When is it time to prune?

Congregations have at least one ministry: worship. At the very least, a congregation worships together on a regular basis, be it once a week, twice a month, etc. Hopefully, congregations are doing more than just worshiping together; I hope they are practicing works of piety and mercy corporately. It could be a Sunday School (a term I despise, by the way - it's very antiquated; I prefer the term Christian formation, because that's what that time actually does), Bible studies, weekday children's ministries, youth mission trips, or Vacation Bible Schools. It could be soup suppers to raise money for mission, fellowship dinners, outings to the ballpark, or other activities.

The mission of the church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. I believe that if a church wants to call itself a church, it has to fulfill that mission. Hopefully, worship fulfills the mission. From time to time, though, we need to prune our other ministries (and I use that term loosely) so that we refocus ourselves on the mission. I believe that church ministries can be divided into three categories: ones that actively make disciples, ones that secondarily make disciples, and ones that pay bills. The rub, for many people, is that the ministries that they hold near and dear ("sacred cows") are often ministries that exist to pay bills. The pancake breakfast that supports the trustees budget, the annual sale of nuts that sends money to third-world countries, or the rummage sale that pays for apportionments are all "ministries," but they exist primarily to pay bills.

Churches must ask themselves if they can transform these ministries so that they either primarily or secondarily make disciples. I'm of the opinion that, if a ministry can't be transformed, it needs to be pruned. Congregations expend too much time and energy on ministries that "pay the bills," instead of focusing on active works of piety and mercy.

My congregation annually assesses their ministry in this way, and we have done some major pruning in the past two years. Now, as I begin my third year with them, we are looking again at pruning another ministry - in fact, one that we transformed from "paying the bills" to "secondarily makes disciples" last year. Our annual pumpkin patch (which has occurred for the last five years) uses the funds raised to support camp scholarships, as well as youth ministry. We raise a decent amount of money, and the church gets some press and visibility in the community. Last year, we focused our preschool portion of the pumpkin patch to be faith-based (crafts and stories), and we intentionally handed out information about the church, sent written prayers home with each pumpkin sold, and extended radical hospitality to customers.

Sounds like it secondarily makes disciples, right? Well, it does, in a way, but mostly it helps those who are a part of the church grow in their faith as they serve. In five years, not one person has come to the church because of the pumpkin patch ministry; no one soul has been saved. This ministry does not actively make disciples. At the same time, it requires an enormous amount of concentrated energy and time from the congregation. In the end, we use so much energy and time, but we have not fulfilled the mission of the church. Is it time to prune?

When you look at the ministries of your church, which ones actively make disciples of Jesus Christ, both inside and outside the church? Which ones could do that if they were tweaked or re-focused? The greater question, though, is this: what ministries take the most time and energy of your congregation, but don't fulfill the church's mission.

Maintain focus; that's what the early church did. They did ministries that actively made disciples - worship, small groups, taking care of needs of people, study, and prayer. When churches get back to the basics and remove all of the extra "stuff" that distracts them, they grow. I am reminded of the rose bushes in front of the parsonage. This year, we planted new ones. Twice, they have been cut back, and they are now in the middle of their third round of blossoming. We don't produce fruit unless we prune; the time to prune is now!

If You Have a Gift, Give It!

I recently completed my annual self-assessment for consultation with my district superintendent. We had to list strengths and weaknesses. One area that I felt weak in was pastoral care. I may give the appearance that I listen deeply to people, but I don't always. My mind can wander in conversations if I'm not entirely invested in them. I care, but only to a certain extent. Compassion and empathy are not my spiritual gifts.

Thank goodness that it doesn't depend on me, even though it's an area where I need improvement. In Paul's letters, he talks about spiritual gifts, and that each person is uniquely gifted for ministry. Some people have diverse gifts, while others have noticeably fewer. Whatever the gifts, they are specific to each person.

What does that mean for me, for the church, and for the annual consultation? It means that, even though I don't have the gift of compassion and empathy, someone else in my congregation does. For those without musical gifts, or exhortation, I can make up for that. Together, the body of Christ is stronger because people use their spiritual gifts for the purpose of ministry.

The key word is "use." No gift is helpful in building up the body of Christ if it remains unused. Unused gifts atrophy and lose their usefulness. AND, the body of Christ suffers. What good is a gift if it isn't used? If you have a gift - give it! When every member of a congregation uses their spiritual gifts, it is one of the vital signs of congregational health. Use those gifts - because the church is at its best when all parts are functioning fully.

Hands and Feet

The recent ruling in California to overturn Proposition 8 has had me thinking about hands and feet. While that thought process may seem out of the ordinary, it makes sense to me. For a long time, I've listened to people talk about homosexuality - on both sides of the debate - in the church. I wonder, at times, why it is such a hot issue for folks. Is it because they struggle with their own sexuality? Do they want full inclusion for power's sake? Really, homosexuality doesn't define the church - it is the hands and feet of Christ who define the church.

I think homosexuality is a complex discussion. For those who cite the six Scripture passages related to homosexuality, I very much understand where they are coming from - the Bible tells us that homosexuality is a sin. So is eating shellfish - so I wonder if those persons can pull out the log from their own eye when they are sitting at Red Lobster enjoying shrimp scampi and plotting their next anti-homosexual picketing event. Yes, Scripture says homosexuality is wrong - but there is a list of 613 Old Testament laws the few of us follow. If we're going to follow the Bible, then let's follow all of it - not just the passages that support our position.

But wait - I'm not a Bible follower - I'm a Jesus follower. While I preach from the Bible every week, I think it's more important to preach Jesus. After all, Jesus is the founder of the church. He is my Lord and Savior, and because I follow Jesus, I need to be the hands and feet of Christ.

If I am to be the hands and feet of Christ, then whom should I love? If I looked at those that Jesus showed love towards, I should love homosexuals and heterosexuals. I should love those who speak with hatred, and those who engage in sinful acts. I think of a couple of lesbians I have been friends with for a number of years - married in California prior to Proposition 8 - who are daily being the hands and feet of Christ. They act with compassion, mercy, and conviction; countless other gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered persons do so.

So, what should one do with this "moral dilemma?" Sweep it under the rug? Let it divide us? Allow it to dictate the direction of the church's mission and ministry, rather than the teachings of Jesus? Folks, we've got bigger fish to fry. The world needs us to be the hands and feet of Christ; when we do anything less, we make a mockery of the Gospel, and in the words of Bonhoeffer, offer cheap grace.