When Failure Is Not The Final Word

Last night India Hook's Youth Director, April, coordinated the efforts of several volunteers and transformed the Family Life Center into an attractive Coffee House setting. Couches, comfortable chairs, coffee tables and floor lamps were distributed tastefully over the space occupied by a basketball court. All of this was part of an effort to give teenagers a place to gather following the Northwestern-South Pointe football game. There were plenty of adults standing by, refreshments and music were there too. Publicity came from signs around town and flyers at both schools. We were ready for the gathering of teenagers.

Except, no one beyond the fellowship of India Hook came. Other than about eight of our own youth, it was a gathering for the adults who came to help. Perhaps the church is located too far out for weary football fans to gather at 10:30 after a long game. It seemed a great deal of effort went into something that did not bear fruit.

I should say that it did not bear the fruit that was intended. Regardless of the number of youth there, as I looked around the room I saw something else happening. April had gotten several adults to volunteer; adults that might not normally cross paths in the ebb and flow of church life. As they waited for the youth to come, these adults talked and laughed and played board games together. They started or nurtured relationships--- they made a connection. They even talked of setting up the Family Life Center in the same comfortable, high quality way for the Church Christmas party in December. When we did have youth present later in the night, the adults played Monopoly, cards, and air hockey with them. Again, relationships were made and nurtured. In these days when so much of what we do is based on numbers, technology, and successfully getting things done, perhaps it is nights like last night at the Family Life Center that remind us why we are here (and what is truly important). Good things happened last night, even if was not what we had in mind. As the old saying goes..."and a good time was had by all."

April and the volunteers cast the Gospel seed, and it took root in unexpected ways. Failure is not the primary word claimed by Christians. Faithful is a word we treasure. God is faithful to us in ways we do not always see or plan. We are faithful to God when we continue to be avenues of care and connection to others through Christ especially when we live in a culture that says stop trying because things don't work out like we want , or they are risky or disappointing.

There are other ways India Hook can uniquely reach the youth of our area in meaningful ways. May we continue to sow the seeds of the Gospel until we find those ways. Perhaps along the way the unintended fruit blessed by God will emerge and the community and the church will be the better for it.

Change Is Not Just For "Them"

One of the wonderful challenges of being the pastor of a church is encouraging folks to look beyond themselves--- their habits, their fears, the way they have always done things--- to the leading of God for the future. God's leading of us as individuals might be as simple as growing in faith; for a congregation, it could be serving beyond ourselves to an entirely new community. Most pastors spend time with churches inviting, encouraging, and equipping congregations for change on whatever scale is before them.

In these times of challenge and change, pastors and the laity who lead these churches more often than not talk about how "they" (the other church members in general) need to change. "They" need to open their eyes; "they" need to do things differently; why don't "they" get it? Occasionally there is a "we." "We" adopted and implemented the long range plan; "we" will fully pay our missional apportionments this year. I have served several congregations in my ministry; through continuing prayer and observation I can discern where a church (the we and the they) needs to go in its ministry. Lately, I have made a big deal with the leaders of India Hook that we need to change our operating system. The church governs itself as if they were a church of 25 rather than 200; if we are to meet the growing needs of the area, we ( oops, there is that word again) will need to change.

At some point in each appointment I have served, I usually make some observation not just about the church, but about myself. One thing I have noticed as I have gotten older is that change seems easier when someone else is doing it. Here at India Hook, I am coming to realize (again?) that change quite often does not start or end with "we" or "they." There needs to be an "I" in that formula. I should grow and change in each new ministry setting, so that hopefully I can better equip God's people to serve wherever I am. I need to change my leadership style and in the ways I work with the staff to equip the church. I realize that I can no longer be the Lone Ranger if the church is to be what it is called and needs to be. However, that is a big change for me; I have served churches where the pastor was the main force for administration and getting this done. If this church is to change, I have to change in some important ways. Yet, these are ways I am accustomed to, ways "I have always done it before." This change can be a challenge to my understandings of how I function as a pastor. This sounds very familiar to what "they" often voice, doesn't it?

