Art History meets Lutheranism

The painting to the left is the 1897 painting "Prayer Meeting (Chidren of God)" by the artist Niels Bjerre. It depicts members of the Danish Lutheran Piestist group known as Indre Mission (variously Inner Mission or Home Mission). Like all pietists, these men and women of faith were concerned about religion that had become to intellectual, and did not engage a person's heart. There is a resemblence to some contemporary mega-church movements, as much of their faith life took place outside of Sunday morning, in Bible studies held in one another's homes (one sees a resemblence to Methodism in that regard as well.) This particular piece is of interest, as it may have been the visual inspiration for the 1986 film Babette's Feast, a Danish-language film about a small, pietist Lutheran sect in Jutland (Denmark).

The passionate faith of these men and women, the Pietists of the 19th century, is a wonderful challenge for all of us to engage our own faith more deeply. Bjerre's artwork is a stark call to remember that all are called to a simple faith, which produces action.

Grundtvig's Hymns

It is hard to pick a favorite of Grundtvig's hymns, as I find his poetry to be some of the most moving and evocative in our hymnals. Certainly, Spirit of God, Sent from Heaven Above (Lutheran Book of Worship #285) is up there, but I have only sung it in a congregational setting once, because the tune is a little difficult and unknown to most congregations (but beautiful when done well). And few hymns speak of the wonder of the Christmas season better than The Bells of Christmas (LBW #62, Evangelical Lutheran Worship #298). But, hands down, my favorite is Built on a Rock (LBW #365, ELW #652). I provide it here in its entirety, because few hymns have more powerfully stated what it means to be the church (and I believe the translation has passed into public domain). You can see in this hymn Grundtvig's powerful understanding of the place of the church in the Christian life:

Built on a rock the church shall stand,
even when steeples are falling;
crumbled have spires in every land,
bells still are chiming and calling -
calling the young and old to rest,
calling the souls of those distressed,
longing for life everlasting.

Surely in temples made with hands
God the most high is not dwelling -
high in the heav'ns his temple stands,
all earthly temples excelling.
Yet God who dwells in heav'n above
deigns to abide with us in love,
making our bodies his temple.

Christ builds a house of living stones:
we are his own habitation;
he fills our hearts, his humble thrones,
granting us life and salvation.
Where two or three will seek his face,
he in their midst will show his grace,
blessings upon them bestowing.

Yet in this house, an earthly frame,
Jesus his children is blessing;
hither we come to praise his name,
faith in our Savior confessing.
Jesus to us his Spirit sent,
making with us his covenant,
granting his children the kingdom.

Through all the passing years, O Lord,
grant that when church bells are ringing,
many may come to hear your Word,
who here this promise is bringing:
"I know my own, my own know me;
you, not the world, my face shall see;
my peace I leave with you. Amen."

Nikolaj Frederik Severin Grundtvig

This Sunday (September 2) is the commemoration, or festival, of N.F.S. Grundtvig in the liturgical calendar of most Lutheran churches, including that of our new worship resource, Evangelical Lutheran Worship (pdf doc). In all probability, I will not say anything about it on Sunday, because (a) Saint John Lutheran has a German, not a Scandanavian, heritage, (b) this congregation is not as interested in hymnody as some other places I have been. And so, Grundtvig's commemoration is a part of my personal devotions today.

Grundtvig is one of my favorite figures in the Lutheran tradition, and I find his story and his thoughts intriguing and fascinating. He was born as the son of a Lutheran pastor in Denmark in 1783. By the end of his career, and even until today, he was known - along with Kierkegaard and H.C. Andersen - as one of the cultural heros of Denmark. He was a prolific hymn-writer, an educational reformer, a sometime politician, and a bishop without a diocese/synod. Grundvig created the Danish "Folk School" model of education, a model still in use in many places.

As a theologian, Grundtvig attacked what he saw as the stagnant faith of the Lutheran orthodox movement of the 19th century, as well as what he saw as the theologically unsound faith of the Pietist. Influenced by the Greek Fathers (and perhaps the contemporaneous Oxford Movement in England, where he had some schooling), Grundtvig had an "Awakening" in 1810 to the idea that the fundamental aspect of Christian faith is the living Word - and that this Word lives most essentially in the Church (the living Body fo Christ), not in a set of doctrines or in any written Word. To find Christ, according to Grundtvig, we ought to look first to the Church and to the living sacramental traditions of Baptism and Holy Communion. If we wish something more concrete, we then ought to look to the Creeds - especially the Apostles' - as the oldest written proclamation of the living Word. It is then, informed by living Word, that we look to Scripture, the written Word.

It is unusual for modern students of theology, but the bulk of Grundtvig's theological work is found in his hymns - we have lost the sense of poetry as theology. His theology was so defining for the era, that Danish American Lutherans defined themselves - until well into the 20th century - as either Grundtvigian or anti-Grundtvigian.

In reflecting on Grundtvig with an Episcopal professor in seminary, we noted the similarity between his reforms of the church and those of the Oxford Movement. We then noted, along with what the Finnish School of Luther Studies has pointed out, the common denominator of influence by the Greek Fathers. It seems that all of the great reforms and renewals of the church involve, to some degree or another, a rediscovery of the Greek Fathers to balance out our influence by the Latins.

