Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Bread isn't the issue

Last week in my journaling time I read Matthew 16:5-12 and I couldn't help but laugh out loud at the disciples. Hmmm maybe I should have had a cup of coffee before I journalled. I could just imagine the looks on the disciples faces that day when they realised they had forgotten to bring the bread! (and this is just after the Matthew stories of Jesus feeding the 5000 and 4000 with just a few loaves of bread and a few fish - what were they worried about?) I can imagine one of the disciples, in charge of the food, searching the boat for bread and realising there isn't any bread, whispering to the disciple next to him that there isn't any bread. I can see the eye brows raised in shock as they both realise there isn't any bread; they haven't been able to do a simple task like remember the bread!! Their minds are ticking over about what to do, should they tell Jesus or not? Perhaps they should just tell the other disciples? So they join the other disciples who are listening to Jesus and Jesus says "6 “Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”The disciples start to sweat - Jesus knows they've forgotten the bread. They start whispering to the other disciples, "we forgot the bread, Jesus knows, that why he said what he said" 7 They discussed this among themselves and said, “It is because we didn’t bring any bread!”

I imagine Jesus is trying to stay patient but is exasperated that they've missed the point. He doesn't worry about things like bread! "8 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? 9 Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 11 How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread?" Jesus has fed thousands of people, why would he be worried about this small group not having any bread?

So Jesus tells the disciples again what is on his mind "11bBut be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

And finally the disciples 'hear' Jesus and understand what he's saying "12 Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Another light bulb moment for the disciples :-)

I love how the disciples are just so normal. I wouldn't want to mess up in front of Jesus!

As much as the text made me laugh it also made me wonder about leadership and churches. I read so many articles on what I should do to be a good Pastor, what to do to get the church to grow, how to treat my staff, how to disciple, love, teach, pastor my congregation. They often start with 8 ways to... or 10 ways to.... If I'm doing A then B should result. I wonder if we as leaders and "The Church" get so caught up in doing what we think is the right thing that we forget to actually listen to what God is saying to us. We know what should happen and what we are responsible for, and we don't want to disappoint God so we try to persevere with something thinking that's what God wants us to do when in actual fact God is saying "You're not hearing me, stop worrying about....because I'm not concerned about that, instead I want you to.... What we hold as important in leadership or in our congregations may not actually be so important to God if that's not what he wants you to be doing at that time.

Does assuming we know what God wants us to do stop us from actually trying something different? We work on the assumption that to be church we need to look a certain way, have certain programs, act a certain way rather than being willing to hear if God is saying 'How is it you don't understand I wasn't talking about the way you look?'

It highlights for me (again) the importance of prayer and being still before God.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Finding my inner Storyteller

At our recent leaders night I decided to tell three stories that have been playing in my mind recently. The first two stories were familiar childhood stories which may have been told as bed time stories, the third story was a familiar story from the bible. Although the stories were familiar I encouraged the group to listen to the stories with fresh ears, looking for fresh insights.I asked the group to listen to the stories as leaders and listen for what values they heard in the stories, what the stories said about team work and leadership and what the moral of the story might be.

The first story I told is a story that pops into my head every now and then about a Little Red Hen who wants to make some bread but when she asks the pig and the duck and the cat to help they decide to stay where they are comfortable instead of helping out. The little red hen goes through the motions of making the bread, asking the others to help her along the way but they continue to refuse. Finally the bread is ready and she asks who will help her eat the bread, the pig, the duck and the cat all offer to help eat the bread but the hen says because she's the one who made it, she will eat all the bread by herself.

I like this story because as leaders we can relate to struggling to get people out of their comfort zones or wanting to get something done but others not seeing the vision. As a group we also wondered whether the hen had asked for help the year before and the pig and the duck and the cat had all offered to help but the hen was such a perfectionist that it put them off helping this time!

The second story I was reminded of when I heard it told at our recent Synod meeting. It's the story of Stone Soup. This story seems more gracious than the story of the Little Red Hen. A stranger comes into town and starts to make stone soup. It sparks curiosity in the villagers. The stranger then invites the villagers to bring what they are able to add to the stone soup to make an even better soup. Everyone is invited to share in the soup, even if they didn't contribute.

I like the way people were invited to share what they had; herbs, vegetables, meat. It may not seem like much but there isn't any judgment on the offerings and when they were all put together in the pot it created something that none of the offerings could have done on their own. Not only was there soup but community was created as well.

The third story I told was Jesus heals the paralytic. This story tells of 4 men who take their friend, who is paralyzed, to Jesus to be healed. They face obstacles in getting their friend to Jesus but they are focused and determined and they carry their friend to Jesus and the result is their friend is able to walk home that day.

I like this story because it shows the love the men have for their friend and the faith they have in Jesus. The friend would never have been able to get to Jesus on his own. Many people worked together and overcame obstacles for a common goal, and the outcome was amazing.

These stories generated a lot of table discussions for our leaders and we shared together our own stories and insights. I enjoyed being a story teller!

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

What are we waiting for?

I just read this article at the "Gifted for leadership" site. It made me think of what I journalled about this morning.

Luke 19:1-10 is the story of Zacchaeus - the tax collector. Verses 3-4 says 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. (NIV)

Zacchaeus was faced with a problem. He knew he wanted to see Jesus, he knew he was at the right place at the right time, he knew this was his opportunity but he also knew that he was too short and circumstances were against him.

