Sharing the Practice

Facing Life's Ups and Downs -- Review

2011-04-15T19:47:00.000-04:00

FACING LIFE’S UPS AND DOWNS: The Struggle to be Whole. By William Powell Tuck. Macon: Smyth & Helwys Publishing, 2010. 180 pages.

Somewhere I remember reading something like this: “It’s the daily stuff of life that makes living so tough.” That is precisely why this book can be a valuable resource for dealing with the inevitable: the ups and downs that come to all of us regardless of our situation in the human family.

Tuck addresses a wide variety of issues with sound biblical exegesis of texts, personal anecdotes, excellent illustrations, and much healthy humor. All of which are absolutely necessary when one is dealing with stress, anger, anxiety, depression, loneliness, failure, and frustration. Although countless books have been written on each of these subjects, this book presents keen and succinct insights into issues that cloud some (many?) of our days. It also reveals a deep understanding of complex problems that are dealt with in a clear and concise manner.

One of the things I most appreciated is the profound simplicity one finds in these pages. (And don’t ignore the word profound.) One is not required to have attended a seminary or passed a course in psychology to be able to gain the benefits this book offers. The writing is certainly a “good read” as the reader is led to a clear understanding of each issue under discussion. You never have to ask, “I wonder what he means by that?”

This is in no way a general “self-help” book. It is all about how our Christian faith relates to life as we know it and live it. Biblical references abound; the application of these texts is succinctly and carefully spelled out. Without being dogmatic or judgmental, the author challenges us to live our Monday through Saturday lives in the light of our Sunday affirmations of faith.

One of the most helpful aspects of this book is the vast array of suggestions for dealing with each of the “downs” discussed. These suggestions are practical and within reach of all of us. Many of them are simply reminders of what we already know but have failed to put into practice. I cannot imagine anyone who does not need such reminders.

While excellent for personal reading, this book is a splendid resource for discussion groups of all kinds. Sunday school classes immediately come to mind but I also think it would be very usable in home study groups where some of the participants are not particularly church oriented. Most people have never had the opportunity to discuss openly and honestly the subjects covered.

After reading the Bible through for the first time, a late-in-life convert confessed: “I found myself on every page except for the ‘begats.’” I will confess that I found myself on almost every page of Tuck’s book. I appreciate the honesty in his writing that does not ignore the dark and inevitable side of life – even for the Christian. But he does not leave us with the “downs.” His constant encouragements to faith (trust) and recommendations for activities and practices for life when it is low really will enable us to make genuine progress in the struggle to be whole.

Ron Higdon,
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
Prospect, Kentucky

Originally published in the Spring issue of Sharing the Practice.

Ultimate Allegiance -- Review

2011-04-15T19:40:00.000-04:00

Ultimate Allegiance: The Subversive Nature of the Lord’s Prayer. By Robert D. Cornwall. Gonzalez, Florida: Energion Publications, 2010. 65 pages.

The writer of Ultimate Allegiance is Robert Cornwall, the Pastor of Central Woodward Christian Church in Troy, Michigan and the Editor-in-Chief of Sharing the Practice. To be honest, when I first picked up this new book on the Lord’s Prayer, having read dozens of books on the Lord’s Prayer and having written a book on the Lord’s Prayer myself, I wondered if I could find anything new or different about it. I was soon pleasantly surprised and stimulated to find within these brief pages many fresh and challenging insights. This book is based on a six-part sermon series, which Cornwall delivered in his own church to probe the question: what was he and the congregation praying each week and what did Jesus really intend for his followers to take from this prayer? As beautiful and inspiring as most people feel from praying the Lord’s Prayer, Cornwall believes that at its essence it is a very subversive prayer. Subversive prayer is prayer that engages “the powers that be.”

Cornwall notes the differences in the Lord’s Prayer in the two gospels, Matthew and Luke, and the differences in meaning of the words in the prayer according to the context and purpose of each. In six chapters he examines the declaration and petitions that form the prayer, he believes, “serve as an affirmation of God’s reign.” In the first petition he prefers the Greek word in the text for father, pater, which provides the root for words like patron and patriarch, and fits the “subversive” challenge which calls for our allegiance to God our Father over all other powers. The “our” Father reminds us of our corporate relationship to God, which is not a private or personal one, but is a part of the family of God--the Kingdom of God. The concept of the holiness of God helps us qualify our understanding of what it means to be in a relationship with the God who reigns over all and requires ultimate allegiance. He asserts boldly that the petition about praying for the coming kingdom is not a minor focus but is a reminder that the kingdom is at the center of the teachings of Jesus. This petition about praying for the kingdom to come is subversive in that it is not only a religious and spiritual declaration but a political one as well that declares God reign on Caesar’s throne or on any throne of power to bring about justice. This involves the willingness to say no to Caesar’s claim on one’s life and acknowledge our dependence on God.

The petition about our daily bread is a recognition that we must attend to our basic needs before we voice any others. The subversive dimension of this petition is the affirmation that we entrust God to provide for our needs not Caesar or government. Ultimately God is our provider and we declare our allegiance to him and humbly acknowledge our lack of self-sufficiency. “Our” bread affirms our solidarity with our neighbors and our willingness to share our bounty with them. This comes as a radical demand which, he knows, will be hard for many of us to embrace. In the petition on forgiveness he examines the three variants-one’s debts, sins or trespasses- with helpful insights. Acknowledging that trespass may not have textual support, he believes that it fits the subversive nature of the prayer, if we take the word in the modern sense to cross boundaries and invade spaces. He also reminds us that in this prayer Jesus states that forgiveness involves reciprocity. It is never enough simply to receive God’s forgiveness, we are charged to offer forgiveness to someone who has hurt or offended us. The prayer regarding temptation becomes culturally and socially subversive, according to Cornwall, when it becomes the foundation for discernment. In our journey through life many temptations will call for our allegiance but adhering to God’s reign means nor giving in to those voices and continuing the journey even when the way is difficult with the assurance of God’s presence with us. The doxology and affirmation about God’s glory confesses God’s power to transform the world as a power of love and relatedness and not by coercion or violence as evidence in the cross of Jesus.

This book can be used by ministers or lay persons for a devotional guide to the Lord’s Prayer, reading a chapter a day to deepen their understanding of this rich prayer. Churches could use it as a resource in prayer and book studies. Pastors could study it and draw on it as a model for preaching a series of sermons on the Lord’s Prayer. They might follow Cornwall’s model and have the congregation sing the prayer instead of reciting it. I personally found it a thought provoking experience that forced me to reexamine the various petitions in this model prayer of Jesus. I commend it highly and hope many will discover and read and use it to grow in their awareness of this special prayer.

William Powell Tuck, FAPC
Intentional Interim Pastor
Cool Spring Baptist Church
Mechanicsville, Virginia

APC 2011 Book of the Year and Top 10 List

2011-03-02T10:01:00.000-05:00

The Academy of Parish Clergy, Inc. announces the 2011 Book of the Year Award to be Building Cultures of Trust by Martin E. Marty (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company). The Book of the Year Award is given to the best book published for parish ministry in the previous year. In addition, the Reference Book of the Year Award is given to Mark (Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible series) by William C. Placher (Westminster/John Knox Press). These awards were made at the Annual Conference of the Academy, February 15-17, 2011, at the Canterbury Retreat and Conference Center, Orlando, FL. Dr. Raymond Williams received the award on behalf of Bill Placher, who died prior to the publication of this commentary.

In addition to the Book of the Year, the Academy has selected the following books as the Top Ten Books for Parish Ministry published in 2010. The following list, after the listing for Martin Marty is listed alphabetically according to title.