This post has gotten a bit long-winded, and so I will wait to post some of my favorite Grundtvig humns. Let me close with the prayer from ELW for renewers of the Church, which is today a part of my prayers:

Almighty God, we praise you for your servant Nikolaj Frederik Severin
Grundtvig, through whom you have called the church to its tasks and renewed its
life. Raise up in our own day teachers and prophets inspired by your
Spirit, whose voices will give strength to your church and proclaim the reality
of your reign, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

A Little Help from our Friends

In the past, Saint John Lutheran Church of Prairie Hill has used the logo of the ELCA as the congregational logo. Now, don't get me wrong, I like the ELCA logo as much as the next guy, and we have every intention of continuing to use it. However, we have adopted an informal motto for the church ("A Place to Call Home"), and are in the process of writing a vision statement, a strategic plan, and re-writing a mission statement. And I find myself thinking, wouldn't it be nice if we had our own custom logo?

In fact, even though I have been here just over a year, I do not yet have business cards or letterhead, because I am waiting for the strategic planning process (along with mission statement and hopefully a logo) to be completed.

So, here's my plea for help: Where does a pretty traditional, rural Lutheran church go for quality graphic design? Have you used a custom graphic design service or a church marketing service? Is there one you would recommend? And how much can we expect to shell out for this?

Please help me out here - even pass this post on to others who might have advice.

A Message from New Orleans

On this second anniversary of the landfall of Hurricane Katrina, the message being sent by both friends in New Orleans and by major news outlets that all is not well in the Big Easy. Please continue to keep the city, its residents, and its leaders in your prayers.

For myself, as I remember the victims of Katrina, I also also remember those who were in the path of the storm that our country forgot in the wake of Katrina.

Cars

Paul at But a Poor Reflection has asked for reflections about first cars (tip of the hat to David for pointing this out).

My first car was a 1972, burnt orange, Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme (the convertable in the picture is not actually mine, but it is pretty close - except for, of course, the convertable part). I remember when we first picked it up. I would have been about 11 when we bought the car for my oldest brother. It really was bought from a little old lady who barely drove it (a church member, as I recall).

My oldest brother took exquisite care of the car, so it was still in pretty good shape two years later when he went off to college and passed the Tank (as we called it) on to my middle brother. Lets just say that giving a GM small block V8 to a 16 year old may not be the best idea, and the received a little bit more wear on its second Hansen brother.

The Tank fell into my hands in 1994. By that time we were living in Chattanooga, Tennessee - where it was much cooler to have a burnt orange car than it had been in Iowa. Yet, it was still a land-yatch and a gas hog - we liked to say that it got about 4 gallons to the mile. In the end, after three 16-18 year old boys had driven it, the Tank was in pretty rough shape. We wound up selling it during my senior year of high school.

My current car love affair is with a 2003 Ford Escape Limited (seen to the right). This is our first family car; that is, bought by my wife and me without parental help. We decided that we really felt like adults once we had bought our own car (in anticipation of the little one's arrival). It too was owned by a woman who barely drove it, and had only 6,500 miles when we picked it up earlier this summer.

Huh?

I can't say that this is the sort of thing that I watch on television, but once I saw it online I couldn't resist posting this; because the more important question than "Why are 1 in 5 Americans unable to locate the US on a map?" is how did this happen?





Once I started wondering, I thought: You know, maybe that's what happens when 25% of Americans don't read a single book all year long.

Sometimes I feel as if I live in a parallel universe.

From the Pastor’s Desk

The September newsletter article (to read other newsletter articles, visit the Pastor's Desk on the homepage of Saint John Lutheran Church):

Back to school. Off to college. Baseball. The County Fair. New programs and ministries at Church.

There is no doubt about it, the Fall is a busy time. It seems that as soon as September arrives, our schedules are filled up until December and it is a rush to get to the holidays. Looking around, everyone has their head down as they rush from one appointment to another.

Such a busy schedule can be stressful and difficult for us. We come home at the end of the day and collapse in the bed, exhausted. We barely have the energy for all that we have to do – who can even think about the things that they would like to do? We are crankier and less patient as our schedules fill up and we get caught up in all of the busy-ness of this Fall season.

It is precisely when we feel like we have no extra time, precisely when we too stressed and too busy, that we need to make time for Christ in our lives. Without Christ, it can be easy for us to lose our way in all of this busy-ness. If we do not take the time, we will find that our relationship with God falters under the pressure, that our faith seems to grow dim, and that our relationships with others also begin to strain.

But if we make time for Christ in our lives, this time of stress and anxiety can become a time of spiritual growth and strengthening of faith. Five minutes for prayer at the end of a busy day. Ten minutes reading Scripture before heading out in the morning. One hour worshiping God with our family of faith on Sunday morning. A couple of minutes in the middle of a stressful day when we stop and listen for the voice of God. There are many little ways for us to make time for Christ in the midst of this busy season of life.

Consider this: a piece of coal pressed in my hand will fall apart. The same piece of coal pressed by the weight of the earth itself could become a diamond. So it is with our faith – the pressures and stress of life can either break it, or make it stronger than it ever was.

I invite you, as you enter into this busy fall season, to make time for Christ. Pray, read the Bible, and worship. You will find that the burdens of your life don’t seem as heavy, the stress of the season doesn’t seem quite as bad, and your faith will be stronger than ever before.

I pray that you and your family will be blessed throughout the month.