This is sometimes like us in the church. We know we want people to see Jesus, we know we're in the right place at the right time and we know we have the opportunity to make a difference but that sometimes our situation and circumstances are against us. When we're faced with those situations our first response is often to pray and ask God to remove the obstacles for us or to discern what God want us to do in a particular situation, or wait until we hear God's leading. I'm not saying this is wrong but I wonder if sometimes we do these things so we don't have to take responsibility for the situation we find ourselves in. (This is different to trusting God)

Zacchaeus could have prayed that God would miraculously make him taller, he could have prayed for the crowd of people to part at the most opportune time. He could have hoped that if he stood his ground, somehow, as Jesus passed, he would see Zacchaeus in the crowd...it would be fate....it was meant to be.... Alternatively Zacchaeus could have grumbled about the unfair state of affairs that there are too many tall people in the world and why did God have to make him short?!

Instead, Zacchaeus used his initiative and he climbed a tree. There was no miracle, no leading from God, no bringing about justice to a bad situation. He climbed a tree, he saw Jesus and his life was transformed.

Sometimes we have to stop praying for a miracle or divine intervention and actually get up and do something ourselves. We need to stop grumbling about our situation and do something about it. It doesn't mean we've stopped trusting God or we aren't listening to God. Sometimes when we are faced with a tough situation we need to be active and be the change that we need.

Seeing Beauty

I've been very busy the last few weeks and was really looking forward to the long weekend to just relax and spend time with the family. I didn't have anything planned and enjoyed the idea of being schedule free.

My weekend didn't turn out as planned.....6:30am Saturday morning I received a call from our Youth Pastor asking if it was possible for me to go to SAYCO (youth camp) as an adult helper.

It was actually quite easy to rearrange my weekend so I could go to camp, the real problem was actually psyching myself up for camp! I AM NOT A CAMPER! I haven't camped since highschool. There was one time where we pitched a tent in our backyard for one night so the kids could experience camping but I don't think you could really call it camping. I know that I am not the outdoors, enjoying nature, sleeping on the floor type of person.

So as I stood watching tents go up, seeing the walk needed to get from the tent to the toilets, noticing the clouds overhead and realising there wasn't any coffee at our campsite, reality hit that this was going to be a loooong weekend.

When you're in an uncomfortable situation it can be easy to see the negatives, to grumble inwardly or to think about the things you're missing out on. Lack of coffee can also do this to a person.

This could have happened to me......but fortunately Ralph Mayhew was the speaker at SAYCO this year. One of Ralph's speaking spots was on Seeing the Beauty. Ralph had broken his arm after falling from a skateboard and he shared the ten top responses he has had from people regarding his broken arm and the fact that he'd broken his arm by falling off a skateboard. Some of the responses had been "You wont get any sympathy from me" and "You've got no one to blame but yourself". It took a response from a stranger who thought it was cool that Ralph would break his arm falling off a skateboard for Ralph to receive a positive response to his hurt, embarrassment and brokenness. He went on to talk about how when we have Jesus in our lives we can see the beauty in the world where others aren't able see beauty. (This is my interpretation of it after a couple of sleep deprived nights)

This talk was just what I needed. Instead of focusing on my uncomfortableness at camping and the ugliness of being sleep deprived,I decided to see beauty around me. I saw youth working together to create a camp site, I saw youth supporting each other as they went to the different workshops, I saw youth worshiping God and encouraging others, I saw youth using their gifts and skills and I saw community being formed. I would have missed this if I had dwelt on my discomfort.

There was so much beauty to see at SAYCO and I know I was privileged to have been called upon early Saturday morning to be part of Seeing Beauty.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

10 Years......

There's been a lot of conversations recently that have started with "What were you doing 10 years ago?" Of course those conversations have been linked with 9/11 and what we were doing on that day and how we remember the course of events.

Then last week someone asked me the question "10 years ago did you imagine you'd be doing what you're doing now". I thought about who I was 10 years ago; a Stay at Home Mum with three children. No I didn't imagine then, that in 10 years time I would have already led a church for 5 years, almost completed my Bachelor of Theology, be an ordained Minister and have the position of Senior Pastor in a church that wasn't my current church, having moved my family which had grown to 4 children. I was happy being a Stay at Home Mum. Today I was in a meeting with Synod EO's and Directors of theological and leadership studies and I had a moment where I thought "10 years ago there was no way I'd imagine this"!

Which makes me think about what the next 10 years will bring. Of course there's the saying "If you want to see God laugh, tell him your plans" and I'm sure I've given God more than the odd chuckle ;-) I look back on the last 10 years and how many things I have done, things that I would never have believed I would do. It's been an exciting past 10 years and it's with that excitement that I look forward to seeing where God leads me in the next 10 years

What have the past 10 years been like for you? 10 years ago did you imagine you'd be doing what you're doing now?

And just because this is my blog I'm adding a song from my youth which asks "where will we be in 50 years" ;-)

Monday, August 29, 2011

Opening Conversations

How would you feel if you entered your church to see shoes of all different shapes, colours, sizes and cleanliness hanging from the ceiling? That is how we decorated our church last month for our "stepping out" series. We also had a boat with a pair of gum boots/wellies next to it as we thought about how we could "Step out of the boat".

Visuals are an effective way to help people in the congregation to ponder the overarching theme. However, there was some concern that shoes hanging in the church had taken the visual effects a step too far. Were shoes hanging from the ceiling "pleasing to God?"

Maybe you've had someone ask you a similar question when you've tried something new?

Obviously shoes hanging in a church strikes a chord with some people. However, I found that shoes hanging in a church are actually conversation starters. A new family at one of our Sunday services asked the person they sat next to what the shoes were for. Our playgroup coordinator told me that several care givers in our playgroups had asked her what the shoes were doing hanging from the ceiling and she was able to share the theme and the message of the shoes with the families. As different groups have entered our church I'm sure they've noticed the shoes hanging up and maybe they haven't been brave enough to ask what they're for but it may have triggered a thought for them. Maybe they'll ask about something else they see in the church in another series.

