I serve two congregations that have resolved their financial issues, but still need to ask how much energy they have to be church. With the money, you either have enough, or you don't. With energy, it is hard to say. Maybe I don't want to lead, but I'm willing to follow. And yet, is there someone to lead? Sometimes church is done because we just have enough energy to keep going.
Heading to Jerusalem
I wrote an article for Congregations Magazine (Alban Institute) called Journey to Jerusalem. It is the story of closing a church. Twenty years ago closing a church was a black mark on my profile. Now churches want pastors with my experience. Today’s blog is for churches that may need to close.
Jesus chooses death. Your theology of who Jesus is (your Christology) determines if this was pre-planned and if Jesus knew the plan. In Luke 13:31-25 Jesus says clearly that prophets can only be killed in Jerusalem, and so he must go. In the countryside and small towns people choose to listen to and follow Jesus. Small town leaders attack with questions, but were not in a position to hurt him. In Jerusalem, Rome was in charge. Rome has a death penalty.
Jesus turns toward Jerusalem saying “How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” (Luke 13:34). Jesus wants to hold the people, the leaders, of Jerusalem under their wings, to protect them.
Why now? Why on that day? Why not preach a little longer? Or maybe he stretched out his teaching, avoiding this trip. But on this day he faces his death and chooses to walk toward it.
If your congregation is running out of money or running out of energy and are afraid of facing death. If you are already discussing legacy and imagining what it will be like to not have this church at this location at this time. I suggest that this time in our nation is a time for a church to risk it all. To turn to face Jerusalem and keep walking.
Before our neighbors were being deported and our trans siblings were attacked and federal workers were pushed out of their jobs and on and on and on; before all that the questions of closing were about whether to sell your building, cutting the paid leadership hours, and how much energy you can devote to church.
If you have some energy remaining, now is a great time to make a significant impact on your community. Put your energy into care of your neighbors, phone calls to political leaders, support groups for trans teens. Risk your remaining money on protecting your neighbors, supporting legal actions, or resourcing displaced workers. Give your money to organizations that have the energy to do the work that you cannot.
Pick one dramatic impact you want to make in the next year, and spend the money and energy to do that.
Imagine how great it will feel to be the church that is making things happen in your town. Right up until the doors close the work that you do will matter in the work for God's Kingdom.
Imagine using your worship space for a community planning meeting. What advance work will you do to bing your town together in this work? Imagine an evening worship or bible study focused on developing strategies for action. How can you get word out to bring the community in? Imagine a prayer meeting where the main activity is phone banking, find an town leader to provide scripts and call lists, while you provide snacks and Christian arguments for justice.
Imagine how great it will feel to be the church that is making things happen in your town. Right up until the doors close the work that you do will matter in the work for God's Kingdom.
What is your church doing, or thinking about doing these days? If you are considering the end of your church, how is that going? Reply to this email to let me know what's happening.
Brian McLaren's book Life After Doom is a study on how to remain resilient in the face of the world falling apart. He wrote it prior to the recent election, in response to the reality of climate change. It is depressing, for there are many things that are fragile in today's world--the climate, democracy, our technological systems. But people can be spiritually strong in this time.
Foundations: Spend your money like the world is ending. This is the advice for foundations that fund a wide variety of ministries. It makes me wonder what whether we as a church should be thinking similarly. Should we be giving more to the organizations we suppor?
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