July 2008

“Leah Was Just There for Dramatic Effect,” is the title of my sermon for this coming Sunday. I’ll be preaching on Genesis 29.15-30.

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Apparently, I’m not the only one in the conference reading Who Stole My Church? Today’s email update from the Annual Conference included the following:

In Gordon MacDonald’s most recent book, “Who Stole My Church?: What to Do When the Church You Love Tries to Enter the 21st Century,” he uses a semi-fictional approach to show that many older folks don’t feel comfortable when their congregations start adding praise bands and PowerPoint presentations. He also illustrates how positive change can happen in a church.

Read a question-and-answer session with McDonald at www.umportal.org/article.asp?id=3761.

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The video below has nothing to do with Christianity or the church except for the fact that it features the tune Ode to Joy (Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee), but I’m posting it anyway.

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Note: There were a couple of typos and grammatical errors in the column that went to print, but this being a blog, those errors are easily corrected.

It is a dangerous thing for a pastor to recommend a book. But I’m going to do this dangerous thing and recommend Who Stole My Church? by Gordon MacDonald. Who Stole My Church? is subtitled “What to Do When the Church You Love Tries to Enter the Twenty-First Century.” The subtitle is a fairly accurate indicator of the book’s intent. The title comes from the statement, “All I know is that someone stole my church and I’d like to get it back.”

This book was brought to my attention by Dr. Becky Dobbins who reports that she found mention of it on a website with an article that I had recommended on the pastors’ blog. I also saw mention of it, but failed to pursue it, thankfully Becky did.

Gordon MacDonald doesn’t reveal his age, but he does mention that he writes from the perspective of a pastor with 47 years of experience in five different churches. I found myself wishing I had half of his wisdom and experience. He has done a great deal to help me appreciate how hard change is for anyone who has devoted a lifetime to their church. I hope the book has made me more understanding and sympathetic to the difficulties of change. At the same time he is emphatic that changes must be made, indeed he seems intent on more radical change than I, myself, am willing to even contemplate.

MacDonald’s rationale for the necessity for change in the local church is encapsulated in a sentiment attributed to Jack Welch, the former CEO of GE: “When the rate of change inside an organization is slower than the rate of change outside an organization, the end [of that organization] is in sight.” But part of the allure of MacDonald’s book is his point that many of the practices and denominations we now consider stalwart (including the United Methodist Church) started out as radical departures from past practices.

Throughout Who Stole My Church?, McDonald never loses site of the inherent, intrinsic value of the church which he roots not in its effectiveness, but rather in the simple observation that Christ gave his life for the church (Acts 20.28). I commend this book to you. I’ve ordered two copies for the church library. If you think it worthy of group discussion I would be happy to lead a study.

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Thanks again to everyone who brought items to decorate for our VBS beach party. If you have not already picked up the items you brought you may find them on a table in the fellowship hall downstairs.

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We just received a head’s up for security concerns and I’m getting ready to leave the church so the front door has been locked for Linda’s safety. You’ll want to call ahead or have a cell phone ready if your planning on coming into the church today.

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Our first morning of flood relief work went well this morning. We are working on Betty Battaglear’s basement. I got practice working with drywall mud and Dave Larimore taught we how to do inside corners. We’ll need more volunteers next Saturday. We may be able to begin painting. Let Dave or I know if you are interested. The work is good for your soul and Betty is truly thankful and appreciative.

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“The church doesn’t have a social strategy, the church is a social strategy.”

–Stanley Hauerwas and William H. Willimon, Resident Aliens, 43.

To see this fulfilled has been my goal for every church I have served.

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We’ll be having a work day for flood relief this coming Saturday, July 26, from 8:00 am to 11:00 am (we’re trying to avoid the excessive heat). Call Dave Larimore or John Collins for more information.

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