Invitations

So, all in all things are off to a fairly good start. I have tried to heed Rev. Camphouse's words of wisdom and have tried to come in without a vision but instead to listen and to help the people try to figure out just what in the heck God wants to do here. So I have been visiting like a crazy person, making trips to the hospital, catching up on House season 4 and most of all, learning the tricks of the trade that operating a riding lawnmower involves.

As I have been listening and preaching and pastoral caring what I have discovered in many ways is that its much easier to think about how the church and how the pastor should do things than it actually is to do them. One of the things that I have been thinking most about and trying to figure out how to do well is invitation.

Much of my thinking on this issue starting in a conversation with my Baptist-leaning dad over dinner. My churches have a history that involves a weekly altar call (Those of you who remember my time at the Candler Office of Worship will find this full of karma). Not surprisingly, we are currently not doing an altar call. I was explaining this to my father and he getting quite concerned; and he challenged me to think about how to invite people to consider salvation.

Now I explained to my dad that as a United Methodist Mr. Wesley would never talk about one moment of being saved but that our whole lives we were in the process of being saved, but that didn't seem to answer it. And as I have walked away from our dinner conversation, I have been thinking a lot about what it means to invite people to live the Christian life, in worship, in Bible study, in pastoral care and in our life together as a church.

I don't think that the traditional altar call or even the invitation to Christian discipleship that most of us have somewhere in our bulletins really get the whole thing, but I am having trouble visualizing what not just welcoming folks to hang out with us or even serve on one of our committees but inviting them to participate in the Christian life looks like.

This thought has been kicking around my head for a couple of weeks and I still don't have a clear direction about it. I think part of it is probably creating space for responses to the word that include silence and contemplation. I imagine part of it is creating some space for a public response, because our faith is public. And I imagine part of it is inviting folks into small groups that wrestle with the practices. And I imagine another chunk of it involves inviting folks to participate in justice in our community. I'm not sure how it fits together and my guess is that I won't have it all figured out for a while.

It turns out this stuff ain't easy. Maybe its time to go back to school.

Changes

So, it's been a little while since I posted. Getting commissioned, receiving an appointment, leaving Atlanta and moving to Greeneville will do that to you. There is other news that many of you know about, but employment issues prevent me from blogging about it just yet. It is very good news, and life, despite being apart from Erin and adjusting to a new place, is relatively good.

A few things that have been noteworthy in the last couple months and the first few days of my new appointment.

1. A helpful neighbor giving me a heads up about the importance of the KJV.

2. It is really helpful being connected to fellow pastors, particularly when you have to figure out something as crazy as going from Atlanta to the farm.

3. We heard Adam Hamilton at annual conference this year. I think we probably should have read more of Hamilton in seminary. Although I didn't agree with him on everything, he had very good things to say, was theologically sound, and has figured out how to involve people in a UM community of faith that seems to live out a Wesleyan way of life in some good ways. Plus, once you enter the church he is one of those people you have to be able to be conversant in.

4. We made what I think was a good decision to approve direct billing for pastor's health insurance at annual conference. It's going to be a challenge for some smaller churches, but if people aren't going to pay apportionments in full, then we have to be responsible. This feels like a tough, challenging, but ultimately responsible facing of reality.

5. Who knew that three different churches in one charge meant three different hymnals? Apparently, I should have.

6. In our conference the commissioning service is connected to the retirement service. Quite humbling watching pastors who have served 51 years pass the mantle to us. Exciting, invigorating, challenging. A good reminder of what we are committing ourselves to. With God's help.

6. Being young, single and the new pastor, I have more garden-fresh vegetables than I know what to do with.

You would think that living in a new place, about twenty five minutes from anything (and by anything I mean Wal-Mart, Ingles, the Applebee's and Zaxby's), apart from the boss would lead to more consistent blogging. It probably will, but I make no promises.