EPISCOPAL CHURCH - ADVENT AWAKENINGS - LISTEN TO THE JACK HAMMER ON OUR ROOF AND ALLOW NEW LIFE AND PRIORITIES FOR MISSION IN.

The denomination which I am now seeking to enter and belong to, The Episcopal Church (TEC) is in a bit of trouble and crisis... Just a few days ago, an entire diocese (San Joachin) has decided to leave the Episcopal Church.

A crisis carries within it two things: danger and opportunity.

LISTEN TO THE JACKHAMMERS ON OUR ROOF. This image of hammers on the roof comes from my Bishop, Greg Rickel. I've changed the phrase from hammer to jackhammer to note the severity of the 'noise,' as call to listen for and embrace new opportunities.

We must always remember that we are people of the paschal mystery. In Christ, out of death, can come new life and renewed purpose. So what will come of the death of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joachin as we knew it? 

There will be new life for those who left in joining the Southern Cone, but what of those beloved ones who stay? This is a chance for a faithful (to TEC) remnant to rise, but as they rise there are lessons to be learned and chances to do things differently, and go in new directions, aligned even more with God's priorities by engaging outreach in new ways that are attuned to emerging culture and the needs of the world...

Both the old, modern, liberal, and old, modern, conservative frameworks for being church are both crashing. - Both we and our more conservative friends need to forge new pathways for being church and working together based on the core things we hold in common: Love of triune God, the creed, the sacraments, treasuring of the story of Jesus and God' s salvation told in scripture (albeit with varying frameworks for interpreting scripture among the churches) the call to mission, the call to reconciled relationships with one another, and the call to service in and for God's world.

What rises from those diocesan ashes need not be 'the same old thing.' As I said in my post just prior to this one: When you insist on doing things 'the same old way you have always done them,' you are enshrining results that will deliver to you 'the same old things you have always had.' (our denomination has an average member age nearing 60 in a North American culture whose average citizen is around 32). This is not a sustainable trend... New missional efforts need to allowed, blessed and released, to welcome emerging generations in, so that the treasures of the Anglican tradition can be handed on!

In this new rising, let us also not waste time and missional energy being angry and 'against' those who are more conservative, but instead let us direct energy and resources towards engaging renewed mission, reconciliation and service NOW.

For this to happen, we must not remain 'hell-bent' in upholding modernist rules and ways of operating that discourage innovation and lock out much of the new life and vitality seeking to grow and blossom within this church - Emerging generation and missional leaders should not be turned away at our doors and left lacking for blessing and release to engage new opportunities for mission NOW.

Let us pray for God's beloved ones in the Diocese of San Joachin who have left the Episcopal Church. Let us not try to hold on to those who feel called to leave... Instead let us bless them and allow them to depart as well as we are able. Let is also mourn their loss and pray for them to live in faith, hope and love, as affiliated with the Southern Cone, as the Southern Cone dioceses are not our enemies... We will be our own enemies, if we do not respond to this tragedy with an AWAKENING to God's mission and a new boldness to risk for the Gospel and the Reign of God within TEC.

Let us also ask for prayers from those who have left us... Beloved ones in the new diocese of the Southern Cone in America, do pray for your brothers and sisters in the Episcopal Diocese of San Joachin. Pray for them and that their faith in Jesus, though from a different perspective from yours, holds true. The Baptismal Covenant is over them, as it is over you, so please pray... as the call to love those with whom we struggle, and to seek reconciliation with them, comes to all of us from Christ our Lord.

Let us also give thanks that the 'Interim Report from the House of Deputies' is finally dealing with TEC reality.

There have been large membership losses. Time has come to remove our heads from the sand, and awaken from our sleep to act with URGENCY and excitement to engage God's mission NOW, and exploring new ways to live out the 'alternate story' of the Reign of God in our world. There is a large hole in our roof. It is a bloody mess. It is also a time when light can shine on us from the face of Jesus Christ.

The quote below is from the Interim Report House of Deputies Committee on the State of the Church, November 2007

As Episcopalians, we approach and express our faith and relationship with Christ through
our Baptismal Covenant and Eucharistic community. Now is the time to articulate and renew these leadership trajectories, and to re-kindle enthusiasm for both evangelism and mission. Such efforts will emphasize equally spiritual renewal for our existing long-time members, and Christian formation for our newer and younger members.