Shoes hanging in a church may not be aesthetically pleasing to the eye but they do open conversation. I would say those conversations are pleasing to God.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Too much coffee?

I'm in the process of deciding what the new staff role should be for next year. Last night I had a dream that my supervisor told me I had made a mistake and instead I should have hired a Barista! I know I've been drinking a lot of coffee recently but you know you've definitely had too much coffee when you start dreaming you need to hire a Barista and your church doesn't even have a kitchen let alone a cafe!!

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Stepping Out

We have just started a second service at our church; a night service. It just so happens that the theme I had planned for August is stepping out which I think is very apt as starting a night service is a big step out!

Today's text was "Jesus walks on water" and in the morning service I talked about fear of failure and being a church that shouldn't be afraid to take risks. Instead we need to be a church that encourages people to step out, take risks, and support people willing to risk failure. The night service is an example of where our church has decided to risk doing something new, risk changing the culture of the church and risk failure.

Of course we really hope we don't fail, we really want the night service to succeed but there is always a risk in starting something new.

I talked earlier about transition being a time of growth and it turns out failure is also a growing opportunity. I've been reading Craig Groeschel's "It - How churches and leaders can get it and keep it" and am reminded that as a church we need to be willing to get out of our comfort zones and risk failure. Actually Groeschel says "Failure is not an option. It is essential."

I'm still getting used to the idea that failure can be a good thing but I understand the concept. So we have started a night service hoping not to fail. However, we would prefer to step out and try something new and risk failure than to never try and remain in our comfort zone. So, we are getting our toes wet, focusing on Jesus and trusting God; it's going to be an interesting ride :-)

Friday, August 5, 2011

JOY!

Since I started at my new placement in March a common question is asked of me from my friends, my supervisor, my formation panel, and staff at the college....."What brings you joy?"

I have found it hard to answer that question because I feel I'm surrounded by new people, new ways of doing things, new ways of communication, new understandings of structure and leadership. Sometimes finding joy has been the last thing from my mind as I've juggled my way through the newness each week. This doesn't mean I haven't been happy but joy wouldn't have been a word I would have used a lot in the past few months.

Recently as I reflected on what brought me joy in my placement I replied "Communion". In the words and actions used to bring my church community together through Holy Communion I have had a sense of peace and joy. I was a little surprised I answered this way but it was an honest answer; Communion brings me joy in both the giving and receiving. This doesn't mean I have found a comfort level, I am still in transition, but I can honestly say I feel joy in Communion.

Today was a turning point for me. Today, I felt the bubbles of excitement and joy as I spent time thinking about the future plans of the church and some of the things that are already beginning to take shape. It was as though an old friend had come to visit and I could feel the excitement continue to build. Today I experienced joy: joy in having the privilege of leading such a supportive group of people, joy for what is happening in my church and joy for the future possibilities that are being dreamed.

I thank God for joy!

Friday, July 29, 2011

Welcoming the Stranger

This time last year my family had enjoyed a 5 week holiday traveling through China and Korea. We had been home for three days before I flew out for a three week study tour in America. One of the great things about being overseas for so long meant I really missed winter last year but I feel I'm making up for it this year LOL!

China was a great experience for us to remember what it's like to be in a country where we didn't know the language and had limited understanding of the culture and traditions. We learnt a lot about China in a week, things like how to tell which lion statue was male and which was female, how to cross the street without getting run over, (As one of my children prayed the mantra.."I don't want to die, I don't want to die...)how to use our hands to sign numbers the way they do in China, as well as the sign for toilet, and we found out how to say "I don't want it". We saw many famous sights and enjoyed being tourists.

Korea is almost like going home for us as we've visited several times. Although we are tourists we have a sense of familiarity, we know where things are, we can speak some Korean and we know what we're eating. We have friends there and it's great to catch up on each others lives. There are still times where we notice the differences in cultures and there are some occasional awkward moments but overall we feel comfortable.

America was where I experienced some culture shock. Maybe being another English speaking country I had expectations on the county and people that I didn't have for non English speaking countries. Why couldn't they understand me when I ordered a hotdog and coke? Why would they say my accent is "cute"? They eat scones and white gravy which is odd but they have it for breakfast!! The place I expected to be most comfortable ended up being the place that took me most out of my comfort zone.

I think of people who come into our churches and how we respond to them. Do we expect them to have some understanding of church when they walk through our doors? Do we expect them to understand our language? Do we expect them to do what we do? Do we expect them to know our culture and traditions?

I met a man this week who walked into the church who had just come to look around. He wasn't Christian but had visited a church before, although it looked different to this church. He was looking for friendship as he was new to Australia and wondered how he could meet people. He had stepped out of his comfort zone in search for friends. He was willing to walk into a building different from his own traditions and he was willing to make the first step. I'm hoping I came across well and that he saw me as someone who could be a friend. I'm hoping I said the right thing and didn't offend in any way. I'm hoping I showed hospitality. I'm hoping I will see him again soon.

What struck me afterwards was often when I meet someone from another country I try to be sensitive to their struggles with English and their attempts to understand Australian culture and 'isms. However, when I meet someone from another English speaking country or someone who identifies as Australian I tend to assume they have some prior knowledge of what church is. We can't do this anymore! There are many people in our community who have never been in a church and have never heard the gospel. We can't assume that the church is speaking a common language to our community. If we make assumptions like this then we may be alienating people in our community. When I was in America I may have looked similar and it may seem on the surface our cultures are similar but we are actually very different. People in the church may look similar to their local community but the cultures may be very different.

- When we welcome the stranger we have to remember people have their own culture and traditions whether they come from across the sea or across the road
- When we welcome the stranger we have to remember to explain what we're doing even if English (or whatever the language is of your country)is their first language
- When we welcome the stranger we should expect to step out of our comfort zone further than the person who has just walked through our doors
- When we welcome the stranger we have to remember how to be a friend

What would you add to this list?