I had our first "staff meeting" today with our church secretary and our youth director. It was a fruitful time. I am starting to implement (and hopefully will continue) a new way for myself. I can model change, and perhaps that is the best way for "we" and "they" to own the change that God leads. It is also a way that I can continue to grow--and change--in Christ.

Rain and The Rhythm of Life

Early this morning on the 5 Star Doughnut Friday Run, LLCoolJ and I got caught in the rain. Yes, rain. It was cold, wet and wonderful. LLCoolJ danced to the rhythm of the windshield wipers as we made it to the donut place. The obvious thing about a drought is the lack of rain in the rhythm of days. The dry and hot days have dragged on with no relief in sight. The rhythm of days and routines helps us organize our lives. Our home seems to function better when we have a rhythm of school, homework, and flop time.

At church, we have the yearly rhythm of charge conference and the seasons. Weekly worship brings balance to life that is out of balance with misfired rhythm. Lately, India Hook has celebrated a midweek prayer and communion service to bring us renewal in the week in between Sundays.

Here in Rock Hill, it is the last year for the York County Fair at the American legion property downtown. It is the last Fair at that site and the last fair directed by Mr. Pete. He is a member of India Hook and for over 50 years, he has kept the rhythm of the York Fair as the manager. His leadership will be missed.

What are the rhythms of your life?

Pastor's report for Charge Conference

Here is my annual narrative report for charge conference:

My fifth year of ministry at India Hook has been a time of change, as the church continues to implement its long range plan of connecting people to God and one another. In the past few weeks, the administrative council has approved the creation of a new staff position for programming to begin after the first of the year. This is a significant step towards meeting the ministry needs of a growing church and community. I believe this staff person will equip the church with basic logistical help for ministry, but also help members engage in ministry themselves in a whole new way.

Change and growth do present challenges to the way we do ministry currently and to our present facility use. If we are faithful in God’s leading to grow, we will see a greater number of new people that we will not be able to know to the degree that we have come to befriend those who have come through the doors before. India Hook will need to work through budgeting, cash flow, and Christian Stewardship matters in order to be more effective in answering God’s call. We face the financial challenges of replacing or expanding church property. The Family Life Center needs new flooring; we need to pave a parking lot on the west side of the property; a church bus is needed to facilitate effective ministry and our church playground needs an upgrade. Some of these challenges are being addressed with funds from the property transfer (the playground); we hope that our Miracle Sunday in March addresses the rest.

Being the pastor here in these times is a wonderful experience. It is at times difficult to balance the conventional roles and expectations of the sole pastor while leading the church in new ways of caring and functioning. Yet, despite that balancing act, I have many opportunities to grow in my own Christian walk and leadership experience. For example, I am learning to coach the church’s leadership team on a regular basis in order facilitate their growth in Christ and to equip them for their leadership roles.

It is a wonderful experience to pastor India Hook because I pastor a loving and caring people. They help Kathy and I raise a family of three boys; they pastored me in the illness and death of my brother. I am grateful to God to be here.

Peace
Joseph

Reverend Coach

Over the past few years, I have taken an interest in leadership and how it is done (and not done) in government and in the life of the church. As a history major, I read about the leadership styles and characteristics of Robert E. Lee, Winston Churchill, Teddy Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, and FDR. Government and industry are good proving grounds for leadership skills, but the church is a most peculiar study. By in large, it is different because most of the people are volunteers who have various levels of commitment as well as skill sets that might not match the ministry needs at hand.

The pastor of any local church is often seen as the chief administrative officer in that setting (I defer to those who are far more knowledgeable, but I think it even says that in the Book of Discipline). The temptation for many pastors (myself included) is to over function in that setting, essentially performing the ministry tasks that laity should do because of pressure (real or perceived) to get the job done. Too many times we deny laity the experience of ministry because we are focused on results rather than empowerment. Our Methodist system and hierarchy tend to fuel this at times with a dependence on measured results that are examined as part of future pastoral appointments.