Pastor David Hansen

Visibility of Lutheran Blogs

One of the goals of the Blogging Lutherans WebRing has been to increase the visibility of Lutheran blogs on the web. A Lutheran presence on the web means that our Lutheran voice - that is, Lutheran theology and the Lutheran take on current events - becomes more readily available to the general public. And if, as we say, we believe that we have something important to say as Lutherans, then reaching out to readers beyond other Lutherans is a good thing.

There are a number of ways to raise the visibility of Lutheran bloggers. One is through the webring (which you can join here). Another, which most of us are aware of, is through blog rolls and in-post links. There is a blogroll of Confessional Lutheran blogs, as well as an excellent directory of all Lutheran blogs. Getting listed and linking to one another is an excellent start toward making the Lutheran voice more audible in the blogosphere. But links only get you so far.

The next step is to raise our visibility on networking sites, of which, Technorati is my favorite. If you don't have a Technorati account, go there and sign up, and claim your blogs. Once that is done, start tagging blogs as your favorites. Many blogs will have a button such as this, which makes it easy; but even without the button it is pretty easy once you have an account.

Beyond Technorati, there are many other networking/site ranking sites. One that I recently discovered is Stumbleupon, a site which allows people to surf to random sites (sort of like channel surfing on your TV), based upon their interests. Of course, the process requires that (a) sites get listed in their system, and (b) sites that are enjoyed (favorited) by more people show up more often. Getting your favorite blogs in the system and favorited will increase the number of people who see them.

Another tool I recently discovered is the AddThis Social Bookmark button (see the sidebar and bottom of this post). The AddThis tool allows people to favorite your blog using their favorite site (whether it be Technorati, Stumbleupon, or any other of the many systems). It is also available in a drop-down javascript version for those of you on Wordpress.

Of course, to raise the visibility of Lutheran blogs, we have to start with ourselves. If we work together to raise the visibility of good Lutheran blogs, through linking and also through favoriting/bookmarking blogs, we will find that the Lutheran voice on the web will become more audible to non-Lutheran readers. And ultimately, that should be a goal we all agree on. So do it: go out and mark some Lutheran blogs as your favorites.

First Calls: Assignment & Call

So, to pick up where I left off ...

In February of a seminarian's senior year, there is an event known innocuously known as the "Regional Assignment Process", more ominously known to all candidates for ministry as "the Draft." There are within the ELCA 65 Synods, grouped together in 9 Regions. For the draft, representatives from each Region gather in Chicago.

Prior draft, every candidate for ministry had filled out a sheet on which they could list up three regional preferences, and within each region, three synodical preferences for where they would like to be assigned. These sheets, along with other materials about the candidate, are sent to the synods ahead of the Regional Assignment Process to read over.

And then in Chicago, just like the draft, they move through the room Region by Region, each one picking candidates that they would like to have in their Region. As you can imagine, it happens at times that two Regions want a particular candidate, or one candidate has a particular set of skills that would fit well many places, and there then needs to be some negotiation. To be charitable, I certainly believe that the Spirit moves through that process ... to be les charitable, most seminarians think of it as horse trading for candidates. After the process is complete, the candidates find out which Region they have been assigned to.

Sometime in the next 6 weeks - the process varies slightly in each Region - representatives from each synod in the region get together and decide where the candidates they have been assigned in the draft would be best suited. At this point, the candidates have a synodical assignment but have not yet been called to a congregation.

Usually sometime between early April and May, the Synods send the candidates materials to a conregational call committee to see if there might be a fit. Recall that this is May - getting on to June for senior seminarians. That means that school has ended, and within a month they will (mostly) be unable to continue living in seminary housing. I have known many seminarians who, after four years of seminary, find themselves moving back in with parents (sometimes with a family of their own) until the call process is complete.

Once the papers are in the hands of the congregation, it proceeds like a normal call process - that is, interviews, conversations, and discussions while both the congregation and the candidate decide if it will be a good fit. If so, a call is issued by the congregation.

And so, yes, we are assigned (to a region and synod) for our first call, but yes, we also have a choice in where we go (through preferences and deciding to accept a congregational call).

Many first call pastors that I have met feel that this process is broken - and having listened to their stories about their first calls I can't blame them. For myself, the process has some problems - mainly the timing of it, which puts a real crunch on seminarians and their families - but I wouldn't say that it's broken, just a little bent.

The Blogging Lutherans Challenge

I recently received an email from a new member of the Blogging Lutherans webring, asking me what benefit there is to being a member of the ring. I though - rather than tell her - why not show her?

I challenge you: go and visit the list of Blogging Lutheran websites, there are about 60 in all. This is especially for other Lutheran Bloggers, but I would appreciate participation from other regular readers as well. In the next week, head out and check out as many of the Blogging Lutheran blogs as you can. While you are there, leave a comment letting them know that the Blogging Lutherans webring led you to their site.

Feel free to leave comments on this post about anything especially interesting that you find. Thanks for your help, and happy blogging to you all.

First Calls: Preparation

I often get questions, as often from Lutherans as from non-Lutherans, about how our first call process works. Are we assigned to a location? Do congregations chose their pastors? Etc, Etc. It is somewhat of a confusing process, and most questions can be answered with a "Yes, but ..." or "Sort of, but not really ...". So, I thought, why not post about the details of the process?

Towards a call
The process begins long before the first call, with the decision to enter seminary. That begins two processes of preparation for a first call: (1) seminary education, and (2) synodical candidacy. These two processes have a great deal of overlap, but are in reality two seperate processes. The synod candidacy process consists of three steps: (a) entrance, (b)endorsement, and (c) approval.