Thursday, July 14, 2011

When in doubt spell it out

I went to an Anglican service today which, having grown up in an Anglican church, was a little bit of a trip down memory lane. However, it has been awhile since I've been to an Anglican service and I quickly noticed some of the wording had been changed since my last visit. (Don't want to think how many years ago that might have been.) I also noticed some of the sung liturgical responses were a bit more upbeat than the responses I sang as a child. A nice touch but again it reminded me it's been awhile.

I think it's a good idea to get out to other services whether a different denomination or the same denomination as your own because it's good to be reminded what it's like to be the new person. Once we are used to how a service is planned we can forget what are the things that need to be explained or what may seem foreign to a visitor. We can very quickly get in our own comfort zone and stay there.

Today we were invited to celebrate Holy Communion during the service. My experience with the Anglican church is to take a wafer and then share the cup which the Priest holds. (This may inform you of when I last visited an Anglican church) I've never enjoyed the cup sharing tradition but figured "when in Rome...." Now, it may be at this point that I should have watched what other people were doing but I had discussed it with the friend next to me (also a visitor on the day) and we had agreed it was a cup sharing Eucharist. It wasn't until after my friend and I had taken Holy communion that we noticed that some of the people were dipping their wafer into the cup!! (Something which had crossed my mind as a sensible idea but hadn't thought to put into action.) It was at this point I thought it would have been good for the Priest to explain the options before us, especially when it was a service where many visitors were expected.

I just use this example as it was my experience but I know it could happen in my own church where we may take for granted that people know what to do. It was a good reminder to me that even though I may feel like I repeat myself it's actually very helpful for people who are visiting to know what to expect, especially when it is a ritual of the church or if you ask people to the front of the church. We shouldn't lead a service expecting that everyone there will know what to do.

It gives me food for thought as I prepare my next communion service.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Living Life as an Alien

Do you ever feel like you don't belong here? Are there times where you say something and people look at you as though you've grown another head!? Do you ever listen to a lecturer or Pastor and everyone else is nodding or look like they understand what's being said and you have no clue what they are on about? Do you ever feel like an alien in your own house?

Living as an alien was the theme of the night service I preached at last night. The idea came mainly from 1 Peter 2:11-12 "Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." (NIV 1984 version)

Of course the word alien conjures up all sorts of images and it makes me think of movies and TV series that have shaped my understanding of aliens ;-)When I asked my youngest daughter to draw a picture of an alien she had a green blob with tentacle type feet, several eyes and a couple of antennas. It apparently left a trail of green slime behind it when it moved. I think anyone looking at it would have recognised it as an alien. However, as the people of God we are also aliens, and I would think that any one of us could confidently say we aren't green and two eyes would be the most you would find on our faces. As aliens it is not so much what we look like but how we live that sets us apart. We don't conform to the world and accept what the world accepts. We know that we are just moving through this world before going to our real home with God. As visitors we don't have to say yes to everything that is offered to us. Infact it is because of God's grace that we can say no. Titus 2:11-14 says "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." (NIV 1984)We may get some odd looks or some strange comments when we say no but it's something we need to be able to do.

The one thing I have noticed from Scifi movies and TV shows is the need to report back or journal the experiences. E.T. wanted to "Phone home", In the series Mork and Mindy, at the end Mork would say "Mork calling Orson, come in Orson" or Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek - The Next Generation would journal his experiences by marking it with a star-date... In 1977 NASA sent out a type of time capsule that had recorded many things about earth, the people, animals, plants, science,greetings in many different languages and even different eras of music. Not only would it tell intelligent alien life forms about earth but it would also be a legacy for the people of earth. As aliens, what would we want to tell future generations about us? What have we already put out into space which tells people who we are? If we were to collect our facebook statuses or tweets would that give people a true reflection of Christian life? If we recorded our conversations with our friends or spouses and put them in a time capsule would that tell people about our faith? What would you want to put in a time capsule to explain what it was like to live as an alien on earth?

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Leading Through Transition

I have a certain way I like to travel to and from work which I think is the most time efficient way. In the short amount of time I have travelled this road it has become familiar and comfortable to me. Just recently the local council has started roadworks on one of the major roads I take. I know in my head that these road works will improve the road. A smoother road may mean a slightly quicker time for me to travel to and from work. I know I will enjoy the road once the roadworks are complete. So, I would say that I'm in favour of the roadworks. I see the goal and the vision and I can appreciate the change that a new, smoother road will bring. However, we haven't arrived at the change stage yet. We are in transition. I've decided I like change but I really don't enjoy transition. During this time of transition I have to drive very slowly on a very bumpy road. I have to take detours. I can't predict how long it's going to take me to get to and from work. I see the police who discipline drivers who aren't sticking to the speed limit and it makes me check my speedometer several times and I feel a little anxious at times. I don't know how long the roadworks are going to take and I feel very much out of control of the situation. Can you see why I don't like transition? You can plan change but you can't plan transition!

Leading through transition was the theme of our leaders night recently. I read Jeff Manion's book "The Land Between" and found there was much to be said for the Israelites who were wanting change, wanting to leave Egypt and reach the goal of the Promised Land but instead found themselves wandering the desert, for much longer than they anticipated, in a time of transition.

Obviously in our lives we go through many transitions. Change of work, school, family situations, places to live, you can add plenty to that list. Currently our family is going through all those transitions as well as transitioning to a new church and the church is transitioning to new leadership. I suppose the bad news is, we will always be in transition. Our lives are never static, there is always change in our lives whether something small or something major. The good news is we have a choice on how we respond to change and how we respond to transition.

