This is my third post concerning Reverend Dick Hamm’s book entitled, Recreating the Church: Leadership for the Postmodern Age.  Rev. Hamm is a former General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and is now doing writing and coaching for churches.  This is a wonderful and challenging book to all leaders and churches in today’s world. With in this book, Rev. Hamm talks about several polarities with in the church. I have written about a couple of these polarities, Maintenance verses Mission and Finance verses Stewardship. Today I would like to address what Rev. Hamm says about Control verse Empowerment.  Rev. Hamm says this about Control verses Empowerment, “control verses empowerment means that a leader nurtures the faith and spiritual gifts of members in such a way that they can think for themselves and can themsleves become teachers and leaders.”

A I have thought about this distinction, I have seen the difference between control and empowerment is a huge one.  Control happens when there are so many rules and guidelines that govern and micromanage a group or subgroup that people are afraid to act and move because they might go against the rules.  Also the rules are so controlling that there is no way to bend or even break the rules when they need to be.  When you empower someone, you train and give guidance and some direction to them and then turn them loose to use the gifts that they have been given to do ministry.  It may not be exactly the way you would do it, but they have been freed to do what they have been called to do.

Empowerment allows the development of each person’s gifts and calling and the use of those gifts for ministry.  Let me give you an example:  If you were to ask someone to create a media presentation for an advent worship service; control would be to tell them exactly what you wanted, the pictures, the music, the style, etc.  Empowerment would be to give the person some direction, “This is the theme or idea that will be the focus of the service”; “This is the idea that needs to be communicated”; “Include this song as part of it”; and then let them go to it.  You many need to see the final product before the worship to see if there is anything that needs to be adjusted, but if you trust them and they have the gifts, empower them to do it.

Rev. Hamm also talks about several other polarities with in the church, including withholding vs. granting authority; management vs. vision; pragmatism vs. core values; membership vs. discipleship; dependency vs. capacity; and democracy vs. discernment. I hope to share with you some thoughts from the book and my own mind in the next few days about these polarities and how Rev. Hamm and others see them in the church. I would be interested in your thoughts about this polarity and how it affects your church.

Reverend Dick Hamm, a former General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), has written a book entitled, Recreating the Church: Leadership for the Postmodern Age.  This is a wonderful and challenging book to all leaders and churches in today’s world.  With in this book, Rev. Hamm talks about several polarities with in the church.  A few posts ago, I wrote about one of the other polarities that Hamm talks about, Maintenance verses Mission.  Today, I would like address another of these polarities that churches often find themselves in – Finance verses Stewardship.

Rev. Hamm says this about finance and stewardship:

Finance . . . the development of proposed budgets, keeping an eye on income verses expenses, and holding the organization accountable to fiscal responsibility.

Stewardship . . . educating the congregation to give of their time, talent, and money; promoting tithing; giving generously to the annual stewardship campaign; and encouraging people to contribute from their accumulated resources to endowments and other special funds – all as a matter of spiritual discipline.

The difference here between the two is a bit more subtle.  In order to be good stewards in the church, we do need to have well though and planned out budgets and keep an eye on the income and outflow.  Especially in today’s economy, we need to be smart and aware of these things.  Too often this is where is stops.  When it stops here, we focus more on the money (or lack there of most of the time) and loose track of the faith and spiritual and faith focus that we are to have in the church.

Stewardship, personal and church wide, is a spiritual issue that involves more than money.  Stewardship involves using all of what we have been given and acquired for God’s work and glory.  Jesus tells us in a couple of His parables that we are not to hoard or keep what we have been given, but are to use it as it has been given to us.  Stewardship is a reflection on the spiritual aspect of our lives.  Hamm says that stewardship will increase giving when people are convinced that giving is a blessing to others and / or that the increased giving will help the institution be more mission oriented rather than merely maintenance oriented.  See the previous post about this polarity.

I believe that it all has to start with stewardship of what we have and who we are as God’s children.  If we are not good stewards, then it will be hard to be good givers.

Rev. Hamm also talks about several other polarities with in the church, including withholding vs. granting authority; management vs. vision; pragmatism vs. core values; membership vs. discipleship; dependency vs. capacity; control vs. empowerment; and democracy vs. discernment.  I hope to share with you some thoughts from the book and my own mind in the next few days about these polarities and how Rev. Hamm and others see them in the church.

I would be interested in your thoughts about this polarity and how it affects your church.

“I’m a little tea pot,

Short and stout,

Here is my handle, here is my spout.

When I get all steamed up,

Hear me shout,

Tip me over and pour me out.”