Entrance is step one in the synodical process. Once you have informed the synod office of your desire to enter into the ministry, your name is forwarded to the Synod's Candidacy Committee. These group guides the process, and holds the power to make the big decisions in your life for the next four years. After submitting to fairly extensive psychological testing, writing an essay, and being interviewed, the committee either approves you for Entrance or doesn't. If you approved for entrance, you then head off for seminary and begin the process of seminary education.

Seminary consists of four years, called Junior, Middler, Internship, and Senior. There are throughout academic as well as practical expectations.

Seminary education is usually disrupted at some point in the Middler year by Endorsement. Once again, there is a lengthy self-examination in an essay, followed by an interview with members of your Candidacy Committee and members of the Seminary faculty. The entire Candidacy committee then reviews those materials and decides whether to endorse you. If endorsed, you go off on your twelve-month intership.

It is on return from Internship - during the Senior year - that things get really stressful for seminarians. There is, in the fall, a high stress Approval essay, submitted to your faculty and your candidacy committee. You then meet with a couple members of the faculty, and the seminary faculty decide whether to recommend you for ordination or not. Once that is completed, you return to your home Synod for a (long) interview, after which the Candidacy Committee decides whether or not to Approve you for ordination.

It is only after all of this preparation that the First Call process is really ready to begin; and it pretty much all takes place in the whirlwind of the last semester in Seminary.

Up next: lotteries, assignments, bishops, and call committees.

Save the Liturgy, Save the World

I came across this image while jumping around the internet (see here for more), and I fell in love with it. A quick google search revealed this slogan being used in a number of different Roman Catholic circles, but I think it could well be claimed by liturgy geeks everywhere.

Certainly, anyone who has spent time with the works of Alexander Schmemann can only offer a hearty "Amen!" to this. We Lutherans have, for many years, paid attention to the importance of the proclamation of the Word in sermon and song, yet we seem to have at the same time neglected the proclamation of the Word in liturgy. Perhaps now is the time for us to reclaim the importance of the historic liturgy of the church - including the importance of beauty in worship - in order to rediscover the God who lifts us up into the heavenly worship through the liturgy of the church.

What is a Lutheran? Post 4

Why I am a Lutheran

There have been, at various times, conversations on this blog about what it means to be a Lutheran. These have been - for me and I hope for others - beneficial discussions. But, perhaps a more direct way of getting to the heart of the matter is to address why I am a Lutheran. Those of you who know my story know that I spent time at an Episcopal Seminary, and there have been, at different times, other paths open to me. Yet, here I am in the Lutheran Church.

1) I am Lutheran by birth. It is not dramatic, it is not deep, but it is none the less true. I was born into a Lutheran family, with Lutheran parents, and raised in the Lutheran church. As pastors and as observers of the church, we often overlook this truth - people often stay where they are planted.

2) I need grace.

3) Lutheran theology speaks to me, and how I understand the world. I am not someone who is satisfied with the shallow theology I hear from some other traditions.

4) I need the tradition. The Lutheran church is a Protestant church that also embraces our catholic heritage. Many Protestants are guilty of believing that church history begins in the last few hundred years; many Roman Catholics and Orthodox are guilty of believing that nothing of note has happened in the church in the last few hundred years. The Lutheran church does a great job of honoring the heritage and traditions of the church catholic, while also critiquing and evaluating that history.

5) The Lutheran church speaks to the tragedy of life. Much contemporary Christianity does great when life is going well, but is at a loss in times of tragedy and despair. Lutherans know that God is often most likely to be found at precisely those times.

6) I love the liturgy. Ok, true, Lutherans in America don't have a history of having the richest liturgical practices. But we do share in a larger tradition with a very rich liturgy, and we are learning to embrace it.

7) The Lutheran proclamation of the word in preaching and singing. I am not going to say that they are great everywhere at everytime; but we Lutherans have traditions of great hymn-writing, sacred music, congregational singing, and preaching.

I'm sure that's not everything, and even as I sit here I can think of other reasons, but that's a good start. What about you? Why are you a Lutheran (or whatever denomination you might be)?


From the Archives:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
The original post/discussion about confessional Lutheranism.

The Life of a Pastor

There are times when being in the ordained ministry can feel like a thankless life. Times when all we hear are complaints (often about things over which we have no control), when no ones seems to understand what our ministry entails - yet alone appreciate it. If you are ordained, you have had days like this. Maybe it was the day that started with an early morning hospital visit and ended with a late night knock on your door; maybe it was the day of a yearly performace evaluation or a salary discussion. These sorts of days (or worse yet, weeks or months), can really knock the wind out of your sails; professionally, emotionally, and spiritually.

But then there are the other sorts of days - days that leave you humbled and thankful. You may recall that while I was in Chicago, I mentioned in passing the baby shower thrown by my congregation. I have not yet written about that event, mostly because it still chokes me up a little when I think about it.

It was, in a word, overwhelming. The number of people who came out on a Sunday afternoon to show their support of our family. The generosity of those who gave gifts. The hard work of those who put the event together. The smiles and laughter, the love and support, all of it was just amazing.

Our soon to arrive daughter now has 8 hand-made blankets and quilts (including a very large quilt from our congregational quilting group in the picture). We received all of those large "baby-things" - play yards, high chair, etc, etc, - that are needed for newborns. We received beautiful clothing and artwork, a wonderfully utilitarian start-off supply of diapers and other supplies, gift cards, and so much more. I really cannot pick out one or two outstanding gifts, because everyone was so very generous. It is almost three weeks later, and my beautiful wife is just getting to the end of her thank-you list.

