For this Pastor’s Page, I take a page from Simple Church, a book I am reading about doing church more simply. In that regard, I propose to adopt (1) “loving our God,” (2) “loving one another” and (3) “serving our neighbors” as our three organizing principles. Just those three, not the clutter of many components that pastors of larger church typically put forth. I trust this strategy will add greater clarity, movement, alignment and focus to what we do as church leaders affirming God’s process for making disciples.
A. Clarity is the ability of the process to be communicated and understood by all the people.
B. Movement is the sequential steps in the process that cause us to move to greater levels of commitment.
C. Alignment is the arrangement of all ministries and leaders around that same simple process.
D. Focus is the commitment to abandon everything else that falls outside the simple ministry process.
To encourage and facilitate the church to loving our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, I have invested most of my available time in sermon and liturgy prep. I could do better with selecting songs that are sing-able and allow people to desire and adore God; in that regard, I defer to Ellen & Richard & Kathy. And I can do better at speaking into the mic and articulating every word, not swallowing my words at the end of some sentences as I speed on to the next point in the sermon. I’ve also heard less is more.
A wonderful by-product of being a small church, I see and hear people caring for one another. This is evident when we bring communion and hugs to shut-ins. That’s our oldest member, Doris Hughes (age 101) with Marlys (at right), who sends her warmest greetings to all of you from her nursing home in DeForest.
We also love one another and serve our neighbors through visits, cards and gifts of condolence given to members of our church family. Great way to divide the grief after the loss of a loved one. The family of David and Bradley Dallman is a recent case in point. The little kids in that family lost a mom and dadmin oback to back months. For David, he lost the mother of his kids, and his son Bradley. Friends not only divide the grief, but we multiply the joy. As when we show up to cheer one another’s special events—races, plays, ball games, vacation stories, academic achievements. To the extent I am out and about—as medical transport driver or coffee-lover or ecumenical minister—I also connect with people about church.
As you regular worshippers know, I’m focusing more on reaching the world and serving the city in response to our “joys & concerns”—whatever you share with me on Sundays. Your joys and concerns for others and for current events also inform the things I write about for the Columbus Journal. In our prayers and my blog we ask God to intervene on behalf of events such as nuclear summit and peace with North Korea,… the plight of persecuted believers,… plight of boat people and other refugees,… the choice of the next Justice. And we see God answer prayers, as with those Thai boys rescued alive and well. YAY.
I join you in praying and supporting our service projects & ministry partners—e.g., in summer lunch program (August 20-24) and our shift at the city’s food pantry (Sept). To benefit the 24 families displaced by the fiery blast in Sun Prairie, to honor the first responders, and to use our gift of hospitality, I invite you to consider:
1. Donate material goods (food, clothing) to the S.P. area nonprofit, the Sunshine Place. Which appeals to me, as it is much like the Middleton Outreach Ministry that I used to direct.
2. Honor Fire Departments, however we can, as Fall River/Columbus joined forces at Sun Prairie
3. We provide a thanksgiving kind of meal, turkeys and trimming, distributed perhaps through Sunshine Place or the UMC church in Sun Prairie
4. Host/honor the fire departments, police & other first responders, with a reunion/thanksgiving meal, just for them. Details TBA from the pulpit or bulletin, so come to church and stay tuned. —Dietrich
Pastor’s Page, May 2018 by Dietrich Gruen
I’d like to try something different for this page. Last January I introduced myself and gave reasons why I accepted your call. Then, in March, I shared my “personal renaissance” and joy in serving as your bridge pastor. I am happy to report two months later that nothing has changed; I’m still going strong.
But some things can and do need to change, which is what I want to address this month. To that end, on May 1 Larry Schmitt and I participated in a day-long workshop focused on “Change” for churches in transition. It was led by David King & Linda Kuhn, fellow Presbyterians & interim ministers, much as I am, but with decades more experience. They cite “quotable quotes” to spur leadership for change:
On resistance to change. “The single greatest resistance to change is not longing for the past but our self-affirmation that we already know how it should be…. Resistance is information the system is trying to give you, where the boundaries are, where the needs and fears are…. Transformation often begins with provocation, disorientation, loss of control, and emptying…. The Holy Spirit rarely respects our comfort zones…. In order for a system to learn, there needs to be pain and discomfort, which leads to motivation…. We do not need to see eye to eye in order to walk hand in hand.”
On creating the conditions for change. “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change…. You don't bring about change by being right…. You bring about change by helping people understand the need for change…. No change happens without a sense of urgency…. We need to name & claim our power to change and adapt rather than see ourselves as powerless…. Planned, strategic, engineered change moving from point A to B is more an illusion than reality; instead, nudge the system by asking congregations questions they don't want to be asking…. Prayer is not asking for what we want, but asking to be changed in ways we can't even imagine.”
On leadership. “Management is doing things right. Leadership is doing the right things…. Leaders need to manage differences rather than devote themselves to pleasing everyone…. The role of leadership is to learn how to as a local church…. If you try to motivate people by lighting a fire under them, all you will get is burnt butts. A much more enlightened way to motivate people is to find the fire within them and fan it. “
On the value of story. “A congregation changes only thru story. Use the congregation's story to tell -- not what they have done in the past—but what they can do, as possibility…. A church's leaders make decisions about what to talk about, what questions to ask, what metaphors to use—and every such initiative shapes the present and the future…. Nurture these places of conversation and dialogue within and across churches, inviting people to believe again that their own stories contain clues about what God may be up to among them.”
On the value of good questions. “One of the most remarkable instruments that congregations possess is conversation. And if conversations are to foster a life-giving organization, they must include good questions.” For example, Do you believe God's best days at First Pres are in the past or the future?
June-Aug…. One place to foster story-telling is the Adult Bible study happening concurrently whenever Kid’s or Family Sunday School class meet (next on June 3, at 9:00am). Stay tuned for more life-giving conversations around the all-church Service Project (June 7, at 10:00am), the Anniversary Celebration (June 10, from 12-3pm), and Community Meals (our designated week at UMC, Aug 20-24). After looking in the rear view mirror at 150 years worshiping together on one spot, we leave that legacy behind, agree to build on it, and look ahead through the windshield, to finish the race set before us.