Jesus said,
“Go
Go therefore
Go therefore and make
Go therefore and make disciples
Go therefore and make disciples of all
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, …”
What if we tweaked that just a bit to say, “REACH therefore and make disciples of all nations!” Perhaps some of you were at the recent REACH Summit hosted at the Lansing Convention Center by the New Church Development teams in the Michigan Area. Over 225 laity and clergy from across Michigan, and some from across the North Central Jurisdiction gathered to explore best ways to bear fruit of the commandment Jesus gave to his disciples. We yearned to know how to REACH Out, REACH Up, REACH In, REACH Across, and REACH Forward in order that lives and communities can be transformed by God’s ever-reaching grace. So, to a real extent we heard, “REACH therefore and make disciples of all nations!”
In exploring new methods and models for ministry we were also were challenged to think of new understandings of the role of pastors and lay disciples. Rev. Rosario Picardo, keynote speaker of the event, challenged, “The day of the pastor as shepherd is over; the day of the missional leader is here.” Picardo told the congregation that a pastor having “office hours” is a model from the past, not the present. He urged that to “reach” anyone one must “go” out into the community and build relationships. This does not mean that a pastor doesn’t ever show up in the building; after all, to shape the life of the church after its mission and vision one does have to help organize it at times! However, the challenge he lays out is very real, for both the pastor and the lay disciples of the faith community.
In my own experience as a pastor, a consultant and a former district superintendent, I can remember many conversations around how the pastor, or any paid church staff for that matter, spends her or his time. I can recall comments about wanting the pastor in the office just in case someone stopped by, or just so that they know the pastor is working. The question that raises for me is, “How does that in any manner or form help the church community reach into the wider community to draw people into discipleship?”
What if instead you saw the pastor at the local coffee shop talking with some of the village regulars? What if the pastor or staff member was getting to know the Principal of the local elementary school instead of sitting behind their desk? What if the church Lay Leader or Lay Servant Minister went with the pastor to the local high school baseball game where all the youth and their parents hang out, instead of sitting in a meeting listening to reports? What if the whole congregation came to the game instead of having a potluck dinner? What if they all wore their church t-shirts or sweatshirts as they cheered the home team on?
A few weeks ago I was privileged to conduct a couple of charge conferences for one of my colleagues. Both were great fun [yes, I really mean that we enjoyed ourselves]! One was a single-point congregation with about 45 active members. Their pastor is second-career following retirement from another professional career, and is part-time. As they shared with me their celebrations in ministry I discovered that this country church was seeking to connect genuinely and regularly with 15 high school youth. That is one third the size of their congregation! The youth go with the older members when they “bag” the neighborhood, gathering food supplies to give Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner boxes to families in need. These energized laity with a vibrant and encouraging pastor are reaching out to youth even as they are reaching across to their neighbors. They took in five new members this year. That is 10% growth in one year!
I share this story simply to point out that we need multiple models for ministry, and multiple models for what roles pastors, staff and laity live out to do effective and vital ministry. Here is a link to a recent article on the changing expectations:
If our priority is to go and reach, then our model can be flexible. Sounds like the First Century Church “model” to me.
Blessings,
Rev. Dr. Jerome (Jerry) DeVine
Director of Connectional Ministries
Last Updated on October 27, 2015