Three Church Retreat

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More pictures from the retreat

Last Saturday we hosted a Presbytery sponsored retreat for leaders of the three Churches participating in a revitalization consultation. Our Consultant, Ann Philbrick from the Heartwood group did a presentation about the life cycle of Churches, like our own lives Churches move from their founding (birth) growth and development, (she calls this incline), then a Church reaches its prime, membership and program development plateau, these are the Church’s golden years (she calls this recline, besides rhyming it symbolizes a leaning back being satisfied with maintaining the good thing we have going). She says no Church stays at this point forever, at some point decline sets in, and eventually will end with death with out a new birth, without a resurrection. Churches call this redevelopment or revitalization or the new in word is transformation. I like the resurrection image since that went with the scriptures for the following day, the dry bones (Ezekiel 37) and the resurrection of Lazarus (John chapter 11).

I suggested Sunday (read the entire sermon) that this was our hope as a Church since First Presbyterian peaked near its 100th Anniversary when there were purportedly 600 to 800 members. The Church has been in a 50 year decline, although we have halted the loss of members over the past 10 years adding 75 new members to replace the 75 we have lost. I said that death was not the inevitable end, but when the spirit blows and when Christ’s power intervenes, and when we engage fully in the revitalization process resurrection is a possibility.

I also noted in thinking of the resurrection of Lazarus that there was a strangeness about the story, although the emotions of grief and pain, crying and anger are vividly portrayed as John tells this story that what is missing is that there is no picture of great joy and gladness and no expression of gratitude toward Jesus when Lazarus is raised. The shepherd has a party for his friends when he finds the one lost sheep, the woman invites others to rejoice with her when she finds her lost coin, the Prodigal’s father throws a banquet complete with veal and wine, music and dancing, but it is many days later before Martha and Mary have a dinner party for Jesus.

The women seemed to still be in shock, so overwhelmed by their grief over their loss that they cannot rejoice. I suggested that we also might be focused on our losses, those who have moved away, drifted away or passed away and be missing signs of hope and joy that we have received so many new members and families into the Church. Our newer members are younger and more racially and ethnically diverse than those who are gone.

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What I believe that these passages challenge us to do is to deal with our losses, but also to see what God is doing and what God will be doing in our midst and to celebrate the hope and the already present reality of resurrection and new life, in our personal lives, and in our life as a Church.