Change is strategic, in that you plan for change, you can write out the steps, you can get your team on board, you have a goal. Transition is emotional, there's a lot of unknown, you aren't in control, it takes time and trust. As a response to transition we can choose to fight it and harden our hearts or we can choose to trust in transition and find moments of joy and encourage others also going through the transition. Transition is hard and grumbling and complaining is often an easy option, sometimes you need to be intentional on finding joy and to be encouraging in times of transition.

In churches we need to be working together as a team through transition. This way everyone can support and encourage each other. Transition is rough but it's also a time where we can be formed and grow if we trust God. It's where we can be shaped for the next step that God has planned for us. It's much harder to do this if we spend the transition time grumbling instead of trusting God.

I think there are some things we can do to help the time of transition move easier.
- We need to trust others/trust leadership/be trustworthy.
- We need be open and honest in our discussions - People will know if we are genuine and sincere with them.
- We need to have good communication with our team - Explain what's happening and keep people in the loop.
- Listen to people without waiting to jump in with a "Yes but...."
- Acknowledge the past - The past isn't erased because of change, it's still part of your history and there is grief with letting go of the past.
- Show respect to people who are leading the change. Also show respect to those who are finding it hard in transition.
- Let go of control - trust God - Don't put a time frame on transition.
- Have patience - patience with God, patience with others, patience with getting to the goal.
- Keep heading in the right direction - Transition can be a time where people forget the goal and start to wander. Don't lose focus in transition.
- Confront problems - Transition is emotional so leaving problems instead of dealing with them will cause more problems - Deal with problems quickly.
- Choose your reaction - you can choose to fight transition or choose to grow through transition. You have a choice.

So whatever transition you may be in at the moment I hope that you are able to see joy, be encouraged and encourage others and trust God!

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Beyond Sunday

I have been in my placement for just over three months. I am aware that it's not a good idea to make too many changes in the first year, let alone the first three months. It has been interesting to hear people in the congregation say changes have happened just because my style of leadership is different to the previous Minister. Of course those changes I haven't really been aware of as I wasn't in the church when the previous Minister was there. However, I am conscious there are changes that I know have happened that I have either started or been part of, not out of deliberately changing things but as part of what I think, is a natural flow.

One of those changes is the segment in our order of service which we have named "Beyond Sunday". (Which is also the inspiration for the name of this blog :-))It started out as part of our Mission Month focus where we heard from people each week who had either recently been on a mission trip, about to go on a Mission trip or who were part of a local mission experience. We then heard from someone who talked about mission in their work place, and there was such a positive response to hearing what someone was doing in their every day life that we felt it was important that others were also able to tell their own experiences. This is a way we can encourage people in our congregation and acknowledge that people don't have to go overseas to be in mission. Mission can happen wherever we are.It is also an opportunity to encourage people as they seek to be missional in their own work/family/school context.

Beyond Sunday has also proven to be a good communication tool. Our weekly groups, such as playgroups, small groups, fellowship groups have the opportunity to share with the wider congregation what they are doing and encourage others to join in or support what is happening during the week. It's much more exciting hearing someone tell their experiences than reading a snippet in the Sunday newsletter.

Having a Beyond Sunday spot also encourages people to see our Sunday service as a celebration of what God has been doing the rest of the week. As a Minister of a church it is easy to make Sunday the focus as many hours are spent preparing for Sunday. There's a sermon to prepare, there are meetings with coordinators of the teams that are involved in the Sunday service, and Sunday is the one chance a whole week where Minister's have the opportunity to remind the congregation of the church's vision, so energy is put into making sure that is communicated well. Meanwhile, the rest of the congregation are busy being the church during the week and focused on what is happening Monday to Saturday. As a church we can celebrate together the fact that God is with us all the time and not just on Sunday, in church.

For me personally, Beyond Sunday helps me to get to know people and know what their interests and passions are. It's great to hear people's enthusiasm for what they are doing in the week and hear their stories of how God has lead them to a specific project or mission.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Children in Church

Last Sunday was Pentecost and to celebrate the birthday of The Church we had a party! The theme was red so many people came dressed in red. Our church was decorated (by the children during a song) in red streamers, balloons and paper plates. We had all the delights you would expect at a party; singing, birthday cake, games, presents, speeches, entertainment and lots of fun and laughter. This was one of our childrens services we have throughout the year. (You can see where the inspiration came from here)

It was interesting to see how the congregation responded to having a birthday party as a worship service. The balloons were a huge hit. We have several people from the Aged Care facility nearby join us on Sunday mornings and they had a ball hitting the balloons back and forth with the children. As part of the party games we made paper planes and wrote thank you prayers on them. People were then invited to the front to throw their planes together and see whose planes flew the furthest. Turns out we have quite a few people with a competitive spirit! We had thought it would encourage the pre-teen boys to get involved but people of all ages came to the front to fly their planes and show their plane making skills. Everyone was encouraged to fly their planes together and call out their thank you prayers together. As part of the party entertainment a Sundanese group sang and danced for us adding to the party atmosphere.

The service went over time, there were streamers and balloons and paper planes all over the church, and people did things they wouldn't normally do in a church service. It was one crazy, messy and exciting worship experience!!

It was with this experience still freshly in my mind that I read this article on "Why we don't allow children in our worship service"

I can't help but think how much this church misses out on not having all age worship, by not welcoming children and families to worship with others. I think of the older people in our congregation who got such a thrill by playing with balloons, I would think that's something they don't get many opportunities to do anymore. (I'm already thinking bubbles for our next all age service ;-)) I think of the opportunities the children had through the service to use their gifts and skills and to build confidence in them during the service. I think of adults who had the opportunity to hear the message of Pentecost in a fresh way. I think of the joy I saw on people's faces and the way people relaxed in the service in a way that was different from other Sundays.

