Hello From the Biennial

Don't know if it's the weather, or the Spirit, but this biennial just feels different. A sense of community that I hadn't noticed as much before, punctuated by a VERY hopeful worship last night with CBF...great folks. I'll try to get a full report up when I get back in town, and thanks for checking in.

What do you MEAN they want to speak to God in their own language?

This article by Ted Parks from June 11th speaks pretty clearly. Definitely check it out. We say that Sunday is still the most segregated day of the week, we moan, we say "it oughtn't be so," but no one ever comes up with a way to change it. In this case, I think that's because there is no reason it should change. I chose a faith where I would be encouraged and able to speak to God and about God in my native language, and in a manner that suits me. We need as little as possible between us and God these days. And if we're already fighting through the clamor that our digital lifestyles have created (often unwittingly) then why should it be even harder?
Which is not to say that native Spanish-speakers can't find a home in a more traditional English-speaking church. We are blessed with folks from all over the world at First Baptist in Newton, including Spanish-speaking folks, who do resonate with our worship. But every so often someone gets up and says, "we don't have enough diversity" or "we need to attract more young people" or "we don't have enough (insert ethnic group here)." What we don't hear is willingness to make the changes that would make most folks from a particular different tradition feel at home here.
Now having me lead services in Spanish would certainly be comical--perhaps even entertaining--but it would not lead to an increase in our Latina/Latino membership. I'm pretty sure it would scare many away. And as for "spirit-filled worship" like that mentioned in Parks' article? I know exactly what he means, because I've been at services like that, at some very high-energy, bursting-out-loud churches. That would be quite a change for this congregation--a bridge too far, I would bet.
I'll be interested to see how our ABC-USA Biennial incorporates our various worship styles this year. As a more contemplative Christian, I found worship at the Denver event to feel more like a pep-rally than a space for praise--with no offense intended to folks who organized or enjoyed it. We hear all the time about our denomination's diversity, so I expect diverse and challenging worship--and it will probably far more "dramatic" than what I'm used to. Once every two years, though, makes it fun and enjoyable as a learning experience, if not on a level of connection. If you find yourself sitting in a big congregation at the Biennial and someone is shouting/singing at the top of their lungs about giving yourself over to Jesus, and you're just not feeling it--I'll be there too, and in our own little spaces, we'll make our connections as best we can!
Besides, it will still be quite a show, and our not getting it won't prevent those who do enjoy that from having a great experience. Just remember--if you're not making faces, then they can enjoy it in peace. I recall seeing some folks expressing what I was feeling last time, and that just seems too rude for words. In our age of "authenticity," some folks believe it's wrong to be a part of anything we don't personally endorse. that would be a real loss in this case. And who knows? You might discover a mode of worship that really speaks to you.

Graves featured in Baptists Today

A really great piece on the BTSR president who has helped to turn the school into a major player in Baptist Education. President Graves has some family ties in our congregation, not to mention a former student in the form of our minister of Christian Education, Linda Moore. This interview is about four large-format pages, and well worth the time. Graves is leaving quite a legacy at BTSR, and we're seeing it happen in real time; that seems rare these days as folks are so often focused on things "of the moment."

No, Really?

"Media Matters for America and Faith in Public Life released the report, titled "Left Behind: The Skewed Representation of Religion in the Major News Media," at a Washington news conference May 29. It found that between the 2004 elections and the end of 2006, prominent conservative religious leaders were interviewed, quoted or mentioned in 2.8 times as many stories as were prominent moderate or liberal religious leaders.

In television news, the numbers were even more surprising: for every story that mentioned or quoted a religious progressive, 3.8 stories mentioned or quoted conservatives. The difference was less dramatic in newspaper stories, but conservatives still outweighed "progressives" by a factor of 2.7-to-1."

This from Associate Baptist Press, your nearly daily source for the latest and greatest updates. What's happening? Is it that reporters in "progressive" areas are not as prone to consulting religious leaders on the issues of the day? Is it that those of us who might be considered liberal religious leaders are simply not clamoring for the microphone? I know that when I first arrived in Newton I reached out to all the local presses and newsfolks that I knew of and offered up whatever I could in terms of resources and availability. My area tends not to be as engaged in the hot-button issues that conservative religious leaders are so enmeshed in, though. I do believe it's up to those of us who sit on the side of liberality to let folks know we are here and available, and it is wise to keep writing letters to the editors when it matters. Even those of us in the Baptist tradition, who cannot claim to speak for all our people on every issue, can let folks know where we serve and what our understanding of the gospel truths are in relation to the issues of the day.

Of course, on the other hand, it can be really damaging to always be consulted on every little thing. Sooner or later you are going to say something that makes you look like...well, like what you are. And often there are parts of our personalities that are better left, well, personal. There is also a pervading sense that folks in the Northeast have little need for those of us who live a religious life.

