A Good Death

What is a good death? We talk about a good life? We see the optimistic logo of “Life is Good” on a wide variety of apparel and other items. We smile when we see the stick figure man or his stick figure relatives or friends doing or being that which gives them pleasure. But is a “good death” anything similar? As a ministry developer in formation and service, I have been asking myself this very question. My answer? A resounding “No.”

Yet, despite my “no,” I also have a sense of what a “good death” is. I also see one of my fundamental roles as a ministry developer to be a companion to others experiencing a death as we seek to make it a “good death.” Parishes, ministries, and ministers must engage with death—dance with death--when we acknowledge that we no longer should continue that which no longer brings energy for the people involved. In many ways, we “dance” with death when we engage in making changes of any sort—good or bad—for they involve a grief for what was and what may no longer be.

Perhaps one of the most challenging, yet compelling and beautiful, activities in which we ministry developers engage is that of pastoring others through a change that leads to a good death. We are called to demonstrate that we care, that we will be there as a companion each step along the way, and that we join them in grieving that loss. But the other important part of the journey along the path to and through a “good death” is to assist others in seeing the new birth that comes out of a good death. A good death always leads to a new birth of sorts, for we must till the seeds of death back into the soil and nurture them for them to spring forward into that new birth.

We also must be patient. We must nurture, watch, and sometimes just wait for the new birth to sprout. We then must repeat the process once again.

Yes. That is one of the fundamental tasks of being a ministry developer—being the loyal, patient, caring companion to help open eyes and hearts to what is before and grieve with others the good death from which the new birth may emerge.

Theresa+

Reflecting on the 2015 Living Stones Partnership Meeting

            It has been two months since I departed San Antonio, Texas, and the 2015 annual meeting of the Living Stones Partnership meeting. It was a gathering of friends and colleagues involved in ministry development. Many of those gathered identify as ministry developers; others lack that identification. But each of us gathered believe that God calls each of us to different ministries and empowers us with the gifts that we need to live into those ministries and thus live into serving the Missio Dei—the Mission of God. What a beautiful gathering of people filled with the spirit and love for God, God’s Mission, and the ministry of each and all!

            Yet, there also are challenges, and one of those challenges is in informing others about our passion for this “thing” we call “ministry development” and assisting each other in companioning our colleagues in the discernment and nurturing of their gifts in accordance with God’s call and mission. In that vein, I recommend that people read an article on our time together in February 2015, whether at the International Symposium or the annual Living Stones Partnership meeting. Follow this link to read an article by Carole Bell, of the Diocese of Northern Michigan, on both events. And if you wish to engage in conversation and further exploration of your thoughts, please explore further the Living Stones Partnership website and the various resources referenced on that site.

 

Theresa+

The Many “Hats” of Ministry Development

It has been nearly a year since I last posted to my blog. Not out of a lack of interest: I do enjoy writing. But I would guess it is more a matter of my difficulty in determining which hat or hats I am now wearing and whether I can hold on to them long enough to post something before the winds of change blow them away. 

Over the past year in the picturesque mountains of rural Western Maryland, I have experienced the highs and lows of mountaintops and valleys. I have held hands with a dozen or so active parishioners as they decided that they no longer could continue to hold services as a viable independent parish. Exhausted of energy, time and a range of needed talents, the people needed to look elsewhere to develop new church community relationships. We grieved together, but we knew that we needed to say “goodbye” to that which no longer was viable to participate in something new and growing. It was a courageous faith-filled decision, and I was blessed to be one of their companions.

I mourned that change as their parish priest, but I rejoiced in their strength of faith and resilience as they moved on to other parish communities. They have since discovered new interests and activities in their new church homes. Some have explored other new interests now that they no longer have had to be the sole (and soul) sustaining force in their previous community.

And now I rejoice again as I wear my ministry developer and diocesan staff “hat” as I see other church communities look at those same tired buildings and envision new possibilities for those facilities. Imagination—God-centered imagination--is at work as these church communities tour the buildings and suggest new life to be born inside. Like a young butterfly emerging from a cocoon, the possibilities are yet to unfurl.

Yet, I also explore several of the other “hats” that I wear as well. I continue to visit the sick, the dying, the grieving. I listen to their stories. I sit quietly beside them. I coax them to see the possibilities. I invite them to acknowledge God’s presence with them in the times of struggle and of rejoicing. And sometimes—yes, sometimes—I hear them speak of new ways in which to direct their energy as they emerge from loss, sickness or grief. Those are very special moments. I witness new life, and I am invited to the most precious of invitations: to companion them in their grief, fears and sadness.

Ministry development requires many hats and many hat changes. I wonder which hat I will wear next?! I guess I will know better tomorrow.

