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Control

19 Thursday Jul 2018

Posted by in Church, Health, Organizational theory, Politics, Society, Theology

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I think there is a valid argument for saying that the biggest sin that humanity commits is control.  It’s a sin that puts the created in the place of the creator – crafting ourselves as a god.  The sin of control is the ultimate broken relationship with God.  It’s us saying to God: “We don’t like your ways.  We’ll do it our way, thank you very much.  You go sit over here for when we need you to bail us out.”

The first commandment states “You shall have no other gods before me.”  (Exodus 20:3)  This applies to how we make ourselves into a god as well – not just idols that are created and worshiped.

We do this when we try to control things by keeping them the way they are or try to re-create the past.  Except we can’t.  Change will happen, does happen, and there is no way to stop it.  We can certainly adapt to it.  We can resist it to some degree, especially if the change is not healthy and good.  We might even be able to redirect the change.  But that isn’t the same as trying to stop change and keep everything the same – forever.

Look at the effort we give to trying to stop change from happening.

The most obvious way this happens is with ourselves.  We try to stop the aging process instead of embracing it as a part of life and adapting to it.  Our bodies change – that is a fact.  Look at yourself in the mirror.  Is this what you looked like 20 years ago, 10 years ago, 5 years ago?  Of course not.  Your body changed, regardless of how you wanted to stop it.  You couldn’t.  Even if we cover it up, have surgeries, exercise, and have procedures, the fact remains that your body is still changing.  Yet, we are told a lie that we can stop aging, that we can hold onto our youthful look, that we can make our bodies youthful again.  And many buy the lie that we can stop change in ourselves.  There’s a lot of money to be made with selling a nostalgic self-image.

We try to stop change in our institutions as well.  Church is a good example.  Many want it the way it was, the way we see it through an idealized lens in which the pews were full, the pastor did all the ministry, everyone in town came to worship, everyone dressed up, and the culture assisted the church with laws and mores that gave the church a privileged position in society.  We want church to be a steady rock that never changes, all the while we will voice a desire for change, mostly because it seems like the right thing to say.  That is until we actually consider how that change will impact us, not just other people.  We want change in church, but change that doesn’t require us to change, only other people.  Often the change that is voiced isn’t so much a change with progress forward, with adaptions, and new ministries to serve new peoples in our ever-changing communities.  Rather it is a change by looking backward to nostalgia.  We want the world and the church to go back to the way it was – ignoring the challenges and sins that existed in the church and in the world.  We want to make church a steady and stable rock again.  We want a sense of control over life.

Yet, when Jesus calls people to follow him, he is asking for a huge change – a personal change.  He’s saying drop everything – all the nostalgia and the desire to control and stop change – and follow me.  Die daily so that new life can take hold.  Don’t just voice it, actually do it.  Jesus said:

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do no do what I tell you?  I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them. That one is like a man building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when a flood arose, the river burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built.  But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation.  When the river burst against it, immediately it fell, and great was the ruin of the house.”

(Luke 6:46-49)

We try to stop change politically and as a nation.  We hear it in the slogan “Make America Great Again.”  Many desire a change to some romanticized time in which all was well, that we were great, and everyone thrived.  Except this time never actually existed.  It’s a change backward, a reverse of time.  And it’s a lie.  There has never been a time in this country when all was well and where everyone thrived.  Never.  Certain groups of people certainly have, but not everyone.  And often there have been and still are groups of people who not only aren’t thriving, but are struggling to survive – pushed down by those in more privileged positions in life.  This is what the desire to control does.  There is a cost.

Things that are alive change and adapt.  Any science book will tell you that.  Things that are dead don’t move on their own and don’t adapt.  They wear away and decompose.  In that respect, even things that are dead change.  And eventually, they become unrecognizable and become dirt.  Dust to dust, ashes to ashes.

And in the end the question remains – what is the point of trying to stop change completely?  Or of turning back the clock?  Change is coming.  It is already here.  It walks with us.  Why not spend our energy adapting to it, maybe even steering it in a positive direction towards something that actually can allow for more people to thrive?  What if we took some of the good things of the past and adapted them for our present circumstances as opposed to trying to recreate the past?