For years, I pondered other ways to function as a leader in the church---of finding ways to equip and encourage the lay leadership of the local church to fulfill the tasks of ministry. The 20 or 30 lay leaders can certainly get more done than I could alone (not to mention that our biblical mandate is to equip the saints for ministry). I thought about mentoring leaders using the model of the baptismal candidate and a sponsor--- of time apart to empower and equip them for their elected positions. But I was not sure of resources to use for this, or how to do it in a way that honors all parties.

Lately, I am beginning to practice a different way of functioning as the administrative officer of the church. Within the South Carolina Annual Conference and in the church leadership literature in general, we are learning a lot more about coaching. This leadership model encourages pastors to spend time with lay leaders resourcing them for the ministry to which they are called. There is a lot more to it than that, but it looks exciting.

Last night, I met with two leadership triads for an hour each. It was a beginning, but I think this method has potential. It has promise not because we ruminate on upcoming tasks that need to be done, but because it is a time to honor each other and to see people as whole, spiritual persons and not as cogs functioning in a machine. The pastor becomes a coach encouraging and enabling the person in all of life (and the ministry which they are given), rather than a field general ordering the troops to perform certain tasks. My hope is that each month I will have a coaching triad experience with two dozen persons at India Hook. We will see how that works.

Peace,
Joseph

Timeout Wofford

It has been the typical day--- Mamma Deacon has had a full day of work and a night meeting to boot. I have spent the day doing my Monday routine of catching up on the weekend's ministry and the usual administrative tasks. After school, my three sons go seperate ways. Cadet Airman WE goes to the dentist, the linebacker (at least that is the position he is playing this week) heads to football practice, and the Artist (formally known as LPcoolJ to the internet world) is playing the handbells at church.

Man, it's good to see the day near an end and the familiar surroundings of home. As I come through the door, however, I must prepare myself for round two; this includes but is not limited to the next battle against a leaky washing machine, the boy's homework, and the charge conference forms that have to be ready for tomorrow's appointment at the District office. As I getting ready for all of this, the telephone rings. It is one of my Pastor buddies, calling from the other side of the state.

Usually, phone calls like that are information--- maybe about the retired pastor who died in Charleston today or some distress a colleague is having in ministry. But, it was not that kind of phone call. In the midst of my busy life (and I am sure his too), he called me for another reason. We didn't talk about church stuff, charge conference forms, ministerial appointments or leaky washing machines. Thankfully, it was an escape from all of that. He called to talk about Wofford football and the big win against Furman last Saturday. We talked about how Wofford ran the ball (and passed it too--which is a BIG thing for the terriers). We talked about Wofford's place in the national polls and our hopes for the playoffs. It helps that Wofford won over the past two weeks in an incredible fashion. We talked 10 minutes or so, and then we made plans to see each other in Charleston for this weekend's Wofford game at The Citadel.

Oh well, I thought, I guess it's time to get back to the charge conference forms and offer a silent hope that the washing machine will be okay for a couple of days. But the phone rings again. It was another United Methodist Pastor calling to talk about Wofford football. In the midst of my busy life (and I am sure his too), he called me. We didn't talk about church stuff, charge conference, ministerial appointments or leaky washing machines. Thankfully, it was an escape from all of that. He called to talk about Wofford football. We talked 10 minutes or so, and then we made plans to see each other in Charleston for this weekend's Wofford game at The Citadel.

As I hung up the second time I realized something special. In the midst of my busy routine, I found a moment of brief respite. My two friends and I may differ on many things from politics to theology, to the future of our ministry together. But in those brief minutes, we were united. We found a common, unifying moment around a football team. Maybe it's not the end of global warming; but maybe it can be the start of something else between us. Maybe Wofford will go far this year, and we will share other midweek phone calls.

Football teams take a timeout on the field to re-group, to plan the next play and to take a rest. Maybe football teams aren't the only ones who need them with a busy life of leaky washing machines, charge conference forms, and the boy's homework.