 

Theresa+

 

Church and the Three-Ring Circus

I write this message while I am attending the third annual Living Stones Partnership meeting held at the Circus Circus resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is the annual meeting of the partnership of dioceses, seminaries, individuals, and communities of faith interested in mutual/shared ministry. Through the partnership, communities explore ways to assist and support persons in discerning their gifts and then empowering them to use those gifts as God and Christ are calling them to do. At its essence it is a matter of letting the light of Christ shine forth, much like the focus of the Epiphany season’s Sunday lectionary readings of recent weeks.

 

As I meet with colleagues and friends in this city of bright lights and overstated opulence, light and brightness surround me. Christ is right here, serving the thousands of people who work very hard in the entertainment and hospitality business, those who support those businesses, and the many who are suffering from financial or other adversities.

 

But Las Vegas also is a city of noise. The clamor of slot machines, as well as the voices of patrons and workers, surround me. I meander through the floors of smoke and noise, making my way to meetings and to quieter spaces where I can concentrate on what I am here to do. I attend these meetings not to bathe in opulence or escape the snow but instead to grow my gifts in empowering, guiding, and assisting ministers in the Church and world.

 

 But I cannot escape the three-ring circus motif of where I am staying. It reminds me greatly of the Lenten season that we enter in just a few short weeks. We leave the season of light and begin the more penitential season of Lent. On Palm Sunday, we read the Passion of Christ and begin our “red” Holy Week filled with emotion and sadness. We immerse ourselves in the sadness of the Good Friday wake, only to celebrate the Feast of the Resurrection three days later. Alleluia! The alleluias are jarring after 40 alleluia-less days of personal reflection and worship.

 

Yet, Lent is not a season of calm. In many ways, it is a “three ring circus” of another nature. Whether Lent begins in February or in March, we enter Lent in the midst of uncertain weather patterns, posing its many risks for our friends and neighbors. We devote additional time to shoveling, de-icing, and stoking wood, pellet and coal stoves. We devote additional time to checking on friends and neighbors to make sure that they are warm, safe and fed.

 

We exit our season of hibernation from regular educational, social, and fundraising activities. The flurry of other circles of activity begins, with ebbs and flows as the different activities draw our community members together. We now must make choices between immersing ourselves in one circle of activity, catching a glimpse of this event, or perhaps a glimpse of that. We foster the energy that surrounds us as we support and encourage one another. The simultaneous rings of action trigger laughter and new discoveries, as we learn and tap into each other’s stories and gifts. It is a glorious and energy-creating beauty to behold. And the greatest joy is in confirming once again that, with God’s help, we can do and be all that we are called to do and be.

 

Theresa+

 

Team Ministry on the “Little Screen”

I admit to being an avid fan of a select group of police action television shows. By and large, my “select” list consists of shows in which women are portrayed as competent leaders and colleagues alongside their male counterparts. I am not referring to the shows that portray men as idiots (e.g., King and Maxwell) or those with a male-female team where there is a romantic element (e.g., Hart to Hart). Those dynamics detract from what interests me, and that is: team work. In short, I am attracted to shows that demonstrate the essence of a team across genders, cultures, etc.

Ever watch the TNT show, Major Crimes? Two members of the TV-created Major Crimes Division of Los Angeles are female—the captain and one of the team of detectives. The female supervisor delegates authority to the team members according to their respective strengths. She knows their gifts and skills; she realizes that a team is made stronger through the sharing and growth of members’ individual strengths. She also understands that delegating responsibilities and authority, as well as acknowledging another’s gifts, does not detract from her own. Instead, it makes for a stronger and more effective team. It also avoids burn-out by the leader and fosters trust in all members.

How about Flashpoint? I know! I admit it! One of my early attractions to the show was the fact that the team included a petite woman who more than “carries her own weight” in performing as a member of the Toronto Strategic Response Unit. But with each show I am drawn into the excitement of seeing the team members operate as a team. If a member is unarmed or assuming the role of negotiator in a volatile situation, that member’s life literally depends on the judgment and skills of the other members of the team.

There is no territorial rivalry here. Each knows what he or she is assigned to do, but they are trained to anticipate (and think like) each other and work as a team, which is very different from working as a committee. Further, knowing the emotional toil of being an SRU member, each cares for each other and makes sure that they support each other emotionally so that the work does not unduly impact their personal and family lives.

Team ministry within the Church is much the same. It is not work by committee. It is not a pyramid of bosses with lesser and lesser authority as one works down the strata. It is the coming together of gifted persons who are encouraged to share their gifts (and authority) for the sake of the team. They acknowledge their individual gifts and “growing edges;” the primary concern is achieving the team’s missions—the work of the Church—not the glorification of self. Further, they understand the emotional and physical toil of ministry on the individual ministers and offer needed support to each other the best that they can.

