ANNUAL REPORT TO THE CHURCH

PASTOR’S REPORT 2009-2010

Many of you know that with my Annual Report I try to look toward the future, not at the past. Striving to illuminate the past is not the place on which people in positions of theological leadership should dwell. That, having been said, let’s look ahead.

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It is a key question for any church at all times: to where is this church called? Most people do not hear that vital question correctly. The thing most people hear when the question ‘to where is this church called?” is another, very different question: ‘To what is this church called?’ (Some would say “how is this church called” rather than “to what” but either will do.) I want to suggest that answering “to what is this church called” is close to useless. “To where is this church called” might be a helpful pursuit.

Why would I say that? Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States put it this way: “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” Which is, obviously, not to say any church should fail to plan. I cherish plans. It is to say ‘where’ supercedes ‘what.’

I had a pastor friend who, many years ago, started an organization called The Institute for Clergy Renewal. It is still running. The sole purpose of the organization was to offer clergy who had ‘burned out’ by being overly involved in ‘action’ in ‘what’ to be involved in a spiritual retreat for an extended time— about three months. In those retreats they would be given an opportunity to become renewed by concentrating on issues of faith. Why? Issues of faith are the ‘where’ to which any person and any church is called. You see, without the ‘where,’ without faith, the ‘what’ becomes meaningless. And, when we pursue goals without having a spiritual grounding, the action to carry out those goals become meaningless.

So, to where are we called? I think that answer is pretty clear: we are called to be a community of faith. One becomes a community of faith and, indeed, one renews faith through a combination of the intentional study of Scripture and intentional worship.

I cannot overstress how important the study of Scripture is. But I also need to note that simply reading Scripture is not studying Scripture. Further, if you are studying Scripture alone and not in a group, I cannot overstress how important it is to have multiple commentaries (which show a variety of viewpoints) available for that study. Which, of course, argues for studying Scripture in a group because those kinds of resources are more likely be available.

That brings us to “intentional” worship. What is “intentional” about worship? There are two things members of a church need to do to practice intentional worship. The first is to strive to be, each Sabbath, the community of faith gathered together to worship the One, Triune God. The second is to make a personal commitment to each other, to the other members of the community of faith, to be present at the normally scheduled service of worship, each week, once a week, no matter what. To be intentional means that a parishioner lets nothing, lets no one, lets no other commitment get in the way of that commitment and that intentionality. I cannot overstress how important “intentional” worship is. To be clear: these two aspects of church, together— study and worship— show where our personal priorities lie.

Now, I know some will say: “O.K. that’s the ‘where’ but I am a ‘nuts and bolts’ kind of person. You really have to show me a ‘what’ or I won’t believe a ‘where’ is there.

O.K.— the ‘what’— there is a fairly popular and successful program many churches use called Five Practices of Faithful Congregations. These are the five steps. Please note: these are practices. These make recommendations about what to do, about what you can do. These all address ‘what.’ These emphasize the faithful behaviors necessary to be a vital congregation.

The Practice of Radical Hospitality
Radical hospitality happens when Christians offer the absolute utmost of themselves, their abilities, and their creativity to welcome others into the faith.

The Practice of Passionate Worship
Passionate worship is when the community explores how the ingredient of passion can transform a worship service and offers insights and ideas on how to have worship that deeply touches souls and changes lives.

The Practice of Intentional Faith Development
Faith Development is an exploration of high quality learning experiences for all ages that matures the spirituality and faith of congregational participants.

The Practice of Risk-Taking Mission and Service
We do sometimes need to be reminded that by reaching out and taking risks, churches become the resources God uses to change lives and transform the world.

The Practice of Extravagant Generosity
This has been a given throughout the history of humanity: generosity enlarges the soul, realigns priorities, connects people to Jesus, and strengthens congregations to fulfill the ministries of Christ.

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So, there you have it: a ‘where’ and a ‘what.’ And I hope you noticed the significant degree of overlap between the two.

I’d like to end with a couple of thoughts about church on which I invite you to meditate. They are not mine. They are all taken from the writings of the late Rev. Dr. William Sloane Coffin, Jr., a Presbyterian Pastor and writer, who held standing in the United Church of Christ. At different times in a long career Coffin was a CIA agent, a chaplain at Yale University, a leader in the civil-rights and peace movements of the 1960s and 1970s, a member of the secret society Skull and Bones and, finally, the Senior Minister at the Riverside Church in New York City.

“All of life is the exercise of risk.”

“To be avoided at all costs is the solace of opinion without the pain of thought.”

“I love the recklessness of faith. First you leap, and then you grow wings.”

“The world is too dangerous for anything but truth and too small for anything but love.”

“It is often said that the Church is a crutch. Of course it’s a crutch. What makes you think you don’t limp?”

“Diversity may be the hardest thing for a society to live with, and perhaps the most dangerous thing for a society to be without.”

“When a man is drowning, it may be better for him to try to swim than to thrash around waiting for divine intervention.”

“The temptation to moralize is strong; it is emotionally satisfying to have enemies rather than problems, to seek out culprits rather than the flaws in the system.”

“Hope is a state of mind independent of the state of the world. If your heart’s full of hope, you can be persistent when you can’t be optimistic.”


The Rev. Mr. Joseph Connolly
Pastor and Teacher