This simple song that we learned as a child has become one of my four year old’s favorite.  The other day while she was singing it for the umpteenth time in the car, I realized the truth of this song.

When we get angry, how do we deal with it?  Usually it is about shouting, ranting, gossiping and possibly scheeming to get what we want.  When the tea pot gets all steamed up and begins to shout, she gets poured out and the heat and steam flow away.

Anger is not wrong, but how we deal with it can be.  When we get angry, we need to pour ourselves out and let God’s peace and presence come in.  That peace can not come in if our steam and anger are still there.

May I be poured out and may God be poured in.

For those who are familiar with Penn and Teller, they have a wonderful magic act that is fun and entertaining.  You may also know that they are atheists.  That is why this video caught my attention.  I was listening to Klove the other day when they were talking about this video and caught a bit of the audio.  I was able to track it down on youtube and wanted to share it with you today.

Penn makes several interesting points but I would like to comment on two of them.  First is his respect of the man who shared the Bible with him because of the respect the man showed Penn.  The second is Penn’s belief that if you believe something with all your heart, why are you not sharing it.  If you believe a truck is going to hit someone are you going to love them enough to tackle them.

Do we as believers, believe and love enough to share with others in a respectful and loving way?  If we do, then we should not worry about offending them and if we do, we continue to love them.  

What do you think?

This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday where we celebrate and remember the gift of the Holy Spirit that is given to all believers.  The Holy Spirit was promised on many different occasions by Jesus as a gift given to the believers to empower them as they shared the good news about Jesus and lived in the world.  Jesus said the Holy Spirit would remind them of what He had said and taught, help them distinguish between right and wrong, and give special gifts, spiritual gifts, for the building up of the Body of Christ, the church.  One of the things that is not talked about too much is the different perspective that the Holy Spirit gives to us.

As we are follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, we gain a new perspective of the world and the people around us.  We begin to see the world and the people around us as God sees them and we are then called to go and love and care for them.

How has the Holy Spirit changed your perspective or how would you like your perspective changed?

This past Sunday I offered a challenge to my congregation to pray the last two verses of Psalm 139 for their lives and for the church, and I offer it to you too.  This is in preparation for the celebration and remembering of the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  The disciples and others gathered together for constant prayer following Jesus’ ascension and before the gift of the Holy Spirit.  We don’t know what their prayers were, but I can imagine they were prayers of allowing God to move in their hearts and preparing them to receive the Spirit.

“Search me O God and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me.  And lead me in the way of everlasting.”

Four different areas of prayer that address four different areas of our lives and church – heart, mind, actions, future.  In praying these verses, don’t just repeat the words, but allow God to really touch these areas and if needed, to deal with certain things in your life.  In doing so, each one of us and your church can be drawn closer to God.

Will you take this challenge today with us?

Reverend Dick Hamm, a former General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), has written a book entitled, Recreating the Church: Leadership for the Postmodern Age.  This is a wonderful and challenging book to all leaders and churches in today’s world.  Below is an short excert from the book that has been copied from blog from Columbia Partnership.

Maintaince Vs. Mission in Congregations

In his book, Recreating the Church: Leadership for the Postmodern Age, Dick Hamm says the following about maintenance versus mission in congregations:

“Where is an institution on the ‘maintenance versus mission’ continuum? Organizations that lean toward the maintenance end of the continuum are most often driven by anxiety. Maintenance becomes the mission.”

“Organizations focused on maintenance tend to spend most of their time, energy, and other resources in self-preservation.”

“Organizations focused on maintenance tend to see even traditional aspects of the mission through the lens of maintenance.”

“Such a maintenance-oriented church will not attract younger people: they will be attracted by a congregation’s sincere desire to live and share the gospel and to meet the needs of people.” [63-64]

Read more: http://colapartnership.posterous.com/maintenance-versus-mission-in-congregations#ixzz0Fy56VjQD&B

As I think about this, I realize that there is always some maintance that will need to happen in a church.  Either with the building and facilities, the ‘offices’ and governance, etc. but what I believe Rev. Hamm is saying is that too often we focus on maintaince to the detriment of the mission of the church, which is to go and make disciples.  When maintance becomes the mission, we have lost sight of what we are called to be in the world.

Some will say that we have to maintain our building, facilities, structure, etc. inorder to have a church to do the mission.   There is some truth to that, but when it becomes our focus and meaning for being, then we are missing God’s call.

Rev. Hamm also talks about several other polarities with in the church, including finance vs. stewardship; withholding vs. granting authority; management vs. vision; pragmatism vs. core values; membership vs. discipleship; dependancy vs. capacity; control vs. empowerment; and democracy vs. discernment.  I hope to share with you some thoughts from the book and my own mind in the next few days about these polarities and how Rev. Hamm and others see them in the church.