These are the moments that are treasured forever. There are times when it feels like there are few perks to this job; and then, there are times when it feels as though you are surrounded and held up by the love and support of the congregation.


This is a wonderful memory to look back on when I have those frustrating and difficult days. I give thanks for this family of faith with whom I am privileged to serve, for this congregation of Saint John; especially for the ways in which they have welcomed not only my ministry, but also my family into the community here. I give thanks for this "job", being able to minister to and with God's holy people. And I give thanks for the faith that unites us all.

A rich and goodly heritage?

As the arrival date for our little one draws nearer, I have been giving thought to the gifts that we pass on to the next generation. Certainly there are the genetic features - the nose, the eyes, etc. But what parents give to their children is so much more.

What will she think is important? What will interest her? What will her personality be like? Certainly some of this is beyond anyone's control, but much of it is shaped by parents and their own values and interests. While thinking about what those gifts for our daughter might be, I find myself reflecting on the gifts I have received.

I grew up in a family where faith mattered. And not only that, but I grew up in a family where church mattered. I am a PK, in fact, I am a 4th generation Lutheran pastor. I knew, growing up, that time spent in church is time well spent. I do not believe that I would have the faith that I have now, or the job that I have now, had I not grown up with those values.

I also grew up knowing that education and knowledge matter. It was never a question of whether or not any of us kids would go to college - it was assumed that we would. What a gift. I continue to love knowledge for knowledge's sake.

The challenge is the move from reflecting on the gifts I have been given, to discerning how to pass a rich heritage on to my own child.

As a pastor, I find reflection such as this very helpful. Our congregation is 130 years old this year -- we certainly have been gifted with a rich heritage from our forebears. It is easy for us to name the gifts that we have been given as a congregation. The challenge is turning the corner from reflecting our heritage, on the gifts we have been given, to thinking about the heritage we are leaving for future generations. That is, in my experience, sometimes a difficult transition for a congregation to make.

There is a poster in an office in our building. It reads, "You are already a role model. The question is, What kind?" Point well taken, and true also of congregations: we are leaving a heritage for future generations of Christians in this place. The question is, what kind?

Ring of Fire

All week long, this Sunday's Gospel lesson (esp. Luke 12:49) has had the Man in Black's "Ring of Fire" stuck in my head.

"Love is a burning thing
and it makes a firery ring
bound by wild desire
I fell in to a ring of fire"

Hurricane Dean

As Hurricane Dean approaches the Gulf, we are reminded that – although it has started late this year – we are still right in the middle of hurricane season. Most storm tracks place Dean well south of us, and of most of the Texas coast – yet many others are still in harm’s way. Brothers and sisters in Puerto Rico, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, and Mexico.

The ELCA’s African American Hymnal, called This Far by Faith, includes a prayer written by Danish Missionaries to the West Indies for the start of Hurricane season. It seem appropriate as we pray for those in the path of Dean, as well as for our continued protection by God's almighty hand.

O Lord God, heavenly Father, in this perilous season of the year our Gulf Coast region is often visited with tempests and gales, calamities and distresses by land and sea. From such evil spare us, we pray. But if you loosen the wings of the gale and the earth trembles at your bidding-your will, O Lord, be done. Almighty Creator and heavenly Father, keep us in your mercy through your beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and rules with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one true God, forever and ever. Amen

(Image: Hurricane Dean as seen from the Space Shuttle Endeavor around noon on Saturday)

Books for Ministry

I started thinking about the disconnect between seminary and the parish, and remembered a book list I did a while back. Now, if those are my top 20 books on theology (read: seminary books), what then are my top books for ministry?

So here it is, my list of the 15 books I use most often in my ministry - excluding the Bible and worship resources. They are not listed in any particular order.

1. Malcolm Gladwell, Tipping Point and Blink. I list these two together - they changed a lot of how I think about spreading ideas, leadership, and evangelism. I still reference them pretty regularly.
2. G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy. This book is always within reach of my desk.
3. Luther, Steadfast in your Word. An excellent little anthology, this has some nice quotable tidbits, great for devotions or as a gift book (I gave a copy to every member of this year's Council).
4. Gary McIntosh, One Size Doesn't fit All. Uses non-denominational churches as examples throughout, but nonetheless makes some good points about church growth.
5. Anything by Frederick Buechner and Barbara Brown Taylor. I keep many of their books near my desk for sermon prep - they use some of the most compelling imagery I have ever read to proclaim the Gospel.
6. Kelly Fryer, Reclaiming the L Word. A great resource for church renewal and developing a vision and mission for a congregation. In fact, there are a number of good books in the Lutheran Voices series - I just haven't spent as much time with the others.
7. The Book of Concord. Yes, even after seminary I keep it on my desk, and regularly spend time either reading it devotionally or looking one thing or another up.
8. George Barna, Turning Vision into Action. Again, useful for thinking about vision and mission in the church.
9. Jeanne Stevenson Moessner, Through the Eyes of Women. I don't actually look often at this book, but it changed the way I look at ministry to and with women.
10. Harry Beckwith, Selling the Invisible. The church has, at times, been afraid to learn lessons from the business world. But, the fact is, if you want to know how to effectively get a message across, the best place to look is to marketers.
11. Manser, The Westminster Collection of Christian Quotations. Again, a nice little collection of pithy one-liners, good for devotions and sermon prep. Given to me as an ordination present, and I probably use it at least once a week.
12. Books about ministry: I would probably group together Niebuhr's Leaves from the Notebook of a Tamed Cynic, Lischer's Open Secrets, and Douglas John Hall's Bound and Free.
13. Robert Jenson, Systematic Theology. Yes, I regularly return to good systematic theology when I think about the worship life and ministries of my congregation.
14. Kennon Callahan, Dynamic Worship. Part of the Effective Church series, has some very practical info about worship in the life of the church (some I found useful, some I didn't).
15. I'm leaving this last spot blank, because there are at least another three or four books I would want to put on this list, and I can't choose one.

