Presbyterian Church Growth Conference

Last week I had the opportunity to participate in the 2^nd annual conference shared by the Presbyterian Church Growth Network (PCGN) at Knox Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati called “Finding Courage Leading Growth.” I’ve had the privilege of being part of the PCGN since its start.  The Presbyterian Church USA has been declining in numbers for more years than most of us have been alive. At the General Assembly in 2024 no information about what to do about this decline was shared. At least it was not shared with people who didn’t attend that General Assembly. A number of people around the country noticed this, and we found each other. We started having regular Zoom calls and created a Facebook page.  We then gathered at Park Ridge Presbyterian Church in Chicago to take the next step in our development and the PCGN was born. Last year we had our first conference in Englewood, New Jersey.

 Our main focus at the PCGN is to help congregations grow in mission, vitality, and people. We know the headwinds that we face. Some past groups who have advocated for growth have left the Presbyterian Church (PC(USA). We know that we have to build trust with other Presbyterians.

I have been on the Board of the PCGN since we’ve started. I know that I can speak for the rest of the Board to say that all of us are deeply committed to the PC(USA). We believe that Presbyterian congregations can flourish. We want this to happen.

The PCGN is committed to being a network of resources. We will not claim one model to help congregations grow in mission, vitality, and people. But we do want to share stories of congregations who are growing and resources to help congregations with particular issues.

The conference last week would not have happened without the leadership of Lisa Allgood and Josh Erickson. The hospitality of the people at Knox Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati was fantastic.

Jerry Cannon got the conference started with an excellent sermon on vitality. He mentioned often that spiritual growth brings numerical growth. He shared the acronym MEAE which he shared stands for Missional Ecclesial Adaptive & Experiential.

Shortly afterwards I attended a workshop on coaching by Brian Miller, who is President of Coach Approach Ministries. He talked about coaching as a collaborative conversation that helps someone think more clearly discover possibilities, and take ownership of their next steps

Josh Erickson, the extraordinary leader of the Board of the PCGN shared a talk on “Finding the Courage to Take the Next Faithful Step. IN his talk he shared the types of courage that leaders need to help their congregations continue to develop.

I spent most of Wednesday listening to Matt Mattson who is founder of “Between,” an inclusive global faith community. He shared a talk about the sacred connections between people. This space means everything. Since the conference I read his book “Sacred Connections.” I love the compassion he has for people and the desire he has for people to experience these Sacred Connections. His talk and workshop was the highlight of the conference for me.

I love hanging out with the people who attended the PCGN conference and especially hanging out with the board. These are my peeps. I don’t have to explain myself to them or share why it is important to be “all in” on growing our congregations in mission, vitality and numbers of people. 

Next year we’re gathering October 4-6 at Glendale Presbyterian Church in Glendale, California.

Until then I know that the PCGN will do our best to share resources and ideas that can help leaders in Presbyterian and other mainline congregations.

 

 

 

Leadership Institute at Church of the Resurrection

 

    Last week I had the opportunity to attend Leadership Institute at Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas. I’ve had the opportunity to attend this conference every year for at least twenty years and have written about it in the past. This year I was able to take Kayla Flanagan, the Children & Youth Ministries Director at Chain of Lakes, and Destiny Anderson to Leadership Institute with me.

    I love this conference. I wish the PC(USA) had a church who would do this type of conference. I’m hoping that the conference that the Presbyterian Church Growth Network shares could become a similar type of experience for Presbyterians as Leadership Institute is for Methodists.

    The music at Leadership Institute is fabulous. At the beginning of worship their Praise Band leads music. It is powerful to have 1,300 people singing with all of their heart. That never gets old. Sometimes they make mistakes in terms of having microphones on and in the movement of slides. The fact that they make mistakes is probably reassuring to most of the people at the conference—and certainly is reassuring to me. Even Church of the Resurrection who is “sold out” to quality makes mistakes.

    This year Leadership Institute had a bit more intrigue as Adam Hamilton, the founding pastor of the church, spoke. The intrigue was not that he spoke; instead most of us were curious to hear his thoughts on running for Senate in Kansas while still serving as pastor at Church of the Resurrection. His role with the church has changed significantly since he announced he is running for Senate and would certainly change if he won his race.

   On Wednesday evening he shared a talk that had many stories about his running for office. One story that has stayed with me is talking about visiting the Great Ball of Twine in Cawker City, Kansas. Cawker City, Kansas is a very small town, population of 457 as of the 2020 census. Adam shared how he had to encourage his traveling entourage to go out of their way to see the great ball of twine. And they did! He asked all of us to think about what the Great Ball of Twine is in each of our congregations. What is happening in our congregations or could happen that would compel people to drive out of their way to visit?

    The Great Ball of Twine at Chain of Lakes is our outreach to people who identify as spiritual refugees. At the church we think of a spiritual refugee as someone who has had ran into problems with congregations. Church has not worked for them. At Chain of Lakes we go out of our way to welcome people who have had hard experiences in other congregations. We welcome them, we extend hospitality in an extravagant way, we accept people where they are on their journey. It has worked! Of course, we have many people at Chain of Lakes who are not spiritual refugees. But it’s my experience that a person who is a spiritual refugee will drive a long ways and out of their way to experience what Chain of Lakes is offering.

    The workshops were excellent. In fact I would enjoy Leadership Institute even more if an additional day of workshops were offered. The speakers were good on Thursday, but the workshops on Wednesday were more helpful in ministry. I attended workshops on AI, on strategic planning, on supervision of staff, and one on their Kindness campaigns. I have many ideas that I’ll be bringing back.

    The final talk that our group heard shared by Magrey De Vega was one of the best talks I’ve ever heard at Leadership Institute. He talked about the teachers that each of us have. Three teachers he shared are our Inner Child, our Inner Elder, and our Shadow self. He set up two chairs and modeled what a conversation with each of these teachers would look like. For example, in having a conversation with our Inner Child what would we tell our self at five years old? What experiences would they have that we might share with them? And then what could we learn from our five year old self? What would that child say about some of the challenges that each of us are facing. Magrey acknowledged that for some people the emotional trauma of this conversation is too high. And indeed, some people had to leave the room while he was talking. The conversation with their five-year-old self is too hard. The same powerful conversations can happen with our Inner Elder and with our Shadow.

