At a wedding, if anything can go wrong,..

The Wedding of my grandparents, Adam & Anna Hertle, c. 1900

I officiated a hundred plus weddings during my years as an active clergy-person. Today I would enjoy being invited to officiate  I truly enjoy marrying people! It has been perhaps my greatest pleasure as an ordained minister. However, beginning with the first wedding I officiated way back in 1987, I have gone into the process (premarital counseling, rehearsal, ceremony, reception) knowing that if anything can go wrong, it will go wrong and at the worst possible moment. For example:

Very early in doing wedding rehearsals I learned that the presence of mothers—especially of the bride, but sometimes even of the groom—can make the process very difficult, sometimes even disastrous. I have always been thankful that usually (unless the couple wants the mothers to light a unity candle during the service) the mothers of the groom and the bride are the last to be seated before the entry of the wedding party. Seated almost directly before my eyes where, if they decide to cause any mischief during the wedding itself, I am at least forewarned.

Now, at the rehearsal that is an entirely different matter. One mother of the bride became obsessed with the notion that the groom and his party were not to see the bride and her party prior to their entrance during the service. She and I had an ongoing discussion during the rehearsal regarding from whence the bride and her attendants were to enter the sanctuary.

I need to share a bit of information. St. John United Church of Christ in Cannelton, Indiana, is a building a bit over a hundred years old. It isn’t huge as churches go, but neither is it the little white church in the dell. The front doors of the church open into a small entrance way and then directly into the sanctuary. There are double wooden doors separating the entrance way from the isle leading to the chancel. There is also a small doorway in the back of the sanctuary that opens onto narrow, winding stairs that lead to the kitchen in the basement.

The momma of the bride kept countering my instructions that the bride’s party gather and organize itself in the entrance way behind the wooden doors, which could be opened by the ushers when the processional began. She wanted the party to come up the stairs from the basement so that absolutely no one could see the bride and her attendants prior to their walking down the isle. By the end of the rehearsal—all of which was done with the bride’s party entering from the entrance way—I thought everything was set.

Ha! At the beginning of the wedding ceremony the groom and his party entered with me from a room behind the altar. All of us stood with out eyes focused on those double doors at the end of the isle. The organist began the processional and nothing happened. The doors didn’t open! Then all of us males standing there in front of the altar saw that little door to the basement open and the bride’s party begin to dribble through it, one woman at a time.

They each had come up that very narrow stairway and stumbled through that very narrow doorway. They were each wearing large, hooped skirts that would not fit through that narrow doorway. Thus, each woman entered the sanctuary holding her hoop up, almost parallel to herself, and exposing her, uh, underclothing almost to her waste.

The mother of the bride had won out. And the groom and his party—whom she did not want to see the bride and her party before the service—plus the officiating minister saw a hell of a lot more of the bride and her attendants than we ever expected or wanted. And I just raised my eyes to the heavens above and silently prayed a short, but very old prayer.

At a wedding if anything can go wrong, it will go wrong and at the worst possible moment.

Clerical Memories

Carol has suggested that I share some photos of myself in my clerical garb. I’m egotistical enough to do so! 

The following photos were taken ten years ago, on the final Sunday of my pastorate at St. John United Church of Christ in Cannelton, Indiana:

This was the beginning of the farewell service on the last Sunday of my 11 year pastorate at St. John. I am standing at the lectern.

Many folks said nice things about my ministry. This is Buddy, who chaired the search committee that called me to pastor St. John.

My family, including my Uncle John, came from Louisville to the service.

Litany of Parting: to my right is Steve, who was president of the congregation

There were many good-byes

I have/had a large collection of clerical stoles. When I took these out of the closet of my spare bedroom this morning, I realized that quite a few are missing. I wonder if any of my several guests who stayed in that room walked away with them—and, if they did, why they did so.

The Faith of Barack Obama: A Review of Stephen Mansfield’s New Book

Sometimes I encounter a book that, were I wealthy, I would purchase and give to hundreds or even thousands of people. Stephen Mansfield’s The Faith of Barack Obama is such a book.

Mansfield recounts the life events of Senator Obama in a straightforward manner that honestly answers even the most absurd questions that the Senator’s detractors have posed: I considered listing those inane questions and briefly answering them; however, in the space I have, I could not possibly provide the lucid answers that Mansfield does. May I suggest that you read the book?

