Bishop Payne's Blog

2012 Dean's RetreatHaving just spent a couple of days on retreat with staff and the deans, I am reminded of the blanket of pastoral care that rests on the synod. Fifteen faithful and competent pastors are among you serving as an extension of the office of the bishop to convene, counsel, communicate and care. I know that a dean is sometimes chosen because he or she was not in the room at the time of the vote, but they always rise to the ministry of supporting the conference and its pastors in wonderful ways.
In Worcester, office staff handles more phone calls, requests, crises and complaints than there are black flies in the northern kingdom. And that’s on top of all the regular tasks of running a complicated non-profit organization.

And, of course, there is the volume of work handled by the associates and ministry specialists. One of the particular challenges of this synod is its large territory – that’s why there have been four people on my staff who each oversee a quadrant of the synod, living on its territory so that they can be more readily available to pastors and congregations. They and other staff accompany candidates and congregations through the call process, respond to all kinds of needs and provide resources. Along with those responsibilities, they take care of other business in our life together, for example: synod assembly, mission strategy and development, communication, programs for congregational renewal, youth ministry, campus ministry, ministries of peace and justice, ecumenical relationships, global mission…..you get the idea.

Have you read Phyllis Tickle’s The Great Emergence? She uses the image offered by an Episcopal colleague who says that every 500 years the Christian Church has a rummage sale, and we are in the midst of one right now. There was the great east/west divide, then the shenanigans of Martin Luther and now this: post-modernism? Maybe we cannot yet name it since it is not quite clear what is the trash and what is the treasure as we sort through our attic.

Although profoundly provocative, the book is a quick and easy read. Along with the mega questions it raises, it stirred my thinking about the kind of leadership that is needed for our participation in church as the New England Synod of the ELCA…. which is related to the election of a new bishop…..and which causes me to think back on these last twelve years. Yes, the church needs change – how does that happen? How do we separate trash from treasure?

Leadership for change requires patience as well as courage, and the ability to know which rules to observe and which to break for the sake of letting God’s Spirit blow through institutional stasis. There is always the possibility of forsaking the institution – so a leader’s choice is to stay and steer the ocean liner in new directions (a slow process, even assuming there will be no icebergs) or jump ship….which many people have already done.

But let’s think about staying, and think about bishops. One of the biggest challenges I have found in this call is trying to figure out how to use time well. In the present structure, there are some givens: attendance 3x a year at bishops’ meetings; oversight of and attendance at synod council and executive committee meetings, and the annual assembly; regional responsibilities; communication at many levels in many forms; study and occasions for preaching and teaching; managerial oversight and monitoring of financial systems.

Here are some other things that are ‘givens’ in my view that take up big chunks of time, largely unseen to those outside the situations: time spent with victims and perpetrators of clergy sexual and financial misconduct; hours in travel for shared worship, congregational celebrations; visitation for and pastoral care and conversation; team building for staff; exploration of partnerships, including ecumenical and interfaith; attendance at candidacy committee meetings; massive amounts of time shepherding (or arranging for the shepherding of) the call process in congregations, which also includes care for the candidates; and creation of opportunities for theological education. Add to the mix my decision to respond to all the annual reports to the bishop and send ordination anniversary cards, as well as seek times for many one-on-one pastoral conversations – how much is enough? How much is too much? What would another set of ‘givens’ look like?

Two things that felt like ‘givens’ for me, or perhaps more accurately, felt like ‘calls-within-a-call’, were the leadership of the ELCA Task Force on Human Sexuality, and my several trips to embody our partnership with the ELCJHL. Huge chunks of time. Were those contributions to shaping a vision, or not? Should I have declined so that I could spend more time in the synod? How do all the visions connect – congregational, synodical, national, international?

