It Is Time For A New Thing!

See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? - Isaiah 43:19

Hello Church,

Quiet time is over.  We were still and quiet.  Leadership did very little to instigate action.  We prayed on Tuesdays.  We listened and learned on Sundays.  We took in Advent with expectation.  Now the waiting is over.

January is a month for building momentum.  Epiphany is here and just as Jesus built momentum toward His Church, we will also.  The leadership of Emmanuel is going to relive church and is inviting you to relive along with them.  So save the date:

Relive Church!  A church-wide retreat will be held on Saturday, February 9th at Loveland UMC, 9:00-4:00.  Lunch will be provided. 

You will be invited and invited again.  It is time we re-ignite our hearts and pick up our feet and put on our thinking caps.  It is time to let God lead us in a strong direction, instilling within us more passion, better intentions and higher hopes. 

You will not want to miss this.  We will bring together old principles with new ideas and, with God's Holy Spirit, help us to live into a refreshed church together. 

Everything I do in January will be leading up to February 9th.  How I talk; how I think; how I make decisions; what I preach on; what I teach about; and how I lead. 

Relive church!  We hope to see you there.

You can RSVP in several ways:
email me at pastorjoe@emmanuel-umc.com
call the church at 732-1400 and leave a message
call or text me at 513-463-7378
fill out an rsvp form on Sunday morning and put it in the offering plate

God is Good,
Pastor Joe

Mega Church VS Horse And Buggies

Hello Church,

As I try to stay ahead of a renewal process for the church, I find myself trapped between two dynamics that want to pull me in opposite directions:

Biblical Principles

God wants us to 'make disciple of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world'.  This has been the deciding mission statement of the UMC in West Ohio for years.  I don't disagree.  Disciple-making is the bedrock upon why we are the Church.  We want to empower others to be a better Christian tomorrow than yesterday.  It's hard and messy work.  It isn't attractive or pretty.  It involves the day-to-day grind of missed opportunities, failed actions and misplaced words.  There is lots of energy teaching and learning and being transparent and vulnerable.  It isn't fun, but it is biblical.

Cultural Relevance

To make disciples we need to attract people.  People are attracted to various elements of mainstream culture including the big, bright, expensive, technological, informational, fast-paced, immediate gratification, entertainment-driven communities in which we live.  Therefore we must admit the difficulty of 'making disciples' if the church remains separated from the mainstream culture to which people are attracted.  It's fun to be relevant, but a church that is relevant is in danger of losing its biblical principles.... right?

So I find myself in a polarizing dichotomy.  Stick to biblical principles at all cost and risk losing relevance to would-be disciples..... or be a fun, relevant church at the risk of compromising our bible-based mission to make disciples of Jesus.

I think there might be a balance, but I think it would be a precipitous one.  There are churches that stretch the bounds of one extreme or another.  The Amish stick to biblical principles and throw cultural relevance away.  Current non-denominational mega churches (and some denominational ones) embrace cultural relevance and the random charismatic leader throws away (or ignores) selected biblical principles that he deems too insignificant to follow.  I am comfortable with neither.

I believe the key to a healthy and holy church is to strike the balance.  Stick to the biblical mandates of what it means to be a church, knowing some will not be interested in being a part....... and be relevant and attractive enough to be given the opportunity to usher others into the Christian
Faith. 

But believing it and living into it are two different things.  One is much more difficult than the other.  Pray for the church and pray for Emmanuel.

God is Good,
Pastor Joe

 

How To Treat Christmas This Year

Hello Church,

Christmas is polarizing.  The excited become very excited and the sad become very sad.  One might find a few that are apathetic to Christmas, but I doubt that there are even as many as there claim to be.  Christmas evokes emotion of one sort or another.  For some it recalls that nightmarish day when Dad made one sit on Santa's lap.  For others, it recalls that day when one finally got to sit on Santa's lap and tell him everything!

We miss loved ones or we embrace loved ones.  We look forward to company or we dread the loneliness of a full room of people.  We gladly put up the 47 year-old Christmas ornament or we lament how much better things were 47 years ago. 

Christmas is polarizing. I suggest it should be, but not as we typically treat it.  Christmas should be polarizing in the divine sense.  Jesus is coming.  That should be very exciting for some and very sad for others.

For the oppressed and diseased and poor and down-trodden, the revelation of Christ brings an eminent sense of hope out of a life filled with despair.  For the powerful and egotists and narcissistic rulers of this world, the revelation of Christ brings them insignificant existences.  Jesus levels the playing field for all to see and experience.

I hope you can hold on to the true polarization of Christmas.  If you are insistent on making Christmas about you, then you will be surprised to find out that it is not about you.  It could make you sad.  But if you allow Christmas to be about Christ.... then... well....

