feel like the Church is working for me. I feel like it’s accountable. I feel like it’s transparent. I feel that I am well informed about what church actions are being taken. I feel that this is a Pastor and a Ministry Team that admits when it makes mistakes and adapts itself to new information, that believes in making decisions based on reason and on faith as opposed to what is politically expedient.” Those are some of the intangibles that I hope people two years from now can claim.
Edited (mentions of government, etc replaced by Church, etc) from Time’s “Person of the Year” interview with Barack Obama.
Thoughts? How will you foster this sea-change in your own church and make the church struggle together instead of drift apart?
I think the keys are to build on common areas of need and set common goals. Let the other stuff, be stuff. Focus and find a common direction. If there are others out there that don’t like the place you are going, kindly and lovingly explain where the exits are.