    Our team had to leave after Magrey’s talk, so we were not able to hear Adam Hamilton’s final talk. I look forward to watching it on replay. In fact people can purchase a replay of all of the workshops and the talks at resurrection.swoogo.com/sharechurchLI26/begin

One highlight of going to Kansas City is taking a tour of the neighborhood that I lived in when I was in 4th grade. My parents worked for Cross Lines and our family lived in Inner-City Kansas City, Kansas. This area is only twenty-five minutes or so from the church. I showed the group Stanley Elementary, the place where my family lived, the "housing projects" that are a hundred yards from where we lived, and the Methodist church in Armourdale (picture on the right) where my dad ran a day camp. The tour is like having a conversation with my 4th grade self!

    A special thanks to Church of the Resurrection for sharing Leadership Institute. I look forward to taking an even larger group from Chain of Lakes next year.

Participating in CREDO

 

Last week I had the opportunity to participate in CREDO at Bellwether Farm near Wakeman, Ohio. CREDO is a program offered by the Board of Pensions of the PC(USA) for pastors. In the materials I received about CREDO I read that “the mission of CREDO is to provide opportunities for clergy to examine significant areas of their lives and to discern prayerfully the future direction of their vocation as they respond to God’s call in a lifelong process of practice and transformation.”

I was offered the opportunity to attend CREDO earlier in the year and quickly responded by saying “yes.” The beauty of CREDO is participants can participate for no charge. This is quite a gift offered to those of us who were able to attend. This gift is a beautiful investment by the Board of Pensions in the wellness of pastors.

Different types of events are offered under the umbrella of CREDO. The one I attended was for people in their late career; others that are offered are for new pastors and mid-career pastors.

Twenty-four of us gathered as participants and leaders. I was pleasantly surprised to reconnect with a seminary classmate (who I hadn’t seen since we graduated), a colleague who served in the Twin Cities, and a man whose church I visited over twenty years ago when I was discerning my next step in ministry. The beauty of our group was we were all about the same age, we had similar questions about our own wellness, and we all liked each other.  None of us had an ax to grind about God or the PC(USA) or the upcoming elections.

The first part of the week we (participants) received talks on finances, physical wellness, spirituality and vocation. We were placed in small groups where each day we could talk to others about the presentations and our responses to it. I very much enjoyed talking to the three other participants in my small group. All of the participants had the opportunity to meet one-on-one with the leaders of each talk.

Each of us were asked to participate in two exercises. One was to discern our own Core Values. We spent an afternoon going through a process that helped each of us identify our top beliefs that give our life meaning. The top five Core Values that I identified were Accepting, Prayerful, Safe, Compassionate, Visionary. Later in the week we were encouraged to develop a Rule of Life. A Rule of Life is a Spirit-led, intentional rhythm of practices that align us with our core values, transform us, and lead us toward abundant life in Christ. The Rule of Life focus that I landed upon was for my physical health.

This coming year I plan on revisiting the Core Value exercise and go through the Rule of Life exercise for other parts of my life.

This CREDO was held at Bellwether Farm in Ohio, about a half hour from Cleveland. This is a farm-to-table operation that also functions as a Camp. I enjoyed a tour of the farm and daily hearing the sounds of chickens, cows, and pigs. All of the food that we ate came from the farm. I normally don’t remember food, but I will remember the food we were served. Fantastic!

 Our group worshiped each day in a beautiful setting called the Barn. All of the leaders shared a sermon—and every sermon was excellent. The music shared was superb.

If this blog feels like I’m gushing about CREDO, it’s because I am gushing about CREDO. It’s an experience that I would hope every Presbyterian pastor will enjoy.

Some of my colleagues have shared that they have tried to get into CREDO, but were not successful. The leaders of this CREDO shared that the number of CREDOs offered is going to significantly increase.

The only suggestion I have for improvement is to wonder if seven days is the right length of time. Though I enjoyed my experience, seven days is a long time to be away from my family. Could all of this be done in five or six days.

 A big thanks to the Board of Pensions for the significant investment they have made in CREDO.

Celebrating 65 years of marriage

 

This past Saturday I had the privilege of celebrating with many others my parents’ 65^th wedding anniversary. The 65^th wedding anniversary is known as the “blue sapphire” anniversary which symbolizes wisdom, loyalty, and an enduring, deep-rooted love. Only 1.8 percent of couples who are married reach their 65^th wedding anniversary. Part of this is because of age. When someone asked my dad this past weekend what is the key to 65 years of marriage, he replied, “not dying.” And this is true, of course. And it is true that no one can live with another person without wisdom, loyalty and an enduring, deep-rooted love.

 

At their celebration at Chatauqua Park in Worthington, my daughter, Hannah, did a terrific job of sharing some of the highlights of my parents meeting and of their wedding. I’ve shared some of these highlights at the bottom of this blog.

 Both my wife, Amy, and I are extraordinarily fortunate to have parents who enjoyed long marriages. Amy’s parents will celebrate their 70^th wedding anniversary this fall.

 My parents never argued in front of me when I was growing up. The first time I saw them argue was when I was in college. And after seeing them argue I wondered if they were going to get a divorce. Keeping their disagreements behind closed doors provided a foundation for our family. My sister and I never questioned whether my parents would be together. In retrospect it probably would have been healthier for them to argue more in front of my sister and me as we would have learned at an earlier age that this is what families do.

 

My parents lived into the idea of two becoming one. They did everything together. They attended all of the activities that my sister and I participated—sporting events, musical concerts, church gatherings, other events. And they always attended together. I don’t ever remember them coming to one of our activities by themselves. This past Saturday, my niece Elizabeth remarked that my parents came to many of her high school activities. And they always came together.

Even with my dad eighty-five and my mom eighty-seven, they still care for each other. Recently my dad and I were talking about the challenges that my mom’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis presents. He shared with me that he took a vow at his marriage to be with her in the good times and the bad. And though he probably wouldn’t describe this part of their journey as bad, no one would have chosen for her to live with Alzheimer’s. So he perseveres with love while remembering his vow during this season of their life.

 I can only wish that every couple who gets married in their twenties will celebrate sixty-five years of marriage. The world would be a better place.

 

Here are some stories of my parents’ dating and marriage.

