Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I spent this past Saturday at the Cathedral Domain with Bishop Mark, Canons Amy and George, and a consultant from New York along with representatives of our mountain faith communities. It was a time to reflect upon what the church is, what are the assets (gifts) we have, and then the sobering reality that churches like all living things have a life cycle. Some are long some are short. We spent time considering signs of a healthy church and signs of a dying church. Our bishop introduced a book by Thomas Rainer, “Autopsy of a Deceased Church.” After many years of consulting with churches and other organizations, Rainer reflected on the signs he saw in churches that were dying. I will paraphrase his findings as I believe they give us some food for thought.
1. They had no community-focused ministries. They did not attempt to reach the community where they were.
2. They were focused on the past, the “good old days” usually focused on the buildings.
3. The budget was almost entirely for the church’s needs, not outreach.
4. They did not reach out to the unchurched.
5. Divisions began to grow with factions wanting their wants met and not considering that others had wants as well.
6. The tenure of pastors often became shorter and shorter.
7. The church rarely prayed together other than in formal worship.
8. The church had no clarity as to why it existed. There was no vision, mission, or purpose.
9. Members lived in the past. The way to growth and the future was to return to the past.
10. Despite their focus, the buildings continued to deteriorate It wasn’t really a financial issue. Instead, the members failed to see the continuous deterioration of the church building.
Now this could all seem bleak; except we are people of the living Jesus Christ. We do not seek him among the dead, but the living. Calvary is far from dying, but as we look at ourselves, I think we can see some of these traits among us. The good news is, once we recognize places we fall short, we can deal with them. Sometimes it takes new eyes to see what many become complacent with. Sometimes we need to look into the mirror and see and accept the wrinkles and grey hair that have been increasing over the years.
This Sunday we will hear of Jesus and the road to Emmaus. We will hear how the two followers were living in their past expectations, feeling they were not met until Jesus walked with them, explaining what they probably knew, but had either forgotten or taken for granted. And with his outside eyes, the words of Moses and the prophets were revealed, and they found themselves renewed so that their hearts burned within them again. As we move forward in the search for a new rector, we too need to see where we have been, not to live there, but to see that God makes all things new. We need to walk that road to dine with the risen Lord.
Peace,
Bryant+