I would be interested in your thoughts, especially about maintenance vs. mission.

Tonight a local TV news station, WTKR, is doing a report on some new red light cams that are going up in the area and how to avoid them and other speed traps using your GPS.  The man they have been showing on the previews has talked about not wanting to get a ticket in the mail and having to pay the fine because of the economy.  Now I’m not here to argue the rightness or wrongness of the red light cams or speed traps, I’ll leave that debate to you.

Let me just say this, if you want to avoid getting a ticket either from the red light cams, speed traps or some other method; don’t run the red lights, don’t speed or purposefully break the traffic laws.  If you don’t then you won’t have to worry about a ticket.

I know that it is going to happen and that is ok.  I know that some of you when you continue to read this will laugh, some will say figures, others already know, but I will say it – “I am a Star Trek fan.”  I am looking forward to the new movie but really wish they would do more with the Klingon Empire.  They have always fasinated me and wish the culture, characters, and point of views were explored more in the shows.  (How about doing, Star Trek Klingons and focus on the Empire with special appearances by some of the other characters.)

Any way, that brings me to the point, I have come across a website and project entitled “Klingon Language Version of the World English Bible” (http://klv.mrklingon.org/) which has actually taken the scriptures and translated them into the Klingon language.  Someone has too much time on their hands, but I am facinated with the work and project.  It got me thinking that we translate the scriptures into other languages via missionaries and Bible translators, but do we do a complete job.

We need to share the scriptures in ways that others will understand, translate them into another language to communicate them.  We do that with other countries, they had to be translated into English, but do we translate them into languages and into cultures that are around us?  Do we take images in scriptures that were familiar and common in that time and translate them into common images today?  Part of this means that we need to look at scripture and faith through the lens of the people we are trying to reach – youth, addicts, families, retired, even Klingon.

Take the image of Jesus as a shepherd.  I don’t see many shepherds today, but in Jesus’ day they were common and everyone could see that around them.   We need to make this image and others like it accessable to our world and culture.  Shepherd cared for, protected and looked after their flock.  They knew their flock and the flock knew them and their voice.  What image could we use in our world, in your world to convey that idea of a shepherd and Jesus as the Good Shepherd?

 This goes as well for our actions and rituals in the life of the church.  What is is that we do in worship, or in classes, or in other meetings that makes sense to us and has meaning to us, but is not accessable to others because they are on the outside, even if they are sitting next to us?

Even if you or I don’t go to another country, we still have to be activily involved in translating the scriptures and our faith so that others can understand.  Scripture was written and spoken in Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic but is now in Spanish, Korean, English, Klingon and a whole host of others to share what God has given to us in ways people can understand.  If I remember correctly, this was one issue of the reformation.   We have to communicate our faith, the scriptures we live by in ways and means that are appropriate for those around us.  If we don’t, then we really don’t believe we have a message worth sharing, do we?

We have been through the arrest, trial and crucifixion of Jesus.  We have seen Him die and now go with Mary to the tomb.  Two of Jesus’ disciples had been there with her and had seen the empty tomb and left.

Joh 20:11-18
But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she knelt to look into the tomb and saw two angels sitting there, dressed in white, one at the head, the other at the foot of where Jesus’ body had been laid. They said to her, “Woman, why do you weep?” “They took my Master,” she said, “and I don’t know where they put him.” After she said this, she turned away and saw Jesus standing there. But she didn’t recognize him. Jesus spoke to her, “Woman, why do you weep? Who are you looking for?” She, thinking that he was the gardener, said, “Mister, if you took him, tell me where you put him so I can care for him.” Jesus said, “Mary.” Turning to face him, she said in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” meaning “Teacher!” Jesus said, “Don’t cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I ascend to my Father and your Father, my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went, telling the news to the disciples: “I saw the Master!” And she told them everything he said to her.

Mary hung around at the tomb and even after seeing angels, did not know Jesus when she saw Him.  When Jesus spoke her name, when the personal connection was made, then her eyes were opened, and she saw Jesus with her eyes and her heart and her spirit.

What does it take for us to see the risen Lord?  Miracles, angels, love, fellowship, organization?  Maybe to some degree, but those will fade.  It is when we have a personal connection with Jesus, when He calls our name and we respond by putting down our past; it is then that we are able to truely follow the risen Lord to where He is leading us.  Mary heard her name and experienced Jesus.

Do you hear yours being spoken by Jesus?  He is speaking it to you and calling you to put down your hurts, pains, selfishness, sin and all the things that keep us seperated from God and to live our lives with Him because HE LIVES today!