Their first date was January 15, 1960 in Mankato. They met through the Mankato student Christian federation. They saw the movie, “the Wreck of the Mary Dear.” My dad wore a tie and a suit coat. The weather was below zero. The two walked from the lower Mankato campus to downtown. After the movie they had pizza at Pizza-kato. My dad smoked a post pizza cigarette.

On the second date my dad asked my mom if he had permission to kiss her. They kissed in front of my mom’s dorm.

They were married in Mantorville, MN at the congregational church on the afternoon of Saturday, August 5, 1961. My mom got ready in the Old Mansion and rode to the wedding in her grandfather Walter’s car over to the church.

The bridesmaids were Clare (Zeller) Field and Pat Harris. The groomsmen were Duae Moore and Lee Hilman. Del Matheson and Jerry Harris were ushers.

My grandfather, Vinton, my mom’s dad, was miffed that another couple was married in the church and used the décor/flowers for their wedding.

My dad and mom left the wedding in a 1957 Two door Chevy that my dad bought a week before the wedding in Fenton, Iowa.

The wedding reception was at Michael’s in Rochester. The two drove to Winona and arrived at midnight with no reservation. They eventually found a room in Fountain City, Wisconsin.

The next day me dad and mom went to church. The minister announced their presence by yelling, “This is a newly wed young couple from Minneapolis.”

They drove to the Wisconsin Dells to attend Tommy Bartlett’s water ski show.

The two had jobs as teachers in Paulina, Iowa. My dad was a high-school English teacher, and my mom was an elementary-school teacher. After the honeymoon the two stopped in Mantorville to get their wedding gifts which had been unwrapped by Maxine, my mom’s mom, and Pat, her sister while my parents were away. When my dad looked at the gifts he said, “well it looks like we got everything except for a toothpick holder.” A week or so later one arrived in the main from Blanche Harris, my mom’s grandmother! 

 

 

Yes I do love Jesus and you might be surprised why

Because I am a pastor people are going to assume that I love Jesus. And this is true. I truly aspire to love Jesus with all my heart, soul, and mind. I can say unconditionally that Jesus is my Lord and Savior.

I’m guessing that some might be interested in how I developed my beliefs about Jesus. So I want to share in this blog some stories that influenced my love for Jesus and my relationship with him. And hopefully these stories can be helpful to all people—those who have a strong relationship with Jesus and those who are cautious but still interested in Jesus. And perhaps helpful to those who hardly think about Jesus.

One of the first stories I remember about Jesus happened during worship at Westminster Presbyterian church in Worthington, Minnesota. I was probably under five. For whatever reason I was sitting in the back row of the sanctuary with one of my parents. I think we got there late that day and the back row was the only place we could sit. I usually was bored out of my mind at church, but for some reason that day I listened to the New Testament reading that was about Jesus. I don’t remember the specific story, but I do remember that it was a story where Jesus stood up for an outsider. Maybe it was the woman caught in adultery, or maybe it was the Samaritan, or maybe it was Mary Magdalene. The thought that went through my mind was, “Wow, he really cares for that person and that surprises me.” And then the story went on to share that a leader in the religious community didn’t care for that person. Which made me wonder why Jesus would care for this outsider and the religious person wouldn’t. My five-year old mind thought that it would have made more sense if the religious leader cared for this outsider. Isn’t that what religious people are supposed to do? Jesus did care, and my very young brain understood that there was something special about Jesus.

Even though church was boring, I was always interested when I went to church to hear a story about Jesus. These stories surprised me—they caused me to think—they made me wonder what Jesus would say to people if he was alive today. He frequently contradicted what I thought he would do—and that made me curious.

Because of my experience in living for three summers and a school year in inner-city Kansas City I came to believe that Jesus has a special place in his heart for those who are poor. And he would have high expectations for those who have wealth. He would want those who have resources to share with those who don’t. For me this is not a political statement—it’s a moral belief that comes out of the stories of Jesus.

Early in college I read the Sermon on the Mount for the first time. I saw a vision for the world that Jesus wanted to create—the Kingdom. It is a vision where the poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed. In this vision people shared their inner light with others with humility and authenticity.

As I started being called into religious ministry, I became aware that I wanted to share the love that Jesus had for people. One of my hopes for myself is that I will "love like Jesus loved." In fact if I died and people authentically shared at my funeral that I loved like Jesus, then I would deem my life as a success. 

The love of Jesus is very special. It was shared without conditions. For a newcomer to faith it’s easy to receive. 

The love of Jesus is challenging. For a person who worships often his love can seem demanding--demanding in a way that can force a person to shed the parts of their life that need to be shed. The longer a person is in relationship the more challenging the love of Jesus is to follow.

The love of Jesus is needed. Jesus shared a morality that is essential for the world. This morality is centered on his love. His love is simple and yet very challenging. 

When I first started at Chain of Lakes someone shared that they hoped that Jesus would be mentioned at least once during every worship service. That is no problem for me. I want to talk about Jesus. I enjoy talking about Jesus; I enjoy praying to Jesus; I enjoy reading and learning about Jesus; I enjoy trying to discern what Jesus wants me to do. I’m not trying to earn any “Jesus” points from anyone about my own love for Jesus. I share my love for Jesus with a deep sense of humility. I don’t claim any special privilege because of my relationship to Jesus; in fact being with Jesus prompts me to want to serve in a humble way.

A lot of damage has been done by the church in the name of Jesus. This damage causes me a high level of pain. I believe that Jesus would be appalled at the behavior and teachings by people who claim his name. But this damage does not deter me from talking about Jesus or wanting to communicate his love.

I’ve read the stories in the gospels about Jesus hundreds of times—maybe even thousands of times. And I still find them interesting; they still challenge me; they still provide a role model for me in how to act. When I find myself in a difficult situation I ask myself how Jesus would respond to this situation. This is often my prayer.

No one forced me to fall in love with Jesus. This happened through my own process of discovery. This is what some might find surprising. I never thought I would be a pastor when I was young. And if my parents hadn't taken me to church, I'm fairly certain that I would not be going to church today. My skepticism would have won out. Even though I'm very skeptical, coming into contact with the stories of Jesus helped me love him. 

But I'm not skeptical about Jesus or what he would want to do today. I love Jesus because I believe that the love he demonstrated truly represents the best hope for the world. I've never encountered anything better!