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2011 Book of the Year List (all books published in 2010)

Building Cultures of Trust by Martin E. Marty (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company)

A New Kind of Christianity: Ten Questions That Are Transforming The Faith by Brian D. McLaren (HarperOne)

Death and Afterlife: A Theological Introduction by Terence Nichols (Brazos Press)

Hannah's Child: A Theological Memoir by Stanley Hauerwas (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company)

Listening to Children of the Spiritual Journey: Guidance for Those Who Teach and Nurture by Catherine Stonehouse and Scottie May (Baker)

Made For Goodness: And Why this Makes All the Difference by Desmond Tutu and Mpho Tutu (HarperOne)

Practice Resurrection: A Conversation on Growing Up In Christ by Eugene H. Peterson (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company)

Preaching the Gospel of Matthew: Proclaiming God's Presence by Stanley P. Saunders (Westminster/John Knox)

Reframing Hope: Vital Ministry in a New Generation by Carol Howard Merritt (The Alban Institute)

Through Their Eyes: A Peoples View of the Global Church by F. Dean Leuking (Trya Books)

Reference Book of the Year

Mark (Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible series) by William C. Placher (Westminster/John Knox)

Martin Marty to Speak at the Academy of Parish Clergy Annual Meeting

2010-10-25T20:51:00.000-04:00

The Academy of Parish Clergy’s

2011 Annual Conference

presents

Building Trust in a Culture of Distrust

with

Rev. Martin Marty

February 15-17, 2011 Canterbury Retreat Center Orlando, Florida

“Our society is experiencing a huge amount of distrust in our institutions. We distrust and are distressed with our financial institutions, our churches, our national leaders and other elements of our society. These issues are shaking our foundations. What is the role of the Church in addressing this climate of distrust?” - Rev. Martin Marty

Church historian and Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago, Rev. Martin Marty is highly respected as a religious historian, writer, theologian and pastor. He is a columnist for The Christian Century and an author of over 50 books as well as over 5000 articles, essays, and papers. Rev. Marty was ordained in 1952 and served churches in the Chicago suburbs for 10 years before joining the faculty at the University of Chicago where he taught for 35 years. He is a recipient of numerous awards, including the National Humanities Medal and the National Book Award.

Registration fees are $230 for clergy and $200 for spouses, if registered by January 10, 2011. After January 10, add $20. For single occupancy rooms add $75. Registration includes 2 nights double-occupancy accommodations and Tuesday noon through Thursday morning meals. Commuting attendees’ fee is $100 (includes meals). Anyone wishing to stay additional nights may make individual arrangements for a private retreat by contacting Terra Medeiros, Canterbury Director of Guest Services at (407) 365-5571 ext. 13.

For complete conference information and to obtain a registration form, go to http://www.apclergy.org/. You may alsocontact Rev. Paul Binder, Administrative VP, at pjbinder2@juno.com or (941) 922-8633.

Canterbury Retreat and Conference Center, a mission and ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida, offers a sanctuary of hospitality for growth and learning. All room accommodations are motel-type and are nonsmoking.

Handicapped-accessible rooms are available. More information can be found at http://www.canterburyretreat.org/.

Tending to the Holy -- Book of the Year reviewed

2010-04-30T14:04:00.000-04:00

I wanted to announce that the book Tending to the Holy, written by Bruce and Kate Epperly, has been named Book of the Year by the Academy of Parish Clergy. This book, along with nine others, was be honored at the upcoming Academy of Parish Clergy Annual Meeting in Racine, WI. I happen to be the editor of the Academy's journal, Sharing the Practice. Below is my review published originally at the blog Ponderings on a Faith Journey -- a briefer version was published in the journal.

______________________________________

TENDING TO THE HOLY: The Practice of the Presence of God in Ministry. By Bruce G. Epperly and Katherine Gould Epperly. Foreword by Kent Ira Goff. Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2009. xii + 196 pp.

Busy pastors often take little time to attend to their physical, emotional, or spiritual life. They also often compartmentalize parts of their ministry – assuming that some parts are spiritual (preaching and praying) and others not so spiritual (administration). Bruce and Kate Epperly pick up on Brother Lawrence’s imagery of “practicing the presence of God” and share their understanding of how all aspects of ministry are spiritual and need to be undertaken in prayer – whether that prayer is a breath prayer or time spent in contemplation and meditation. For those of us, who are not by nature contemplative, who find it difficult not just to take time but to feel comfortable in prayer, this book is a godsend.

The Epperlys co-pastor a Disciples/UCC federated church in Pennsylvania, while Bruce serves as Director of Continuing Education and Professor of Practical Theology at Lancaster Theological Seminary. This book is very personal, drawing on their experiences of ministry and spirituality. They write with passion about ways in which renewed and energized pastors can help energize mainline churches – not by turning to conservative theology, but by fully engaging a progressive understanding of Christianity. But, this is not rationalistic approach – they understand the need for the mystical, for letting the Spirit move in the life of the pastor and the church. This is an expression of the idea of Christian Practices that Diana Butler Bass, among others, have been lifting up these past several years, calling on us to a practice of awareness of God’s presence in every moment of our lives.

What is important to note here is that the Epperlys are strongly grounded in theology. They write:

While we recognize a good deal of truth in the postmodern critique of any attempt to frame global and all-inclusive theological worldviews, we nevertheless affirm the value of articulating a coherent, yet tentative and flexible, theological vision of God’s activity in the world as a means of orienting our lives and daily spiritual practices. (P. 11).

They acknowledge up front that they have been influenced by process theology, along with Jungian psychology and system theory, among others. These foundations are evident throughout, but they point us not to the systems and perspectives, but to practices that are deeply grounded and empower ministry. Perhaps most importantly, and this view they take from process theology, is the affirmation that God is always present. This a view that is continually reinforced. With that in mind, then we can integrate all aspects of life, and understand everything we do in ministry is rooted in God’s active presence in the world. They speak often, as well, of the principle of abundance – not in a prosperity gospel way – that allows us to see the world in a new light, one that is not rooted in scarcity and fear.

The book takes up all facets of ministry, beginning with preaching, teaching and worship – and they define these aspects of ministry in terms of spiritual formation. They encourage taking time for study and prayer, so that in our teaching and preaching and worship leadership, we have a vision of God’s presence and a recognition that we are vessels through which God is speaking. One way of moving in this direction is to reclaim the use of study for the pastor’s office. They write that the use of office reflects a change from the ministerial vocation as that of “rabbi, teacher, and spirit person,” and has moved it into more corporate senses as “administrator, program manager, professional counselor, and functional CEO.” It’s not these functions aren’t part of ministry, but rather the problem of these images defining what a pastor is doing (pp. 36-37).

Moving from what would seem to be the most visible aspects of ministry, they move onto ministries of spiritual guidance, pastoral care, leadership and administration, and finally prophetic hospitality. In each area of ministry, they urge pastors to engage themselves spiritually and prayerfully, even when engaging in work that doesn’t seem all that spiritual. For clergy who resist the administrative tasks, they Epperlys remind us that we can’t get away from them, they’re part of what we do, but we can reenvision these tasks spiritually. The question they ask of us is this:

Will your administrative leadership deepen the spirituality of your congregation and your own spirituality, or will it be a source of conflict, fatigue, and frustration both for yourself and for the congregation? We believe that the form and style of your leadership and administration as a pastor cannot be separated from your theological beliefs and spiritual practices. (p. 127).

The kind of leadership they envision is one that is “creative, appreciative, affirmative, and imaginative.” It is a form of ministry that is rooted in a spiritual practice, which they borrow from Gerald May, of “pausing, opening, noticing, stretching and yielding, followed by responding to God’s presence.” This form of prayerfulness or mindfulness is described and applied throughout the book – reminding us how we might recognize God’s presence and engage that presence in all aspects of ministry.

The penultimate chapter is called “prophetic hospitality,” and this chapter needs to be internalized by mainline progressive pastors – many of whom pastor churches that are at a different place than they are when it comes to political, theological, social, and cultural issues. Clergy tend to either hide their views or lashing out angrily. The Epperlys offer another way, one that allows both for expressing prophetic understandings while respecting and loving those with whom we differ. The key is staying in relationship with those who differ, while continuing to hold true to one’s own beliefs.

Prophetic hospitality is grounded in a visionary reconciliation in which pastors see and appreciate Christ’s presence in all their congregants as the foundation of common ground amid great diversity. (p. 170)

Indeed, one cannot preach God’s love while disrespecting one’s opponents – a word that is difficult for us, as human beings, to get a hold of and internalize, and yet it’s an important one. Once again, however, in order to accomplish this, one must engage the other prayerfully. This conversation helpfully deals with the reality that is most troubling for us as pastors – dealing with our own anger. They offer a possible way for this anger to be transformed into love. In all of this, the point is that we seek a balance where we can live out our dual callings to be prophets and shepherds, challengers and comforters.