In reply to the comments on his article, Bill LaMorey said "If I put in 20 hours of preparation for a message, I am not really excited about having everyone's attention on a crying baby instead of the teaching of God's word. You can call that hubris, but I call it common sense." I understand that a crying baby can be distracting, but how often does that happen? When my oldest child was a baby I was so embarrassed that while I was trying to pat my baby to sleep during the sermon the old ladies behind me were clucking over my baby in whispered tones. I spoke to the Minister afterwards and apologised for my baby being a distraction to the people behind me when they should have been listening to the sermon. His response to me was that maybe my baby was ministering to those women in a way his sermon wasn't able to that day. That response helped me as a Mother but it also helped me realise that we can all minister to each other in different ways no matter how old we are. (it also showed me that the Minister was comfortable enough to allow the Holy Spirit to work and to not need the attention on him as the Minister for a successful worship service) I have found in the churches I have attended where children are encouraged in services that children are more likely to be found dancing to the songs than crying through the sermon.

The article brings up many questions for me and I realise this is the opinion of one church and that they find this way works for them. I can't help but wonder what happens in this church to people who are intellectually disabled, have a mental illness, a condition that means they find it hard to sit still or stay quiet. Are they welcomed into the worship service or are they asked to watch the service in another room? (The article says they have a room where families who want to stay together can sit and watch the service via video)

As a mother I appreciate there are times where I enjoy being in a worship service without having the distractions of my children. I am grateful for our children's ministry volunteers who spend a lot of time preparing great quality children's programs and use their gifts and skills to teach and minister to my children. However, it's a choice and I also like the choice to have my children with me so we can worship together not only as a family but as part of the family of God. After our Pentecost service I asked my 7 year old what she heard in the sermon. She had heard quite a bit of the sermon, in some of her observations she had heard something different to the original context of the sermon but she had heard it in a way her 7 year old mind could understand and apply it to what she knew of God and how to apply it in her life. As she spoke I realised she was ministering to me as I heard the message, that I had given, in a different way.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Women in Leadership in the Church

As I mentioned in my previous post, I have recently started my first placement as an ordained minister in an Evangelical, Uniting Church, in Australia. Although women Ministers are not unusual in the Uniting Church, I am finding it very hard to find blogs or articles written about leadership for women who are Lead Pastors.(Particularly from an Evangelical perspective) I can find plenty of blogs for Pastors wives or women in ministry or women leading women's ministry but I'm finding it difficult to find anything from women who are Lead Pastors, leading a church and other paid Pastors.

If I want to read how the bible says women shouldn't be Lead Pastors, I have plenty of resources. If I want to read how women and men shouldn't work together unsupervised incase women cause men to sin then I know where to look. If I want to read how to be a good wife or mother or friend, I can find some very insightful blogs on those topics.

Where are the books, blogs and articles from women who are Lead Pastors? Who are the women who write about leadership? These are genuine questions :-)

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy reading Hybels and Maxwell and Stanley. I enjoy attending the Global leadership Summit yearly. Locally we have some fantastic male leadership who have supported and encouraged me and other women in leadership. I also saw Nancy Beach when she was in Australia and read her book as well as Susan Scott's "fierce leadership". (Just a sample of the books I have crammed between ministry, study and family) I am not short of reading material.

If you know a woman who blogs or writes from a leadership perspective I'd love to hear about them :-)

Sunday, May 8, 2011

A moment of fun

I have recently begun my first placement as a Senior Pastor in the Uniting Church in Australia. As a way to get to know the congregation I have been meeting with groups and asking a few questions.

"When did you feel most alive/excited in this church"?
"what ways do you contribute to the church"?
"What are the important spiritual experiences or steps of faith that have occurred for you in this church"?
"What do you value most at this church"?
"What are your hopes for the future for this church"?

Such simple questions but such rich conversations have resulted. I have found it to be a very valuable use of time and have learned so much.

So in a moment of frivolity I put the answers into word tag to see what would come up.

As a point of study it's probably not all that useful but I thought there were some interesting and exciting words that came up :-)



created at TagCrowd.com

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Testing the call



So, still not sure about "THE CALL"? That's ok, there's time to discern what God is saying to you.

I encourage you to keep praying, spend time with God, listen for God. Don't be afraid to ask God to show you what he wants you to do. Talk to people who are you trust to tell you whether they think God is calling you into a more formalised ministry. Talk to someone at the Uniting College of Leadership and Theology and listen to their wisdom. Don't be scared to enroll in the Period of Discernment :-)

Being called doesn't necessarily mean being ordained, there are other forms of call that the church acknowledges. But I encourage you to be strong, be confident, don't be afraid and take that next step to hearing what God is calling you to do :-)

As a PS note
Find a copy of the Basis of Union and read it.
Read Introducing the Uniting Church in Australia by Andrew Dutney 2008
Read A Genuinely Educated Ministry: Three studies on Theological Education in the UCA by Andrew Dutney 2007
Read Theology for Pilgrims edited by Rob Bos and Geoff Thompson 2008

(I've put them in order of reading preference ;-))


You will find them at the UCLT library or mediacom

Women and Men - bringing messages of love



Now I will add one more unique aspect of the UCA in regards to call. As I have already said, as a member of the UCA and of God’s family you are expected and encouraged to use the gifts and skills God has given you. And at the risk of sounding like a broken record, there is an emphasis on unity within the UCA. Galatians 3: 26 -29 says “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” As such, the UCA does don’t discriminate against people in the church and neither does it discriminate against people who hear the call from God into ordained Ministry regardless of their gender. It acknowledges that all people bring their own experiences to Ministry and that different voices need to be heard within the church.

