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+

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

Authenticity and Identity

When someone is in a position of church leadership, others soon identify him or her as the “go to” person. I remember my years as assistant head usher in the early 1990s in Northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. I was greeting people, distributing bulletins and helping guests locate the nursery and other facilities. I thrived in that role. But what really made me realize that I was a leader was that Easter vigil service when something went wrong. People looked to me to solve the problem, which I did. In fact, I liked knowing that others saw me as a leader and actually depended on me to take responsibility while providing a sense of calm. Yes. That was nice.

But oh, there still was a difference when I became ordained; when I was the person to lead the service, versus be a volunteer or licensed lay leader. The buck stops with me now. If a service goes flat, they look to me. I no longer am “one of the girls” in church. I am the source of calm or of worry. I set the tone for the congregation. I also must look only to myself as the person ultimately responsible. That also is fine. I have no problems with that. But will the aspirants to leadership positions feel the same?

How do I explain this change to those whom I counsel when discerning their calls to ordained or commissioned leadership? Is it something that I can articulate and they can really understand? Will it be something that they live into gradually, or is it something like an epiphany, much like the V-8 commercial, with a hand slapping one’s forehead when it dawns on him or her when it occurs?

Further, how do I explain what it was like discerning a call within a parish that still remembers me as the insecure and skinny teen of long ago? That image haunted me early in my discernment process. I had to leave that church and continue my discernment for a few more years before I could break free of that shadow. I had that luxury, but those who are discerning calls within mutual ministry, within communities that they never left or returned, do not have that luxury. How do I help them with that shadow side of ministry development within their “home” parishes?

I keep raising these issues with the “aspirants”; life is different and will be different as they discern and accept their calls to leadership in the church. Perhaps I need to accept that I cannot fully explain it for them. I cannot fully prepare them. I can only hope (and pray) that I am there to support them when it happens and that they will understand that, yes, we tried to prepare them for that day, even if there was no way for them to comprehend all of our efforts. Will that be enough? I pray that it is. I guess that is all that I can do, with God’s help.

Theresa