This is not only an excellent book, I would suggest that it is essential reading for clergy, especially those who are progressive in their theology. It is thoroughly grounded in theology, because the authors insist that what we believe matters -- especially regarding the presence of God in every aspect of life. They also take into account other sources of revelation – such as tradition and psychology It is challenging and comforting. The point is, our ability to live out our calling without becoming burned out and beaten up, requires that we stay grounded in our relationship with God, and that means practicing the presence of God in all places and at all times. Such a word breathes grace into our ministries.

2010 Academy of Parish Clergy Book of the Year List

2010-04-30T13:46:00.001-04:00

The Academy of Parish Clergy, Inc. announces the 2010 Book of the Year Award to be Tending To The Holy: The Practice of the Presence of God in Ministry by Bruce G. Epperly and Katherine Gould Epperly (Alban Institute). The Book of the Year Award is given to the best book published for parish ministry in the previous year. In addition, the Reference Book of the Year Award is given to Revelation: A Commentary in The New Testament Library by Brian K. Blount (Westminster/John Knox Press). These awards were presented at at the Annual Conference of the Academy, April 20-22, 2010, at the Sienna Center, in Racine, Wisconsin.

____________________

In addition to the Book of the Year, the Academy has selected the following books to complete its list of the Top Ten Books for Parish Ministry published in 2009. These appear in no specific order.

A People’s History of Christianity: The Other Side of the Story by Diana Butler Bass (HarperOne)

At the Scent of Water: The Ground of Hope in the Book of Job by J. Gerald Janzen (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company)

Beyond the Yellow Ribbon: Ministering to Returning Combat Veterans by David A. Thompson (Abingdon Press)

Kindling Desire For God: Preaching As Spiritual Direction by Kay L. Northcutt (Fortress Press)

Preaching From Memory to Hope by Thomas G. Long (Westminster/John Knox Press)

The Future of Faith by Harvey Cox (HarperOne)

The Power to Comprehend With All the Saints: The Formation and Practice of a Pastor-Theologian ed. by Wallace M. Allston Jr. and Cynthia A. Jarvis (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company)

The Ten Commandments (Interpretation Resources for the Use of Scripture in the Church) by Patrick D. Miller (Westminster/John Knox Press)

Toxic Spirituality: Four Enduring Temptations of Christian Faith by Eric W. Gritsch (Fortress Press)

Republished from: Ponderings on a Faith Journey

Natural Church Development

2008-05-16T12:59:00.000-04:00

Dr. David Daubert was the featured presenter at the 2008 Academy of Parish Clergy Annual Meeting. Below is a description of the Natural Church Development program and contact information.

***********************************

Churches have a tendency to become focused on fruit - growing attendance, dynamic programs, funded budgets, expanding facilities. In this pursuit, it is often forgotten that the root produces the fruit. Abundant fruit can only grow from a healthy root system.

Natural Church Development provides a reliable survey tool for measuring the health of your church in eight critical areas. These Quality Characteristics have proven themselves essential in building healthy churches.

--Empowering Leadership
--Gift-oriented Ministry
--Passionate Spirituality
--Functional Structures
--Inspiring Worship Services
--Holistic Small Groups
--Need-oriented Evangelism
--Loving Relationships

All eight of the Quality Characteristics are needed for a healthy church. Just as a person cannot live by bread alone, a church cannot grow to health on any one quality.

Natural Church Development also relies on six principles of growth to facilitate the health and growth in these quality areas:

--Interdependence
--Multiplication
--Energy transformation
--Multi-usage
--Symbiosis
--Functionality

These six principals are often referred to as Biotic Principles because they release the church's ability to grow all by itself. Together, these eight qualities and six Biotic Principles provide potent tools for bringing health and growth to your church.

Natural Church Development and the Church Growth Movement have large areas of overlap, yet are different. One of the major differences between the two can be highlighted in the area of quantitative versus qualitative goal setting. In NCD the quality of a church is the root, the quantitative growth the fruit. Growth in quantity is not the strategic goal of NCD, but a natural consequence of a healthy church.

Dr. David Daubert, a consultant in NCD, was the major presenter as the Academy of Parish Clergy's 2008 Annual Conference (Cleveland, OH, April 29-May1).

He may be contacted at ddaubert@ARenewalEnterprise.com and www.ChurchSmart.com.

Academy of Parish Clergy -- 2008 Book of the Year

2008-03-18T19:50:00.000-04:00

The Academy of Parish Clergy, Inc. announces the 2008 Book of the Year Award to be God’s Ambassadors: A History of the Christian Clergy in America by E. Brooks Holifield (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company). The Book of the Year Award is given to the best book published for parish ministry in the previous year.

In addition, the Reference Book of the Year Award is given to Empire: The Christian Tradition, New Readings of Classical Theologians ed. by Kwok Pui-lan, Don H. Compier, and Joerg Rieger (Fortress Press).

These awards will be made at the Annual Conference of the Academy, April 22-23, 2008, at the Jesuit Retreat House, Cleveland, OH.

In addition to the Book of the Year, the Academy has selected the following books as the Top Ten Books for Parish Ministry published in 2007.

E Brooks Holifield. God’s Ambassadors: A History of the Christian Clergy in America. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company -- Book of the Year

The remainder of the list, alphabetically by author:

Gerald W. Calabash, Editor. Just Policing, Not War: An Alternative Response to World Violence. Liturgical Press.

Pamela Couture Child Poverty: Love, Justice, and Social Responsibility. Chalice Press.

John Dominic Crossan, God and Empire: Jesus Against Rome, Then and Now. HarperSanFrancisco Publishers. -- reviewed by Robert Cornwall, Winter 2007, Sharing the Practice.

Antony Flew. There Is A God: How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind. HarperOne Publishers.

Eugene Peterson The Jesus Way: A Conversation of the Ways That Jesus Is The Way. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company

Alister McGrath. Christianity’s Dangerous Idea: The Protestant Revolution - A History from the Sixteenth Century to the Twenty-First. HarperOne Publishers.

Ben Quash and Michael Ward, Heresies and How To Avoid Them: Why It Matters What Christians Believe. Hendrickson Publishers.

G. Lloyd Rediger. The Toxic Congregation: How To Heal the Soul of Your Church. Abingdon Press.

Larry Witham. A City Set On A Hill: How Sermons Changed the Course of American History. HarperOne Publishers.

Sharing the Practice -- Winter Contents

2007-12-13T15:50:00.000-05:00

The Winter issue, the last of 2007, is in the mail. Here is a listing of the articles and reviews -- author, title, reviewer.

The focus of the articles in this issue is preaching.

********

Articles

Preaching Re-Imagined, Doug Pagitt 3
"Is There any Sorry Like My Sorry?" Jerry Gladson, APC 5
Paul Tillich as Preacher, Courtney Wilder, 8
Writing Our Way Home in Teaching, Preaching, and Soul Tending, Kent Groff, APC 11

Reviews

John Killinger, Enter Every Trembling Heart, William Tuck, APC 20
John Killinger, God, the Devil, & Harry Potter, William Tuck, APC 20
John Killinger, Ten Things I Learned Wrong from a Conservative Church, William Tuck, FAPC 21
James Nieman and Thomas Rogers, Preaching to Every Pew, William Tuck, FAPC 21
Jon Meacham, American Gospel, Lawton Posey, FAPC 21
William Tuck, Christmas is for the Young, John McFarland, FAPC 22
Paul Kitley, The Fruits of the Holy Spirit, Donald Shilling, FAPC 22
John Eaton, Psalms for Life, John LaVoe, APC 23
Eric Elnes, Asphalt Jesus, Robert Cornwall, APC 24
Scott Thumman & Dave Travis, Beyond Mega-Church Myths, Robert Cornwall, APC 24
N.T. Wright, Paul, John LaVoe, APC 25
John Dominic Crossan, God and Empire, Robert Cornwall, APC 26
Marcus Borg & John Dominic Crossan, The First Christmas, Robert Cornwall, APC 27
Daniel Karslake, For the Bible Tells Me So, Robert Cornwall, APC 27
David Gibson, The Rule of Benedict, Robert Cornwall, APC 28
Timothy Carson, Your Calling as a Christian, Robert Cornwall, APC 29
Robert Stewart, Ed., Intelligent Design, Donald Shilling, FAPC 30
Peter Steinke, Congregational Leadership in Anxious Times, David Nash, FAPC 31
Beth Gaede, ed. When a Congregation is Betrayed, Paul Bauman, APC 31
Stephanie Spellers, Radical Welcome, Robert Cornwall, APC 32

