Attending Festival of Homiletics

 

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the Festival of Homiletics (FOH) conference in Atlanta, Georgia. This idea of the FOH is simple. Find some of the best main-line preachers in the country and have them share sermons. The thought is that by listening to a lot of excellent sermons, participants will improve in their preaching. 

I attended FOH last year and wrote a blog about it at: Spiritual Musings from the north Metro: Attending Festival of Homiletics. I wasn’t planning on attending FOH this year. However the theme of the conference, “Preaching to Heal the Divide,” resonated with me. I identify myself as a both/and preacher. I want to appeal to both liberals and conservatives. The opportunity to listen to sermons that heal the divide between these “camps” prompted me to attend.

The first sermon I heard was from Reverend Allen Boesak, a South African Black Liberation theologian. He had decided not to attend in person as he was very concerned about the new Immigration policies of the US Administration. He preached via video. The title of his sermon was “In Need of a Healing Moment.” He talked about the widening gap between rich and poor. He said that the disparity of wealth in South Africa today is higher than it was during Apartheid. He also shared that the top ten richest people in the world have as much wealth as the bottom 95 percent of the world. He shared that because of this disparity we need to run to Jesus because he offers us a healing moment. Jesus encourages us to speak truth, to speak up when silence is easier and the love when we feel like hating.

I found his sermon quite captivating. I had heard him speak about thirty-five years ago in New York and thought he was boring. But that was probably my youth looking to be entertained coming out. I cannot image what it has been like for him to preach against Apartheid and in South Africa for his entire life.

I especially enjoyed sitting in the sanctuary of Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, the host of FOH. The congregation is celebrating a hundred years of ministry. As part of that celebration, they have hundreds of doves hanging from the ceiling of their sanctuary. The dove is a symbol of peace. So just sitting in the sanctuary I felt like I was sitting under a canopy of peace.

On Tuesday evening I had the opportunity to go with two men, Gray Marshall & Greg Bolt, to watch the Atlanta Braves play the Washington Nationals. We're typical pastors--we like baseball. I had never been to Truist Park before. The Braves were ahead most of the game and then gave it up at the end. Just hanging out with these two men was much more meaningful to me than who won the game. Truist Park is a lovely place to watch a game. Unlike my experience at Wrigley Field a week before, the concourses at Truist Park are wide.

 Brian Blount gave a powerful sermon/talk about faith and belief. He talked about how humans can believe and then change their mind and ultimately unbelieve. Humans make covenants and then break them. What is most important is to have faith—to be a follower. This is what Jesus wants—he wants us to follow. He talked about how Jesus never said, “your belief will make you well.” Instead, Jesus told his followers that their “faith would make them well.” Having faith is of ultimate importance.

A surprise for me was how much I enjoyed hearing David Gushee speak. I was able to catch the last 15 minutes of his workshop and then attended a lecture he gave called, “Proclaiming the Moral Teaching of Jesus.” He grew up in the conservative church but attended Union Seminary in New York City as a doctorate student. He had first-hand experience with conservatives and liberals. I had a similar experience as I attended Union Seminary in New York City; while there I served a conservative, evangelical church on an Internship. In his talk he gave an outline of his book, “The Moral Teachings of Jesus.” I especially appreciated his comments where he pushed back against the "sin" of the empathy movement. He talked about a compassionate response to people who are suffering can change us. Empathy and compassion are the way of Jesus.

I applaud the organizers of FOH for the conference.

My suggestions for changes are pretty much the same as I shared last year. First I wish the FOH would adapt. It’s the same conference that I attended about twenty years ago. The idea is to listen to a lot of good preachers. But I’m not convinced that all of us who attended will be better preachers in three months because we heard some excellent sermons. I told the congregation that I serve that they could tell me in three months if this conference helped me be a better preacher.

And second I’d love to see more technical workshops. I appreciate being inspired and hearing a really good story. But I want to hear more about the technical elements of preaching. How does a preacher put together series? How does a preacher determine if his or her preaching is effective? What can a preacher do when they hit a block? These are the nuts-and-bolts questions that pastors rarely receive help with after seminary. The FOH could provide a much-needed resource of these type of resources were provided.