What is the point of trying to change things in a backward fashion – to a time that never actually existed and certainly can’t be recreated.  Everything else has changed around us.  The environment in which we find ourselves has changed.  We can’t go back.  We can’t be any of those things again.

Change means there is newness.  There is no “again.”  No matter how much we desire it, we can’t go back in time and have those beautiful memories become reality again.  There is change.  There is life and there is death.  And out of death comes new life.  We allow the past to die so that there is new life in the present and the future.  Shackling the present and the future with the past doesn’t bring us back to the past and the way it was.  It just holds us hostage.  And in the mean time, the world continues to change, without our consent.  Because we are not in charge. And we fall further behind.  This makes adapting to changes more difficult and costly.

This is what it means to follow Jesus.  We aren’t called to go backward in time with the church.  We aren’t called to go backward in time with our nation.  We aren’t called to go backward in time with our bodies.  We are called to go forward and to let past things die, so that new life can take root.

To another [Jesus] said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

(Luke 9:59-62)

These would-be disciples wanted to go back, to hold onto the nostalgia – to bury their dead and to say farewell.  To look back.  But Jesus knows that a look back will only hold us back.  You can’t plow looking backwards.  You can’t drive a car looking in the rear view mirror.  You can’t walk forward while you keep your eye behind you.  It doesn’t work.  You can’t be the church, or you, or a nation by having a tight grip on the past, holding the present and the future hostage, with an old model that doesn’t meet current conditions and challenges and cultures.

Jesus calls us forward, not to a time of nostalgia.  The kingdom isn’t in the past.  The best days of the kingdom of God are unfolding now and are to come.  They aren’t in the past.  It’s unfolding right now.  It’s causing a change.  Will we be embraced by it, or will we resist it?  In the end, resisting it and trying to stop it will never win out.  It can’t.  Because change is always taking place.  The kingdom is always unfolding in new ways, in ways that are different from the past.

What is church?

26 Wednesday Apr 2017

Posted by in Church, Theology

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Yesterday I was a presentation on Re-Formation in the church that is occurring during the Spring Academy at Gettysburg Seminary.  It was a great presentation that a friend gave.

In it she asked the question – what is church?

In other words, how do we define it?

Is it just the bricks and mortar?  Is it the people? Is it a way of life?  A mission?

I had to think about this a bit.  I wonder if the answer will depend partly on the context.  In some cases the church is the building.  In others, it certainly is not.

In some cases it is the people, a way of life, and a mission.

But really, what is the essential essence of church?

I think it is based on relationship.  I think it is our relationship with God, with one another, with ourselves, and with the rest of creation.  But I think it starts with relationship with God and spreads out to the other three relationships.  This is what makes it unique and different.

Maybe this is too broad though.  Maybe we need more boundaries on the definition.

But I think church is also a living organism as well.  It is living in the sense that to be church means to be dynamic and open to change.  To be church means to honor traditions, but not be held hostage to past generations either.  To be church is to recognize that the core doesn’t change – just how we go about living out that core depending on the context.  Also, how we communicate that core will change with the context as well.

If I had to summarize church, I go back to what I learned from my research on the church in Finland (that I argue also applies to the church in the US) – the church is approachable, enjoyable, and relevant.

The church is approachable in that questions and doubt are welcome, where grace abounds and judgement is left at the door. So is shame.  Church lives out the idea that the curtain in the temple was torn – the separation between God and creation was ripped.  God is approachable.  That’s what being in relationship means.

The church is enjoyable.  I’m not talking about entertaining here.  In the presentation the presenter talked about worship being like a party.  It is something that people are enjoying and people want to come to.  We shouldn’t be bored out of our mind with church or worship.  Why go, why be a part of something that is boring?  Healthy relationships are enjoyable – you want to be around the person you are in a relationship with.