Some Emergent Websites of Note

2007-11-18T21:30:00.000-05:00

With Doug Pagitt among the contributors to the Winter issue of Sharing the Practice, here are a couple of suggested web sites and blogs to take a look at. Chief among sites is Emergent Village (www.emergentvillage.com). This site is self-described as: “Emergent Village is a growing, generative friendship among missional Christians seeking to love our world in the Spirit of Jesus Christ.” It includes weblogs, podcasts, and more. This should be your first stop in researching the movement. And if you like video, try out Emerging Church TV (http://emergingchurch.tv) , where you’ll find video of Emergent figures such as Brian McLaren and Doug Pagitt. Of course you might want to check out Doug’s website and blog (http://dougpagitt.com). Other emergent leaders also have blogs, including that of Brian McLaren (www.brianmclaren.net) and Tony Jones (http://tonyj.net). So, if you’re interested these sites should quench your thirst for knowledge, at least for a moment.

Web sites of Note

2007-10-26T17:21:00.000-04:00

Loren Mead, one of the founders of the Academy of Parish Clergy, sends along two web sites that would be of special interest to clergy:

www.congregationalresources.org. This site is self-described as: "An effort of the Alban Institute in consultation with the Indianapolis Center for Congregations and other specialists, the Congregational Resource Guide (CRG) exists to help congregational leaders connect with resources that will enable them to face challenges and foster vitality in their communities of faith."

www.resourcingchristianity.org. The site is described as: " This web site seeks to assist leaders and participants in Christian communities, scholars and other interested publics in better understanding the impact, trends and trajectories of Christianity in American society. By providing both information and reflection on selected projects funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc., it offers a unique vantage point for discerning the character and contributions of this tradition within American religion and culture."

Enjoy these two sites, which are full of interesting and useful information for churches.

Consecration of David Epps

2007-10-26T17:14:00.000-04:00

EPPS TO BE CONSECRATED AS BISHOP

Father David Epps, FAPC, Pastor of Christ the King Church, will be consecrated as a Bishop in the International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church (ICCEC) on Friday, November 16 at 7:00 p.m. The service will be conducted in the sanctuary of Christ Our Shepherd Lutheran Church, Highway 54, Peachtree City, GA.

Epps, 56, was elected at the House of Bishops in Orlando during October to serve the Mid-South Diocese which includes Georgia and Tennessee. The election was made necessary when, in June 2007, the Diocesan Bishop, The Most Reverend John W. Holloway, 53, suffered a debilitating stroke. Epps will serve as Auxiliary Bishop with Bishop Holloway remaining the Diocesan.

The consecrators for the service will be The Most Reverend Charles Jones, Archbishop of the Southeast Province, The Most Reverend David Simpson, Bishop of Florida, and The Most Reverend Gene Lilly, Auxiliary Bishop of the Southeast Province.

Epps, who first began ministry as a Youth Worker in 1971, was licensed to preach by the United Methodist Church in 1975 and was later ordained in the Assemblies of God (A/G) in 1978. In 1996, he was ordained a priest in the ICCEC.

Prior to 1983, Epps served United Methodist and A/G churches in Tennessee, Virginia, and Colorado. In June 1983, he became the pastor of Fayette Fellowship Assembly of God, Peachtree City, GA, which later relocated to Sharpsburg and was renamed Trinity Fellowship. In September 1996, Epps and 18 other people planted Christ the King Church which met for six years at Carmichael-Hemperly Funeral Home in Peachtree City.

In November 2002, the church relocated to its present location on 12 acres in Coweta County. The church currently has approximately 250 people who claim their church as their home. In addition, Christ the King has assisted in the planting of other congregations in Hogansville, GA, Fayetteville, GA, and Champaign, IL.

Epps is a graduate of Berean College of the Assemblies of God, East Tennessee State University, the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, International Seminary, and Berean Graduate School of Divinity, an institution founded by Carrie Nation. He is a current Doctor of Ministry candidate at Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry. Epps, a karate black belt and former instructor, also received an honorary doctorate for his work with youth and martial arts ministry from Great Plains Baptist College and Seminary. For 18 years, he has served as the chaplain for the Peachtree City Police Department and is a graduate of the police academy in Fulton County.

Within the ICCEC, Epps has served as Canon to the Ordinary for the Mid-South Diocese, Canon to the Ordinary for the Archdiocese of the Armed Forces, Chair of the Diocesan Commission on Ordained Ministry, as a member of the Mid-South Diocese Bishop’s Council, and as a member of the Provincial Council for the Southeast Province.

A veteran of the United States Marine Corps, Epps also served with the Tennessee Army National Guard and served as a Chaplain (with the rank of captain) for the Georgia State Defense Force, an auxiliary of the Georgia Army National Guard.

He is married to the former Cynthia Douglas, a professor of Nursing at the University of West Georgia. The Epps’ have three adult sons and nine grandchildren. The consecration service, which will be followed by a reception, is open to the public.

Web site of note -- Teens and Technology

2007-10-17T22:14:00.000-04:00

Kim Shimer, marketing director, for Judson Press, sends along this recommendation -- the web site -- Teens and Technology. This site is dedicated to understanding teens and the technologies they love so much. As a parent of a teen myself, I understand the phenomenon.

This site is owned by Peggy Kendall, author of two books on the subject of teens and tech -- one for parents and the other for those in youth ministry. Check it out.

Fall Issue -- Sharing the Practice

2007-09-14T17:25:00.000-04:00

The Fall issue of Sharing the Practice has gone out today in the mail. It takes some time to cross the nation, but it gets there. Here is the contents of the issue:

Articles:

Ministry in the Post-Cartesian World, Richard Beck 3
Breaking the Curse: Evangelism in the Mainline Churches, Martha Grace Reese 7
Spirituality and Ash Wednesday, Lolly Dominski, APC 10
Colleague Groups: The Keel of Stability and Movement, Paul Binder, APC 14
Parish Ministry from a Cartoonist’s Perspective, Lawton W. Posey, FAPC 16
Will B. Dunn and Kudzu (Comics), Doug Marlette 18

Book Reviews
Mark Toulouse, God in Public, David Nash 22
Joseph Bush, Gentle Shepherding, David Nash 22
Peter Schmiechen, Saving Power, Paul Binder 23
James Nieman & Thomas Rogers, Preaching to Every Pew, John Hugus 24
Richard Hamm, Recreating the Church, Robert Cornwall 24
Alan Roxburgh & Fred Romanuk, The Missional Church, Robert Cornwall 25
Steven Greenberg, Wrestling with God and Man, Steve Kindle 26
Shayne Lee, T.D. Jakes, Lawton Posey 27
Gerd Thiessen, The Bible and Contemporary Culture, Robert Cornwall 27
Steve Jacobsen, Hearts to God — Hands to Work, Robert Cornwall 2

The Fruits of the Holy Spirit

2007-09-01T16:04:00.000-04:00

New Book from an APC Member

The Fruits of the Holy Spirit

By Dr. Paul L. Kitley

ISBN: 978-1-57736-400-9
$12.95
Softcover, 64 pages

Dr. Paul L. Kitley was ordained into the ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in 1949, and spent twenty-nine years in parish ministry. A licensed marriage and family therapist and licensed clinical social worker,Dr. Kitley is a fellow in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, a fellow in the Academy of Parish Clergy, and a clinical member of the American Association for Marital and Family Therapy. He has made it his life’s work to serve God’s people through church ministry and counseling.

