better know a (current) humc staff member
(interview with andy)
((part two))


catch up with part one here.


continuing...


That all sounds pretty fascinating. Are there any pitfalls that you can foresee with trying to incorporate that new way of thinking into your ministry?


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There are certainly pitfalls that could arise with this, or any, paradigm change. But I don't think they are any worse or more numerous than the ones we may face if we choose not to engage. Just different.

The initial one that I think most people would see is that the change in authority might lead to some pretty aberrant ideas. That is, I guess, possible, but the guardrails in place are the leadership (person or people) and, quite honestly, the community itself. Bad ideas, I believe, would be called out and shot down much quicker. The challenge in that is making sure that happens with a spirit of love and grace.

The biggest pitfall I see is that it could become too easy to only engage in the online side of things, which could lead to superficiality. For that reason, the efforts in "real life" must be that much more fervent. Both must exist in concert.

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We've seen this type of thing play out in the national political scene. If someone disagrees with the President, no one is afraid to blow up the social media forum of choice with their disapproval. How willing or open do you see pastors, in general, as being to the day where every person in their congregation has a Twitter account and are willing to use it for the greater good of the community of faith?

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That's a fair enough question. My best guess is that a lot of pastors would be leery of this if they were honest. Many pastors (not all) get quite concerned with maintaining peace in their congregation (and a modicum of popularity from the congregation) at the expense of innovation. I don't say this cynically, just as an observation. It's easy to choose the path of least resistance when your success and livelihood are tied to keeping certain people happy. I have experienced this first hand under a pastor at a smallish baptist church who failed to do the right thing and risk angering some members. The result was a very plugged in family leaving, but I heard the pastor say that that was acceptable because if he stood with them (which would have been the morally right thing to do) he could have lost more. It's a shame this happens, really.

I'm not saying that pastors shouldn't exercise discernment when it comes to what they say or what stand they take. But it can become easy to lose your prophetic voice when you become overly concerned with keeping the flock happy. One of the reasons I stepped away for a few years from vocational ministry was I felt pressured to conform to certain expectations that I didn't believe in. Spiritually, it was suffocating me. I have had to commit to myself that I won't let it happen again.

As far as what can be done about this, I don't know that there is a simple answer. I do think that the reason it's so easy for the haters to jump on the President or other public figure is that they don't really see them as people, just a human representation of a cause they are either for or against. It's much harder to publicly disapprove of someone when you see them twice a week. I do think it would require a lot of courage from a pastor to let go in a sense and be ok with an increased voice from congregants. And a great degree of integrity, so that any attacks that threaten to become personal are met with trust in the kind of person they are. And a good support network that can speak truth to him or her when any controversy may threaten to overwhelm.

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Choosing the path of least resistance doesn't sound very revolutionary, does it? No wonder the church, corporate, is in such a quagmire. It's this blog's opinion that being "all things to all people" has taken Paul's original sentiment and perverted it into oblivion. 

Given the restrictions you identify, how do you find yourself working within those constructs to maintain a feeling a being spiritually fulfilled and making tangible impact in your ministry of choice? 

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to be clear, the path of least resistance is not an option. it only serves to prolong the careers of the ones who choose the path, and the descent into irrelevance of the church corporate, and local. maybe that sounds harsh, but i don't think we can afford to think like that. and i agree with the blog's assessment that Paul's original intent has probably been perverted. either way, i would rather take my cues from Jesus, and i'm not sure his sentiment was always the same as Paul's

personally, as far as finding the balance in working within any restrictions that are directly or indirectly placed upon me, and its effect on my personal spirituality and ministry of choice, i have had to identify a couple of foundations. first, i have to remember that my voice and viewpoint has value. the church doesn't need a chorus of voices in unison who say and do things all the same. i have sort of accepted that i am somewhat of an outlier. i don't always know where i fit, but i believe that the umbrella of the kingdom of God is large enough to include me, even when the umbrella of a local church may not be. i do believe that huffman is a community in which my viewpoint will be heard and considered and respected. so far, it has certainly been that.

perhaps most importantly, i have moved to the point where i would much rather stand up for people rather than causes. much of the time, one's faith is declared strong if they are willing to stand up for a cause. too often, this is at the expense for standing up for people. Jesus never equated your love for God with your willingness to stand against gay marriage or only vote republican. he did equate it, quite directly, with how you love people. the best, most recent example of this that played out on a national stage was the brouhaha about chick-fil-a and their support of anti-gay groups. it suddenly became a "christian" thing to do to eat a chicken sandwich to show some sort of solidarity with God. meanwhile, many gay and lesbian people (who God loves by the way) felt very unloved by Christians. and that is tragic.

within these ideas i have identified, i try to teach and lead from a place of honesty and sincerity. i don't necessarily think sharing all my doubts and struggles is beneficial to the students i am entrusted with, but i do think it is important that they know that i have struggles. if i don't know the answer to a question or issue, i won't act like i do, just to wrap a nice theological bow on the issue. many times, i just defer to what i believe is the most fundamental thing we have, which is God loves us, pursues relationship with us, and calls us to do the same to those around us, both friend and enemy. therefore we can trust God with our doubts, because of our confidence in who he is.

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to be  continued...