Hello Fr. Cathie. How was your silent retreat? One day I think I shall do one. I know the hardest part for me will be giving up some things I love, but I’m unclear about the status of writing, reading, and listening to music— my three favorite activities.
I like questions because they stretch my thinking and take me out of myself, maybe sometimes open to God. So, here are some: Do the members of the community feel as positive about “church” as you? How do you (all) determine what works and what doesn’t? Are you a diocesan employee? Does your community request you to lead them in worship, or in other things your ordination prepares you for? Has the Bishop given you freedom to try things, or has he/she taken the supervisory role off the table?
Silent retreats can be structured as you like. I do *tons* of reading and writing on my retreats. I just don't talk :). and I put down my phone, and all other electronics. It's wonderful! (I had a great time, by the way).
- indeed, I am the sacramentalist at St. Paul's. I do lead them in worship - though they plan all worship, including selecting the Eucharistic prayers. I consider myself their 'clergy consultant' - I'm there to offer my wisdom and guidance, but they make the decisions.
- yes, they are at least as enthusiastic about the congregation as I am. It is an amazingly joyful and loving place. We all say 'i love you' out loud and frequently. And they add about 1 or 2 members per year - for a 30-something member church, a pretty big deal. Last year we baptized 10 people!
- the bishop has given me permission to try things. I keep him in the loop! In fact, he is visiting St. Paul's this weekend - and I won't be there. I want the bishop to have time with the congregation, and vice versa.
I am not a diocesan employee. I'm paid on task-based contract with the congregation. In other words, I'm not their 'vicar' or their 'priest in charge' or even their 'supply priest'. They call me their 'shepherd', and they pay me according to the ministry they ask for and I provide (sacraments, teaching, pastoral care, etc). But they tell me when/how they need it. For instance, if they want me to visit someone in the hospital, they ask me to. And they pay me for that visit.
I think this is a wonderful way to minister to a congregation. You’ve taken yourself out of the physical leadership role and have chosen a purely spiritual leadership role instead. What a refreshing way to lead a church. ♥️🙏🏼
i will tell you that it was a very practical decision early on - I was (and still am) juggling many different parts of ministry and this way just worked for me. Also, I felt like it honored and supported the congregation.
What I didn't expect - and has been the greatest benefit - was how spiritually refreshing it is to me! (and to them, I think).
As usual, so much to consider. I have a question for everyone in a struggling church (staff, members, hangers-on, visitors, anyone identified by Jesus as “neighbor”) which is—what do you identify, by name, as worthy of full relinquishment? Make a list. Across from each item write the cost of such loss. Not money, but personal, communal, or worldwide. In a third column write a specific benefit of each such release of ownership.
A more challenging follow-up would be to rank the top 10 items on the list, and see what remains as the work of Christ.
I wonder if a plunge right into this exercise would keep us from ruminating on “what-if paralysis?”
It seems to me we are outsourcing the church by bits and pieces. What is outsourced becomes, by function, detached from the communal life. Is this a fair criticism? Certainly a janitorial employee makes sense to me. We tried passing this around the members with minimal to no success. So my question remains: what is released, and to what cost/benefit?
thank you for another thoughtful and thought-provoking response!
Two things stand out here:
- 'I wonder if a plunge right into this exercise would keep us from ruminating on 'what-if-paralysis'?
Oh yes. I think you've put your finger on something really important here. the paralysis piece.
In fact, you've just written my next blog post for me! Stay tuned.
But this is SO important! I think so many congregations try to think themselves out of tough places, rather than actually *doing* something - pretty much anything! - differently.
The other is your comments on 'outsourcing', and how it is detached from communal life.
I have to disagree with you on this one.
I don't spend that much time with the congregation I serve - maybe 10 hours a *month* on average.
When I tell people this, they often worry out loud about a lack of pastoral connection with a community.
Yet I have never felt SO much connection with a group of people! and they to me. AND - I see this as a direct result of spending less time with them! The time I do spend is then both very precious, and very directed towards ministry together. It's 'quality time'.
Plus, I feel like their relationship with me brings *them* closer. the focus is less on me as their clergy person and more on their shared life with God.
I do not feel detached from community life. I feel blessed to be part of multiple communities in different ways. This is just one.
Outsourcing perhaps comes as a loaded term. Our organist-choir director plays one service and one rehearsal per week, so she is less than full-time. But she is in full charge of her area, too. There is a group of folks planning worship, whose work is not widely publicized. So she would be paid staff, part time, professional, and essential to our service, like the volunteer choir. “Outsourced” might or might not express this part of worship. I would say most of the community work is fully congregationally-driven. Perhaps the distinction involves what is needed for the 3-legged stool. The legs need relatively even length—shortening or weakening one or two legs leads to possible failure. What if there are multiple stools for different parts of the church? Or maybe we need to add a chair leg for scripture-reason-tradition-(and something to describe the voice of Jesus?). I certainly value your experience. I’m just trying to get to how this was built and is maintained.
May I risk ignorance of a traditional norm by asking what, without exception, is the requirement for Eucharist, and under what circumstances can it and can it not be celebrated? One of our long-time members does not support Eucharist each Sunday, but rather once a month. When I was a member of the Church of the Brethren we celebrated communion once per year at Love Feast. See what I mean when I said I was part of over a dozen unique denominations in over 60 years!