NEW from Providence house publishers
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P r o v i d e n c e H o u s e P u b l i s h e r s

“Dr. Paul L. Kitley draws upon his vast experience in pastoral ministry and professional counseling to provide new and creative understandings of Galatians 5:22–23, and what it means to live by the Spirit.”
Dr. Lester D. Palmer
President Emeritus
Pension Fund of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

Open Hearts, Affirming Pages -- A New Blog

2007-08-16T13:35:00.000-04:00

Steve Kindle, whose article on welcoming gays into the church recently appeared in Sharing the Practice has launched a new blog: -- Open Hearts, Affirming Pages. Steve is a Disciples of Christ pastor and is also the Executive Director of Clergy United for the Equality of Homosexuals.

The subheading of this new blog states it's purpose clearly --

This blog is intended to be a spirited conversation with the church regarding our reluctance and our need to affirm gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Christians.

In his opening post he writes:

This blog, then, is an effort to bring the straight church to its senses. It is an effort to bring the message of the inclusive gospel that will confront us with our sins and bring us to our knees. It is a plea to those we’ve textually abused to not abandon us, but to nurture us and witness to the life changing power of Jesus. This is why I am in this struggle, and hope to convince you to join it yourself. I can guarantee you two things: your life will never be the same, and you’ll be thankful for that. On the other hand, if you don’t need convincing, welcome aboard. I hope to hear from you, as well as those who disagree. Maybe we can come together on at least this: what we share in Christ is more valuable than our disagreements. And I ask you, would you be willing to extend that grace to those “other than ourselves?”

This is a controversial and divisive issue, one which Steve has taken a leading role in seeking a solution. So check it out and give your thoughts.

A Welcoming Congregation

2007-07-08T23:02:00.000-04:00

What does it mean for a congregation to be a place of welcome. This topic is taken up in a posting by Bob Cornwall, APC at the Christian Century blog -- Theolog. You are invited to visit that site and offer comments both there and here as to what it means for a congregation to be a place of welcome and safety to those who are on the margins of church and society -- and in this case those who are gay and Christian.

The site can be found here.

Sharing the Practice -- Summer Issue

2007-06-18T19:11:00.001-04:00

I'm pleased to announce that the summer issue of Sharing the Practice has been mailed to subscribers and members. Below is the list of articles found in this issue. If you're not a member or subscriber and these intrigue you -- check out the Academy of Parish Clergy web site and contact the Vice President who will get you set up.

Blessings,

Bob Cornwall
Editor-in-Chief

Preaching the Truth without Losing Your Job or Soul, Brett Younger 3
When Welcoming is More than Toleration, Steven F. Kindle 5
On Becoming a Sister: A Meditation on Gender Issues in Ministry, Lawton W. Posey, FAPC 7
Remembrance and Transformation: An Evening with Thich Nhat Hanh, Charles Lopez, Jr. APC 9
Ten Propositions on Being a Minister, Kim Fabricius 10
"Reggie is Dead": An Opportunity for Pastoral Care Forrest Fitzhugh, FAPC 11
Critical Importance of Leadership (correction), Fred Lehr, APC 13
Workers in the Kingdom: Finding Job Satisfaction in Ministry, Courtney Wilder 14

Allelon -- A Movement of Missional Leaders

2007-06-13T00:16:00.000-04:00

With so much attention being given to emergent Christianity and the related movement of Missional churches, note a new link in the sidebar. It's to Allelon.

From the opening section of the site we learn that this site, which is related to Alan Roxburgh's ministry, is designed accordingly:

Allelon is a multi-generational network of missional church leaders, schools and parachurch organizations which envisions, inspires, engages, resources, trains and educates leaders for the church and its mission in our culture. Said simply, together we are a movement of missional leaders.

Authentic Ministry in a Consumerist Culture

2007-06-08T17:30:00.000-04:00

This post originally appeared on DocDisc--an list serve for the Disciples of Christ. It is written by Darrell McGowan, a Disciples of Christ pastor in Fullerton, CA, to a Disciple audience, but transcends this denomination of which I'm also an ordained minister. I hope to have Darrell write more about this in a future issue of Sharing the Practice, but I think this will get the conversation going.

Bob Cornwall

Editor

*********************

Hi everyone,

I've been doing some writing on these issues recently, and I offer you a few of my preliminary thoughts. If they are helpful, share them. If they are not, toss them. If you want to dialogue around them, I would love to hear from you personally or carry on the conversation in this forum.

Let me preface my thoughts by saying I think generational differences factor into the realities of what works and what doesn't in any context, but I am becoming more and more convinced that cultural differences that do not necessarily conform neatly to generational ones may be even more important. By cultural differences, I am not referring so much to cultures tied to ethnicity or national origin, but more to the way one looks at one's relationship to society.

We live in a consumeristic culture, and that reality needs to be addressed. One way to address this reality is to buy into the consumeristic culture and try to meet the needs of religious consumers. Under this approach, every time we identify another "felt need" amongst those we hope to attract to the church, we create or adapt a program or ministry to address that need. Churches that take this approach spend most of their resources meeting the needs of their members in different styles of worship, children's programs, new and remodeled facilities, and other accommodations. Many megachurches take this approach. They have a program for every group and a ministry aimed at every need. Most mainline churches that attempt this approach soon find they cannot compete with the megachurches. No matter how much they do, someone else is doing more and doing it more grandly.

Another way to address the consumeristic culture is to publicly stand in opposition to that culture. Many in the peace and justice movement take this approach, and they thrive as small groups with a very specific cause. They challenge people to relate to the world as something more than objects to be consumed and to relate to each other and to the stranger as something other than commodities. They tend to be driven by specific issues, whether the "open and affirming" movement, anti-war or peace movement, equal opportunity, racism, or some other issue. This approach usually has a short life- cycle unless the energy generated to address a particular issue can be continually regenerated or transferred to other issues as passion and enthusiasm wanes in relationship to the original issue.

A third way we can relate to the consumeristic culture is to create a countercultural environment where people can begin to question the dominant paradigm, experience freedom from the addictive patterns of a consumeristic culture and strive to live in life-giving relationship to each other and to the world. This model is deeply mission-focused and open to change. It meets people where they are at and ministers from the talents and gifts offered by the members of the church. A countercultural church models Jesus' command to love one another as we love ourselves. It actively works to free people from addictions to substances, unhealthy relationships, and self- destructive behavior patterns.

This third way is one that we, as Disciples, can be very good at if we choose. It can be embraced whether we worship in a more traditional style, a more contemporary one, or a cutting-edge style more meaningful to younger generations. It is not dependent on amassing large financial resources to pay professional musicians, administrators, technicians, or ministers. It fits well with our historical desire to seek unity in the midst of diversity.

I judge the first approach to be antithetical to the gospel, and although it has led to some very large churches with seemingly successful ministries, I believe it undermines the message of Jesus and perverts the public witness of the faith. When a church loses its focus on caring for the least amongst us and pours its resources into meeting the needs of its members, it is no longer proclaiming the gospel. Many of our churches have fallen into this trap as they tried to emulate what they perceived as successful models of church.

Unfortunately, most Disciples churches that have taken this path have ended up worse off as they poured financial resources into contemporary worship and other ministries only to find they still could not attract the religious consumers streaming to the megachurches. This approach further reinforces the narcissistic tendencies of a consumer culture and suggests that church should be a place where your needs are met, rather than a place where you are challenged, outfitted, and empowered to meet the needs of others.

Most of our churches have a strong mission focus unless they have declined to the point where they are just trying to survive. They could develop alternative worship services, build state-of-the-art children's facilities, and higher professionals in every leadership position if they would abandon their outward focus, but they are unwilling to do so. The good news is they do not need to abandon their outward focus, they need to proclaim it!

They also need to empower everyone in their church to share their gifts. If they have middle-aged and younger adults with the talent to create and staff a contemporary service, they should start such a service. On the other hand, if their members love singing in a choir and listening to the organ, they should work to expand the choir and invite new folks into it. Churches can grow and revitalize their ministries by welcoming middle-aged and older adults as easily as they can by attracting the young families most churches are targeting.

The religious consumers, who are likely to be younger than average, but can be any age, will look for churches that are focused on meeting their members' needs. They will be very comfortable in the megachurches. We are wasting our time trying to attract them and we may even be jeopardizing our ability to proclaim the gospel.