Following Scottie Scheffler at the 3M Open in Blaine

 

Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend the final round of the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities golf course in Blaine. As I’ve written before, it’s amazing that a PGA TOUR event happens right here in Blaine. This is an opportunity that many Metro communities across the United States don’t have. Though I’ve never golfed on the course, I’m familiar with it as my local Rotary club met in the clubhouse of the TPC for many years. And I attend the tournament every year. 

The people of Chain of Lakes Church have worked the concessions stands at the 3M Open as a fundraiser for many years. We had so many volunteers this year who signed up that there were no openings left for me. I ended up not working at a concession stand. A big thanks to the large number of folks from Chain of Lakes who were there. Appreciate you all!

I watched the tournament on television on Friday and Saturday. I thought about avoiding the heat on Sunday and spending the afternoon in front of the television. But I couldn’t resist the opportunity of being there in person.

My wife, Amy, and I had friends who came up to the tournament with plans to go to the concert on Saturday night. Everyone who attended that day could go to the concert by Andy Grammar for free. Our friends spent most of the day on Saturday sitting in the covered stands on hole 18.

But there was no opportunity to sit in a covered stand on Sunday. The crowds were ginormous. The presence of Scottie Scheffler significantly increased the number of people who attended. In the past I could park at the parking lot at the Blaine Sports Center and get a bus in that parking lot. But that parking lot and many others were full. I ended up parking in a space on the southwest corner of Radisson and 105th Ave and walking a half mile to get a bus.

Amy was volunteering at the tournament on Sunday. After touching base with her when I arrived, I went to hole 4 and saw Jackson Koivun. Koivun had a birdie on hole 4 and looked confident—ready to win the tournament.

I thought that maybe I would find a hole on the back nine and watch all the golfers come through. But having the opportunity to see Scottie Scheffler pulled me into that pack of fans who followed him. And it was a pack. I started watching him on hole 8 and stayed with him until he finished on hole 18. 

Scheffler had an outstanding round on Sunday. After sinking his third birdie in a row at hole 12 he was only three back. But to have a chance Scottie needed Jackson Koivan to make some bogeys. And Koivun didn't make any bogeys. Scottie would have had to shoot a 60 for a tie. He missed a seven-foot putt at hole 14 that would have put him two back. But the reality is the initial deficit that Scottie faced on Sunday morning was too big to overcome.

The pack that I was in could not get enough of Scottie. Most of them were on a first-name basis with him, “Come on Scottie, Go Scottie, You got this, Scottie.” The large crowds were there to see him win.

The heat was a burden. Afterwards in a press conference I watched, Scottie (I guess I'm on a first-name basis with him too) said that the players were prepared for the heat. Through their conditioning the golfers could golf in 98-degree heat with dew points in the 70’s. Who says golfers aren't athletes? Even though I run three times a week, the heat was bothersome for me as I walked with the pack. The 3M Open has many concession stands, but because of the large crowds they always had lines. And the golfers don’t waste time. To stand in line for fifteen minutes would have meant falling a hole behind.

Once Scottie finished it was obvious that he wasn’t going to win. And when I saw the somewhat short line for the bus, the lure of getting cool led me to leave before Koivun was done. At that point it was obvious that he would win.

Scottie had a terrific tournament. He has raised the expectations for himself to such an extent that finishing second seems like a defeat. He lost the tournament when he hit the ball into the water on hole 14 on Friday. If he had parred that hole, the competition on Sunday would have been much different.

What a treat to have the 3M Open in Blaine. If Koivun does go on to become a Hall of Fame golfer, I can say that I was at the first tournament that he won!

Already looking forward to next year--and definitely hoping for cooler temperatures

Do I have to be Presbyterian to join Chain of Lakes Church?

 

When Chain of Lakes was started, I was encouraged to gather the Presbyterians in the community. Seven families were initially gathered. I was able to gather a few more. 

It soon became obvious to me that we wouldn’t build this church by gathering the Presbyterians. There weren't enough to build a congregation. We didn’t ultimately even put the term “Presbyterian” in the name of our congregation, which is Chain of Lakes Church. We didn’t put the term “Presbyterian” in our Purpose Statement or our Core Values. We weren’t trying to hide from the reality that we are a Presbyterian congregation. But in our mind being Presbyterian really wasn’t that important to people not connected to a church.

Our denominational identity is a balancing act at Chain of Lakes. We are Presbyterian, but we’re not trying to make someone become a Presbyterian. What we really want to see happen for newcomers is the person flourishes in faith, develops meaningful friendships, and connects to the community in ways that brings tremendous value and purpose.

And I love being Presbyterian. My family of origin is as Presbyterian as you can get. My parents have been Presbyterian their entire adult life, my sister is a Presbyterian pastor, she is married to a Presbyterian pastor. It’s not surprising when we get together, we talk Presbyterian. I’ve been a Presbyterian pastor for 33 years. I’m currently the Moderator of the Presbytery of Twin Cities Area. We have passion for what happens within the Presbyterian church.

To help with this balancing act, I developed and have shared often a talk about what it means to be Presbyterian. The metaphor that guides my talk is a car. All of us are on one journey of faith, and we ride in different cars. At Chain of Lakes church we ride in the Presbyterian car. So even though we are not trying to make someone Presbyterian, I believe it’s important to know what is in our car.

In my talk I shared twelve parts that I believe are part of the Presbyterian car. I could add some or take some out down the road. I'm always willing to talk about them. If someone wants to talk more about them, send me an email at pastor@colpres.org. 

In no particular order in order of importance, here are twelve parts that make up the Presbyterian car.

A commitment to Jesus Christ connects Presbyterians together
The foundation of Presbyterians is Jesus—his birth, birth, life, death, resurrection and teachings. This is more important than anything else.

Elders lead the Presbyterian church at all levels
Presbyterians are led by Elders. My title as a pastor is Teaching Elder. A person who serves on the board or Session of a Presbyterian congregation is a Ruling Elder. Both Teaching Elders and Ruling Elders have to be voted upon by their congregations. No one is every appointed to serve. Teaching Elders and Ruling Elders work together at every level of the PC(USA) to discern where God is leading.