The church is relevant.  I’m not talking about being hip, changing things to fit the current trends, or adopting whatever slang is popular.  No, I’m talking about this – are we talking about what is going on in people’s lives?  Or are we too afraid to do that?  The church has the opportunity to talk about the struggles and challenges that people face and offer something that no one else can offer – grace, forgiveness, belonging, mercy, love.  There are plenty of people who struggle with addictions (drugs, sexual, porn, workaholism, alcohol, medical addictions, exercise, food, etc.) and yes, even people in the pews of churches around the world.  If we can’t talk about these struggles with the people who are living with them, and do it with grace and mercy (and no shame), then where are we going to talk about them?  The answer is no where.

So, what is church?  I say church is an approachable, enjoyable, and relevant relationship between people, creation, and God.

Mountain top experience

17 Friday Feb 2017

Posted by in Church, Travel

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Pittsburgh is a city that has a hill.  A really tall hill.  And when you are up on top of that really tall hill, you get amazing views of the city.

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It doesn’t matter the weather.  You just have to stop and look.

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It’s amazing what you can see.

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Lesson for church: People are like cities – there’s so much variety that is right there in front of us.  But how often do we just keep going without looking?  What are we missing?  What are they missing by not being inside?  Or is there fear of how things might change?  Only things that are alive change and adjust.  Dead things decompose – which is a form of change, but different.

Praying for your enemies

14 Tuesday Feb 2017

Posted by in Theology

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I debated what I would title this post.  Would it read praying for “our” enemies, or “your” enemies.

The “y” makes all the difference, doesn’t it?  If it’s “Our” enemies, that implies this affects many of us.  It can also mean that it gets a bit abstract.  If it is “your” enemies, then I’m pointing the finger right at you – individually.  It’s a lot harder to ignore this, isn’t it?

I wonder if the reason we have enemies is because we don’t pray for them.  No, not literally.  We have enemies because there is a conflict of some sort – a conflict of values or words, borders, struggles over power or resources, religion, belief, etc.  But maybe the better question is why do we continue to have enemies?  A simple answer is that neither side is willing to budge.

Where does prayer fit into this mix?

Pray for your enemies.  We’ve all heard this before, but have you considered what it actually means.  I’m not talking about prayers that try to control and change “them” to your way of thinking and believing. That’s more like using God as a weapon in your own personal war.  Not that this hasn’t been tried throughout all of human history.

But rather pray a bit differently.  Why not pray for their well being.  That’s not easy.  It’s not comfortable.  If we are honest, we don’t want to pray this prayer.  Don’t pray this so they can get the upper hand and destroy you.  That’s just crazy.  But I wonder, how would it change our interaction with our enemies if we prayed for their well being?

Or how about a prayer of peace.  Not peace in general either, but specifically.  Peace with our enemies.  That peace would come over them and us.  A prayer that peace starts with each one of us, you.  It starts with how you treat your enemy.  Do we treat our enemies with peace, or do we continue the divide?  We don’t trust our enemies – that’s inherent in being an enemy.  But we supposedly trust God.  So why not put our enemies in God’s hands to deal with and to show a path forward – a path of well being and peace for both yourself and them?

I think part of the reason enemies continue to exist is because we don’t pray for them.  It’s really easy to hate someone or a group of people if we never pray for them and push them off in the distance as “those people.”

When we pray, it changes us.  It changes us in weird ways – our will shifts to become in alignment with God’s will.  You can’t honestly pray for someone and then turn around and want to kill them, see them hurt, or devastated.

Our prayers reflect more on who we are, rather than what who we think our enemies are.  We can’t change our enemies, but we can change how we think about them, how we treat them, how we talk with or about them, and more.  And it starts with prayer.  Because only God can change them.  Just like only God can change us.  And with prayer, that’s bound to happen.  Maybe that’s part of the reason we don’t pray for our enemies – we don’t want to change.

Pray for your enemies.  Pray for yourself.