Have you ever attended a worship service at Trinity United Church of Christ? I have: one, many years ago. In The Faith of Barack Obama, Mansfield takes you to a Trinity service. More importantly, he introduces you to members of the congregation who explain why Trinity is so important to them and to their community. If you can’t travel to Chicago to worship at Trinity UCC, my I suggest that you read the book?

What do you really know about the Reverend Jeremiah Wright? Is your knowledge limited to the videos and words of the talking heads that have plagued the media? Do you really know what Liberation Theology is? As an ordained clergyperson of the United Church of Christ, trained in seminary as a liberation theologian, I applaud the manner in which Mansfield addresses the who of the Reverend Wright and the what of the United Church of Christ and liberation theology. I urge you to read the book!

And, finally, just what is the Christian faith of Senator Barack Obama, the Democratic Party’s nominee for the officer of the President of the United States of America? Why is he faithfully committed to justice, equality, liberation, and peace? Please, my friends, please read The Faith of Barack Obama before you cast your vote next November!

A Few Notes

I’m taking a break from constructing tomorrow’s Wednesday Coffee House. Actually, I stopped to brush and play with Alex before he went outside to cat around and nap. So, before I get back to the Coffee House, I’ll post a few notes and updates.

Yesterday I telephoned the company that supplies my oxygen tanks for the Veterans Administration. My next allotment of oxygen will be delivered tomorrow morning. While talking with them, I obtained the name and telephone number of the VA person—Susan—who authorized the cut in my oxygen allotment and telephoned her. She was not available, but I was able to leave a message saying I want to appeal the cut in my oxygen supply. As of this writing she has not yet returned my call, but at the very least I have and name and telephone number. It’s a beginning.

I still do not feel that I have completely recovered from Friday’s trip with the reduced oxygen. I still am tiring very quickly and have spent more time sleeping than I have being awake.

Alex’s, Alexicon: A Kitty Cat’s Life with his Hooman, has really taken off recently. I think he is now receiving more visitors than Nick’s Bytes is! If you haven’t visited the furball’s creation, I invite you to click HERE and say Hi to the self-centered feline. (I note the tags that Alex has placed on his blog posts and that the one that is used by far the most is Me).

This morning I received an email from an old and beloved college buddy who forwarded an email attacking Trinity United Church of Christ and specifically Liberation Theology. Although I have attempted to avoid getting hooked into the Obama—Jeremiah Wright—religion—politics quagmire, I felt that I had to respond to this one and did with these words:

(You) are talking about my denomination, the United Church of Christ, of which Trinity is one congregation. As for the hate commentary of the (original) sender, I am a liberation theologian. which was the theology taught at Eden Seminary when I was a student there.

Liberation theology is based upon God's demand for justice and the liberation of the oppressed:

Then the LORD said, "I have seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters; I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Per'izzites, the Hivites, and the Jeb'usites.

And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them." (Exodus 3)

OK, ‘nough said. I’m following Alex outside, taking a morning nap on the deck, and then I’ll return to working on the Coffee House.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst?

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. ~ Mathew 5:6

Food prices have increased by 83% around the world in the past 12 months.

With the cost of food skyrocketing around the world, there are today millions of hungry people. Are they blessed?

With less than 2.5% of the world’s water in drinkable form (contain no salt) and corporations gobbling up those resources for profit as fast as they can, the number of thirsty people are growing each day. Are they blessed?

The immediate response of the United States to this hunger crisis has been $200 million in food aid. However, in the need for affordable food, $200 million provides no more than a snack.

Debnath Guharoy, in an article in The Jakarta Post entitled Global hunger, corporate greed: When will enough be enough? writes:

A kilogram of rice costs more than US$1 and a barrel of oil costs over $100. One influences the other. The subprime loan crisis will cost more than $1 trillion and the Iraq war will cost the United States alone as much as $3 trillion.

Different problem, same instinct. Many pundits will argue none of this has any connection to global hunger, as if these colossal costs aren't real and do not affect the common man.

… It seems as if the profit motive is no longer an adequate driver of business today. Unbridled greed has taken over, a global corporate culture spreading like a cancer unchecked.

Are these signs of being blessed? And what about this hunger and thirst for righteousness? Are only the righteous to be blessed?

In the ways of the ancient Hebrews, to be righteous means to be just—God’s concept of justice, not the human concept. In contemporary usage the word justice is used when referring to human rights, equality, the equitable distribution of the world’s resources, and the institutions that exist to uphold the law. But when Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount addresses righteousness and justice, he goes beyond the contemporary usage to a more comprehensive justice—a justice that has to do with harmonious relationships, with concord, with peace.