The folks who have tired of consumerism and are desperately seeking another way need to know that another way exists. They are the target audience of our message. They need to be of service in a meaningful way, learn the value and reward of stewardship, and experience the joy of living the gospel. We are ideally positioned to welcome people into a counter-cultural experience. That experience can be expressed in the context of any worship style and through any number of ministries that address the needs of others.

I hope we will find ways to explore this issue at Assemblies, Regional gatherings, district meetings, and congregational meetings. This can be a very exciting time, but we need to consciously choose to embrace our mission focus, let go of those who want us to be self- contained and inwardly focused, and welcome people desperate for freedom from the oppressive weight of a consumer society.

Peace,

Darrell

Darrell McGowan
Senior Minister,
First Christian Church of Fullerton
Fullerton, CA, USA

Christian Churches Together -- New Leader

2007-05-25T22:00:00.001-04:00

Here is the announcement of the recent appointment of Richard Hamm, former General Minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) as Executive Director.

PRESS RELEASE

May 18, 2007

Christian Churches Together in the USA (CCT) announces the appointment of the Rev. Dr Richard L. Hamm to the position of Executive Administrator. Following a national search, the Steering Committee, meeting in Chicago on May 15-16, took the unanimous decision to appoint Hamm to CCT’s first full time staff position.

Welcoming the appointment, the Very Rev. Leonid Kishkovsky, Ecumenical Officer for the Orthodox Church in America and one of five CCT Presidents, noted that it was his conviction that “Dick Hamm brings to Christian Churches Together in the USA deep Christian faith, theological and spiritual grounding, leadership experience at the national level, sensitivity to the concerns of congregations and local Christian communities, and a wide range of ecumenical contacts and relationships. We are fortunate to have him!”

Dr Hamm is Founding Partner and President of The Columbia Partnership, an organization that provides coaching and consulting training and services; he previously served as General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ in the US and Canada) for ten years. According to Kishkovsky, Hamm brings “significant contributions in quality and substance to the position of Executive Administrator. He is a thoughtful man with deep theological and spiritual resources. He is able to be deeply rooted spiritually while at the same time handling administrative details and addressing organizational challenges.”

The Rev Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, General Secretary of the Reformed Church in America, CCT President and Moderator of the Steering Committee, noted that Hamm “was involved with CCT during its formative time and was one who understood the necessity of deepening fellowship between leaders of Christian ‘families’ who, in many cases, had little previous relationship with one another, and that common action and witness would grow from that foundation. [Hamm] understands the features of CCT’s emerging organizational culture that make us unique and that will build a sustainable future.”

“I have always been drawn to the vision of the various parts of the church of Jesus Christ in the United States seeking common ground and working together in all ways possible,” Hamm affirmed. “We must seek every opportunity to manifest the unity that is ours in Christ if we are to have a significant impact on this culture and nation.” He called CCT an “appropriately postmodern model, with its focus on networking, consensus building and action. The prospect of helping to shape and grow such a post-modern organization for the sake of common witness and mission is truly exciting!”

Hamm will assume the post August 1.

Officially organized in 2006, Christian Churches Together is composed of 36 churches and national organizations, representative of the diversity of US Christian families, who are committed to meeting together for fellowship and worship and to working together on issues crucial to Christian witness in the USA. CCT held its 2007 annual meeting in Pasadena, CA with a focus on evangelism (see www.christianchurchestogether.org). Its 2008 meeting (January 8 – 11) in Washington DC will strengthen and expand efforts to overcome poverty in the United States (see CCT’s Statement on Poverty on the website).

Contact: Rev Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, 616-698-7071 or 616-648-2931

Real Life Evangelism Series

2007-05-20T22:18:00.000-04:00

Martha Grace Reese, author of Unbinding the Gospel (Chalice Press, 2007) announces the upcoming (January 2008) release of two additional components to what is now titled the Real Life Evangelism Series. If you click here you will find the PDF announcement.

From the announcement we learn:

The Real Life Evangelism Series is an integrated set of resources. It is grounded in a four-year, Lilly Endowment study of superb evangelism that included 1200+ interviews, 50 site visits, and a major survey of congregations doing the best job reaching unchurched people. The Series has sparked a transformation in understanding, thinking, habits and practices of prayer and evangelism in churches of all sizes, cultural and geographic settings, and theological understandings.

The next two books are entitled:

Unbinding the Heart, a six week study for church members.

Unbinding Your Heart: 40 Days of Prayer and Faith Sharing is a six-week version of Unbinding the Gospel, with the addition of 40 days of individual prayer exercises coordinated with each chapter. It will enrich your church’s community life. It will help individuals risk face to Face encounters with God. Your entire congregation will begin to talk about their faith. The E-vent creates consensus and momentum in your church!

The third piece in this series is designed for clergy and is entitled: Unbinding your Church: Steps & Sermons for Pastors. This piece provides support to the previous two books by providing tools and resources to pastors committed to sharing faith that is transforming.

Unbinding the Gospel

2007-05-16T11:48:00.000-04:00

Mainline Protestant Churches have struggled with the whole issue of evangelism -- in part because of an unnecessary linking of evangelism with high pressure efforts. Martha Grace Reese, a Disciples of Christ pastor and consultant on evangelism has written an excellent new book called Unbinding the Gospel, published in late 2006 by Chalice Press.

A review of the book can be found at Ponderings on a Faith Journey, the blog of Pastor Bob Cornwall, editor of Sharing the Practice. Click here to read the review.

A Prayer for One to Go With Us in Ministry

2007-05-16T11:41:00.000-04:00

From The Merton Institute for Contemplative Living weekly meditation.

"Teach me to go to the country beyond words and beyond names. Teach me to pray on this side of the frontier, here where these woods are.

I need to be led by you. I need my heart to be moved by you. I need my soul to be made clean by your prayer. I need my will to be made strong by you. I need the world to be saved and changed by you. I need you for all those who suffer, who are in prison, in danger, in sorrow. I need you for all the crazy people. I need your healing hand to work always in my life. I need you to make me, as you made your Son, a healer, a comforter, a savior. I need you to name the dead. I need you to help the dying cross their particular rivers. I need you for myself whether I live or die. I need to be your monk and your son. It is necessary. Amen."

Thomas Merton. A Search for Solitude. Journals, volume 4. Lawrence S. Cunningham, editor. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1996: 46-47

Thought to Remember

"Show us your Christ, Lady, after this our exile, yes, but show Him to us also now, show Him to us here, while we are still wanderers."

Thomas Merton. The Seven Storey Mountain. New York: Harcourt, Brace: 130.

What Would You Preach?

2007-05-10T21:30:00.000-04:00

Colleagues.

WWYP ... that is, "What Would You Preach?"

Many of you know that my father-in-law has been serving a church in South Carolina for the past six years or so. He resigned as pastor of the church when he hit the Big Double O on 4-23-07. His last sermon was on 4-22-07 when he was 99 years and 364 days old. When he finished the worship service, he handed out printed copies of his sermon to the congregation.

I will tell you later what the text and title of his sermon was, but this leads me to think, and I know it has been done before with the pulpiteers of the recent past: What would one preach for one's "last" sermon? What text, what topic would be chosen? What would you say, at 100 years old and after a ministry of 73 years?

Dr. Joe is not through preaching. He is simply not going to serve a church as it's pastor. He is still doing Bible studies and prayer meetings, and is busy being the unofficial chaplain of the retirement center where he lives, visiting folks and praying for them, and giving recognition to their birthdays and anniversaries, etc. He will preach on occasion as a pulpit supply. BTW, he writes all new sermons when he preaches. He does not has a barrel, since he threw all his sermons away many years ago, and does not keep his sermons as such (the "better ones" are printed up and given away) as people ask for them.

Rev. Dr. David W. Nash, FAPC
Pastor, PCUSA (retired)

Fracture -- A Movie Review

2007-05-09T21:54:00.000-04:00

FRACTURE
by Darryl Zoller, FAPC

On the Friday that FRACTURE opened at area theatres. I went to see it because I like mysteries and Anthony Hopkins is in this one. His acting is almost always worth watching.

