Thirsting for MORE ...

We live in an interesting time ... church attendance is declining (rapidly), while our movies, books, and other forms of media are struggling with the big issues of life, faith and spirituality ... Mainstream denominations like The United Church of Canada hang up invitational signs for groups of people who have for one reason or another not been traditional attendees of worship services. Even book publishers crank out valune after volume of tomes on matters spiritual ...

Yet, Churches are doing a LOUSY job stepping up to the plate and embracing the possibility and potential that this time offers and represents ...

People aren't interested in embracing traditional religion and church as it has been ... they want MORE ... but our denominations have a major disconnect between the ideas of things like "The Emerging Spirit" campaign and "The Wonder Cafe" outreach project, and what is happening in the individual congregations.

I have shelves of books (okay - right now I have BOXES of books) on the challenges that dog individual congregations. Predominant among them is the work of Edwin Friedman who applies Family Process Theory to the dysfunction we often find in congregations and faith communities. He examines the toxic behaviour that is passed generationally within these communities and by taking that dysfunction seriously, AND naming the complacency of others who do nothing to address nor remedy THAT behaviour, suggests that the Broader Church and Faith Community leadership do a disservice to all involved by casting a blind eye on such behaviour.

The other day I heard the statement - "we are experiencing a failure of our leadership..." while the blame was posited at MY FEET ... I laughed (amid my tears) because there was NO FAILURE on my part of leadership ... I brought resources to the table ... I offered opportunities for reflection ... I pleaded for OUTSIDE help ... the failure of leadership (something I DON'T dispute) came from people who like the three mythical monkeys sat with their eyes firmly shut, their mouths tightly closed and their ears effectively stopped, because they, in their fear, found it easier to deny the reality around them, than embrace the wave that was washing over them...

When leadership fails to admit to its shortcomings and failures, and operates strictly from an erroneous egotisitical stance that maintains that "it's what's for the common good" while neighbours are left devestated and grief stricken ... there is a profound problem ...

Saying - "we have to move forward" when the outcome is deepening a division would indicate that there is NO COMMON GOOD, but only the feeding andenhancement of misguided egos ...

The failure of leadership to address the issues raised by the Spiritual Hunger means that the Church (and other faith groups) will simply die ... but it won't be the end of the story ... Instead, that Spiritual Hunger will give rise (thanks to the Spirit) to something NEW ... it will be the resurrection made real ...

Faith communities will simply wither and die if we (all of us - clergy and lay) don't take seriously profound dysfunction that exists within themselves ... Shrugging our shoulders and saying "oh, that's the way it has always been..."is NO LONGER AN OPTION.

Driving out the leadership who can hold up an uncomfortable mirror that offers few warm pink fuzzies to placate our discomfort with seeing what we're REALLY like ...is NO LONGER AN OPTION.

The voices calling for more are gaining strength and volume ... the hunger that many feel beyond the comfort of our familiar pews is REAL and as people of faith who recogize the hunger and thirst that those crying out represent can NO LONGER sit like three little monkeys pretending that everything will be okay ...

The call for action is NOW.
The people called are YOU and I.
And the way for it to happen is for people of good faith to take the call to Resurrection seriously.

Starting today ... this place becomes my Wittenburg Door ... the place I will nail up my reflections, musings, and thoughts about the state of the Modern Church ... like my colleague and buddy Blake over at "The Laudhing Pastor" ... I set my sights on offering a message of HOPE and FAITH to those who are hungering for things Spiritual ...

In the coming days I will reflect on the learnings I've gleaned from people like Tolle, Hahn, Friedman, Nouwen, Vanier, and countless others who speak from a vantage point outside the Institutional religious bodies. This place will become a site where matters of faith are spoken of openly and freely ...

THIS WILL be the place I nail my personal 95 Theses and openly proclaim - "Here I am, I can do no other ..." and leave the rest in the hands of God ...

... and my motivation is the simple realization that there are many people out there who are hungry for SOMETHING more than the tepid status quo of faith ... and I KNOW I've been both called, and blessed with the gifts to reach out to them ... and with humbleness, it's a calling I will explore ...

Hang on ... it's gonna be a fun journey ...

Peace.