Howdy
Mike
usual excuses.
I must say that I have avoided pastors' groups--whether in person or
on-line--for about a decade. When I moved to Traverse City from my
previous call I just never re-established those ties. As the months
and then years passed I found I did not miss them. I tried starting a
monthly lunch fellowship among pastors in our neck of this Presbytery
but after a couple of years gave it up.
Maybe I have just had a bad run of luck, but the groups I frequented
were dominated by wariness. Real support was rare. Bitter comments
about other pastors and members of our congregations were common. I
became a target if I honestly shared my theology (Calvinist) and my
politics (Buckley conservative). The condescension was unbelievable.
Northern Lakes Community Church (NLCC) supplied me with a couple of
good friends. I have a few close pastor friends around the country.
Without a lot of thought or intentionality I invested myself in them
and, with one local, non-Presbyterian exception, dropped efforts at
deepening relationships with other pastors.
I look forward to honest, caring conversation in this group because I
know those already signed up and trust you. But I have to tell you
that if the tenor of our comments should deteriorate I will simply
stop participating. I think we all have enough grief in our lives
already.
Toward that end, I want to share that at NLCC we are struggling to
grow our way past a couple of challenges. First, we are now eleven
years old and the initial burst of spiritual and physical energy that
carried us through has markedly diminished. Second, we are building
our own addition. The financial and time strains this creates are
considerable.
Worship attendance is stagnant. Worship services seem to have
regained a certain spirit with the hiring of a new music director
1/1/08. I find my preaching to be somewhat predictable. I am aware
that I keep hitting the same five or seven themes, but the feedback I
receive remains positive.
We are looking to revitalize our worship. Our session has let a few
programs and even committees die in the attempt to refocus on worship,
discipleship and hands-on mission. We are trying to focus on quality
and integrity to the Word.
Do any of you have similar feelings and experiences--about any of the
topics in this rambling post? Can you give me wisdom about what may
lie ahead?
Mike R
Scott White
Thanks so much for joining the group. I'm going to reply to you once
through the group, which will go to all group members, and a second time
privately. No big private thing, just so you can see the different ways we
can do this and how it looks in your email box. And now that you're a group
member and I know your google ID I will also send you an invite to be a
contributor to our blog,
http://missionandministryinnorthernmichigan.blogspot.com/
My thought, we're all almost all the time on the edge of our energies; we're
weary. Maybe we're satisfied with contact with other pastors and church
leaders of various stripes, maybe we could use more. So, not with
uncritical enthusiasm or anything am I commending to the presbytery these 4
google groups (as starters) and the blog. They can play a role; serve in
part. Here's why (excerpt from a recent post to the blog:)
"The more I get involved as a participant in mission and ministry in
Northern Michigan, simply, the better I feel. I can't tell you how it
blessed me, and the church I serve, First Presbyterian in Escanaba, when we
got involved in two earth day events through Earth Keepers. I can't tell you
(ditto) when we got involved with the Angel Mission Free Store in Calumet. I
can't tell you (ditto) the joy it was to discover the Holy Transfiguration
Skete in Eagle Harbor and what the brothers do there. Etc!
There are things going on!
So, why is it difficult to find out what's going on? Whatever reason that
is, now we have a place where we can post brief articles and essays, and
respond to them (comments).
I'm on board and I'm hoping that a lot of people with a heart to be the body
of Christ at work in the Northern Michigan world will regularly drop by and
we can be in touch."
I will seriously hope that the conversation in these media avoids any
tendency to deteriorate as you have described. I don't think there's much
likelihood of that...
I can ditto some of what you're saying about occasional ebbings of energies
at church and in the service. As a first call pastor, in my fifth year, I
wouldn't presume to speak any of my humble thoughts on revitalization.
However, I will say that yesterday was Youth Sunday at FPC/Escanaba, and
again, as in previous years, they and the good Lord blessed! God is good!
More in a little bit.
Peace
Scott