A wonderful reflection. Thank you. I’ve been looking for a new book to read so I think I may have that in your recommendation.
Also, your line, “oh I have opinions”... yeah. I resonate with that. I would love an article to go to church-viral about the goodness of serving congregations along with the struggles.
That image of folks at the bottom of the hill was enlightening. Thanks (Michelle) Obama! And thank you MaryAnn for sharing it.
I spent way too much time reading about that pastor. I refrained from contributing to the melee of opinions online, but this seems like a safe space lol. Content warning: several Three Word Capitalizations ahead!
To paraphrase a Star Wars aphorism: the Ego is strong with this one. So a pivot to Independent Media Venture seems obvious. The guy was only there 10 years, and there's a video? Oh, sorry, an "art piece." Sigh.
I preach a lot about humility. Seems to me be a core value of Jesus. I know I don't always practice it. But I take comfort that I'm not caught up in Tall Steeple Drama like that.
One thing that really caught my attention as I re-read a snippet of his article: that 360 people came to The Last Sermon and 80 tuned in online and he made it sound like it was an audience of thousands. It's true those are large numbers for even the biggest of our mainline churches these days. It just makes me giggle when Big Box Church would look at those numbers on an average Sunday and start panicking.
All of that said, he does raise some valid concerns about pastoral expectations. Maybe some folks who were not already aware of these structural difficulties will feel enlightened, but the choir was already pretty large on this front. I feel no need to listen to the sermon, watch the video, download the podcast, or read the book. In a world where everyone's a content creator, selectivity = sanity.
The article by the pres pastor is so sad. I hope it’s the right decision for him, but I also hope the diocese takes note! Coming from an evangelical background with charismatic leaders w no accountability to episcopal churches was a breath of fresh air - but I’ve also seen the downside too. I wouldn’t touch a vestry position with a ten foot pole!
And you are absolutely right, we need support on the hill.
A wonderful reflection. Thank you. I’ve been looking for a new book to read so I think I may have that in your recommendation.
Also, your line, “oh I have opinions”... yeah. I resonate with that. I would love an article to go to church-viral about the goodness of serving congregations along with the struggles.
Sounds like a writing assignment for you! :-)
Is that a hint ? ;-)
Not a very subtle one!
That image of folks at the bottom of the hill was enlightening. Thanks (Michelle) Obama! And thank you MaryAnn for sharing it.
I spent way too much time reading about that pastor. I refrained from contributing to the melee of opinions online, but this seems like a safe space lol. Content warning: several Three Word Capitalizations ahead!
To paraphrase a Star Wars aphorism: the Ego is strong with this one. So a pivot to Independent Media Venture seems obvious. The guy was only there 10 years, and there's a video? Oh, sorry, an "art piece." Sigh.
I preach a lot about humility. Seems to me be a core value of Jesus. I know I don't always practice it. But I take comfort that I'm not caught up in Tall Steeple Drama like that.
One thing that really caught my attention as I re-read a snippet of his article: that 360 people came to The Last Sermon and 80 tuned in online and he made it sound like it was an audience of thousands. It's true those are large numbers for even the biggest of our mainline churches these days. It just makes me giggle when Big Box Church would look at those numbers on an average Sunday and start panicking.
All of that said, he does raise some valid concerns about pastoral expectations. Maybe some folks who were not already aware of these structural difficulties will feel enlightened, but the choir was already pretty large on this front. I feel no need to listen to the sermon, watch the video, download the podcast, or read the book. In a world where everyone's a content creator, selectivity = sanity.
Appreciate the candor of these words, capitalized and otherwise...
The article by the pres pastor is so sad. I hope it’s the right decision for him, but I also hope the diocese takes note! Coming from an evangelical background with charismatic leaders w no accountability to episcopal churches was a breath of fresh air - but I’ve also seen the downside too. I wouldn’t touch a vestry position with a ten foot pole!
And you are absolutely right, we need support on the hill.
Amen! And yes, it's all a real tangle. Accountability is key. As well as support.