And third, I’d like to hear more sermons from pastors—not professors at seminaries. I want to hear from people who preach forty times a year. What are their stories about preaching that works? What have they found that helps them bridge the divide? What are the challenges they've encountered in weekly preaching and what strategies do they use to overcome them?

Despite that I wrote in last year blog that I wouldn't attend FOH for a while, I enjoyed my time in Atlanta. My hope is the experience will continue to resonate within me and prompt me to be a better preacher.

Presbyterian Church Growth Network

After last summer’s General Assembly I read an article that shared the top ten areas of focus at that gathering. None of the ten mentioned church growth. This was very disappointing to me as the PC(USA), the denomination that I love, has declined significantly in numbers of people. 

I wrote a blog sharing my disappointment which was entitled, “Presbyterians can grow, right?” The link is here: Spiritual Musings from the north Metro: Presbyterians can grow, right?

The blog got traction. Some others within the PC(USA) were also talking about how more attention to church growth needs to happen. About fifteen of us then started having monthly Zoom calls. The purposes of our calls were to share what was happening in our local congregations, to learn from each other, and to talk about what we could do to help Presbyterian congregations grow in numbers of people.

We initially decided that we wouldn’t share widely what we were doing. The main reason is we believed that some within the PC(USA) would look at our efforts with skepticism. I have seen how liberals and conservatives within the PC(USA) have treated each other poorly. Many churches left to form a new denomination. This division within the PC(SUA) has left scars. None of us who have participated in these Zoom calls want to relive that.

For those who are wondering about me, I am passionate about both church growth and acts of justice. I think of myself as a Sojourners evangelical or an evangelical liberal. Before I went to seminary, I was an organizer for the United Farm Workers. As a pastor I proudly support my friends who identify as LGBTQ+. We have had many people from the LGBTQ community serve on the Session and as Deacons at Chain of Lakes, the congregation I helped start. The first wedding we did at Chain of Lakes was a gay wedding. I graduated from Union seminary, one of the most liberal seminaries in the United States.

And I want to see our congregations grow in personal faith and to grow in numbers 

I want to see people develop a vibrant faith. I love Jesus and want others to love Jesus. I want to help people grow in Bible reading and prayer and to worship with passion. I want to help people share their faith in authentic and beautiful ways with others. 

I want to see the congregation I serve grow in numbers of people. I’ve served thirty-two years as a pastor in two congregations. In twenty-nine of those thirty-two years, the congregations I served grew in worship attendance. Neither of the congregations I have served have grown exponentially. I think the largest growth I ever experienced in worship attendance at Chain of Lakes was 2024 when we grew forty percent.

I don't think this makes me weird or different or strange. I know that I love Jesus and want to see the Kingdom Jesus came to embody lived out in the 21^st century.

After having monthly Zoom calls this group met in Chicago this past week. Kudos goes to Josh Erickson for hosting our group at Park Ridge Presbyterian church. Josh put a lot of work into this gathering. He and Paul Burns, a pastor from Texas, co-led our time together. 

Approximately fifteen of us gathered. Most of our work was done this past Tuesday. We spent time developing and wordsmithing a Presbyterian Church Growth Network charter. We chose Acts 16:4-5 as our guiding Scripture. We talked about the church growth metrics that are important to us. We spent a significant amount of time talking about the importance of inclusivity. We eventually agreed that any speaker at a future conference or gathering of the PCGN would need to be LGBTQ supportive. We talked about different church size dynamics and how these play a role in our work.

We concluded by talking about next steps. We’d love to have a PCGN cohort in every Presbytery and/or Synod. We want to work in collaboration with others within the PC(USA) who share our interests. We don’t intend to bash the PC(USA) or leave it. All of us who gathered are committed to the theology, polity and values of the PC(USA). We will not foster conversations that support divisiveness, schism or departure from our denomination.