Hunger and thirst speak to us of the basic needs of each person. Justice, in the biblical sense of the word, means to live in conformity with the plan God has for creation, which is to be a family united in love. As with any family, when one is in need, all are in need.

My cupboard is filled with a month’s supply of food from NutriSystem.

My hunger needs are met for at least the coming month. But what about the needs of my sisters and brothers around the world?

There is a line in one of the Eucharistic prayers in the United Church of Christ Book of Worship:

We bless you for the beauty and bounty of the earth and for the vision of the day when sharing by all will mean scarcity for none.

I, among many others, take that line seriously. We believe that God’s creation can provide sufficiently for the needs of all people. We believe by removing the element of greed from humankind and by recognizing in each human being what he or she really is, our neighbor—our sister and brother—with his or her rights and basic equality with everyone else, that that vision of sharing by all will mean scarcity for none can be realized.

We believe that we must love our neighbors—even if they are our enemies—with the same love that the God has for them. We believe that we must be ready and willing to make sacrifices for them, even the greatest one: “To give one’s life for one’s friends.” This means to live with them in mutual giving, sharing our spiritual and material goods, so that all will become one family.

And we believe that we cannot simply stand by and watch the greed of corporations gobble up the necessities of life from our brothers and sisters. We cannot simply look for the vision of sharing by all will mean scarcity for none; we must actively join together to make it a reality. Then and only then our longing for a just and righteous world, as God has envisioned it, will become a reality.

I end this post with a song written and sung by Joe Wise. Please take a moment to click below and listen.

Shalom, my friends.

Back in the Collar Again

ANOTHER MARTYR

Benazir Bhutto

21 June 1953 - 27 December 2007

* * *

This evening I am going to put on my clerical collar for the first time in more than a year and officiate a funeral. The deceased is the husband of the daughter of a very dear woman who was president of the first congregation I pastored back in 1987.

With my problems walking and breathing I pray that I have the strength and ability to perform the service. I am dedicating all of today to that end, so this is a very short post. To make up for its briefness, please enjoy the following video.

It’s Just the Way We Are.

Thomas, Jaramillo arrested at White House while attempting to deliver anti-war petitions

After ignoring three warnings from police, the Rev. John H. Thomas and the Rev. Linda Jaramillo were arrested at 12:58 p.m. (ET) on Wednesday, Oct. 10, for refusing to leave a no-protest zone near the White House gate.

The two national UCC officers were attempting to deliver a Pastoral Letter on the Iraq War, along with 60,000 endorsing signatures.

~United Church News, October 11^th, 2007 (for complete article, click HERE)

It’s just the way we are. The Rev. John H. Thomas is General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ (USA) and the Rev. Linda Jaramillo is the Executive Minister for Justice and Witness Ministries of the United Church of Christ. They expected to be arrested. But, they are not the first U.C.C. national officers to be arrested while witnessing for Justice and Peace; and I am certain they will not be the last.

The United Church of Christ, founded in 1957 by the merger of the Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches. Long before the merger, these predecessor denominations were active in issues of justice and peace. A (very) few of these include civil and human rights, economic justice, peacemaking, integrity of creation, racial justice, etc. Throughout its history—from early engagement in the movement to abolish slavery to modern campaigns for civil rights and social justice to the rights of women, children, the poor, gays, and lesbians—the United Church of Christ in every setting of the church has been engaged in ministries of compassion, advocacy and reconciliation.

Am I pleased to be an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ? I certainly am. I only wish that I had been in front of the White House yesterday that I, too, might be a peacemaker and have been arrested along with Rev. Thomas and Rev. Jaramillo.

Other Blogs & Sites Comment:

Extraordinary Witness

Ethic Daily.com

John Thomas seeks arrest at White House

Anti-war UCC pastors vow to risk arrest

Blessed Are the Peacemakers

ucc officials arrested outside white house

I encountered this quiz this morning and I suppose my results are on subject enough to add it to this post:

You Are 9: The Peacemaker

You are emotionally stable and willing to find common ground with others. Your friends and family often look to you to be the mediator when there is conflict. You are easy going and accepting. You take things as they come. Avoiding conflict at all costs, you're content when things are calm. At Your Best: You feel connected, trusting, and fulfilled. You feel at peace with your place in the world. At Your Worst: You compromise your values to make sure peace is maintained. You give in to bullies. Your Fixation: Harmony Your Primary Fear: Causing conflict Your Primary Desire: To preserve things as they are Other Number 9's: Marge Simpson, Ronald Reagan, Audrey Hepburn, Jerry Seinfeld, and Abraham Lincoln.