In March 1990 a document was presented to the Assembly standing committee titled “Why Does the Uniting Church Ordain women to the Ministry of the Word?” Which you can find online or in the book “Theology for Pilgrims” (edited by Rob Bos and Geoff Thompson 2008) which is a helpful read. In the introduction (p565 of Theology for Pilgrims) it says “Therefore we express astonishment that Christ’s Church would offend against the Saviour’s suffering love for all people, by claiming that no women are called by God to the ministry of the Word.”Which is a strong statement but shows the support the UCA gives for ordained women.

Even today there are many sides to the women in ordination debate with some very strong voices on the issue. The reality is there are still many churches in the world that oppose women’s ordination into ministry or positions of women teaching men in the church. (Look here and here) In that respect we are very fortunate that the UCA does have an emphasis on unity and equality. This can be an area of discernment for both men and women thinking about a call to ordained Ministry in the UCA as women find confidence that God can call them in to ordained ministry and men must be able to also confidently feel women can be ordained into ministry and that as men they are comfortable to work alongside women in positions of authority and leadership. This is something that you might like to reflect on in you discernment process.

Suppose the whole body was an eye!!



Again as you look at the continuing thread of Unity in the UCA you will see that the UCA acknowledges that all people are called in to ministry and mission and that we are all, as members of the church and God’s family, given skills and spiritual gifts so that we can work together to be part of the body of Christ in the world. The context of this can be seen in 1 Peter 2:9 and 1 Corinthians 12:12-31. Also in the Basis of Union in paragraph 13 it says (The UCA) "It acknowledges with thanksgiving that the one Spirit has endowed the members of Christ's Church with a diversity of gifts, and that there is no gift without its corresponding service:all ministries have a part in the ministry of Christ."

This is great for many reasons. It means that every member of the church is expected and encouraged to be part of the mission of the church. This takes away the traditional view of Churches that were originally ordained Minister led and focused.

At all times in the life of the church there is expected to be ordained as well as lay (non ordained) people gathered as well as both men and women.

When everyone has acknowledged gifts and skills it encourages congregations to work together rather than relying on one person. In fact the role of the ordained Minister then becomes one of empowering and equipping the congregation for mission and raising up potential leaders within the church community. Personally, I think it helps to form relationships within the congregation because people can work in teams and support each other while doing mission. It also takes pressure off the Minister to be all knowing and all doing and in fact supports the growth of leadership. As a leader in the church you would want people who know more than you do to be in your congregation so you too can learn and grow. Of course, that is in addition to your formal supervisor and mentor that you would also have in place as an ordained Minister to help support you and encourage personal growth and formation.

Finding ways for people in congregations to use their gifts and skills not only makes light work it also builds up the body and is a blessing to all those involved. In fact it may just help someone else realise the call that God has placed on their life!

Sacraments

You may wonder why I've added sacraments into my posts on call.

I believe sacraments play a part not only in the traditions of the church but also play a part in our membership of the church as well as how God equips us to serve as God's people and God's church.

The two sacraments acknowledged in the UCA are Baptism and Holy Communion. Both are seen as an inward and outward sign of the workings of Christ and are symbolic of Christ’s life, death and resurrection. They also prepare, refresh and renew people for service in mission in the world as well as point not only to the presence of Christ but also to the coming kingdom.

When we are baptised we are called into God's mission in the world and are given gifts to help us in that service. Through the receiving of Holy Communion we are strengthened and refreshed to go out into the world for mission.

You will be aware, as you read the Basis of Union that there is an emphasis on unity in the UCA. This is evident also in the sacraments as there is no discrimination to age in these sacraments but a willingness to acknowledge where Christ has gone before us.

Only ordained Ministers can preside over the sacraments, (unless otherwise authorised) because they have been trained in understanding the biblical narrative that is passed on to the congregation through the sacraments. The Church sees an important role for ordained Ministers in the UCA as being able to share and keep alive the biblical narrative of our faith traditions.

Of course baptism is seen as a once only event in the UCA with reaffirmation of baptism being offered to those who were baptised as infants or who feel they personally need to reaffirm their baptism vows, whereas Holy Communion is a continual reminder of God’s presence and covenant God has made with his people.

The Church is called

In June 1977 the Uniting Church in Australia issued a "Statement to the Nation". It spoke of the responsibilities and identity of the UCA and how it saw the life of the UCA in Australian society.
Statements and press releases on social issues continue to quote this statement to the Nation, even thirty years later (p616 Theology for Pilgrims)
The UCA very much sees itself as being part of society, standing for justice, caring for God's creation, enabling unity while challenging the values of the world and being a prophetic voice that acts and serves in the love of Christ.

The basis of Union then goes on to explain more fully the call that God has for the life of the church.

As the title suggests, the Basis of Union was written as a basis for the union of churches that we know today as the Uniting Church in Australia. The denominations that form the UCA were the Presbyterian Church, Methodist Church and the Congregational Church and they united in 1977. One of the strengths of the Uniting Church is its willingness to have open conversations with Churches of other denominations and faiths and its desire to continue Uniting with Church partners in Australia and around the world. One way in which the UCA shows its interest in partnering with other cultures is by having the Basis of Union translated into other languages, such as Korean, Fijian, Tongan, Samoan and Indonesian. The UCA is becoming a multicultural denomination as it seeks to reflect in congregations, the people in the surrounding communities. It is also in covenant with the Uniting Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander community as a process of reconciliation between the first and second peoples of Australia. Through this partnership the church has been opened to understand God as already being here before the second peoples arrived and to see God from the faith perspective of the first peoples. This opens our understanding of God and encourages conversation and reconciliation between these communities. In terms of “call” the UCA feels called to multicultural mission and partnerships and continues to seek God already present in those communities.


