How many more wake up calls do denominational leaders need before they realized that what they are doing is not working and dying a slow (and painful for the rest of us) death?
I was attending this afternoon the “Senior Pastors Only” breakout session at the DC Baptist Convention annual meeting which Washington Plaza is a member and I found myself insulted, discouraged and wanting to throw up my hands and saying, “What’s the point?” once again.
Our church is a member of this ABC-USA regional body for several reasons– we want to be connected to our larger family of Baptists, we want to be known as an American Baptist church, and we want to partner in missions. Personally, I am indebted to the DC Baptist Convention for its recognition of my ordination, vocational placement service when I was a new seminary graduate, and for the friendship with other local pastors that I have made through attending activities supported by the convention. As a church, we are personally grateful for the way in which the DC Baptist Foundation came alongside us and helped us with our loan to repair our building last year and for its celebration of diversity, especially racially in its composition of churches. I pray for a really bright future for DCBC as I think there are some good things going for us that could be even better.
But, if this current Annual meeting held this week at the Mt. Jezreel Baptist Church in Silver Spring, MD is any indication of the new direction its leadership is taking, I fear convention life in DC is a sinking ship for progressive churches like Washington Plaza. We need sessions where we stop playing around with pleasantries and simply say more often what is actually going on. There is division among us. We don’t know each other. We aren’t really doing anything new or exciting just going through the motions of the same old things. The church is speaking a langauge that no one “unchurched” understands or cares for anymore and denominations seem to pushing its pastors toward more of the same.
During the session I attended, the presenter addressed the room as if it was 1950 in Alabama. We were told about how to take care of our “wives and children” on repeated occasions. And the word “he” was always used as the pronoun to address who a pastor was. Even though there were at least 6 or more women in the room who were senior pastors of churches like myself, all of the examples the presenter gave related to men. For example, he goes to a men’s breakfast every month with other men just like him. He started small groups for other men. It was as if the presenter assumed that the women in the room were pastors’ wives. Gross. Really, really gross. And, this is not mention the fact there was no senstivity to those who are single.
I’m all for theological diversity. But, a celebration of diversity always begins with attention to context and respect for those who are different from you. Diversity always encourages out of the box thinking because no assumptions are made that individual thinking is better than that of a group.
For those who think the church and denominational life is out of touch, out of touch and dying, then I say today that I sadly agree with you. Thank goodness, I’m a Baptist after all and tomorrow I can get back to the work of my local congregation, an autonomous body of believers who isn’t afraid to try new things.
#1 by Carl Gregg on October 25, 2011 - 10:20 pm
I’m with you. I support the DCBC for all the important reasons you named, but there was a serious lack of progressive theology in the room this morning — although there were a few highlights from speakers here and there doing vital work. And I will commend them for being hardcore on time keeping, and getting us out of there by room — although I am drawn less to a business meeting style session and more to a consensus-style discernment process for meetings.
#2 by Elizabeth Hagan on October 26, 2011 - 5:43 pm
I’m right there with you, Carl.
#3 by Meredith Gould on October 25, 2011 - 10:29 pm
Preach it!
#4 by John Luft on October 25, 2011 - 11:47 pm
Has the new Executive Minister articulated what he envisions for the Convention?
#5 by Janine on October 26, 2011 - 12:31 am
Amen !
#6 by Connie on October 26, 2011 - 3:12 pm
We are blessed to live and work in an area rich with diversity and desire to serve. The need for tolerance and gracious forgiveness is ongoing…
Please don’t discount the effectiveness of a two-day conference by one workshop that contained unfortunate mis-speaks. I was also there in the meeting you have described, Elizabeth, and as you know, I am also a senior (woman) pastor in your Convention. While you are correct that there were repeated (again, unfortunate) male references in that session, I also know a little bit about the (still predominantly white/male/Baptist) arena from which the workshop leader comes, so I counted it as a blessing that WE stood to him as an excellent example of the goodness I knew he is not able to celebrate very often in his own hometown. There’s a great back story about who he is and why he was there—–too bad that wasn’t part of the story you’re blogging about… He was an effective, articulate, inspiring leader in Sunday’s installation service, and I dare say his words warmed hearts of all who attended.
Bottom line for me is that God sometimes uses well even the imperfect. Please remember that there are always many perspectives to one event.
As for the future direction of our DCBC, Monday evening’s address by our new Executive Director brought the house down. Clearly, we have a bright future. I prefer to see the cup half-full-and-filling with excitement and necessary change.
#7 by Elizabeth Hagan on October 26, 2011 - 5:49 pm
Thanks, Connie, for providing your perspective of the event and for taking time to reply to this post.
It is true that you can’t judge an organization by an event, but if an organization wants to grow, it always has to put its best foot forward at such important moments.
I just don’t think future leaders of the church are interested in continuing to sit through more of the same when no progress is being made in truly speaking the truth to one another– even if it hurts a little. The positive enthusiasm I’ve received in response to this post has encouraged me that I am not the only one who is asking these questions.
#8 by Connie on October 27, 2011 - 5:16 pm
I agree with you. And I hope you receive my comments as my effort to truly speak the truth to you: an ability to live abundantly in the midst of diversity is an ability to lovingly tolerate many different perspectives, backgrounds and even shortcomings. Criticizing those who mean well and are genuinely trying is not helpful. My comments above was a defense of one who was likely hurt by your words. My personal strategy for change is to work within the system as a positive, genuinely appreciative force for as long as possible because I think I’m more effective that way, leaving self-removal as a last resort.
On another note, I am impressed with your blog. You are definitely a talented writer and for the most part I appreciate what you’re doing here. I thank you for it.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, by the way!
#9 by Elizabeth Hagan on October 27, 2011 - 9:49 pm
Connie, we all have our truths. I appreciate your willingness to share yours as I have shared mine. Blessings on your ministry too!
#10 by Stephen Price on November 2, 2011 - 9:06 pm
This has been an interesting conversation. Let me try to address it as a white, middle aged, southern male clergy person. I, like Connie, found much of what the speaker said at the Installation service inspiring. But I also found it sometimes difficult to get past the language issues…so I found that I had to “reach around” the language to hear the truth that was being spoken.
This lead me to my main point…and it is about judging myself more than anyone else: listeners to the Gospel shouldn’t have to “reach around” my language to get to the truth. It is my responsibility to speak truth as clearly and concisely as I can; to be aware of my biases and seek to clear them out as much as possible; to respect the experience of the audience that I am speaking to. Being sensitive to this is part of my responsibility and my call. Sometimes I fail. When I do, I hope there is some faithful friend in the congregation/audience who loves me enough to ‘speak the truth to power’ and get up in my grill about it.
Elizabeth, you are one of the people I trust would do that for me. And I heard you speaking about a valid issue in a strong, but caring, way. Thank you. You always have my permission to call me on my stuff…..the Church we love needs this from us.
#11 by fuhrerqc on November 3, 2011 - 7:21 pm
The Church I am part of doesn’t have the authority to ordain women priests even if it wanted to. The Church I am part of was founded by Jesus on Peter, and existed for over 2000 years.
Maybe it’s time to learn history, to stop being protestant and to abandon your attempts of syncretism between feminism and Truth.
#12 by Dr. RLS on November 3, 2011 - 9:51 pm
I feel your expereince is an one that many feel during this time of church and it’s need to move in a different direction without losing is balances and Christ. The ideology of men, who have not learn that ministry isn’t sexism is a shame, but thank God you are Bigger, Bolder and Blessed to be able to see that Sunday is coming and you are up to preach… Yes, Preach it.
RLS