So there it is, my list of the top 15 books that I use regularly in parish ministry. I have no doubt that in a year - or even in a few months - this list will change for me, as it always does as ministry changes. But what about you? What are your current top 15? List them on your blog, and provide a link back to this post.

Lost in the Wilderness?

I was recently watching a show on the discovery channel called Survivorman. Have you seen this one? They take a guy (who otherwise appears perfectly sane), and drop him off in the most isolated and dangerous places on the planet, armed with only the most basic of supplies. Well, I was watching this, as he was left first in the swamps of southern Georgia and then in the Arctic tundra of northern Canada, and I found myself thinking … “Wow. That is remarkably similar to the experience of the first year of ministry.”

That feeling - that perhaps we don't all feel quite as prepared as we would like when we enter parish ministry - was confirmed for me at the Navy Pier Gathering, a gathering for rostered leaders in the ELCA age 31 and under. In addition, one of the themes in our conversations during that week was the need for our younger leaders to stay connected in order to help each other through the challenges of ministry and to learn from each other's successes.

To that end, check out Called to Serve, a gathering place for young rostered leaders in the ELCA. If you are a young leader in the ELCA, stop by and join the conversation there. If you aren't, I'm sure you know someone who is - share the link with them.

Building News

Well, the painters have begun work on the exterior of the church building. All day yesterday, it sounded like we were sitting a dentist's office - apparently, when the building has been painted in the past, very little paint was stripped off, so they are having to use ginders to remove the layers of paint on all of the trim. I'm not sure when they are going to start actually painting, but they are very busy around here.
In fact, this has been a busy year for our building and grounds. We remodeled the parish hall and the annex bathrooms, swept and lined the parking lot, added a new road at the cemetery, and have done countless other small projects.
After this year, I have no reservations about saying that this is one of the most beautiful church facilities - from the sactuary to the grounds - that I have ever seen.

Blogging the Churchwide Assembly

A quick blog search on Google or Technorati reveals an almost never-ending stream of posts about the ELCA's 2007 Churchwide Assembly, held at Navy Pier in Chicago. As one would expect, the vast majority of posts are about the church's action regarding clergy in same-sex relationships (namely, encouraging synodical bishops to exercise restraint in disciplining such clergy, until the policy issues can be decided in 2009). But why should we be surprised? Keywords like GAY and SEX and HOMOSEXUALITY bring in links and traffic. I saw remarkably few posts about the other actions of the Assembly - the things like the major elections, the expansion of our full communion agreement with the Moravians, and I have seen very little commentary about the new iniative, Book of Faith. Anyway, here it is - a look at the Churchwide Assembly through the eyes of the blogging world.

There were a couple of blogs set up just to blog the Assembly. These generally focused on keeping the outside world updated on the latest news of the Assembly, and did not provide much commentary. See ELCA Churchwide 2007 and Dispatches from the Churchwide Assembly for examples of this sort of blog.

The rest of the links deal with commentary on the actions of the Assembly, rather than just reporting the actions taken.

• Yours truly wrote about the two major elections of the Assembly, and what they might mean for the ELCA.
• Pastor Zip posted a wonderful reflection on his hope for the ELCA, despite his disagreement with the actions taken by the Assembly.
• You may know Kelly Fryer from her book, Reclaiming the L Word or her Bible study, No Experience Necessary. Fryer's site, Reclaiming the F Word provides a number of reflections on the Assembly - of which I found Fryer's post on the new ELCA Secretary most interesting.
• Pr. Thomas Chryst of the LC-MS has posted the statement from the President of the Missouri Synod about the actions of the Assembly.
• LutheranChick provides some much needed perspective on it all.
• Vicar Tim has a nice reflection on the place of divisions in our Church.
• The Pondering Pastor blogged the entire assembly, and wrapped up his thoughts here.

There is much more out there, but this is what I have found as some of the best posts about the Assembly. I would be happy to expand this list if I somehow missed your post - just leave a note in my comments.

Sidebar Update

In working toward an update of the blog, thing one that needed to be done was updating the links to other blogs I read on the sidebar. I tend to keep a very small number of blog links, and have a list of the sites that I am currently reading rather than a long blogroll of sites that I haven't looked at in months. A couple of the links are sites that have been there for quite some time, and just needed updated links. A few others are new sites that I have recently started reading. They are all first rate, and worth your time.

Perhaps in the next few weeks I will get around to a real update of the blog - and maybe I'll even include and extended blog-roll there.

A Mandate?

Much ink is being used in the press to cover the discussions about at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Churchwide Assembly. The fact is sex sells papers (or brings in links, if dealing with online news) - even more so if combined with religion. However, for me the sexuality discussions were not at all the most interesting aspect of this Churchwide Assembly, held at Navy Pier in Chicago. The fact is, very few decisions were made in our sexuality discussions, and the current policies were left unchanged.