At a continuing education event a presenter said that pastors should read more mysteries. Why? Often pastors live in a bubble where it is church all the time and have fewer encounters with the world and its evils. Reading mysteries reminds us of the reality of good and evil and the constant battle between them. Of course, reading the daily newspaper can provide this, too!

Enter FRACTURE, a film that presents mysteries, riddles, enigmas, and some entertaining dark humor. Anthony Hopkins plays Ted Crawford who is married to a beautiful trophy wife who is having an torrid affair with a police detective Rob Nunnally, played by David Strathairn. Crawford knows of the affair and shoots his wife, sending her into a coma. Nunnally responds to the scene of the crime, only to find out that the mystery woman he was having an affair with is Crawford's wife. Crawford freely admits doing the deed. Crawford is promptly arrested, booked, charged, and then the fun begins as he traps a cocky Assistant District Attorney Willy Beachum, played by Willy Beachum, into prosecuting him for a crime that seems easy to win ... or so it seems at first.

So, the twists and turns are engaging, Hopkins is at his best form, and the humor is dark. I was able to see the surprise ending coming as you may, but, hey, it's worth it just to see Hopkins's Cheshire cat grin and minute facial changes that communicate so much more than mere words can. Even the few words Hopkins is scripted fit the man he portrays.

Hopkins may be getting too old for parts where he has a young wife. Gosling, who looks like he is a teenager, appeared too young for his part. Strathairn looks like he belongs in the pages of GQ but his acting passed my believability test. Don't miss Billy Burke who plays the District Attorney. I like his acting and found his part added some color to the main plot.

Every crime has a flaw, a fracture, that allows it to be solved and justice to reign. Go see FRACTURE. I give it 3.5 stars out of 5.

Darryl C. Zoller,
Visit our website: http://www.SmithvilleUMC.org

Teaching and Learning -- Thoughts by Anthony Robinson

2007-05-08T13:28:00.000-04:00

Anthony B. Robinson's book What's Theology Got to Do with It? (Alban, 2006) was named as one of the Academy of Parish Clergy's Ten Best Books published in 2006. In this week's Alban Weekly newsletter, a selection from that book is found.

Entitled "Pastor as Teacher, Congregation as Learning Community," this article lays out the importance of the teaching role of the pastor and the importance of the congregation being a learning community. This is especially true today, living as we do in a pluralistic culture, where we can no longer depend on the culture to inculcate the values and teachings of the faith.

Here is a snippet, but read the whole piece:

While pastors and congregations must make choices among the array of possible priorities before them, my argument is not so much that the pastoral role of teacher and theologian and the congregational one of a teaching and learning community are to be preferred to others. Rather, my argument is that such an understanding gives order and coherence to the many functions and activities of clergy and congregations. We are in the business, or so it seems to me, of teaching and embodying a way of life, a particular way of being human in relationship to God. In all that we do, both as religious leaders and as congregations, we teach. Sometimes the lessons we teach are not consistent with the faith and values we profess, but right or wrong, faithful or derelict, we teach, we model, we form, and we inform.

Virginia Tech Idiocy and Theodicy -- Roger Imhoff, APC

2007-05-07T19:02:00.000-04:00

CLERGY CORNER
VIRGINIA TECH IDIOCY AND THEODICY
By The Rev. Roger G. Imhoff, Jr.

A Virginia Tech student’s despicable actions on April 16 has left over 30 people dead, prompting many questions. How could it have been stopped? Do we need better gun laws? Should we not work harder to create a non-violent world? Is evil based on the given of humanity’s free well? Can we forgive?

However, this tragedy made me reflect on the question of THEODICY, which one dictionary defines as “a vindication of divine justice in allowing evil to exist.” Another calls this “God’ permissive will.”

Years ago in CREED OR CHAOS, Roman Catholic mystery writer Dorothy Sayers asked why the evils of her day such as wars, persecutions, cruelties, Hitlerism and Bolshevism, were not stopped by an all-good, all-powerful God> her response to someone’s question as to why God didn’t smite a certain dictator dead, was “Madam, why did God not strike you dumb before you uttered that baseless, unkind slander yesterday?” Why was I allowed to act with such cruel lack of consideration to my well-meaning friend? Why, sir, did God not cause your hand to rot off at the wrist before you signed your name to that dirty little bit of financial trickery? People do not mean to do these things? Then why do them? To suggest that our own misdeeds are less repellent because our opportunities for doing damage are less spectacular than those of others, and seem too trivial for God to bother about, does not let us off the hook. Why does God not sometimes feel like wiping us all out tomorrow?”

My interpretation of Sayers’ thoughts is that we need to repent for wrong actions no matter how seemingly insignificant, and as we witness someone else committing some terrible evil, we might have the honesty to say, “there but for the grace of God go I.”

I don’t have all the answers. It seems to me that some things evil and some things good have mysterious origins. As to God’s role, I think that Rabbi Harold Kushner’s thesis in WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE was that even God cannot prevent some tragedies, though God weeps with us as they occur. Therefore, perhaps one response to the Virginia Tech tragedy is to wing our prayers toward that place, and to support people affected by death, injury or loss. Scripture reminds us “to weep with those who weep.” We can empathize with those who mourn, those in pain, those who wrestle with deep anger, and those struggling to find some redemptive meaning in what has happened.

To continue to work for justice and confront evil as best we can is obvious. However, it seems to me that evil will probably continue to raise its ugly head till the end of time. Further, unless we are given to a Manichean philosophy which says that we, alone, as children of the light and that all others are not, we might realize that each of us has the ability to do both good and evil things. No wonder POGO once said, “we have met the enemy and it is us.”

Beyond utilizing some responses already mentioned, perhaps our deepest response can be to affirm Easter’s message that our God goes with us and all victims through the valley of the shadow of death. Also, we might confess something that many of us say most Sabbath weekends: “Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison: Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy.” May such Divine mercy embrace us and all people at this hour.

Retired Lutheran pastor Roger G. Imhoff, Jr., APC, is a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, which worships each week with Christ Church, Episcopal, Sheffield, Mass., at 8am and 10am. This was originally written for the Berkshire Record.

The Critical Importance of Leadership -- by Rev. Dr. Fred Lehr, APC

2007-05-07T15:01:00.000-04:00

This article appeared in the March 2007 issue of Sharing the Practice, 30 (Spring 2007): 9-10. It was noticed that an important section was accidentally removed during placement of the text. This is the full text as it should have appeared in that issue.

I want to bring a key issue into focus at a time of year when many judicatories anticipate holding annual or regular meetings that may choose new judicatory executives. I believe that the position of judicatory executive is the most important in the life of the Church today. If we have the wrong person in that office, then it is all the more difficult for parish clergy to effectively do their ministries in the face of all the pressures and problems that exist in congregations.

To get at my proposition, I want to cite a very simple piece of research that Loren Mead and I did some years ago. Loren put together four questions that we then asked judicatory executives to answer. The questions were:

What three areas do you feel lay and clergy leaders would say are their most pressing concerns?
What changes do you see in the pipeline for the churches that are likely to make life more difficult for professional church leaders?
What changes do you see coming that seem hopeful for professional church leaders?
What are your two or three most pressing personal concerns about your professional future and that of your judicatory?

This set of questions was sent to several hundred judicatory executives in a variety of denominations such as Lutheran (ELCA), United Methodist, Presbyterian Church USA, United Church of Christ, and Episcopal. We received 52 responses to the four questions, thus yielding 297 individual statements.

Those 297 statements were then categorized into four groups as follows:

Group one would be called “Interdependence” or the “I’m okay, you’re okay” category, meaning that there were signs of positive, respectful, and supportive interaction with honesty and closeness while maintaining healthy boundaries.
Group two would be called “Hidden Codependence” or “I’m okay, you’re not okay” category with signs of dominance, control, and grandiosity on the part of the professional leadership who tries to rescue the laity from their mediocrity.
Group three would be called “Hopelessness” or “I’m not okay, you’re not okay” category with depression, anger, and a sense of “nothing ever changes.”
Group four would be called “Codependence” or “I’m not okay, you’re okay” category with submissive, martyr, and hero or suffering servant role for the professional leadership who sacrifices to meet the overwhelming demands of the parishioners.