What Number Are You?

Ashes

I have a small, round metal box with a Celtic cross on its hinged lid. I have not opened that box in several years. The last time it was opened was on an Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. I lifted the lid of that box today and inside it I found exactly what I expected to find: ashes mixed with a bit of olive oil. Surprisingly, the consistency of the mixture remained as when I had last opened the box, placed some of the ash and olive oil mixture on my thumb, and marked the foreheads of the people in the congregation I pastored with a cross.

The ashes came from burning the palm branches the congregation had used to celebrate Palm Sunday the previous year. The olive oil came from a reservoir I used to anoint the heads of those seeking healing in one form or another.

Of course, not all of my parishioners would opt to receive the ashes on their heads. The older ones, being primarily of German ancestry and somehow carrying within their psyches memories of the Reformation and especially Thirty Years' War was fought between Protestants and Catholics in Germany between 1618 and 1648, considered going around with ashes on the foreheads “too Papist” for their militant Reformed faith.

I really blame the pastors these folks had as children for their prejudice and rejection of this ancient spiritual ceremony. I had such a pastor when I was in my late teens. Since he is still kicking around and still kicking Roman Catholics, I’ll not mention his name. However, I will tell this story:

During my freshman year in college, I visited a friend in southwest Indiana during Christmas break. On the return bus trip to Louisville, I sat near another young man and a Roman Catholic priest. The young man had just discovered the writings of Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk of the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani, which in located not far from Louisville. I was drawn into their conversation and the works of Merton.

When I returned to Louisville, I asked my pastor about Merton and his books. The pastor replied that I should not read them because Merton was “a damned Catholic.” I think God that I did not listen to his prejudicial claptrap. When I returned to the University of Kentucky I checked Merton autobiography, The Seven Story Mountain, out of the library and read it. Since then, I have read, and now own, every book that Merton wrote and several biographies about him.

Back to ashes. The traditional words said by the officiate when the ashes are placed on a Christian’s forehead are Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return or Turn away from your sins and believe the good news. The former reflects upon our human fragility and the temporary existence we have in the life; the latter that the season of Lent is not one of “giving up something,” but rather it is a time of reflection and change. I usually said the latter more often than the former.

In the Ash Wednesday service in the United Church of Christ Book of Worship, the imposition of ashes comes in the midst of the corporate Pray of Confession. After all who wish to receive ashes have received them, the Prayers of Confession are concluded with the words:

PASTOR: Accomplish in us, O God, the work of your salvation,PEOPLE: That we may show forth your glory.

PASTOR: By the cross and passion of our Savior,

PEOPLE: Bring us with all your saints to the joy of Christ’s resurrection.

The service concludes with the pastor announcing God’s grace and forgiveness, beginning with this sentence: Almighty God does not desire the death of sinners, but rather than they may turn from their wickedness and live.

For me, that’s what Lent and the ashes of Ash Wednesday are all about. The beginning of the Ash Wednesday corporate confession says it better than I can:

PASTOR: As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to struggle against everything that leads us away from the love of God and neighbor. Repentance, fasting, prayer, study, and works of love help us to return to that love. I invite you, therefore, to commit yourselves to love God and neighbor by confessing your sin and by asking God for strength to persevere in your Lenten discipline.

Today I have begun my own Lenten discipline of repentance, fasting, prayer, study, and works of love. I am giving up nothing for Lent. I am adding to my life, just as I have added the ashes to my forehead.

Barack Obama Has Brought the United Church of Christ to the Nation's Attention

More than my denomination's historical ecumenism, social activism, ministries for peace and justice, even our ordination of women and gay and lesbian pastors and support of gay marriage rights, one United Church of Christ member, Senator Barack Obama, has put the denomination in the news. In the very short time that I have been publishing the blog, UCC on the Net, the one tag that has been most used to describe the Internet stories, articles and blogs related to the United Church of Christ has been "Barack Obama."

Of course, as I review those Internet stories, articles, and blogs I realize that this is partly due to the FOX (for years I have suggested that the "X" in "FOX" should actually be a swastika) Network's continued attack on Senator Obama. First, it was that he is actually a Muslim. When that was debunked, FOX turned its criticism on the congregation of which he is a member, Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ; FOX said that Trinity is just too Black! All of this uproar over Senator Obama's religious faith has kept his name in the news even more than his opposition to the war in Iraq.