No, far more interesting for me were the two high-profile elections: the election of the presiding bishop of the ELCA and the election of the secretary of the ELCA. Both stories could very easily fly under the radar, and we would be remiss if we miss their significance.

If you have ever taken part in the election of a synodical bishop, you are aware of the method used for major elections in the ELCA, known as the ecclesiastical ballot. There are no candidates or nominees for these elections. Rather, everyone who can vote is given a blank sheet of paper, on which they can write the name of the person they feel is most qualified for the office. On that first ballot, it requires 75% of he votes cast to be elected; if there is no elected, the names from that first ballot serve as the slate of nominees for the succeeding ballots. As you can imagine, with over 1,000 voting members, that first ballot can have a large number of names.

Bishop Hanson was very nearly elected on the first ballot - the ecclesiastical ballot. He came within two votes of receiving 75% of the votes cast. On the second ballot, Bishop Hanson was re-elected with 80% of the votes cast. In a church that at times seems to have very deep divides, it speaks to me that Bishop Hanson received such sweeping support. I have a hard time seeing this as much less than a mandate, from the Church, for Bishop Hanson to continue his current path of leadership. Opinions differ about what aspect of his first six years as Presiding Bishop led to this afirmation of Hanson, but I believe that it is Bishop Hanson's consistent emphasis on the unity of the church - and his continued hard work to maintain that unity.

The election of the ELCA's Secretary was not as quick. The Rev. Lowell Almen has served as the Secretary of the ELCA for the last twenty years, and prior to that he served as Secretary of the Lutheran Church in America (a predecessor to the ELCA). It was unclear who would follow Secretary Almen in the position that has largely been defined by one man. There were many well-qualified candidates nominated in the ecclesiastical ballot. In the end, David Swartling seperated himself from the field and was elected. he interesting fact here is that Swartling is not ordained, and is not on the rosters of the ELCA's professional leaders. Swartling is a trial lawyer who has served as the parlimentarian of the last two churchwide assemblies. Again, the meaning of this is debated, but I have a hard time not understanding this as a mandate for a renewed commitment to the priesthood of all believers, and renewed serious consideration of how to effectively live out that priesthood of the baptized in our congregational ministeries.

What will the next 2-6 years hold for the ELCA? I can't be entirely sure. But I think that this assembly has called has to take seriously the unity of the church and the ministry of the laity - and I think it is safe to expect that we will see our church being shaped by these two principles in the years ahead.

A Navy Pier Carnival

Having just returned from the Churchwide Assembly, I am just starting to digest the amount of material being written about the events of the Assembly. Once the CWA comes to a close, I will be hosting a carnival of links to posts about the assembly. To be included, simply leave a comment on this post with a link to your post about the CWA. Linkbacks to the carnival would be appreciated.

Back home

In my August congregational newsletter article, I wrote about the gift of new life and renewal given to us in Jesus Christ. It is fitting then, as I return from the Navy Pier Gathering, a gathering of young rostered leaders in the ELCA that took place during the Churchwide Assembly in Chicago, that I am filled with a feeling of being renewed and energized. It was a wonderful week, and it will take me a while to unpack everything that I took home from that event - expect reflections on it off and on over the next week. Also, expect some reflection on the events of the churchwide assembly. In the meantime, here is what appeared in the daily newsletter of the Churchwide Assembly about our Navy Pier Gathering:

Young Adult Rostered Leaders Gather to Focus on Vocation, Wellness
Keep an eye out for young adults wearing neon-green “NPG” buttons at the assembly. NPG, or “Navy Pier Gathering,” is the informal name for an August 6-9 gathering of 90 rostered leaders age 31 and younger. The program, officially called “Affirming Young Leaders: Thanks be to God!” includes pastors, associates in ministry, and diaconal ministers.

In a church where the average age of rostered leaders is 53, young leaders are bound to stand out. When Pastor Paul Wollner, 28, arrived at Mount Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Prosperity, S.C., he was the youngest pastor in his conference—by 21 years. Wollner is one of 390 rostered leaders in the ELCA under age 32. “All of us have 30 years of ministry experience ahead of us,” said Wollner, a member of the planning team for the young leaders event. Participants will attend assembly plenary sessions as observers, and they will have their own sessions focusing on vocation and wellness. “We’re looking for ways of sustaining young leaders for long and healthy ministry,” said Carol Schickel, grant coordinator for the “Transition into Ministry” project.

Wollner said planners hope participants will “be refreshed and renewed by other young leaders.” Participants will be encouraged to take what they’ve learned with them to their synod and engage colleagues in conversation about vocation and wellness. “What we do after the event is as important—or more important—as what we do on the Pier,” Wollner said. “Affirming Young Leaders” is funded by grants from the Lilly Endowment (“Transition into Ministry” grant), Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, ELCA Board of Pensions, the Mission Investment Fund, Augsburg Fortress, Publishers, Women of the ELCA, and Vocation and Education.

From the Road

Greetings to all from the Churchwide Assembly of the ELCA in Chicago. It is an exciting time here at Navy Pier, and there will be much to share when I return.

Yesterday was the congregational baby shower for our soon-to-arrive daughter. I don't have the time to say much, but let me briefly say that Julia and I were simply overwhelmed by the love and support shown to us by our congregation. Thank you to everyone involved.