Here is a sample of other issues that arise to which a bishop must attend: How can a pedophile be welcomed into a community of faith while keeping children safe? Should a bishop spend time courting major donors to get funds for new kinds of ministries? How can campus ministry continue and expand to include other young adults? What can be done when a handful of people control hundreds of thousands of dollars that could be used for God’s purposes in the world, but are retained for a dying congregation? How much time should be spent in both fostering and embodying public church? What is the bishop’s role in fostering mission?

As the election nears, I hope that these thoughts will add to an understanding of the call to serve as bishop, both for those who are considering it, and those who are voting. The next bishop might be young or old, gay or straight, male or female, white or otherwise, known or unknown to us, from near or far. But in any of those cases, we need to lean on prayer and guidance from the Holy Spirit. We cannot assume that visionary verbiage will lead to vision accomplished, or that a nose-to-the-grindstone style will not be a channel for God to do new things. Listen to what the Spirit is saying to our church in this time.

One of my favorite things about being Lutheran is the value placed on communal moral and theological deliberation. It takes place much less often than it should for our spiritual health and growth, but the expectation is there, and the tools are available to us in the form of social statements, regular gatherings of the congregation and a shared journey of integrating faith and daily life. Alongside this ongoing conversation is the question of how Christians can strengthen the church and its mission for God in the world.

Two things are happening right now (excluding, for the moment, presidential campaigning, wars and threats of war) that should capture our attention as Lutheran Christians and generate conversation.

First is the huge controversy over the 60 Minutes program on April 22 that featured a segment on “Christians in the Holy Land”. It reported how the percentage of Christians has now dropped below 2% of the population, and described the oppressive nature of the Israeli occupation for the Palestinians. The Lutheran Church was prominent in the segment; Mitri Raheb and others from Bethlehem were interviewed, and the Kairos document (that we studied in the New England Synod) was mentioned. You should watch it Note the role of the Israeli ambassador to the United States and remember the continued expansion of illegal settlements. What’s a Lutheran Christian to do?

Second is the stinging reprimand of American nuns by the Pope, and his selection of a bishop to oversee a ‘makeover’ of most of the orders. As one writer commented: “In effect, the Vatican accused the nuns of worrying too much about the poor, and not enough about abortion and gay marriage”. There has been an outpouring of support for the nuns from the Catholic community. Sister Joan Chittister, a Benedictine nun and one of my favorite authors, is grateful for the support and petitions rising up from many Catholic lay people who see the nuns’ tireless work in soup kitchens, hospitals, schools and shelters. The shout of “You go, girl!” has been heard to rise from some congregations. Meanwhile the reality of the cover-up of sexual abuse of children lingers and grows. What’s wrong with this picture? And what’s a Lutheran Christian to do?

Being a bishop means being less engaged in planning for Lent, Holy Week and Easter. I never thought that I would miss the feeling that I might as well set up a cot at the church, the smell of hyacinths or monitoring the battle between Jesus and chocolate. Actually, I don’t. But I do miss the communal journey through the Holy days – the journey with the same people that I sang Christmas carols with, and shivered with when the furnace wouldn’t start, and broke bread with through a year of potlucks and picnics. I keep festival, but it’s not the same. I feel welcomed by each congregation that envelopes me in its Holy Week rhythm, and that helps me to remember that each congregation is just one particularized glimpse of the whole Body of Christ, and that I am blessed by all the companions along the way, new or familiar. Oh, and by the way, a bishop is a lot less tired at the end of Holy Week than a parish pastor. (But that’s not a good enough reason to want to get elected.)

Suddenly the news is filled with reports that make me veer close to despair, but also wonder about the absence of a Christian voice that is neither Vatican-oriented nor worried about being ‘left-behind’. Maybe it is being spoken, but just does not make good press. At least I hope and pray that the voice for justice and dignity and compassion for those in our world who are marginalized is still being faithfully registered by phone, email and our participation as citizens. At the very least, Doing What Matters means not hiding out in the ‘kingdom’ of the Church – giving up the comfort of ‘private church’ to be ‘public church’ for the sake of the world.