....sitting on Santa's lap--be it wonderful or traumatic--isn't nearly as glorious as sitting with a Savior.  Missing loved ones isn't as problematic when we discover that Christ re-unites you with them.  And 47 years ago.... as good as it may have been... isn't comparable to how good it will be that one day in the future when the angels sing and the heavenly gates open. 

Let Christmas be about Jesus this year.  Sit still and let Him happen.

Be at Peace,
Pastor Joe

Finger Pointing, Martyrdom And Somewhere In-Between

Hello Church,

What do you own?  Your answer likely includes things you have laying around.  Let's forego those answers for now.  What do you own that are not physical things?

Do you own your words, actions, and thoughts?

What comes out of my mouth is mine.  If I speak unkind words, then I did that.  No one else did.  I should own it.  If I speak kind words, it was me.  My brain told my mouth to convey such words.  No one else did that.  If I speak in the tongues of man or angels but do not have love.... that is my fault. No one else's.

The issues of ownership has been a hot topic in my life lately.  What do I own?  What don't I own?  What does the church own?  What doesn't the church own?  What shouldn't I own?  What is healthy to own?  Where do I draw boundaries of ownership?

Issues around personal responsibility can really get my heart pumping.  Maybe I am just getting old and crotchety, but it seems that when something goes wrong it is always someone else's fault.  There is no sense of accountability.  The idea that you can 'face adversity and overcome it' is replaced by 'if so-and-so would just do such-and-such, then I wouldn't have such a difficult time'.

I go a step farther and speak to corporate responsibility as well.  The church as a group has a responsibility as well as the individual.  God doesn't just call you.  God calls you as part of a larger community. 

Does the church own their words and actions and thoughts?

As I get more excited about what comes next, I am deeply involved in these questions.  What does God want us to own?  Are we willing to invest in God's Will?  Will we put forth the energy, money and time to invest?  Are we willing to let go of what we won't own?  What shouldn't we own?

I hope you sit back and listen this Advent.  A time is soon coming when we will be asked to speak.

God is Good,
Pastor Joe

God Beat Me With A Turtle

Hello,

I want to expand on a moment of epiphany I had this Summer.  It was a moment I will likely remember for the rest of my life.  It happened while I biked through the Cuyahoga National Park.

My conversations with God were fierce on my 8-day bicycle trip from Cincinnati to Cleveland and back.  Too many things were going wrong and a lot of it wasn't my fault.  I was angry about it and had been for a very long time.  So we argued.  I don't often win, but I do have a history of lengthening the conversation beyond its necessity.  It probably amuses Him.  I'm okay with that. 

It took an entire day to bike through the National Park.  It was a dirt path, not conducive to my type of bike.  As I persevered--grumpily going much slower than I preferred while arguing with an omnipotent God--I continued to argue about all that had gone on around me for many months and how it was all wrong.

Then I saw a turtle.

It was slowly making its way across the path.  It didn't seem to care that it was in my way nor that I was approaching.  It didn't even look at me.  It just lumbered along... as if I didn't exist... as if it was only focused on one thing... to get across the path.  It didn't look anxious or fearful or worried.  The world around it would go on as it would without phasing this turtle.  I could rain or snow or blow... or a bicycle could come zooming by.  I don't think it cared.  How wonderful!!

What would happen if I could focus in such a way--to dismiss any and all matters that I have no control over and simply focus on the one thing that was in front of me.  Life would be simpler!  I would have less stress!  And I would be much more likely to complete my task!

Let the world be the world.  I am going to be me.  Let people be mean or nice or indifferent.  I am going to be me.  Let others do what they will do, holy or unholy.  I will be me and try to be holy.  Let others meet God with me or not.  I will meet God, alone or not.  Let other hear or ignore their Call.  I will follow mine.

It was a surreal moment.  God ended the argument much as he did with Jonah.  The turtle might have well told me the words:  'Do you do well to be angry?'.  The turtle meandered across the trail as if it knew the story.  I grumpily trudged down the trail as if I forgot the story.

God beat me with a turtle.

God is Good,
Pastor Joe

I Am Ineffective

Hello Church...

Nervous yet?  I am. 

I hear people thinking about where we are going with all this 'low-task/fellowship' stuff.  What do you mean about being 'still' and 'quiet' during Advent and Christmas?  Has leadership lost their minds?  No.  There is a plan.  Here is some insight......

Contrary to popular opinion, stagnation and status quo is not a requirement for the Church.  Unfortunately, many United Methodist Churches never got the memo.  The comfort of doing the same things in the same way is far too much of a temptation even when faced with a lack of results and failure to follow the commandments of Christ..... like... you know... 'making disciples'.