We are more outside the systems that we used to be part of running. While a reporter in the deep south might be more prone to consult a local preacher on a particular tragedy or issue (and I have NO statistical evidence to support this idea) it seems the reporters up here do nothing of the kind. And if they do, they go to the same people over and over, which probably makes sense in terms of ease and familiarity.

I maintain that the biggest reason we have been marginalized is that we have allowed ourselves to be. Can we use kernels like this as impetus to change that?

Pennies from Heaven...

Many congratulations to Julie Pennington-Russell on being chosen as senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Decatur, Ga., a nearly 3,000 member mega-church in the SBC. Congrats to the congregation itself on choosing someone for their merits as a clergy person rather than to "make a statement." Pennington-Russell has certainly blazed a trail from Waco to Decatur. It's my understanding that only a few folks (or at least less than ten) are not supportive at Decatur, unlike some of the fights it seems she had at Calvary Baptist at Waco.

This is certainly a step in the right direction for the churches of the SBC, in my opinion, and reflects what we're hearing about who's actually graduating from seminaries these days. Kudos to Pennington-Russell for her tenacity and her faith, kudos to the congregation for choosing who they felt was the best pastor for them, regardless of what it "said" about them as a church.

Hucky Feels Yucky after Carter Gets Plucky

When you hear of wars and rumours of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. (Mk 13:7, NRSV)

Well, what can we say? It's every citizen's right to complain about the administration and its policies, something we all enacted faithfully during the respective reigns of Presidents Carter, Reagan, Bush the First, and Clinton. But it seems to still be taboo for the current administration.

Is this a political blog? No, but it is Baptist. And Baptists have been all over politics since Baptists began. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying.

So the bass-player above left (hahaha) is taking issue with the icon above right (I know it's all too much) for having said that the "w" administration will be remembered as, well, less-than-perfect. The exact quote is a little less diplomatic. What Carter really told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette was: “I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history.”

Strong words, maybe even unfair, depending on where you stand; but completely expected by anyone who has listened to what Carter has been saying since the beginning about the "w" administration. Had Mike forgiven all that had gone before? Had he just told his aids, "Don't worry about that Carter fella," or not? Did he honestly think he was going to agree with everything every member of the New Baptist Convenant said? Yikes, Huck. But you can comfort yourself with this: you won't be the last to go.

There will be lots of talk about unity over the next year. That's good. There will be lots of talk about collective missions initiatives, better press for the non SBC folks, and many other things. But sooner or later, someone is going to find themselves in a room that they can't stand to be in (because of the beliefs espoused there) and that person is going to balk. It's unavoidable. I don't know who said it about Baptist mathematics, but it goes something like this: "Baptists divide in order to multiply." So don't be surprised when you hear that this one or that one jumped the ship, because the fact of the matter is that most folks do not have the stomach for this kind of unity. This brand of unity says that what unites us--a faith in God through Jesus Christ, and the power of that to help others--is more important than what divides. If you are too stuck in your right or left-lean, then you can forget about coming together in this group. Especially in an election year.

So I, for one, say "So long Huckabee!" This is the temperature of the kitchen we're in. I was willing to join a group that YOU were a part of. What I'm looking for is a group that you will join even with ME involved. That is the beloved community of Christ.

Signed in at the Biennial

Just for the record, I'm signed in at the Biennial in D.C. Anybody else set up already? When are you going to be there? What are you looking forward to? I'm going a little early (thought not by much) to do the interim ministry workshop. NONONO, I'm not looking to leave. I just want to know more, because I assume that many of us will serve as interims before our time in ministry is over, especially with so many churches needing resuscitation or comfort measures in our denomination (and most others in the Protestant "mainline").

For those who don't know, interims are intentionally temporary ministers who work with churches after the previous pastor leaves to prepare them to call their next pastor. There's a lot more to it than that, but you can read more here.

I attended attended an excellent workshop at the TABCOM annual gathering this year with Rev. George Sinclair (one of my parishioners, Hi George!) and Rev. Dr. Anita Farber-Robertson. I really recommend this workshop for an overview of what interims entail, as well as the various types of interims you can do and how to get connected with the denomination to learn more. Part of the reason I think interim work sounds so great is the different approach it entails with the congregation. You can have more of a prophetic voice when the time you are going to spend together is finite. Of course, I'm setting myself up for an earful about speaking prophetically when we're "permanent" as well.

Last Biennial was not so fun for me--not that I go just for fun, but you assume it will be. I am way too much of an introvert (and probably borderline agoraphobic) to enjoy being surrounded by hundreds of folks I don't know. Networking may be a part of denominational life, but some of us have to work at it a little more than others. That said, I had only been in ministry for months at the time of the Denver event, so I also didn't know nearly as many folks as I do now. Now if some of them would just pretend not to be looking the other way when I wave...