More later when I return.

Anniversary of Ordination

Today is the first anniversary of my ordination to the ministry of Word and Sacrament. I have spent the last week reflecting on my ordination and my first year as a pastor. It has been a great year here at Prairie Hill, and I continue to feel that this is the place that God has called me to carry out my ministry at this point in my life. Julia and I are blessed to be a part of this congregation - who love and support the both of us in our ministries here, and who have truly made us feel that we are a part of the family.

Below is the "Examination," or ordination vows, from my service of ordination.
P: David, do you believe that you are truly called by God and the Church to the ministry of Word and Sacrament?
R: I believe I am so called.
P: Before almighty God, to whom you must give account, and in the presence of this congregation, I ask: Will you assume this office, believing that the Church’s call is God’s call to the ministry of Word and Sacrament?
R: I will, and I ask God to help and guide me.
P: The Church in which you are to be ordained confesses that the Holy Scriptures are the Word of God; that they are the norm for the Church’s faith and life. We accept, teach, and confess the Apostles’, the Nicene, and the Athanasian Creeds. We acknowledge the Lutheran Confessions as true witnesses and faithful expositions of the Holy Scriptures. Will you therefore preach and teach in accordance with the Holy Scriptures and these creeds and confessions?
R: I will, and I ask God to help and guide me.
P: Will you be diligent in your study of the Holy Scriptures and in your use of the means of grace?
R: I will, and I ask God to help and guide me.
P: Will you pray for God’s people, nourish them with the Word and Sacraments, and lead them by your own example in faithful service and holy living?
R: I will, and I ask God to help and guide me.
P: Will you give faithful witness in the world, that God’s love may be known in all that you do?
R: I will, and I ask God to help and guide me.
P: May Almighty God, who has given you the will to do these things, graciously give you the strength and compassion to perform them.
C: Amen. Thanks be to God!

I pray that I have been able to fully live into those vows over that last year, knowing that if I have, it has been only by the grace of God. I pray that my failings have not hindered the furthering of God's kingdom here in Prairie Hill. I pray that God may grant me the strength to continue to carry out this ministry and live into those vows. I give thanks for this congregation, who have shared in teh Gospel ministry with me; for my wife, who has supported me in ways small and large; and for the opportunity to minister to and with God's people.

Reactions to I-35

There has been a great deal of blogging about collapse of the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis. A couple of posts from other Lutheran bloggers struck me as being especially insightful.

• Diane from Faith in Community - who lives in Minneapolis - reflects on life in the Twin Cities and also on our firm foundation.
• Pastor Eric provides a similar reflection on his reaction to the news.

Head out and give these posts a read - they are first rate. I'm sure there are others out there that I missed. Feel free to leave me links and I will update.

Prayers Please

In response to the tragedy of the collapse of the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis, we are all called to pray for those who have been affected by this inexplicable event. Bishop Peter Rogness and Bishop Craig Johnson, respectively of the ELCA synod's of St. Paul and Minneapolis, have called for a day of prayer, and I would invite you to please continue to pray for the weeks to come for those involved in this tragedy.

This evening, there will be an interfaith prayer service at Temple Israel in Minneapolis. Father Jake has posted a prayer (adopted from the Book of Common Prayer) and letter from the Rt. Rev. James L. Jelinek of the Epicopal Diocese of Minnesota. The following prayers come from Evangelical Lutheran Worship, and today they are my prayers - I commend them to you as well:

O God, where hearts are fearful and constricted, grant courage and hope.
Where anxiety is infectious and widening, grant peace and reassurance.
Where impossibilities close every door and window, grant imagination and
resistance. Where distrust twists our thinking, grant healing and
illumination. Where spirits are daunted and weakened, grant soaring wings
and strengthened dreams. All these things we ask in the name of our Savior
and Lord. Amen.

O God our creator, through whose providing care we enjoy all goodness and life, turn our eyes to your mercy in this time of confusion and loss. Comfort
this nations -- especially the residence of Minneapolis-Saint Paul -- as we
mourn; shine your light on those whose only companion is darkness; and teach us
all so to number our days that we may apply our hearts to your wisdom; through
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

On Ordination

One of the members of the Blogging Lutherans web-ring has moved from the class of "seminarian-bloggers" to the class of "clergy-bloggers". Our congratuations to Jwinters of Jwinters .com. He was recently writing about the first thing we do after ordination, and rightly pointed out that, within the ordination liturgy itself, the first thing we do is pray for the church.

The first anniversary of my own ordination is fast approaching (August 5, same day as our congregational baby shower), and I have found myself looking back over the materials from that service. In my ordination, I inserted a prayer immediately after I was installed as the pastor of Saint John Lutheran Church (I seem to remember that I took the prayer from the service for the Installation of a Priest from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer):

O Lord my God, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; yet you have
called your servant to stand in your house and to serve at your altar. To
you and to your service I devote myself. Make me an instrument of your
salvation for the people entrusted to my care, and grant that I may faithfully
administer your Sacraments. Be with me always in carrying out the duties
of my ministry. In prayer, quicken my devotion; in preaching, give me
readiness of thought and expression; and grant that, by the clearness and
brightness of your holy Word, all the world may be drawn into your blessed
kingdom. All this I ask for the sake of your Son, our Savior, Jesus
Christ. Amen.

I think often about this prayer, and reflect on its place at the beginning of my ministry in this place.