Do you believe that responsible use of contraceptive devices is OK for women?
Do you think that the black teen-ager in Florida might possibly have been another victim of racial stereotyping, or even a hate crime?
Did you know that if the US had seven fewer F-35 jet fighters, there would be enough money to buy a hand-held tablet for every first-grader in our country?

Then, please, call or write to a congressman or newspaper and tell them that.

This past weekend was my last Synod Council meeting - not counting the ‘one-hour-touch-base-frenzy’ that takes place just before the beginning of synod assembly. I asked for the chance to lead opening devotions for that meeting, which was granted to me – who can resist a pastor offering to lead devotions? We gathered to share communion: the scripture reading was the Road to Emmaus story from Luke, and I read aloud parts of Henri Nouwen’s meditation on that text from his book With Burning Hearts. Then we shared bread and wine. Then we sang two of my favorite hymns; when I plan the worship myself, I don’t have to get the approval of the worship team, so I can indulge my sappy/sentimental side if I choose.

Although Lutherans agree that it’s important to preach and live our baptismal lives, Nouwen reflects in this book on how our sharing of the Eucharist should lead to Eucharistic lives….which end up inevitably in mission. Doing What Matters to God? Figuring out how to do that is not the same as accomplishing a list of jobs to be done, checking them off a divine to-do list. It’s living out of the rhythm of taking in the Word and then giving it to others in words and otherwise. It’s a life-style that’s more about sharing than hoarding; it’s all about nourishment and satisfaction. I recognize how biased I am on this point, but in this case I know I’m right – the only kind of life that has meaning is the kind that gives itself away.

Another thing that happens for Region 7 bishops (and some staff) in the spring is an annual time together to hunt for insight and gather new pastors. It took place this year in Allentown, PA. We did our hunting in conversation with Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson who came to town to meet with us, in listening to Prof. Timothy Wengert from the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, and in engaging in conversation with pastors doing church in new ways. (Two of the pastors were from the roster of our synod: Mark Huber and Josh Graber – do you know about the new things they are doing?)

And after a long day of conversation, prayer and considering the needs of the church in all seven synods of our region, Ted Asta and I ‘gathered’ four new first call candidates for New England. Remember in your prayers over the next few weeks the four candidates and congregations that will be interviewing them. They all would be wonderful colleagues and additions to our roster; I hope to be introducing them to you soon.

Some quotes from an article by one of our bishops:

·The turnaround of mainline churches will happen when we in those churches care as much about those outside the church as we do those inside.

·…mainline churches have ceased to be relevant to the culture because insiders trump outsiders every time.

·Peter Drucker (management consultant): when the rate of change outside the organization exceeds the rate of change inside the organization, the organization is doomed.

·..when things heat up, leaders circle the wagons, which is precisely the wrong thing to do.

·What if….every sermon choice, every hymn or song choice, every building and grounds choice, every spending choice is made with outsiders in mind.

Conclusion: when we become a church for the world, the outsider….we will be the church for which God incarnate came to this earth and gave his life.

Is this a story about a new way to do justice with modern technology or a story of slightly narcissistic idealism? Is it OK for humanitarian actions to advocate for violent solutions? Should the failings of one individual under stress sabotage an entire effort? Where is God in this? (BTW – the son of one of our ELCA bishops has worked with Invisible Children on this campaign since its inception and vouches for it mightily)

February and March had no snow days this year – bummer. It’s a time of the year when parish pastors are recovering from Christmas and planning Lent, which usually arrives on their doorstep before they are ready for it. The church year does keep turning in its cycle that moves us through seasons of the spirit.

In the cycle of episcopal life, March brings the spring Conference of Bishops meeting, usually in Chicago – the last such meeting for me. The shape of these meetings has changed over the years. They used to be a time to receive endless reports while sitting in one seat and feeling overwhelmed, but now are more interactive, and include small group discussions and time to get together informally to advise and console one another. And lots of worship – much appreciated.