I learned many years ago that reinventing myself as a pastor would eventually be needed.  That, after a time, a pastor's rhetoric, habits, biases, stories, etc; would become tiresome and ineffective.  People would begin yawning at my dry sarcasm and become annoyed with my psychological ploys.  My humor would be rewarded with the sound of crickets.  My words of encouragement and inspiration would create numbness.  I was told that I, too, would fall prey to the temptation of doing the same things the same way.

Historically, I have never had to reinvent my role.  My first 2 appointments were 6.5 years and 6.5 years.  I asked for a move after my 1st and the Conference asked me to come to Emmanuel after the 2nd.  I was not at either appointment long enough to become what I considered 'ineffective'. 

But this appointment is different.  9 years have brought me and us to a place to work on our ineffectiveness.  So how do we do this?

First, we become honest with ourselves and God and admit our ineffectiveness.  This is also referred to as 'confession'.  I'm done rehashing the reasons for this, but the honest truth is that we are not growing and, in fact, are declining.

Second, we turn to God and not to each other.  We implore God to forgive and renew us; give us insight and wisdom; bring a new energy to us; give us Vision; a dream; something to strive for.  This means to 'be still and know God'.  It means to squelch your busy body, turn on your ears and pray.  This is what the Leadership Team calling us to do now.

Third, we put our heads and hearts together and become unified in a common divine Vision.  We talk about the hard stuff, gain a Holy Stubbornness, and create a strategic plan (January is coming).

Fourth, we put our noses to the grindstone and get our bodies busy again.  This time to be better focused and less distracted.  (Easter is going to be wonderful!  There WILL be resurrection.  God says so).

So there you have it.  The next Leadership Team meeting is Nov. 19th at 6:30.  You are invited.  The time is quickly coming to get involved if you want to be part of a new birth in the Spirit.  I have no idea what it will look like. 

Nervous yet?  I am nervous... but also excited.....

Because God is Good,
Pastor Joe

A Pastor's Biggest Embarrassment

Hello Church,

The following is Lesson #3 from my Leave of Absence.  Again, this is more of a personal post that I have shared in the District Newsletter.  It is mostly geared toward clergy, but for those of you who struggle with Co-Dependency, this one is also for you.  

I Don’t Need To Be Needed

Before my Leave, I came to learn that my value as a person was tied up into what I do for a living.  People praised me when I did well and it made me feel good about myself.  People admonished me when I did bad and it made me feel bad about myself.  When people didn’t care about what I do, it made me feel unimportant.  My self-value was tied to my profession.  I sought the value of me in others instead of seeking the value of me in how God defines it.  I learned this over 23 years.  It’s embarrassing.  I have preached this many times to others.  God values me.  That should be enough.  It hasn’t always been.

Lesson #3:  I don’t need to be needed. 

I believe Co-Dependency is a major issue among clergy and I was becoming a part of it.  While I might still care about your opinion (or not), it will no longer be tied to my value as a person.  Truth is, a good portion of my congregation doesn’t know much about my person beyond my job anyhow… somewhat because there isn’t much more to know (another sad commentary on my personal life… see lesson #1).  But I also think it has to do with some people wanting the idealistic, picturesque pastoral leader.  Getting to know me as a person would ruin that (I am not ideal nor picturesque).  Nevertheless, like it or not, I realize that, at worst, I fill a role for people.  At best, I fill a relationship for people.  However, my 23 years has taught me that it is usually the role I fill and not the relationship.  I am the preacher, teacher, prayer, care-giver, administrator, etc;  I am rarely Joe Royer who is devoid of any professional pastoral role/label that has expectations tied to it, realistic or unrealistic. 

This is all the more reason to avoid co-dependency.  If people don’t know Joe Royer, they certainly have no right to dictate my value as a person.  Therefore, your praises and admonishments and apathy of me will be held in the strictest of contexts.  If you think I am a fabulous person because I give good sermons, you can think that.  I won’t.  If you think I am a heartless person because I don’t visit you enough, you can think that.  I won’t.  If you think what I do makes me unimportant, that’s okay.  I won’t think that way.

On the other hand, consider that just because self-value is separate from job performance issues doesn’t mean we shouldn’t deal with job performance issues.  Just because your opinion might be that I am not a good pastor doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try to find ways to be a better pastor.  It just means that our interaction and processes doesn’t affect my self-value.  However, I can and should still pursue excellence.

I don’t know if this lesson refers to a ‘boundary’ as opposed to just an attitude adjustment.  Either way, it has vastly improved my self-care.  The last lesson of 4 will delve even further into my psyche as a clergy.  I hope you join me.

Be At Peace,

Joe Royer (who happens to be a pastor)