God alone is Lord of the Conscience—Presbyterians are not Subscriptionist
I talk about this frequently. No one has to subscribe to a particular view to be a Presbyterian. No litmus test exists. Anyone who is part of Chain of Lakes is encouraged to form their own views. When I preach and teach I share what I think and then encourage people to think for themselves.

Worship revolves around the Word
Worship revolves around Jesus and what he would have us do in our own lives and in the world.

Presbyterians celebrate two Sacraments, Communion and Baptism. Infants are baptized.
At Chain of Lakes we celebrate Communion once a month. We baptize infants and don’t believe that people have to be rebaptized when they connect to our congregation. When people ask me about rebaptism, I share that I believe God did a terrific job the first time, so no need to redo what God has already done.

Presbyterians are committed to the Reformed Tradition of theology

We’re Protestants—one of the three branches of the church. The other two branches are Catholic and Orthodox.

Women are leaders at all levels

Presbyterians celebrate the gifts and ordained leadership by women. Full stop. Just as a woman was the first to share the message of the resurrection, a woman can preach with a clerical collar in a Presbyterian congregation.

Congregations can ordain and install people from the LGTBQ+ community and celebrate their marriages

This might be the most controversial part of the Presbyterian car. Since 2010 Presbyterian congregations can have people in the LGTBQ+ community serve as pastors (Teaching Elders), lead on the Session, and serve as a Deacon. Presbyterian congregations aren’t forced to ordain and install people from the LGBTQ community, but most do. And yes I’m familiar with the six passages in the Bible that condemn these relationships. I’m more interested in what Jesus would have us do. I believe Jesus would be applauding Presbyterian congregations for being affirming.

Presbyterians are engaged in the wider community
I would guess that a hundred percent of congregations in the PC(USA) have some involvement with their local Food Shelf. Presbyterians are known for being engaged in their community.

Presbyterians are a connectional denomination where authority flows both ways. 
It’s hard to put this in a short paragraph. The PC(USA) has four governing bodies—a Session (which leads a local congregation), Presbytery, Synod and General Assembly. The four governing bodies are made up of people who are elected to their positions. The three wider governing bodies (Presbytery, Synod, and General Assembly) can’t really order a local Presbyterian congregation to do something, but they certainly have influence. 

Presbyterians are informed by the Book of Order & Book of Confessions
The Book of Order is like a manual of operations for Presbyterian congregations. We’re informed by it. You can read the book of Order at: 2025_0724_Book_of_Order_Interactive_2025-2027.pdf
The Book of Confessions is a gathering of theological statements that the church has made throughout history. You can read the Book of Confessions at: Microsoft Word - File 01 Front Matter.doc

Presbyterians are ecumenical
Presbyterians are always interested in partnering with other denominations to do ministry. I’m married to a Catholic. She is the Administrator of the Catholic church in Lino Lakes. I cantor there about six times a year. When our daughter, Hannah, was baptized, a Catholic priest and Presbyterian pastor officiated at her baptism in a Presbyterian worship service. That was a glorious day!

Others might add or subtract to this list. Share your thoughts!
 

 

Reunion!

Reunion! This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend my 40^th college reunion at Carleton College. Fortieth college reunion? Am I really that old? As I learned in my student years at Carleton, facts don’t lie.

At Carleton reunions are shared for classes in five-year increments. This past weekend the class of 2021, 2016, 2011, 2006 ... (you get the idea) gathered. Carleton invests in reunions because a lot of money is raised for the school. It was announced during the large gathering this past Saturday morning, that the class of 1976 had given 28 million to the college. A significant chunk of that give came from estates. Carleton has a source of important funding because of Reunion. That kind of financial giving makes it apparent that the college wants to have Reunion go well.

This was the first college reunion for me in ten years as COVID prevented an on-site reunion five years ago. I've attended almost every reunion of my class since I graduated in 1986. 

Reunion at Carleton is like a weekend, summer camp. Many stay in the dorms; kids have planned activities; meals are provided; a significant number of activities happen during the day. I live about a hour from Carleton, so I didn't stay on campus. I ended up driving three times from Blaine to Northfield and back to enjoy the festivities.

My wife, Amy, was gracious to join me for one day of Reunion. But to be a spouse at Reunion is very difficult—the ultimate third wheel experience. Amy decided to attend as she enjoys meeting Carleton alums. And Carleton alums are very interesting people. All of them are intelligent, most are on the liberal side of the political side, and all will share their opinions. We are Carleton students—we were educated on how to develop and share opinions!

For me a meaningful part of Reunion was participating in an outdoor remembrance gathering for people in our class who have passed away in the past five years. I think there are fifteen people who have passed. At the remembrance gathering many people came forward to share memories of the deceased. I only knew a few of the people who have passed, but listening to these stories was very moving.  One person who I did know was Lauris Heyerdahl. I played football with him for four years. Football players develop a brotherhood that is special. A woman who was a friend of Lauris shared beautiful stories about Lauris and their friendship. I felt like I was in heaven during the remembrance gathering. Time seemed to stop, the setting and weather was almost perfect, and everyone who attended paid close attention. The collective spirit of all of us who were present was full of compassion and care.

Attending a gathering organized for football alums was also special. Coach Tom Journell did a terrific job of welcoming the football alums who attended and sharing a talk about the state of the football program. I can hardly wait to watch a game at Sullivan Field in Laird Stadium this fall.

One lovely tradition of Reunion is the parade of classes. Each class walks from the Bald Spot on campus into the chapel. When the people older than us pass our group it’s almost impossible not to realize that this is how we are going to look like in five, ten and fifteen years; when we pass the classes who are younger than us, it’s almost impossible not to think about how we looked when we were that age. In one short parade we see the future and remember the past.

Alison Byerly, President of Carleton, shared a talk about the college when everyone was gathered in the Chapel. She talked about the difficulties the college encountered this past year, especially with the ICE raids in Minnesota. She also talked about the challenges that AI present to colleges. She did note that in being a small college, Carleton is better positioned than large colleges to be able to recognize student work that is generated by AI.

On Sunday I had the opportunity to speak during the chapel service. Normally I share sermons at worship, but I wasn’t asked to preach. I was asked to share a reading. What reading do I share at an alumni chapel service? I asked my Facebook friends and others for suggestions. Nothing resonated with me until I went to the bookstore on my first day of Reunion and saw a book of poems by Mary Oliver. The poems gave me something to share. I ended up sharing the poems, “Invitation" and "Mindful.” And now I’ve made a new commitment to myself to read one Mary Oliver poem a day.