As you read the Basis of Union you will see signs of both reformation and evangelical traditions that still form the UCA today. It is still important that Ministers and Deacons of the word have sound biblical knowledge and a solid academic foundation. Preaching the word of God is still valued in the church as a means of God being present when preached amongst the people. However it is also equally as important for people to authentically live out their faith in a way that shows people a living gospel.

Call - personal or public?

Should you "feel" a call or wait until someone tells you that you are called?

Discerning whether or not God has called you into ordained ministry is an interesting process as there are two traditionally recognised types of call. First there is that inner call. That is the call you feel in you. That call is not measurable, no-one can tell you whether that call is authentic or not because each person feels that call differently and of course no-one else can truly know what’s going on inside you and your relationship with God. This call is the one most likely to cause you to enter into the process of ordained ministry but it is also the one most likely to give you the most frustrations because of its personal nature and it is totally between you and God. The other call is the outward call. This is where others in your congregation see gifts and skills in you that they feel are consistent to you being most likely someone God would use in ordained ministry. This can also bring you confusion because sometimes people can approach you before you’ve heard and inner call from God or people see gifts and skills in you that perhaps you haven’t seen or acknowledged before. However the outward call is perhaps more tangible and others can agree or disagree that they see that call on your life.

What I have explained is perhaps in simplistic terms but to put it another way, the Uniting Church in Australia is known as “Catholic, Reformed and Evangelical”. Catholic means the Church universal. Andrew Dutney explains this as
“When the Uniting Church describes itself as ‘catholic’ it is saying that its faith is not intended to be new or original but the faith that is shared by the universal or whole Christian church from the earliest times – translated afresh into the language, concepts and actions that will speak to its particular time and place.” (p9 Introducing the Uniting Church in Australia.)

The reformed traditions of our church, which in the Uniting Church are seen through the Congregational and Presbyterian heritage, would acknowledge the outward call process as the tradition had a lot of emphasis on the academic qualifications of their Ministers. Andrew Dutney wrote in his book A Genuinely Educated Ministry of the reformed tradition
“For the reformers, the marks of the true church were, first the preaching of the Word of God; that is, the true word of God revealed in the Scriptures, appropriated by means of the tools of humanistic scholarship and illuminated and confirmed by the Holy Spirit. The second mark of the true church was the right administration of the sacraments; that is, administration as instituted by Christ in the form recorded in the Biblical text and stripped of all the accretions of time and superstition.”(p 51)
Dutney continues on pg 52 by saying “The pastor could only fulfil this ministry if he could read the scriptures in the original languages, interpret them in the context of the theological legacy of the Latin and Greek fathers, relate them to the categories of truth and meaning of his own generation (originally, the categories associated with the Renaissance and humanism), and communicate the self revelation of God so appropriated in clear, persuasive language.” So you can understand why they would have an emphasis on the outward call. On the other hand our traditions of the Evangelical church, which is seen through the Methodist heritage of the Uniting Church, have more of an emphasis on the inward call. Dutney writes of the evangelical tradition p54
“Accordingly, the primary function of the ministry in Wesleyan Methodism (and in Evangelicalism as a whole) was to preach a message that went beyond mere instruction to awaken people to feel the consequences of sin and to convert them to faith in Christ, in whom alone salvation could be found.”
Although Ministers in the Evangelical tradition were also encouraged to be educated there wasn’t so much of an emphasis on education but more importantly Ministers should have a living faith that they could share with others.



Don’t run! Don’t let me scare you off with academic talk just yet! That may go over your head now but if you decide to candidate for an ordained ministry you’ll get to understand the finer details that make up the Uniting Church :-) You can also breathe easy that you will not be required to read and interpret the scriptures from Latin! These days the call process is both and inward discernment and an outward discern with an emphasis on a person committing to a life long service to minstry and leadership, advocating the Gospel and Christian faith, guarding the unity of the church and equipping others to participate fully in mission and ministry. (Grab a copy of Andrew Dutney’s book Introducing the Uniting Church in Australia and look at p23)

As an introduction into study and as part of your own discernment process, I would recommend that as you register for the P.O.D. course, you read a copy of the Basis of Union which gives a great explanation on how the Uniting Church in Australia (Australia’s first home grown denomination) came into being as well as helping you to understand the culture and DNA of the church as a body.

Did you hear that?

Is God calling you into ordained Ministry in the Uniting Church in Australia?!!!!



So you think you’re discerning a call into ordained ministry in the Uniting Church of Australia. If only every call in to ministry was as clear as a cooee or the chirping of a mobile to say you've received a message!! Unfortunately it’s not always as easy as that. Often we’re on another path; a path we had thought was beautifully planned out for our future when God begins to interrupt our thoughts and plans.Discerning a call from God can be one of the hardest things you do but it can also be one of the most rewarding things you ever do. Check out some of the stories of people who had lives before following God’s call on their lives.

Personally, I think now is a great time to be discerning a call to ordained ministry in the UCA of SA. The Uniting College of Leadership and Theology in South Australia is very supportive of people discerning what God is calling them to and has a course called the Period of Discernment which helps people explore further whether they are being called into a specified ministry or whether God is calling them further into lay ministry and mission. It is a course tailor made for your discernment and helps you to explore further your Ministry area of interest. This could be in an ordained Ministry, either Minister of the Word or Minister of Deacon. It could be a specified ministry such as Ministry of Pastor. Or it could be a lay ministry within your own church context or you could also explore what God is calling you to do in your own situation, at work, in your family, with friends or your social club.

During the next few blog posts I will talk to you about
1. personal call – is God calling you in to Ordained ministry in the UCA?
2. the call of the church and – What is the UCA called to do and be?
3. the call on all baptised members of the UCA – How do we work in unity for Christ?

The posts will be an overview of these areas as you will study this more fully in your P.O.D. course.