In Transition - 1/1/23

Sermon 2023.01.01 “In Transition”

Today we are celebrating Epiphany. The word itself means "appearing" or "revelation." Typically during Epiphany, the church remembers the visit of the Wise Men to the baby Jesus, as narrated in Matthew, chapter 2. So this week I began to prepare a sermon on the wise men; however, as I worked on the sermon, I felt led to go in a different direction. This wise man—or “wise guy”—is following a different star to worship the Christ.

Folks have been asking about the pastoral transition. A church leader asked me, “How’s the process going to get a settled pastor?” Several years back, a television commercial for The National Enquirer said, “Inquiring minds want to know.” Sometimes I would say, “Perspiring minds want to know.” But inquiring minds here at First want to know about the pastoral transition. And this inquiring mind wants your inquiring minds to know. Therefore, I thought that I would devote the sermon time this week to the pastoral transition. A pastoral transition is usually an anxious time for a church. We interim ministers talk a lot about being a “non-anxious presence.” I hope that having some information will lower anxiety. I said some things a few weeks ago, and I want to expand on them.

I will give you a timeline. I will begin at the beginning. In February 2022, your previous pastor ended his 13-year tenure here. That is the second-longest tenure of any pastor in the church’s 184-year history. The longest is that of your current pastor emeritus, who served 18 years in the 1980s and 1990s. So, your previous pastor left in February 2022, almost a year ago. I began serving as transitional minister in August 2022. A transitional minister is the same as an intentional interim pastor. I use the terms interchangeably. I have been here four months. In addition to the regular things of preaching, teaching, administration, and pastoral care, I have been doing three things: First, I have been getting to know you as a congregation, second, I have formed a group of church members to coordinate our examination of the present state of the church, and third, I have been consulting with the regional executives about the pastoral search process.

This month or next—January or February 2023--the regional executives of the American Baptist Churches on Rhode Island--Courtny Davis Olds and Kathryn Palen--will come and talk to church leaders about forming a pastoral search committee, which will be the church's responsibility; the regional executives will only advise. Therefore, when it sees fit, the church will select a pastoral search committee. Back in the olden days, we used to call them “pulpit committees,” but the more popular term these days is “pastoral search committee.” Based on searches I have observed, a pastoral search committee takes a year or so to find a pastor. I think, then, that it is reasonable to expect that a new pastor will be here early 2024. But that is just my best guess. God has not given me the gift of prophecy. One thing that I can say, though, is that I expect to be here with you until a new pastor comes.

Sometimes churches in transition rush to get a new pastor. No matter their size, these churches often hear people express the fear that their church will not survive the interim. I'm pleased to say that all four of the previous churches I've served are still functioning. Indeed, three out of four of them have settled pastors. Sometimes churches think that the prospective settled pastor will be the church's savior. The new pastor will reverse the downward trend of attendance, giving, and participation, and will lead the church into new heights. I pray that a new pastor--whenever they come--will lead the church into new frontiers of growth and service. For that to happen, though, the church must do its work during the transition. What we do now will affect this church for years to come. God has given us this gift of transition so that we can allow God to mold us into the instrument that God would have us be. A version of Francis’ prayer is appropriate for us here: “Make this church an instrument of your peace.”

What will we do as a church in 2023? We will give increased attention to the three questions: Who are we? Who is our neighbor? What is God calling us to do and be? And we will continue to work on the five focus points: heritage, identity, leadership, connections, and future. The pastoral search committee to be formed in the coming months will be working on the future, so the rest of us will be working on the present. So we only have two questions and four focus points. The two questions are: Who are we? Who is our neighbor? And the four focus points are heritage, identity, leadership, and connections. Again, our task is to focus on the present; the pastoral search committee will look at the future. Earlier, I said that "the Tuesday group" is helping me look at the present. The group consists of Nancy V., John W., and Randy W. We are devising ways in which we can get the input of the entire church. That may consist of surveys, cottage meetings, a retreat, or other such activities.

If a settled pastor is called too soon, they will be an unintentional interim pastor. The settled pastor usually does not stay long in such a situation. The issues that led to the previous pastor's departure are still there. Interim pastors, or transitional ministers, are trained in dealing with these sorts of issues. My very first interim pastorate I served was over forty years ago at Memorial Baptist Church in Columbus, Indiana, when I was in graduate school in Louisville. I became particularly close to a family that had a young son, who had a T-shirt that said, “Kids are people too.” In visiting them once, I said that I need a T-shirt that said, “Interim Pastors are people too.” And sure enough, they got me one! Churches in pastoral transitions are churches in which God’s Spirit is moving in a special way. How is God’s Spirit moving here at First Baptist Church, East Greenwich, Rhode Island on this New Year’s Day 2023?

I think that that is a good question to think about this week, to talk about, maybe even to write about. But most of all, it’s a question to pray about. A few minutes ago, we sang, “Lord, listen to your children pray . . . Send us love, send us power, send us grace.” But you know what? We already have love, power, and grace. And hope and peace and joy. We lit candles for hope, peace, joy, and love during Advent. And we have these qualities NOW—in the Spirit of Jesus, who is born anew in our hearts. In 2023, how will this church be hopeful? How will we be peaceful? How will be we joyful? How will we be loving? Hope, peace, joy, love—We have them now! Within us, around us, closer than our breath. We breathe them in; we breathe them out.

I have an idea, and it’s just an idea. Take one of these virtues that we focused on during Advent—hope, peace, joy, or love—and pray every day at a certain time each day that the church—and that means you--would exemplify this virtue. For example, you might take peace, and at noon every day you will say a silent prayer, “May the church be peaceful. May I be peaceful.” If you want to name specific people, that’s fine. Maybe you want to concentrate on your breath for one minute and enjoy that peacefulness that you’ve been praying for and have. In Genesis, God breathed into the earth creature the breath of life (Genesis 2:7), and in the Gospel of John, the Risen Jesus breathes on the disciple and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22). You want hope, you want peace, you want joy, you want love? It’s only a breath away. However you pray, pray every day at a certain time each day that the church might manifest hope, peace, joy, and peace.

Earlier I referred to Francis of Assisi’s prayer for peace. I will close with it:

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace; 
Where there is hatred, let me sow love; 
Where there is injury, pardon; 
Where there is doubt, faith; 
Where there is despair, hope; 
Where there is darkness, light; 
And where there is sadness, joy. 

O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console; 
To be understood, as to understand; 
To be loved, as to love; 
For it is in giving that we receive, 
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned, 
And it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life. 
Amen.

(https://www.ourcatholicprayers.com/the-prayer-of-st-francis.html)

Yes, O God, in this transition, make us all instruments of your peace.

And all God’s people said, “Amen.”