Wind and Whirlwind. David Moffett-Moore
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this calling, so that they might find encouragement, support, and ideas for dealing with parish life and ministry in the broader world.
Part of the founding vision of the Academy of Parish Clergy was to facilitate this need to find a community of peers, and with this in mind Academy members were encouraged to create and join together in Colleague Groups, where they could encourage one another and explore issues that confront clergy in their daily ministry, often using the “Case Study Method,” which was emerging at the time among the professions. That model is still available, but it is the hope of the editors of this series that these books will also provide a foundation for conversation in clergy groups.
This vision continues to sustain the Academy more than forty years after its founding, and the new APC book series, Conversations in Ministry, seeks to extend this vision by offering to clergy books written primarily by practicing clergy for practicing clergy dealing with the issues that confront them in ministry today. Each book, published in partnership with Energion Publications, will be brief and focused (under 100 pages). Each book is designed to encourage reflection and conversation among clergy. The editors and authors of these books hope that the books will be taken up by groups of clergy and inspire conversation.
It is important to point out the use of the preposition “in.” The conversations that are envisioned here are not simply about ministry, but are designed to emerge from within the context of ministry. While the initial book in the series covered a variety of important issues facing clergy, in this the second volume in this series, we are led directly into what can be for clergy one of the most debilitating experiences of ministry — congregational conflict. As was true in the first volume, this book will reflect the purpose of the series, but each author will take the conversation in the direction the topic suggests.
May this series of books be a blessing to all who read them.
Robert D. Cornwall, APC
General Editor
Orientation
Orienteering is a well established and respected element of the Scouting program. It requires that the Scout be able to find his or her position and identify and follow a path using only a map and compass. It requires a variety of skills: ability to read a map, use a compass, measure one’s pace, find and follow a route through changing and rough terrain. In order to become a first class Scout, one must prove one’s skill in orienteering.
Being a first class pastor is much like this. It requires competency in a variety of skills, ability to use limited resources and read mixed signals to find a position and follow a path through rough, unknown terrain. It is my hope that this book will offer some level of confidence in pastoral orienteering, making it through the rough patches to find the smooth path ahead.
That which is most personal is also often what’s most universal. Beginning with my experience of being a pastor in crisis serving a parish in crisis and building on this through the research and training it motivated, this volume will help pastors care for their congregations living through times of overwhelming change as well as cope with their congregations when times of conflict occur. Using my experience as a thread, I will weave a story offering survival and the opportunity of success.
Our culture is enduring a time of epochal change. Change leads to stress and stress leads to conflict. As individuals, we breathe an atmosphere of anxiety. If our congregations are to survive, we must find ways to endure the change, defend ourselves from the stress, and resolve the conflict in ways that can lead to stronger, healthier congregations. We need to become resilient.
This book’s title is inspired by Hosea 8:7, “They that sow the wind shall reap the whirlwind.” In many ways, it feels like we are enduring a whirlwind of conflict and change, in our culture and in our congregations. Yet it was from this whirlwind that God spoke to Job and God only appeared to Elijah after the earthquake, wind and fire. There is a way through, a presence in the midst and a goal ahead. Together, we can find them!
Each chapter offers a concise lesson, includes a meditation, and offers questions for reflection and discussion. The book is intended to be used as a springboard for conversation among clergy groups. It is one in a series of such books offered jointly by the Academy of Parish Clergy and Energion Publications.
1
November 11, 2007
I was more nervous than I’d been in years: frightened, scared, terrified. I had no idea what would happen next. I could not concentrate on what I was doing or anticipate my next steps. I hadn’t slept well in weeks. Becki and I had talked and planned and prayed, but nothing was settled. Fear, not faith, was my constant companion.
It was Sunday, November 11, 2007. We were having our regular quarterly Congregational Meeting, but there was nothing regular about this meeting. I stood behind the lectern, bracing myself for whatever might happen next. Clearing my throat and trying to look brave, staring down the congregation, I began what was listed as my Pastor’s Report.
“The Church Council has asked for my resignation. I have agreed to their terms, including a three month notice. I will no longer be your pastor as of March 1, 2008. Thank you for the honor of serving as your pastor these past four years. I wish you all the best and pray that God may guide you in your next steps.”
I don’t think very many heard the last two sentences. After the first two sentences, there was a cry of uproar from the congregation, which was hearing this for the first time, shouts asking questions and some demanding the resignation of the Council. It was chaos. Still shaking, I sat down to let the Council President sort it all out. As Council President, he chaired the Congregational Meeting. He was also the face of the loyal opposition. I had no idea who or how many were behind him seeking my resignation or how many might support me if it came to a floor fight. I certainly had not expected that the floor fight we hoped to avoid would become so tangible a reality.
Different denominations have different ways of dealing with church conflict. The United Church of Christ allows for a very strong congregational polity. The local church owns all its property, selects its own pastor, writes its own constitution and by-laws, establishes its own requirements for membership, etc. By simple majority vote, it can leave the denomination at any duly called congregational meeting. Each congregation is independent, while in covenant with one another. I call it “defiantly autonomous.” I grew up in a Methodist parsonage, a denomination with a much more hierarchical structure. Coming to the United Church of Christ was both a breath of fresh air and a leap into chaos.
I was born in 1953, ordained in 1976 and have had employment since I was eleven years old, secular or sacred. I had never been fired. As a pastor in a parsonage, I was also losing my home and all my contacts with people whom I had regarded as friends. When a pastor loses his or her position, it has shattering effects that are emotional and spiritual as well as financial. The money may be the least of worries.
The church I’d been serving for the past four years was a grand historic church that had a great heritage, a beautiful sanctuary where hundreds gathered weekly for worship, a pipe organ for a space twice as large as they had, and a history of large Sunday school classes. Historically, the local mayor was almost always a member of the church. It was a church that seemed to have more glory days behind it than before it, had decreased while the community had increased and was not sure of its destiny. It was also a church that had fired five of its previous seven pastors.
The Council President restored order and I regained some semblance of composure. The question was put by the congregation to me was whether or not I was willing to stay. I replied that I felt I needed to comply with the will of the Council. In any case, given the state of the congregation, we would need to obtain the services of a church consultant to help us work through this crisis.
A petition was circulated around the congregation which gained the signatures of nearly all our active members. The Council rescinded its request for my resignation, and six of the twelve Council members resigned from the Council. By the time all the dust had settled, we lost five of our three hundred families. Some who had been active became less so and some who had not been active became more so. We contracted with the Alban Institute, which met with most of our membership