So, What Is It That You Do?

Occasionally someone will ask, "Just what is it that do you do as a Conference Minister in the New Hampshire Conference of the United Church of Christ?"  This question may come from a member of one of our local churches, a seatmate on a plane, or even from a family member who wonders why I left the ministry of the local church. 

The answer must begin with baptismal identity.  Ultimately, I am "a child of God, a disciple of Christ, a member of the Church."  Christ has claimed and called me, as he claims and calls us all in the waters of baptism.  God's love is there with us no matter what.  It is not about the attainments of a lifetime, academic degrees or doctrinal precision; it is about love, first, foremost, and aways: God's love for me, for us, for the whole world. 

The answer will also take me back to the ordination vows, when I promised to live in covenant with Christ and Christ's people.  I the questions are renewed in my memory this morning: 

• Are you persuaded that God has called you to be an ordained minister of the church of Jesus Christ, and are you ready . . . to enter . . . and to serve faithfully? 
• Do you . . hear the word of God in the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, and do you accept the word of God as the rule of Christian faith and practice? 
• Do you promise to be diligent in your private prayers and in reading the scriptures, as well as in the public duties of your office? 
• Will you be zealous in maintaining both the truth of the gospel and the peace of the church, speaking the truth in love? 
• Will you be faithful in preaching and teaching the gospel, in administering the sacraments and rites of the church, and in exercising pastoral care and leadership? 
• Will you seek to regard all people with equal love and concern and undertake to minister impartially to the needs of all? 
• Do you accept the faith and order of the United Church of Christ, and will you, as an ordained minister in this communion, ecumenically reach out toward all who are in Christ and show Christian love to people of other faiths and people of no faith?

And, in recent days, my response to what it is that I really do as a Conference Minister takes me back to to the birthing stall in the barn.  The barn wasn't just across the yard, but five miles away.  After supper, Dad would often drive back to the barn to check on a ewe that appeared to be starting with labor pains when he had done the evening's chores.  I would often go along.  Those were very special times, as I hugged the gas lantern for light and warmth in the cold, dim stall.  Sometimes those visits were short, nothing doing tonight.  Sometimes we sat for hours, waiting for new life to come forth.

In the past six weeks, as four congregations in the New Hampshire Conference, United Church of Christ, have called new pastors to love and to lead in their midst, I am reminded of the time spent in the old, drafty barn.  In this ministry, I often share the grief of good-bye with congregations and pastoral leaders.  Now, even in Lent, there is birth, new life to behold.  God has raised up pastors and teachers, prophets and administrators, who will equip the saints for the work of ministry together.  This is truly an exciting moment for us all. 

So, what does a Conference Minister do?  Well, I suppose you might say that this Conference Minister is a witness to new life, to the birth that the Spirit brings, and to the hope that is alive among our churches in these days.

I give thanks to God for the joy of this ministry.  Indeed, thanks be to God!

What's With Church Membership?

"Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it."

(I Corinthians 12:27, NRSV).

I suppose if one needs a scripture to ground a discussion about church membership, this declaration from Paul might serve well in that regard.  If there is a body, it must also have members to carry out its various functions.  The body of Christ requires members who have a variety of gifts. 

Today it appears church membership is almost meaningless, a relic from another time.  After all, we're not in the 1950's anymore!  Many look askance at "joining" a church and becoming members of it.  The requirements for belonging sometimes seem far too easy and sometimes far too arduous.  Who needs the hassle of such a commitment?  We are already way too overextended!

Many congregations are currently reviewing their membership rolls.  This is to help them get a truer picture of the church's identity.  Inflated rolls are not helpful.  A 100-member church that has only 60 active members may be deluding itself, remembering how things used to be, not facing present realities.  Other leaders may be concerned that keeping inactive members on the rolls will cost the church financially; after all there may be an assessment based on per capita membership numbers.  Still others would rather define a church's size by focusing on its worship attendance: "It makes no sense to claim that we have 95 members when our Sunday worship attendance is only 40." 

I hear the reasoned arguments, but would add a word of caution:  Church leaders should review membership rolls with sensitivity, for those who are not seen may still have deep connections.  I once served a church where woman (I'll call her Sue) was said to be inactive for many years.  We never saw Sue at worship; I had never met her.  Yet, I noticed that Sue often mailed a contribution for a specific ministry of the church.  Year after year, her check would arrive in support of that ministry.  Finally, I encouraged the nominating committee to ask Sue to serve on the committee that was responsible for the ministry.  Lo, and behold, Sue not only reappeared, but she became a leader in the church and is still engaged in the life of that congregation some twenty-five years later.

Sometimes those who are inactive become invisible to us.  Yet, they may have fears and doubts that have kept them away.  They may feel guilty for having failed to live up to promises made long ago.  I recall another person (Dan) who did not feel that he could measure up to the strong and steady folks who showed up every week.  Dan felt inferior and unworthy.  When Dan developed a debilitating disease, we were there with him and the relationship was rekindled in amazing ways.  Had we erased his name from the church's membership record we might have missed an opportunity for relationship and for mutual care. 

Membership is different that joining a club or political party.  Church membership is an expression of something far deeper--Christian discipleship.   My membership at the First Congregational Church of Pembroke, United Church of Christ, means that I covenant, for this time in my life, to commit myself to practicing my discipleship--to worshipping and serving--with this particular community of Christ's people.  Membership is about discipline:  We need others to walk with us as together we follow Jesus.

Were I serving in a local church, I would not advocate for reducing the membership numbers without great care and attentive prayer.  Our local churches may not be as small as they appear to be.  God may have given them lots of members who still claim a relationship to this community of faith.  The challenge may be to go and engage more deeply with them, to listen long, to rebuild relationships, and to invite them to participate.  Isn't that, after all, what Christ has done for us?