Hello Fr. Cathie. How was your silent retreat? One day I think I shall do one. I know the hardest part for me will be giving up some things I love, but I’m unclear about the status of writing, reading, and listening to music— my three favorite activities.
I like questions because they stretch my thinking and take me out of myself, maybe sometimes open to God. So, here are some: Do the members of the community feel as positive about “church” as you? How do you (all) determine what works and what doesn’t? Are you a diocesan employee? Does your community request you to lead them in worship, or in other things your ordination prepares you for? Has the Bishop given you freedom to try things, or has he/she taken the supervisory role off the table?
Hi!
Silent retreats can be structured as you like. I do *tons* of reading and writing on my retreats. I just don't talk :). and I put down my phone, and all other electronics. It's wonderful! (I had a great time, by the way).
to your questions:
- indeed, I am the sacramentalist at St. Paul's. I do lead them in worship - though they plan all worship, including selecting the Eucharistic prayers. I consider myself their 'clergy consultant' - I'm there to offer my wisdom and guidance, but they make the decisions.
- yes, they are at least as enthusiastic about the congregation as I am. It is an amazingly joyful and loving place. We all say 'i love you' out loud and frequently. And they add about 1 or 2 members per year - for a 30-something member church, a pretty big deal. Last year we baptized 10 people!
- the bishop has given me permission to try things. I keep him in the loop! In fact, he is visiting St. Paul's this weekend - and I won't be there. I want the bishop to have time with the congregation, and vice versa.
I am not a diocesan employee. I'm paid on task-based contract with the congregation. In other words, I'm not their 'vicar' or their 'priest in charge' or even their 'supply priest'. They call me their 'shepherd', and they pay me according to the ministry they ask for and I provide (sacraments, teaching, pastoral care, etc). But they tell me when/how they need it. For instance, if they want me to visit someone in the hospital, they ask me to. And they pay me for that visit.
I think this is a wonderful way to minister to a congregation. You’ve taken yourself out of the physical leadership role and have chosen a purely spiritual leadership role instead. What a refreshing way to lead a church. ♥️🙏🏼
thank you!
i will tell you that it was a very practical decision early on - I was (and still am) juggling many different parts of ministry and this way just worked for me. Also, I felt like it honored and supported the congregation.
What I didn't expect - and has been the greatest benefit - was how spiritually refreshing it is to me! (and to them, I think).
As usual, so much to consider. I have a question for everyone in a struggling church (staff, members, hangers-on, visitors, anyone identified by Jesus as “neighbor”) which is—what do you identify, by name, as worthy of full relinquishment? Make a list. Across from each item write the cost of such loss. Not money, but personal, communal, or worldwide. In a third column write a specific benefit of each such release of ownership.
A more challenging follow-up would be to rank the top 10 items on the list, and see what remains as the work of Christ.
I wonder if a plunge right into this exercise would keep us from ruminating on “what-if paralysis?”
It seems to me we are outsourcing the church by bits and pieces. What is outsourced becomes, by function, detached from the communal life. Is this a fair criticism? Certainly a janitorial employee makes sense to me. We tried passing this around the members with minimal to no success. So my question remains: what is released, and to what cost/benefit?
thank you for another thoughtful and thought-provoking response!
Two things stand out here:
- 'I wonder if a plunge right into this exercise would keep us from ruminating on 'what-if-paralysis'?
Oh yes. I think you've put your finger on something really important here. the paralysis piece.
In fact, you've just written my next blog post for me! Stay tuned.
But this is SO important! I think so many congregations try to think themselves out of tough places, rather than actually *doing* something - pretty much anything! - differently.
The other is your comments on 'outsourcing', and how it is detached from communal life.
I have to disagree with you on this one.
I don't spend that much time with the congregation I serve - maybe 10 hours a *month* on average.
When I tell people this, they often worry out loud about a lack of pastoral connection with a community.
Yet I have never felt SO much connection with a group of people! and they to me. AND - I see this as a direct result of spending less time with them! The time I do spend is then both very precious, and very directed towards ministry together. It's 'quality time'.
Plus, I feel like their relationship with me brings *them* closer. the focus is less on me as their clergy person and more on their shared life with God.
I do not feel detached from community life. I feel blessed to be part of multiple communities in different ways. This is just one.
Outsourcing perhaps comes as a loaded term. Our organist-choir director plays one service and one rehearsal per week, so she is less than full-time. But she is in full charge of her area, too. There is a group of folks planning worship, whose work is not widely publicized. So she would be paid staff, part time, professional, and essential to our service, like the volunteer choir. “Outsourced” might or might not express this part of worship. I would say most of the community work is fully congregationally-driven. Perhaps the distinction involves what is needed for the 3-legged stool. The legs need relatively even length—shortening or weakening one or two legs leads to possible failure. What if there are multiple stools for different parts of the church? Or maybe we need to add a chair leg for scripture-reason-tradition-(and something to describe the voice of Jesus?). I certainly value your experience. I’m just trying to get to how this was built and is maintained.
May I risk ignorance of a traditional norm by asking what, without exception, is the requirement for Eucharist, and under what circumstances can it and can it not be celebrated? One of our long-time members does not support Eucharist each Sunday, but rather once a month. When I was a member of the Church of the Brethren we celebrated communion once per year at Love Feast. See what I mean when I said I was part of over a dozen unique denominations in over 60 years!