Ministry in the Middle

Each year, the first Sunday in October is celebrated as World Communion Sunday by Christians of many denominations and affiliations.  This is both an affirmation that Jesus intends his followers to be united and a recognition that we are not yet. Sadly, differing theologies and practices prevent all Christians from gathering together at one table.  However, there is still something hopeful in our willingness, at least one day a year, to push our tables closer together.  If we cannot exactly agree on all of the particulars on who can participate, and how we partake together, and what it all means, at least we honor the centrality of this sacrament in the faith of so many Christians.  And we covenant to gather in Jesus' name at the Lord's Table on this same day. As a member and minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), I strive to be part of a movement for unity where all Christians are welcomed and affirmed at Jesus' table.  Still, I suspect that my...

Sunday is Mother's Day.  For many, it is a day of celebration with family dinners, cards, and gifts.  It has become a wonderful time to show appreciation. For some, though, it is a day of sadness full of painful reminders.  Some grieve what they have lost: mothers who have passed away or the deaths of children.  Some grieve what they never had the chance to experience: perhaps any healthy relationship with their own mothers or the chance to become a mother themselves. What should pastors and worship leaders do on Mother's Day to honor people who have strong and diverging emotions?  How can we best lead the people who gather in worship? Some congregations will have large celebrations this Sunday.  Maybe they'll have a breakfast or brunch.  Flowers will be passed out.  Mothers will be acknowledged and praised during the worship service.  The pastor may preach a sermon focused on motherhood as a gift or vocation of God. Some congr...

Throughout my time serving as a pastor, Holy Week has been the focal point of my year.  I believe there is great value for a congregation experiencing the breadth of emotions and lessons of Jesus' passion.  While Easter and the promise of the resurrection is an essential part of our faith, the meaning of Jesus' resurrection is heavily contextualized by the events that precede it.  So I plan for services on Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday.  This is a lot for any congregation, especially a small to mid-size one.  However, the number of services offers opportunities for more people to lead in worship and it provides time and space to plan unique worship services. As the congregation has gained more awareness of these services, we have varied our approaches, and become especially creative for the Thursday and Friday services.  (We always celebrate the Great Vigil of Easter on Holy Saturday.)  This year, our p...

When can you begin having Christmas music during worship services? Some suggest that the liturgical calendar requires 4 weeks of Advent preparation before Christmas begins.  So you don't hear a note of Christmas music until Christmas Eve.  Others believe that Christmas music is appropriate during the weeks of Advent. While I can see the merits of both sides, I personally fall into the second category.  Then again, I've celebrated "Christmas in July" before in congregations, complete with Christmas carols and outreach mission efforts, so I might be an outlier in this conversation, given that I think Christmas music is appropriate during the season after Pentecost. Partially, this is because I think that most Christians are more familiar with the cultural calendar nearing Christmas, rather than the liturgical calendar.  It can be weird to hear Christmas music, including religious music like "Joy to the World" or "Do You Hear What I Hear?" on th...

This is the third in a three-part series on weather cancellations and the church.  You can read part 1, "When to Cancel." here.   You can read part 2, "Who Makes the Call?" here. There are many ways to communicate about weather cancellations and the church.  Some TV and radio stations are willing to broadcast the news.  There are ways to share over the Internet through email and social media.  Or you can use the phone, either with an old-fashioned telephone tree or with newer mass texting or robocalling applications. The challenge is two-fold.  First, decide which means of communication are best for your congregation.  Second, prepare people to expect  how  you will communicate long before the harsh weather arrives. Some means of communication need to be set-up some time before the need to use them will arise.  Most media outlets will create access accounts for people to use their weather notification systems during the fall. ...

The second of a three-part series on weather cancellations and the church.  You can read part 1, "When to Cancel?" here. If weather and road conditions make travel treacherous, or if the forecast strongly suggests that travel will become treacherous, someone needs to decide whether worship services or other church activities will be canceled or not. In most situations, the person making the final decision should be the congregation's senior minister or solo pastor.  Partially, this is because the pastor should have the best understanding of who would be attending the worship service or activity and what their travel would be like.  Mostly, though, this is because a senior minister should have the respect of the congregation to abide by the decision, even if they disagree. In almost no situation should the senior minister or pastor make the decision in isolation, though.  It is a good habit to discuss the matter with other leaders in the congregation (understand...

This is the first of a three-part series on weather cancellations and the church. Late last month, our congregation's office received information from a couple of TV stations about changes to their weather-related closings and delays announcement procedures.  This is a timely reminder of the need to be prepared for the ways that winter weather can affect -- and force changes to -- church activities. The first part of this preparation is to decide the conditions that will force a congregation to delay or cancel worship services, other activities, or regular office hours.  Creating criteria ahead of time can make it easier to decide whether to cancel or not.  In fact, it may even allow you to prepare the congregation for what to expect. No one likes to cancel activities that have been planned, especially worship services, but sometimes that is the most responsible decision.  There comes a point where the risk is unnecessary, and there are times when it is wise to...

Over the weekend, I attended a service project with my local college alumni group.  Per usual, I enjoyed it.  We do this once a year, and the organization we volunteer with only asks for two hours of work.  So we talk, we do some basic labor, and we are finished before lunch. Sadly, not many of us participate from year to year.  This year, I could have opted out.  First, I had multiple church responsibilities that day, including one I chose not to go to so I could support the service project.  Second, I had to arrive before 8:30 on a Saturday morning.  Third, I drove through torrential rain to get there that morning.  I wanted to be there.  I wanted to show my support of the alumni service project (which we do in coordination with alumni groups in many other cities) with my presence.  I wanted to see other alums that I know in the area -- all of us there had important things to share about recent things in our lives.  I wanted t...

This summer, the elders in my congregation and I have exchanged a specific piece of the worship service that we lead.  Since before I began serving as senior minister in this congregation, the pastor has been responsible for providing a short meditation before Communion each week.  This summer, each of them has had the opportunity to offer this meditation/invitation to the Lord's Table.  In exchange, I provided an offering meditation and prayer for the gifts offered -- typically something that the elders have led. In our denominational tradition, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Communion is the centerpiece of worship.  In key ways, it represents the heart of our shared theology of Christ's presence in our midst, of radical grace and acceptance, of the teaching of the New Testament about the centrality of the Lord's Supper and Baptism.  Personally, I love the chance to reflect on part of what it means for us to gather and share Communion in the name...

"Come as you are.  The Lord welcomes us just as we are." Almost every time that I offer a meditation or invitation before Communion, I end with these words.  In part, I feel they reflect the radical grace of Jesus, which is celebrated in the Lord's Supper, even though we do not entirely grasp the full meaning of this radical grace and love.  In part, I hope that we as church can slowly grow to live out the promise of such a radical grace. I thought about this invitation again as I read a recent article about "Crying in Worship" in The Christian Century .  The author, Heidi Haverkamp, is an Episcopal priest who I met when we overlapped as students at the University of Chicago Divinity School.  In the essay, she admitted that she had often told others that it was okay to cry in church, but she had a different appreciation when she attended a worship service and cried. Now, those who have been around me when I lead worship services know that I don't need ...