Personally, I do not know yet where I stand on Senator Obama's candidacy-or, for that matter, the other candidates for the office of President of the United States. I need to know more about all of them and where they stand on various issues. However, as an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ, I am overjoyed with the uproar surrounding Senator Obama! While the United Church of Christ's recent General Synod support of equal marriage rights for same-sex couples (which actually goes back to a 1996 stance by the UCC's Office for Church & Society) has lost the denomination members, I believe that learning what the United Church of Christ truly believes via all of the uproar concerning Senator Obama will gain the denomination new members.

For I truly agree with comedian Grace Allen: Never put a period where God put a coma. God is not dead: God is alive and still speaking to us. As the book of Isaiah states:

Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not;
See, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? (Isaiah 43:18-19)

Friday Mishmash

I Found this Quiz at Rhapsody's blog:

You know the Bible 100%!

Wow! You are awesome! You are a true Biblical scholar, not just a hearer but a personal reader! The books, the characters, the events, the verses - you know it all! You are fantastic!

Ultimate Bible Quiz
Create MySpace Quizzes

I suppose 3 years at seminary and 20 years as an ordained minister win me something, even if it isn't an income. And, yes, I consider myself to be a "Biblical scholar"-and teacher.




Blogger Problems?

Yesterday I was unable to post comments on about three quarters of the blogs I read. I also had difficulty making adjustments to both of my blogs. Today things seem OK.

Should I trust Blogger? I had planned to update my Nick's Bytes blog template this weekend. I don't know is I should risk it.


Mother Update

My most recent telephone conversations with my mother have been hopeful. She complains less about the rehab therapy and adjustments to her pain medication seem to be working. Please join me in keeping her in your thoughts and prayers.


Alex and the Snow

It snowed more here last night and this morning. Even so, the Louisville snow accumulation is but a smidgen when compared to what others, such as those in Denver, have received. This morning Alex risked going outside, even with the fluffy water on the ground. He didn't stay out long-perhaps ten minutes. He also went straight to his litter box when he came back inside. I suppose the fluffy stuff did hamper his normal cat outside activities a bit.


How to Wash A Cat

Meow has placed a wonderfully funny and informative video on her site entitled How to Wash a Cat. Although Alex, who watched the video with me (after he attacked my coffee cup and decided that it was too hot for his paw and I threw the coffee away and obtained a fresh and cat-pawless cup) had threatened to shred my pants and anything beneath them if I share the video, I really must recommend that you click over to Meow's place and view the video. (You may want to do this only in catless privacy).


United Church of Christ on the Internet

My new blog, UCC on the Net, has been a real learning experience for me. When I studied church history in seminary, I was amazed that 500 years ago congregations hundreds of miles apart were interested in and received news (from travelers) about what was happening with each other while in the 20th and 21st century folks of the same denomination didn't what know was happening in congregations a few miles apart. The need I perceived to facilitate that interest and communication was the primary driver in creating UCC on the Net.

I believe that the Internet allows folks to exchange information more rapidly and extensively than any medium in history, even radio, TV, and telephones. In the few days that I have been researching the Internet and posting links, I have learned a great deal about what is happening within the denomination in which I am an ordained minister. (I
Obama).

Below are a few of the links I have found and placed on UCC on the Net:


Religious Leaders Blast "False, Malicious" Fox News Hit on Obama
(Faithful Progressive blog: 01-26-2007)

“While working as a young community organizer in the mid-1980s, working with a consortium of churches in a depressed neighborhood of Chicago, he became a Christian and became active in Trinity United Church of Christ.”


UCC President to Speak at Gay Megachurch
Gay Religion: news of religion and GLBT folks: 2 February, 2007

"The president of the largest Christian denomination to endorse gay marriage will officially welcome a Dallas gay mega-church as a member Sunday. The Rev. John H. Thomas of the United Church of Christ will be the first leader of a mainline denomination to address a predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender congregation when he preaches at the Cathedral of Hope, said The Rev. Jo Hudson, the cathedral's rector and senior pastor. The cathedral, which claims 4,300 members and will be the fourth-largest in the UCC, decided to join last year after the denomination endorsed gay marriage in 2005."


And Speaking of Texas Women
Is America Burning blog: February 91, 2007

"Four months ago, Baker was one of 71 people arrested during a protest in Washington for crossing a police line to sit on the steps of a Senate office building.

"Diane Baker, who has a degenerative muscle condition, had to work 8 hours in freezing weather.

"'I'm a rather fragile, small woman,' said Baker, a hospice chaplain at United Church of Christ in Dallas. "Being a minister, I offered to do counseling, but this is what they gave me."