Of the 297 statements, none (not even one) fell into the healthy category one grouping, “Interdependence”. There were 42 in the “Hidden Codependence” category. With 157 statements in the “Hopelessness” category and the remaining 98 statements were in the “Codependence” category. Thus, according to this simple piece of research, there were no judicatory executives out of the 52 who responded to our questions who believed that the Church had a healthy future!! A very large number (33%) supported the “Codependence” grouping capitulating to the notion that professional church leaders ought to be submissive martyrs for the desires of the congregation at the cost of their own health and well-being and that of their families. And the largest grouping of statements, 53%, identified the “Hopelessness” category as being present now and into the future. The remaining 14% envisioned the “Hidden Codependence” category now and/or into the future.

Here’s the scary outcome of this study: None of the judicatory executives who responded saw the present or future as hopeful and holding even the possibility that the Church might be a healthy and wholesome place to do ministry!! Every one of them had either capitulated to the pressures of a codependent system demanding the self-sacrifice of the local clergy for the demands of the congregation or saw the future either hopeless or in need of “Hidden Codependent” leadership (i.e. dominating and grandiose).

This is more than scary. This is dramatically sad.

What we need are judicatory executives who will assertively insist that congregations relate to the professional leadership in ways consistent with the “Interdependent” category; mutually respectful and trusting, open and honest, close without crossing boundaries. What we need are judicatory executives who have the skills to discern and diagnose the situation, make meaningful and effective interventions and not be afraid of the normal and healthy conflict that will naturally result.

More than good theologians and solid biblical scholars, we need judicatory executives who have the knowledge and skills to manage a pathological system, recognize its ills and be a critical facilitator of movement into healthy and caring interactions.

The “popularity contest” means of choosing these executives is not working. We need to examine their backgrounds, their practices of ministry, and their orientations more thoroughly before the selection process unfolds very far.

On the other hand, and perhaps even more dangerous, are those executives who are gooey-eyed optimists who refuse to see the burnout and codependence and who declare that everything is just fine and that folks like me are just choosing to see the glass half empty when it is really more than half full. These types, in their denial, are more troublesome than those who at least recognize the severity of the situation even if they are not prepared to handle it.

What we need are executives who know the synthesis that results from balancing optimism with some realistic pessimism, but without yielding to the pessimism or an exaggerated optimism. These are executives who know that balance and can function comfortably in it.

Let me suggest that we not busy ourselves blaming others. That will not move us forward. In fact, the executives serve under the very same pressures as do the parish clergy – and perhaps even more.

As our parishioners demand of us submission and denial of our well-being – even so do we burden our judicatory executives with the same demands? They are not rewarded for good self-care but rather for “duty above and beyond the call.” They are not praised for attending to their own needs and those of their family’s in a healthy balance with the duties of their ministries. They are not commended for being a role model of an appropriate practice of their calling so that we can fulfill our callings in that commendable shadow.

We are as much the problem as they are for we are participants in the process that puts them in their executive positions and establishes and perpetuates the pathologies that poison our Church.

A true example: recently the judicatory to which I belong (an ELCA synod) re-elected our bishop. Everyone knew going in that it would happen. That wasn’t the problem. The problem for me was how it happened. With the ecclesiastical ballot, the first ballot was a nominating ballot and no one was elected. If we got past the second ballot, then the top seven candidates would be allowed to make brief speeches before the third ballot. I had hoped that we would have that opportunity – not to unseat the incumbent, but to at least hear some varied opinions on the status of the synod and some ideas of what ought to be done. Instead, the mood of the assembly was to hurry and re-elect the current bishop on the second ballot so we could all go home early. So we could all go home early… No discussion about what was going right or what was going wrong in the synod. No effort was made to identify areas in need of improvement or to congratulate the current administration for specific work well done. Just get it over and go home; that was the prevailing attitude.

That’s us – all too often. We fail to venture into the fray with any ardor. We are reluctant to bring up delicate topics and call into accountability those who don’t want to be subject to such fair and open scrutiny. I’m not calling for obnoxious behavior, but proper and assertive action to lay open the wounds that need healing rather than ignore them to fester without care.

Instead, we can be voices that speak up and ask for full and open dialogue with our executives. We can be champions who support our executives when they dare to do the right thing, when they dare to challenge the codependence, when they have the audacity to envision a Church that is healthy and free of pathology – as idealistic as that may seem. Without a vision, it will not come to pass.

And God has provided us with a vision of God’s Church that we have abandoned. God set the example in the Incarnation. Our calling, our privilege is to be responsible to that calling. Our opportunity is to lay claim to the vision, to encourage and support our judicatory executives as they struggle against the pressures to instill that vision into the congregations, and to be agents of that vision in our own lives and ministries.

You can’t cure what you refuse to diagnose. You can’t cure what you refuse to envision as healing and wholeness.

What we need are judicatory executives who truly understand and are more than willing to champion the cause. What we need are clergy and laity who will demand that there be a healthy process to obtain such executives and then support them when they are so chosen.

I see the Academy of Parish Clergy as a fantastic presence within the Church to begin this transition. We are dedicated to a healthier Church. We lay claim to a better vision. And we desire to support each other in the struggle. We are a natural vanguard for the movement. What we need is the blessing and grace that God so freely gives us to be God’s people – even within the Church.

Dr. Fred Lehr, APC is author of Clergy Burnout: Recovering from the 70 Hour Work Week and Other Self-Defeating Practices (Augsburg Press, 2006)

Church Facing Transitional Moment

2007-05-05T19:25:00.000-04:00

Suzanne Shafer-Coats passed on to me the story of Riverside Church in New York, which is starting the search process to replace retiring James Forbes.

The article, which is found in the New York Times, is quite interesting and may prove valuable to members of the Academy. I have given my thoughts on the matter on my own blog -- Ponderings on a Faith Journey.

Academy of Parish Clergy Book of the Year and Top Ten Books of 2006

2007-05-05T00:28:00.000-04:00

Book of the Year
and Top Ten Books of 2006

Chosen by the Academy of Parish Clergy

Presented April 25, 2007 at APC’s Annual Conference, Princeton, NJ

The Book of the Year of 2006:

Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church is Transforming the Faith, by Diana Butler Bass (HarperCollins Publishers, 2006).

The remaining Top Ten Books (in alphabetical order by author’s name):

Conspiracy and Imprisonment 1940-1945 (Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Volume 16), by Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Fortress Press, 2006)

Jesus: Uncovering the Life, Teachings and Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary, by Marcus J. Borg, (HarperSanFrancisco, 2006).

Gentle Shepherding: Pastoral Ethics and Leadership, by Joseph E. Bush Jr. (Chalice Press, 2006)

The Sense of Call: A Sabbath Way of Life for Those Who Serve God, The Church, and the World, by Marva J. Dawn (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2006)

What’s Theology Got To Do With It? Conviction, Vitality, and the Church, by Anthony B.Robinson, (Alban, 2006).

Cities of God: The Real Story of How Christianity Became an Urban Movement and Conquered Rome, by Rodney Stark (HarperSanFrancisco, 2006)

Congregational Leadership in Anxious Times: Being Calm and Courageous No Matter What, by Peter L. Steinke (Alban Institute, 2006)

God in Public: Four Ways American Christianity and Public Life Relate, by Mark G. Toulouse (Westminster/John Knox, 2006)Press)

Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense, by N. T. Wright (Harper SanFrancisco, 2006)

This year the Academy of Parish Clergy also honors Pentateuch (handwritten and illuminated by Donald Jackson), published by the Liturgical Press, as the first of seven volumes of the Saint John’s Bible produced by the Order of Saint Benedict, St. John’s Abbey, Collegeville, Minnesota.

Sharing the Practice -- A New Blog

2007-05-04T21:59:00.000-04:00

Sharing the Practice is the official journal of the Academy of Parish Clergy. The Academy came into existence in 1968 to serve the parish clergy to support collegiality, continuing education, and excellence in ministry.

Sharing the Practice is a journal, edited by Robert Cornwall that provides articles written by pastors for pastors and book reviews of leading books. This blog will serve to support the work of the journal, providing updates, announcements, reviews, links, and more. This is only the beginning!

Bob Cornwall
Editor