Hmm. Who would have ever expected it?! In this media-dominated world that we live in, we can look to the “little screen” for models of team ministry.

Theresa

Revolutionary Evolution

The laity are the heart and soul of the Church (note big “C” church), and the development of leaders has existed from day one of the Christian church’s existence. The early disciples—both named and unnamed, both female and male—led based on their faith, independent of whether or not Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit on them. The breath of the Holy Spirit offered a tangible reminder of their commissioning; however, formal commissioning was not involved. Yet, no one doubts that Jesus had 12 brave named male disciples and countless other named and unnamed disciples as well.

Over the past 2000-plus years, the number of Christian disciples has grown. Some are called to the more restrictive ministry of the ordained, with the bulk being called to lay service and ministry. Despite the fact that ordination restricts a person’s life and ministry (and subjects the person to greater scrutiny—just ask any cleric), there remains a hierarchy of lay and ordained in the minds of people and churches across the globe that is reverse of reality.

By and large, ministry development is the revolutionary work of developing the laity to eliminate this disconnect between the apparent and true hierarchical composition of our church communities. It also involves the revolutionary work of assisting the people in identifying accurately the gifts within its “membership” and particularly each person self-identifying his or her own gifts. Frankly, accurate identification is not easy. Our judgments are clouded by long-held perceptions, fears, and even rumor; consequently, the involvement of a fearless, objective ministry developer is critical to success.

Yes, fearless and objective, for most effective ministry developers are “outsiders.” Being an “outsider” in the isolated villages and hamlets within which many rural ministry developers live and work is in many ways a plus and a minus. Being an “outsider” offers the objective approach necessary to this task yet also means that the gifted developer must develop a level of trust before beginning to share his or her “revolutionary” insights. The developer also must be fearless in suggesting novel and often revolutionary ideas.

Authenticity, persistence, and humor also are important. I reflect on my sharing recently at a retreat that one of my spiritual gifts is my not taking myself too seriously. People chuckled, which I admit I found quite odd. Perhaps they really do not understand ministry development? Or perhaps the concept of ministry development is still too revolutionary for its evolution to be detected? I guess that remains to evolve. In the meantime, I will just continue to be the revolutionary in Western Maryland.

Theresa

The Development Cycle

If you were to “google” the word “development,” particularly in the context of church or the nonprofit world, you are likely to get numerous hits for discussions involving financial stewardship, endowments, and the like. But as a self-professed ministry developer, “development” has a different meaning to me. It means the development and empowerment of new ministers—ministers throughout the full spectrum of however that minister and the minister’s ministries might evolve.

For many years I have spoken to others in the financial planning sector of the empowerment of individuals as financial decision-makers and planners through education: empowerment through building the confidence of individuals in the ability to make wise decisions. A little education and knowledge can build highly empowered individuals who do not “freeze” when it comes to making a decision about their own financial situations and now have the confidence to make prudent decisions. I now translate that same concept to the ministry development world—my new world professionally for more than three years now and arguably much longer in truth.

I recently attended the 2013 Living Stones Partnership meeting, at which ministry developers join to discuss concerns, brainstorm about new ideas, and share ministry celebrations and “aha” moments. My greatest “aha” moment, however, was not in the midst of a formal meeting or presentation. Instead, it was the moment that I realized that, yes, I am a ministry developer in all that I do, regardless of my professional title, the function I am performing, etc.

On meeting me for the first time, another colleague asked me the simple question: “Are you a ministry developer?” It was a simple question, but oh so enlightening to me on so many levels. As I started to respond, I suddenly realized that I am a ministry developer in every way that I approach my callings, whether they be professional, personal, or otherwise. I get a “high” from empowering and developing the gifts of and in others. And, frankly, I cannot identify when that first was the case; it has been the case long before I “became one” professionally in the mountains and hamlets of Western Maryland.

So how did that come to be? I honestly don’t know. But I certainly have been spending quite a bit of time mulling over that question the past two weeks since my return. Not sure if I will find an answer, but I do know that it has led me to another realization: the self-empowerment of the ministry developer.

At the same meeting, I also received one of the first two certificates in ministry development awarded by the Ministry Development Collaborative and the Living Stones Partnership. On receiving that certificate, in the midst of my friends and professional colleagues, I suddenly felt empowered—confident—in my gifts as a ministry developer. I was no more qualified then than I was five minutes earlier, but I felt different. I now found myself on multiple points on the ministry development spherical continuum, as it circled back to empower and support me once again in this ministry. And as it will continue to empower and support me as I continue in this great work. Wow! I cannot wait to see what’s next! This ministry development stuff sure is a powerful thing.

Theresa