We need to undertake these efforts with a sense of urgency: urgency in evangelism,
urgency in leadership development, urgency in outreach, urgency in structural reorganization--but first and foremost, urgency in more clearly defining who we are, where God is calling us to go, and how we should “press ahead” in mission in response to the Gospel of Jesus Christ '

This is our crisis/opportunity.

All I can do about San Joachin is to pray for those departing and those remaining in TEC, and to pray for a reduction in the use of courts to settle church affairs within our communion, as I said above.

But there is much that we can do here in the Diocese of Olympia, as there is a newly forming cohort of emerging Anglican leaders here ready to be put to serious work to help lead and transform our diocese around a clear, generous and orthodox identity, with a clear and 'heaven bent' focus on mission, reconciliation and service in the way of Jesus Christ. I'm excited for our Bishop to bless and release us, so we can just 'get on with it.' There is so much missional opportunity before us. 'Anglimergent' mission is seeking to be born...
It is Advent once again.

Comments

[Russell Duren]

Karen-
Hi. A Colorado friend of Shedden's here, finally jumping in on a conversation at your blog.
As one currently serving in the Presbyterian tradition, I feel your frustration with the entrenchment when it comes to 'modernist rules and procedures.' Blah!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this conflict. Presbyterians could take a cuefrom your attitude, as we deal with all the fracturing going on amongst ourselves too.
Keep on... fight the good fight.
Grace. Peace.
-Russell

[Chris Bowers]

Hey Karen... I'm curious as to what you meant when you said, "Entrenched systems, rules and procedures that place obstacles in the way of emerging forms of outreach and mission MUST be set aside. Mission, reconciliation and service form the three-legged stool we must embrace NOW and in new and fresh ways." The first thing that comes to mind with "entrenched systems, rules and procedures" is doctrine. I don't want to misunderstand what you are saying, so a little clarification would help.
Thanks.
-Chris

[karen ward]

Hi Chris, my comments are about the 'modern liberal' culture of TEC that is still being blissfully passed on via our seminaries and notions of 'the' discernment process, that stalls or completely shuts out emerging leadership... which is defacto 'rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, 'when what we need is permission and blessing to lower dingys and side boats so that scouts of Anglican missional futures can go into the water to help lead us our mothership any from icebergs, and in new directions with hope.

The current systems and power structures in TEC (from 815 on down) remain very effective in weeding out 'scouts,' the mission entreprenurial types who can't be easily 'domesticated,' but instead need to be blessed and released.

TEC sorely needs these new 'barbarian' leaders to be introduced into our polite and 'mission passive' leadership pool, so that new forms of church and ways of being missional can be born.

Yet all our systems are designed to keep such folk 'out.' A new track for 'pioneer ministers (like the one that now exists the Church of England) needs to be authorized and NOW.

Our more conservative friends in CANA and AMIA are actively recruiting and head-hunting innovative younger leaders to plant new churches. Thus their average member age will be at least 10 years younger than TEC.

[Steve Pankey]

Karen,

Thanks for the honest words above. I had lots of questions yesterday about this and my glib response was, "there will be a lot of jobs for my friends graduating seminary this year."

Though I am thousands of miles away, I will be praying with you for those who have left, those who will stay, and those who will fill the void.

Thank you also for that quote from the HoD. I think I'll carry that around with me as a cattle prod.

Have a blessed Advent.

[ray]

Hey Karen,

So true... preach on, sistah.

Hey, disregard that email I sent you with the new blog URL. It is actually going to be the one linked here ("some clear joy").

Peace,

Ray

[Mike Croghan]

Dear Karen,

You preach it in a righteously kick@$$ fashion.

Hope somebody's listening.

Peace,
Mike

[the holly]

amen. amen. and amen. peace to you and yours...

[bob carlton]

glorious truth-telling, karen

as so much energy goes into re-decorating the chapel on the titanic, aspects of the ethos of anglicanism thrive

new life comes from death, not from saber rattling or lawsuits or even re-affilating with the south, north or east

[Sarah Dylan Breuer]

Well said. Let me know if there are any opportunities for me to get to work in your diocese!