We talked about getting together again in person this Fall. We are going to continue to have monthly Zoom calls. The calls are open to anyone who wants to participate. More information about the calls is on the PC(USA) Church Growth Network Facebook page. Our work is no longer private as many of us shared on our Facebook pages what we are doing. In the next month we are going to nominate a small board, a moderator and a secretary.

We know that we have a lot of work to do. We know we need to have more Ruling Elders involved. Almost everyone who was present this week is a Teaching Elder. We know we are disproportionately male and disproportionately White.  

For myself I’d like to gather a cohort within our Presbytery and even our Synod. The point of gathering is support. The PCGN doesn’t have any materials yet to share besides a charter, and we don’t see ourselves as consultants. What we do have is a love of God, a love of the Presbyterian church, a desire to see our congregations grow, an interest to support others with these interests, and a willingness to try things in our own congregations.

I am very excited about these small steps that our Presbyterian Growth Network has taken. I believe there is tremendous potential to help congregations grow in numbers of people.

A Presbyterian gives tribute to Pope Francis

With Easter being over, I’m looking forward to writing blogs again. Today I cannot help but write a tribute to Pope Francis. He was a hero of mine. I was so excited for the Catholic church when he as Cardinal Bergoglio  was elected by the Curate to be Pope in 2013. Then when he took the name of Francis, one of my heroes of the faith, I was immediately captivated about what he would do as the Pope.

Even though I am Presbyterian to the core, I have terrific respect for the Catholic church. My wife, Amy, is Catholic and currently serves as Administrator at St. Josephs By the Lakes Catholic church. We are a two-church family. I often go to Mass with Amy on Saturday evenings and about once every six weeks cantor at their Saturday evening Mass. Our daughter, Hannah, was baptized at a Presbyterian worship service by a Presbyterian pastor and Catholic priest. She was confirmed in both the Catholic and Presbyterian communities.

Both Amy and I have had rich relationships with priests who come from the social justice part of the church. We’re both concerned that the number of people who identify as social justice priests seems to have diminished. This great tradition of the Catholic church does not seem to be as important as before.

Is it possible to be a Social Justice Pope? Pope Francis did his best. I always admired the times that he would speak about the widening gap of wealth between the rich and the poor. It’s probably too much to expect that the divide between rich and poor would be diminished because of the work of the Pope. But I’m guessing that if Pope Francis could have snapped his fingers and reduce this gap, he would been known as the “snapping Pope.”

I’m still touched by his humility. The way he lived out his humility provides many lessons for all religious leaders. He frequently celebrated foot washings on Maundy Thursday in jails, hospitals, retirement homes and slums. He lived a simple lifestyle by living in a small apartment rather than the bishop’s residence, which was quite elegant. He cooked his own meals and used public transportation.

His support of the LGBTQ community was significant. His willingness to bless individuals who were in a same-sex relationship seemed like a step forward.  As was his willingness to have people who have transitioned baptized.

His televised statement on 2013 called, “Who am I to judge” was memorable. In 2013 he said, “if someone is gay and is searching for the Lord and has good will, then who am I to judge him? The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains this in a beautiful way, saying ... "no one should marginalize these people for this, they must be integrated into society". The problem is not having this tendency, no, we must be brothers and sisters to one another, and there is this one and there is that one.”

I still wish that Pope Francis would have been able to bring about the possibility of married priests and women priests. As a Presbyterian pastor I’ll always be committed to female pastors. The first preachers of the resurrection were women. It seems odd for me that any religious community would prevent women from being pastors. If God was willing to trust women to be the first to share the news of the resurrection, I believe that God would want women to be pastors and priests.  

Pope Francis was a man of firsts. He was the first pope to be a Jesuit, he was the first pope who was Latin American and the first from the Southern Hemisphere, and the first pope to be born and raised outside of Europe since the 8^th century.

Pope Francis set a standard for all future popes. His example of humility and desire to help the poorest of the poor will define his beautiful legacy. I hope that all religious leaders will continue to learn from his example. This Presbyterian will always have a place in my heart for this terrific religious leader.