So many people think of the ELCA as hierarchical when in fact it is more like a three-compartment amoeba, shifting around and changing shape to move to new places, latch onto new partnerships, infiltrate the culture, appear in corners as well as spotlights.

There are housing projects going on in Haiti, continuing work with people suffering the after-effects of the tsunami in Asia, new congregations springing up, and multiple partnerships emerging. The ELCA is a bridge denomination in the country and world; we are a place where people cluster to embark on new ecumenical work and to bolster the commitment to be and work for the sake of the world instead of simply undergirding denominational loyalty.

Work on social statements continues. Although I would love to see more congregations engage in serious study and discussion of them (Have you seen the one on Criminal Justice that came out on March 15th?), at least I know that they serve as an excellent resources and solid theological foundations for understanding modern conundrums and controversies. (Note recent discussions on church and state and reproductive rights)

Our presiding bishop Mark Hanson is in touch with the White House, Bishop Younan and others have met with VP Biden to make the case for Palestinian rights, Lutherans are active and vocal in the push for immigration reform and the ELCA is still known to be the most faithful in the long haul of disaster relief – we are there long after everyone else has left. Being ‘public church’ is not a part-time program or an option; it’s the only way to be church faithfully.

For these last two years the Synod Council has spent many hours in the same kind of mission strategizing that we expect all congregations to do. Along with our consultants from ARE, Jane O’Hara Shields, Lisa Hazelwood have led us in thinking, praying and planning. In the most recent meeting, we have thought about all of our strengths as a synod, and tried to make the connection to the needs that we have. How can we use our assets to Do What Matters as a synod?

This Synod Council has been a gift to me and to our work together. Do you see the candles? Our council chaplain, Pr. Sharon Hughes, creates for each meeting a worship focus center that is the heart of our thinking and planning. After each report, a member of the council offers a prayer. At the end of the meeting we reflect on where we felt God has been present with us in our work.

If you wonder what it is like to serve on Synod Council, and what on earth we do, take a moment to talk with one of the members. I think you will find that the experience of this kind of service has been a good one for them. And be sure to watch the video that was sent to your congregation to get a better sense of what the council believes and does in its ministry. You might even want to consider becoming part of the group – I guarantee that you will meet exceptional colleagues.

This past weekend I spent time with a group of Lutheran seminarians who study in non-Lutheran seminaries – it’s officially known as Lutherans in Diaspora. The gather each year – at either Yale, Harvard, Union or Princeton -historically it was the students in these schools that began the group. This year it was held at Yale and the theme was “For the Sake of the World: A Lutheran Public Faith”. Our own Bob Kay was the keynote speaker. He and I and Heidi Neumark and Audrey West formed a panel for discussion…and the food both days was terrific.

Although I agree with the policy that Lutheran students in a non-Lutheran seminary benefit greatly from a year in a Lutheran seminary, I am pretty convinced that it would be enormously beneficial for students in a Lutheran seminary to spend a year in a non-Lutheran seminary. This comment comes out sounding a lot like ‘how much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood’….but maybe you know what I mean.

Here is an excerpt from my sermon given during the weekend:

People love to quote the verses from the sixth chapter of Micah:
He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?

The only problem with that is that it says to do justice and love kindness,
And, truth be told, we really prefer to love justice…and to do kindness.

How about if we tried a random act of justice every day?

And now that I’m on the subject of Micah’s words –
what does it mean to walk humbly with your God?

Don’t even get me started on the low regard for appropriate humility
in our civil culture, let alone the shallow understanding in Christian churches
of what it might really mean to walk humbly with God.

In our highly individualized society, which infiltrates our churches,
the idea of walking humbly with God tends to be accompanied by the image
of taking a stroll in a garden with a calm, white, affectionate Jesus,
with gospel music playing low in the background.

Whereas it seems to me, that if we truly live in a theology of the cross,
we understand that God is most fully present in places where people are
suffering and tortured by injustice, and if we want to walk with Jesus,
we need to walk and talk in those places,
in companionship with those whom God loves so passionately.