Reunions are intense—they require that our brains pay attention and listen closely to the people with whom we hold conversations. We have our brains opened to remember stories that happened many years ago. We are reminded of the identities we carried in college. Many people shared with me their memory of me being the captain of the football team and concertmaster of the orchestra. These identities are like old clothes--some fit, others don't any more. I am inspired to keep playing my violin. Thankfully I have opportunities. 

Because of their intensity I don’t need to go back to Reunion for another five years. Until then I’m looking forward to being in contact with the people I saw this past weekend.  I don’t think the word, “Tribe” completely describes an alumni class, but it's close. The people with whom I graduated are my people. Not that I own them, but I belong to them. We have common experiences that always connect us. And because of Reunion we have the opportunity to take steps deeper into friendships that were forged when all of us were much younger.

My recent experiences with hate speech

I don’t know if hate is increasing in our culture. I did a simple google search on the question, "is hate increasing?" The search led me to the FBI web site which reported in August 2025 that in 2024 there were 11,679 hate crime incidents involving 14,243 victims for calendar year 2024. This compares to 11,862 incidents in 2023 with 14,416 victims. About the same. The link to these statistics is here: https://www.justice.gov/hatecrimes/hate-crime-statistics.

The United Nations commissioned a report that said there was an exponential increase in hate speech. The report covers the whole world and includes convincing statistics.

I’m most interested in what is happening in our local community, Is hate speech increasing here? I’ve had three incidents in the last two weeks that makes me wonder.

On Sunday, May 24 we had a full house at Chain of Lakes during worship. The music was beautiful, guests came, the sermon seemed to connect. We had a wonderful day. I greet everyone who comes through the door and before worship I greeted two young, Caucasian men. They seemed interested.

After worship I also greet people as they leave. And it took a long time for these two gentlemen to leave. I was interested in talking to them and learning their story. Finally they approached me. They asked me about the flag on the north side of our building. I told them that it is the rainbow flag. They asked me what Jesus would think of this. I shared that I thought Jesus would applaud our congregation for flying the rainbow flag as he frequently reached out and cared for people on the margins. They then pulled out their Bibles and asked me if our support of LGBTQIA+ people was biblical. I then realized that these two men did not come to worship to check out our congregation. They were there to let us know that our views on LGBTQIA+ issues were not biblical and morally wrong.

 I’ve had these conversations with many people over the last 33 years of ministry. I’ve lead Bible studies on this issue; I’ve given talks on this issue; I’ve attended many, many meetings where people have shared different views on this issue. I’ve seen our Presbyterian denomination split because of this issue. A few years ago I shared a short video on how I came to my own views. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=600056857967631

This is a hard issue. We have people at Chain of Lakes who hold the traditional view about LGBTQIA+ issues. I let them know that they are very welcome in our congregation. I will welcome them and care for them. But most of the congregation at Chain of Lakes is not in this place. I don't argue with people who have connected to Chain of Lakes who hold the traditional view. 

But I won't let two young, Caucasian men who were guests instruct me on the Bible after a powerful worship service. They wanted to talk about 1 Corinthians 6. I shared that I’ve read 1 Corinthians 6. I’ve read through the Bible at least five times, I’ve preached on the Bible for 33 years, and I read the Bible every day. I told them with all due respect that I know the Bible very well. 

To me what matters most is how Jesus would respond, and I believe he would accept and love the LGBTQIA+ community. I asked these men if they believed in child abuse, as part of Leviticus supports child abuse. I asked them if they support slavery, as part of the Bible supports slavery. I'm not going to hate on a group of people because of six passages in the Bible. And I especially won't when Jesus taught and always displayed that what is most important is to "love God with our heart and soul and mind and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves." I’m part of a denomination that ordains the LGBTQ+IA community. We’ve had people from that community serve on the Session at Chain of Lakes. The first marriage at Chain of Lakes was a gay marriage.

I am still a bit taken aback that these two young men came to Chain of Lakes. Their words would not be “hate speech,” but they were quite bold and even aggressive in their approach. I had and still have a lot of questions about the faith community that formed them. Do they feel they have the right to come in as guests to the faith community I serve and tell us that we are wrong.

 This past Saturday, I attended Anoka Pride. I went by myself. In the past we’ve had a group from Chain of Lakes attend. The celebration was even bigger than last year. It is now taking place at Riverfront Memorial Park. There were many booths and food and music—the celebration was beautiful.

 And there was a man with a sign. The picture of the sign is here. The picture is hard to share.

I chose not to engage this man as I’ve had too many conversations like this in the past. I’m not going to change this man’s mind. Though I’m very disturbed when a person represents faith in a way that is quite judgmental and certainly hateful.

 A person from our congregation shared an encounter she witnessed of another person with this man. 

“Early in our interaction this man had obviously decided that I must be gay, fine. He then proceeded to tell me that I am a sinner, I am going to hell, I don’t deserve to live in this world and he could save me if only I were to repent and come to Jesus. This was after several minutes of arguing over the teachings of Jesus that I learned. I was exhausted by this, asked him to leave several times and eventually security came to “help” him out.”

I have so many questions about this encounter that I could probably blog every week for a year. But how does a person become so full of hate? How has his faith community taught and even encouraged him to treat people so terribly.

After the sermon this past Sunday I shared my story of being at Anoka Pride with the people gathered for worship at Chain of Lakes. I shared that I understand that people can land in different places on the LGBTQIA+ issue. But most people at Chain of Lakes have chosen acceptance. 

People don’t choose their sexual orientation. As one of my favorite people at Chain of Lakes has often said, “who in their right mind would choose to be discriminated against, attacked, and fearful because of their sexual orientation?” At Chain of Lakes we will land on our Core Value of acceptance, “we will welcome people as Jesus welcomed them, with open hearts and open minds.”

 After worship this past Sunday a person from Chain of Lakes shared their experience at Pine City Pride. This was one of the first Pride festivals. I was shown a picture of men dressed in T-Shirts, wearing masks, and carrying flags—one of the flags was upside down.