Chicago pastor sentenced to 60 days in federal prison for SOA civil disobedience
United Church News (01-30-2007)

"The Rev. Don Coleman, a UCC minister in Chicago, was sentenced to 60 days in federal prison on Jan. 29 for trespassing at Fort Benning, Ga., during the annual protest of a military training school there."


Teen center paints pretty picture
The Connecticut Post: 1 February 2007

"Christine Parrella, 14, said a new teen center opening Friday at the United Church of Christ in Devon will be a great alternative for teenagers who typically hang out at the mall or walk around the neighborhood."


After the issues related to the United Church of Christ General Synod supporting gay marriage, including congregations leaving the United Church of Christ, the work I've done on UCC on the Net has reaffirmed to me why I am an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ.

New Blog: UCC on the Net

I have been considering creating a United Church of Christ blog with links to news, blogs, sites, etc. related to the denomination of my ordination. Today I did that. I don’t expect it to make me any money. I do expect that it will generate interest and be a service to those who want to know what’s being said about the UCC around the next.

Of course, I’ll not be spending the time on it that I spend on Nick’s Bytes, which will (of course) continue as my beloved and primary blog. If you want to take a look at UCC on the Net, please do and let me know what you think.

A Mainline Paradigm Shift?

Last Sunday I chaired my third ecclesiastical council in the past month. It was considered by many of those attending the most important of the three because it was to approve or deny the ordination of a pastor.

The By-Laws of our Association require that 50% of the congregations making up the Association be represented in order to have a quorum for an ecclesiastical council. I've been aware that we have come close to not having a quorum ever since the first one I chaired as president of the Association.

There are now 25 congregations in the Association and last Sunday, when I called the meeting to order, there were only 11 present. The agenda I have created for ecclesiastical councils begins with my introduction, followed by a prayer and the singing of a multi-verse hymn. The idea is to allow as much time as possible for late-comers to arrive before the roll is called. We were on the 4th verse of that hymn before representatives of 2 congregations came into the sanctuary: 13 congregations out of 25 really cut the margin for a quorum close.

Since Sunday I have begun feel as if I may be hitting my head against a brick wall. In past years we have had no problem in obtaining a quorum for meetings. Yet, over the past several years, we have had a lot of difficulty.

Today I raised this question with pastors from several other Mainline denominations. In the main (that wasn’t meant as a pun) they report the same problem and concern, although we seem to identify it differently. For example, one pastor spoke of older congregations, where the average age has increased to over seventy. He said he thinks that folks have more difficulty attending extra-worship activities. Another responded that his congregation was also elderly, but attended the activities such as dinners and weddings, but seldom attended functions such as ecclesiastical councils. He suggested the reason was apathy towards the wider church.

That word—apathy—became central to our discussion. Have members of Mainline denominations truly become apathetic toward the Church? If I had taken a poll of those pastors, I would suspect that the majority would answer that question with “Yes.” However, I didn’t take a poll.

And I admit that I myself do not have an answer. I recognize that there has been a paradigm shift in mainline Christianity in the United States over the past thirty or so years. I encountered this while I was pastoring my first congregation almost twenty years ago. In that small community, churches were not then affected by the shifting paradigm that had already touched so many Mainline denominations that people were beginning to say, “Mainline Christianity is no longer on Main Street.” What we were experiencing there and then was that a number of people were no longer attending worship, either because they did not feel the need or because they felt that their needs were being met by TV and radio evangelists.

It was during those days that I was first introduced to the books of Lyle E. Schaller. He seemed to have some insights into the “new paradigm.” In the first of Schaller’s books that I read back then—I don’t remember its name and do not even know if it is still available—he made the statement that contemporary churches and pastors were facing dilemmas that had never before been encountered in the history of the Church. I remember then feeling that I had chosen a poor time to shift careers from social work to ordained ministry.

Back to the present. During today’s discussion of the existing problems that our Mainline Churches are facing, Schaller’s name came up again. A Presbyterian pastor said that he had just obtained what he believes is Schaller’s latest book, A Mainline Turnaround: Strategies For Congregations And Denominations. He said that he is reading the book, along with several others, to discern what is currently going on in U.S. Christianity and if there are ways of addressing the apathy that each of us, in one way of another, have identified.

I hope Schaller can provide some insights and new strategies. I firmly believe that there is a place for Mainline Christianity in the United States, whether or not we are “on Main Street.” So I just ordered A Mainline Turnaround: Strategies For Congregations And Denominations. I’ll let you know more after I read it.