If you had to guess, which one do you think has appalled me and which one do I agree with?

In the past, I have admired the Supreme Court, and especially Sandra Day O’Connor when she was a member. Sure I have disapproved of some decisions, but have agreed with others. On various occasions I have been sympathetic, annoyed, impressed, curious, hopeful, discouraged (especially with the welcoming of Clarence Thomas) righteously indignant and enormously grateful. But I was never truly appalled until their decision that corporations are people and can therefore give huge sums of money to political campaigns. Huh?

Which leads me directly to my recent agreement with Fidel Castro. Last week he made a public comment about his opinion of the Republican presidential primaries in our country, saying that they are “the greatest competition of idiocy and ignorance that has ever been”. This describes my feelings pretty exactly. Thanks, at least in part, to super PACS, candidates have enough money to sink campaigning to the lowest possible level of public political life. I wonder if Santorum will be any different.

With President Obama’s announcement yesterday that he has reversed his disapproval of super PACS and will support that kind of funding in Democratic political life as well, we can look forward to many more months of airways crammed with all the reasons why particular candidates are the scum of the earth. Maybe it’s a good thing after all; it might be the only way to encourage significant numbers of Americans to stop watching television.

The bishop shall “preach, teach, and administer the sacraments in accord with the Confession of Faith of this church” and “have primary responsibility for the ministry of Word and Sacrament in this synod and its congregations, providing pastoral care and leadership for this synod, its congregations, its ordained ministers and its other rostered leaders”.

So, yes, the bishop is pastor to the pastors. Most often people remind me of that when they feel that I am not paying enough attention to them. But provision of pastoral care for the rostered leadership is different from the kind of one-on-one intensive relationships that are possible in congregations that worship weekly together. There are deans, associates to the bishop, designated pastors for each rostered leader and their family members (have you filed that name with my office?) and financial resources available for special care. Holding leaders in prayer, notes, email messages, phone calls – all of these happen….

But focusing too much on that is the same as a congregation’s turning inward and caring only for its members. We care for one another in love and compassion, but also so that we are a community strengthened to live and serve for the sake of the world.

“So that” is a phrase that shows up in the bible pretty often - it’s the glue that holds together maintenance and mission. We need both, but we maintain our life together so that we can proclaim the Word to the world. The variations of the challenge to be responsible for Word and Sacrament ministry in the synod are endless – encouraging homiletical excellence, seeking to model winsome preaching, responding to questions about sacramental practices, looking for ways to teach rather than demand, emphasizing the importance of continuing education , evaluating all that we do in the synod in the light of Word and Sacrament – the Lutheran way to do Christianity.

Ordination day is a day of culmination, vows and excitement – one day suspended between the years of preparation and the years of service. This past Saturday Heidi Lemke Johnston became a pastor – music was wonderful, tears flowed, sermon was awesome (John Niketh) and I was able to perform one of my favorite functions - presiding at the beginning of another life of Word and Sacrament ministry.

Now the real work begins – in all its joys, frustrations, sorrows and seasons of the church year, circling endlessly while we ride its rhythm for worship and learning.

Last week I took part in a responsibility related to ordination. New pastors in our region must attend an annual four day continuing education event each January for the first three years of their ministry. It used to be called the First Call Theological Institute but now it’s called the Leadership Guild. Call it what you want – it’s a time to be apart with others who are also in the season of beginning ministry to learn (why didn’t they teach me that in seminary?), commiserate (read: grumble), see old friends and make new ones, worship (without having to lead it), eat together (at least I didn’t have to cook it myself) and generally be supported in the early years of ministry. Two bishops are resident each year – to give presentations, but mainly to talk with these new pastors and pray for and with them. This year was my turn. Outside of poor cell phone reception in the retreat center and a bad head cold, it was great. It was my last time doing this event – one more in a series of ‘lasts’as this last year unrolls.