I was a bit scared just looking at the picture. I was told that one of the messages this group  communicated was they want to take American back. My question is “take America back to what?” Times when people lived in the closet because they were afraid for their safety?

 Where do people get these ideas that they can show up at a festival and try to intimidate other?

 I’m a white, male, straight guy—my privilege has not led me to be concerned for my safety. But as a white, male, straight guy I’m always going to stand up for those who are forced to live on the margins. 

We still have a long way to go in our area in celebrating the diversity of creation.

People can have different views on issues, but the approach of intimidation, bullying, and judgment must be countered. Hate speech has no place in our country.

 

Presbyterian church growth conference

 

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a Presbyterian Church Growth Network (PCGN) regional conference that was held at Copper Creek Church in Champaign, Illinois. I’ve talked before about the decline in people among the Presbyterian Church, PC(USA). Every year my daughter, Hannah, has been alive the PC(USA) has experienced a decline in numbers—and my daughter is now in graduate school! The formation of the PCGN was a grass-roots response to this very serious problem. 

I’ve participated in what has become the PCGN since a group of us started having Zoom calls about two years ago. Unlike previous attempts by organizations committed to church growth within the PC(USA), the PCGN is committed to the welfare of our denomination. I joined the board when the group was founded in May 2025. None of us on the board want to see churches leave the PC(SUA). And we’re committed to inclusion of all people as Teaching & Ruling Elders. The charter document of the PCGN shares all of this. Check it out at: https://www.pcgrowthnetwork.org/whoweare The website of the PCGN is here: https://www.pcgrowthnetwork.org/ The PCGN has two open Zoom calls a month and a very active Facebook page where people can ask questions and receive responses. 

Even though the conference last week was only one day the presenters shared meaningful content that is helpful for people who want to see their congregations grow in size, vitality, and impact. 

One of the special parts of the conference was the beautiful hospitality shared by Copper Creek Church. This Presbyterian congregation was started in 2007 as a satellite campus of First Presbyterian Church in Champaign, Illinois.  They became a separate congregation and today have over 700 people part of their congregation. They offer three services and are in the preliminary stages of a large capital campaign.

 Scott Keeble and his wife, Melissa Keeble (both pastors at Copper Creek) shared hospitality in an extravagant way. When I arrived on Wednesday, Scott asked me if he could make me a latte. And he did! And then he offered to make a latte for every person who came. How many pastors of churches that size are willing to share hospitality in such a beautiful way?

Scott opened the conference by talking about vision casting. He described vision as a description of a congregation’s preferred future, a picture of something that doesn’t exist. He shared some of Copper Creek’s story. When they launched they identified themselves as a church for those who had a hard experience in churches—the de-churched. They did a lot of research on this group. Because they believe the de-churched is skeptical of highly programmed congregations, they decided to have a stream-lined approach to programming. The congregation focuses on small groups as the central part of their discipleship.

After a break Kim Adams shared a talk on worship, music, and the Sunday morning experience. One takeaway from the workshop is the decision congregations make about style of worship. Typically we think that we have to choose between a traditional or contemporary style. Instead people in the workshop talked about deciding if your style will be formal or informal. It’s possible to have an informal traditional service, and it’s possible to have a formal contemporary service.  

Josh Erickson gave a beautiful talk on church development and church size. I spent most of my time in Illinois hanging out with Josh. We rode together from Chicago to Champaign and back and even found time to attend a Cubs game. Josh just finished a sabbatical where he finalized a book he is writing on church size.

Scott Lyon shared the last workshop of the day on the topic of Artificial Intelligence (AI). I admit that this is an area that I have very little training. But I’m interested in receiving more training. It was shared during the conference that knowing how to use AI is like having an intern. I’m ready for that.

This conference is something that could be replicated across the country. People organizing these could find speakers on these topics. Though the attendance at this conference was not overwhelming, I’m confident that most people left with at least one idea that can be implemented. My idea is increasing my own use of AI. 

A big thanks to Josh Erickson and Scott & Melissa Keeble and their team at Copper Creek for all their work in organizing this conference. These types of conferences can help main-line and Presbyterian people imagine the day when our denominations are growing in size, vitality, and impact!

This is a sad and difficult story--abuse by Cesar Chavez

On Wednesday, March 18 I was asked to share my story in a brief presentation with my local Rotary club. Everyone during the year is asked to share a five minute talk about their story. As part of my presentation I talked briefly about my experience with the farm workers and Cesar Chavez. I shared the picture below taken in La Paz of Cesar and others (me included.) 

Later that morning, my phone started blowing up with questions from my friends about sexual abuse by Cesar Chavez. I was shocked. 

The New York Times reported that morning that Cesar sexually abused young girls and raped and impregnated Dolores Huerta. The article said that three woman had accused Cesar of abusing them. The article is here: nytimes.com/2026/03/19/us/what-to-know-cesar-chavez-sex-abuse.html. 

A Wikipedia page has been set up about the abuse, which is here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesar_Chavez_sexual_abuse_allegations

I’ve read everything I can about these allegations and listened to a radio interview that Dolores gave. I believe Dolores and the allegations that are in the New York Times piece. I never had any inclination when I worked for the farm workers or since that this abuse took place. No matter how hard it is to know this happened—and for me it is very hard, it’s essential that the truth is shared.  

I worked for the farm workers in two different stints. I first worked for them in Los Angeles right after graduating from college from August 1986 to August 1987. Most of the work I did then was to travel to churches and synagogues and share a video about the grape boycott that was happening. I lived in community with others at a place called the Harvard House in Los Angeles. I was a full-time volunteer—living on $32 a week.

It was an incredible learning experience. Until that time I knew hardly anything about the farm workers. I poured myself into learning about the history. I read everything I could about Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta. I occasionally interacted with both of them. I frequently traveled to La Paz, the headquarters for the farm workers. I learned so much about organizing and about how I—a middle-class, white guy—needed to listen to the stories of farm workers and others.

During my first year of seminary at Union seminary in New York City I became very active with the farm workers again. During the school year of 1988-1989 I helped organized fast chains among the students at Union. This was in response to the thirty-six day fast of Cesar’s. In the spring of 1989, I organized a march of about 500 people in the Upper West Side of Manhattan during Cesar’s first trip to New York City after the fast. In the summer of 1989 I was asked to come work for the farm workers again, and I did. I left school and went back to California and worked for them until August 1990. During that time I organized a speaking tour for Cesar that raised over $50,000 for the Union. And I remember once driving Dolores from Los Angeles to Las Vegas for a conference where she spoke. For a while I considered working permanently for the farm workers, but decided to go back to seminary.

To me Cesar Chavez was a transformational leader who did something that no other person has ever been able to do—organize farm workers into a Union. Many, many other people helped him do this, including, of course, Dolores Huerta. And, for sure, Dolores has not received the credit she deserves for her work and accomplishments. I was especially captivated by Cesar’s call to non-violence and his intent for people to live in community who worked for the farm workers. Working for the farm workers wasn’t a job—it was being part of a larger calling. We lived in community, were poor ourselves as we hardly made any money, and did all we could to support La Causa. It was not surprising to me at all that Dolores wouldn’t share her story until near the end of her life because she did not want to hurt the movement. People who worked for the farm workers cared very, very deeply.

When I worked for the farm workers I always heard stories about Cesar’s power and the dissidents who left the UFW. I never experienced that power myself. Like many, I didn’t see myself as working for Cesar; I saw myself as working for the movement. We wanted to bring justice to farm workers, the poorest of the poor. I heard but never experienced the dark side of Cesar.

All over the country, many are changing the Cesar Chavez celebrations that would have happened tomorrow, March 31, on his birthday. I understand why these celebrations won’t happen. I myself took down my picture of Cesar that has hung next to a picture of Dolores Huerta on my office wall. Dolores’ picture still remains.

As I said above, it’s imperative that the truth come out.

It’s hard for many to overstate the connection that the Latino community has had to Cesar Chavez. When I worked in Los Angeles I got to know many Latinos. Almost all of them had a picture of Cesar in their home.

The importance of organizing farm workers has not changed because of what has come forth about Cesar. Every time I purchase grapes in the store I think about the brown hands that picked them near Delano, California. These unknown hands and their welfare is what is most important. People will eventually sort out the legacy of Cesar Chavez. But the welfare of farm workers—their pay and working conditions must always be lifted up for all to know. 

This is a very sad and difficult story. 

For me working for the farm workers was a privilege. I will always look at it with appreciation. I still have friends in the movement. I will always support the United Farm Workers and have deep respect for the difficulty and importance of their work.

Blizzard!

 

This past weekend, the state of Minnesota experienced a blizzard. It’s the first for a while, and it seems that our area has not had as many blizzards in the past. Paul Douglas, well-known meteorologist in the Twin Cities, wrote that the Twin Cities has only had four blizzard warnings in the past twenty years. startribune.com/douglas-a-lot-of-snow-cold-and-then-the-thaw/601598959

And for those reading this blog who need definitions, the National Weather Service defines a blizzard warming as 1) Snow and/or blowing snow reducing visibility to 1/4 mile or less for 3 hours or longer AND 2)  Sustained winds of 35 mph or greater or frequent gusts to 35 mph or greater.

During the winter I check the weather forecast for the upcoming Sunday on Monday. I want to know if weather is going to impact worship. This past Monday, I saw that the weather forecast shared that our area was going to get hit by snow on Saturday night and Sunday morning. Not good for worship.

And we had big plans for worship this past weekend. We had invited the Eggroll Queen Food Truck to come to worship and encouraged people to “Invite a Friend.” We’ve gotten into a routine of doing our best of having “Invite a Friend Sunday on the third Sunday of every month. And at least once a quarter we try to do something very special on those Sundays.

We had weather during the week, so the weather forecasters really didn’t focus on the weekend weather until late Thursday/early Friday. But when they did the message was consistent—the Metro area was going to get hit by a blizzard.

Less than five times in my thirty-three years of ministry have I had worship canceled because of weather. For a long time, my attitude was—“I will make it to worship even if I have to take extraordinary efforts. And whoever wants to come will be welcomed.”

However with Livestream so easily done, this attitude of doing whatever-it-takes to worship seems antiquated. If the weather is going to be really bad, why not just do a video. And that’s what we did. We did the Live Stream on Saturday at 5pm. We encouraged people to watch the Live Stream or the video. And many did. The number of people who was twice as high as normal. We did the Live Stream with five people (including me) present.

And for those who want to watch the video of worship at Chain of Lakes, go to vimeo.com/manage/videos/1171773895

The first flakes of snow started falling as we were doing the Livestream.

In advance of the blizzard, I saw a listing of the top snowfalls in the Twin Cities area. The link is here: dnr.state.mn.us/climate/journal/top_twenty_snowfalls.html

I remember many of those blizzards. I was not in the area during the infamous Halloween blizzard of 1991, but during many others I was. I went through the list and remembered stories from many of those blizzards. I remember getting stuck in a car in a blizzard many times as a boy. Certainly not something I recommend!

The biggest blizzard I remember happened January 1975. It didn’t make the top list of blizzards in terms of snowfall, but it’s the one I remember as being the strongest. We were let out of school early. The wind was fierce and it was very, very cold. I remember walking half a block and pulling out icicles from my eye lashes. It was also known as the Super Bowl Blizzard as the Vikings lost to the Steelers that weekend. According to the Famer’s Almanac web site, fourteen people died in that blizzard and twenty-one more died from heart attacks. The link to a further description of that blizzard is here: www.farmersalmanac.com/the-super-bowl-storm-of-75-18109?fbclid=IwY2xjawQlRPNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFmc3dLaFZ1SkJ1a3h6NnRZc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHkC4suTD80DrT4P5hW5-RgSJo3P1AqE3dMM2Bdgi3v36oBcg7clgolotIGDO_aem_D07LtsfGfVhFLfw5VhAdTA

The blizzard this past weekend paled in comparison to that. We did receive about eight inches of snow in Blaine (my estimate with my eye.) I didn’t leave the house from Saturday evening to Monday morning except to blow snow. I ended up blowing snow twice and shoveling once. Thank, God for snow blowers! Parts of southern Minnesota received about twenty inches of snow.

Most of the snow will be melted by this Sunday—when we will have the Eggroll Queen at Chain of Lakes. Even though the temperature won’t get above twenty today, a lot of snow is melting because of the high angle of the sky.

Anyone who has lived in Minnesota for an extended period of time has a blizzard story. Consider sharing a story in the comments.