A room with a view

08 Wednesday Feb 2017

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After the Welsh room, we headed up to the 36th floor of the Cathedral of Learning.  From there, we had the opportunity to get some incredible views of the Pittsburgh area, which we took advantage of.

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Considering I have a pretty severe fear of heights, I even amazed myself with being the one taking the pictures.  Maybe I was fine because the windows were not that big and I didn’t feel like I was going to be sucked out to my death.

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Regardless, I was thrilled to be able to enjoy the view.  Small steps my friends, small steps.

Lesson for church: Small steps. We can’t expect huge changes in the church. Change is not the norm in church. It’s an institution and institutions don’t change on their own or willingly.  The church has a culture and cultures don’t like to change either.  There has to be a good reason to change – you can’t just change for change’s sake.  There’s no purpose to that.  But we can and should change in order to better carry out the mission of God.  Any step in that direction is a step forward.

How Facebook can be a bridge and not a river

25 Wednesday Jan 2017

Posted by in Humanity, Politics, Society, Theology

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I have an interesting Facebook news feed.  It includes Americans and those who make other nations their home.  I have friends on Facebook who are super patriotic Americans and friends who are citizens of countries that many here would consider to be “enemies” of the US.  I have friends who are Republicans and Democrats.  I have friends who are political activists within liberal/progressive movements as well as within more conservative/libertarian movements.  I get the sense that I am an anomaly.  I often wonder how Facebook decides what shows up in my news feed?  Today when I was scrolling through I saw quite a variety of things.  There is the typical happy stories – a family adopting a dog.  There was the daily pun and jokes I enjoy.  There’s the inspirational quotes that are great.  There is the daily prayer.  There were updates on sick family members, requests for prayers for others.  There were obituaries of both young and old.  And there was politics.

The amazing thing about the political posts on Facebook is that one post was critical of the Woman’s march and the very next one was in support of it.  Then I scrolled a bit further and the very same thing happened.  One post critical and the next was supportive.  This happened over and over again.  I was fascinated by this observation and couldn’t help but wonder about it.  You may also be wondering, how can someone have such a diverse range of friendships.  I can’t imagine how people couldn’t.  Then again, given how divided we are as a nation here in the US, I’m not surprised.  I wonder if our attachment to our political parties and ideologies limits who becomes our friends.  Do people practice political self-segregation?

When it comes to the Women’s march, I’ve heard quite a variety of arguments, one-liners, guilt and shame-inducement statements, and personal stories (from both supporters and opponents).  I’ve heard about abortion and many other “issues.”  Some people are very eloquent and others are, shall we say, a bit rougher in their language.  But this is just the latest installment of my cross-cultural and cross-belief Facebook news feed.   All throughout the 2016 election I watched the election play out in my news feed – those for this candidate and those for that candidate.  And a smaller segment who were for no candidate too.

Every time some divisive issue pops up, I can count on hearing both sides of the argument just by watching my Facebook news feed.  I’m guaranteed to be able to read articles and see quotes supporting both liberal and conservative viewpoints from a variety of sources – and I read many of these – not just the ones I know I will agree with.  Because what’s the point of that?  What did I actually learn from that?  Nothing.

I love this and I hate it at the same time.  I love the fact that there is such a diverse range of opinion on any given subject all at my fingertips.  There is creativity with proposed ideas.  There are serious criticisms.  There are great arguments for and against positions.  And of course there are insults – I see the range of responses from rational argument to emotional tantrum.

But I also hate the news feed.  I hate it because I know the people who comment.  I hate it because I know that these people don’t know the other people who comment on the same issue but from an opposing viewpoint.  I hate that these people appear physically close in my news feed, yet don’t even know that the other person exists in reality.

I feel like a bridge over a river that never gets crossed.  I grow richer from a diversity of opinions, ideas, presentations, and arguments, while people on either side of the river are locked in echo chambers only getting feedback from like-minded people.

I hate it because I know in the grand scheme of things, this type of behavior only contributes to the divide we have in our country and in the world.

I hate it because I don’t know how to bridge the two lands separated by a river.  I don’t even know that the two lands want to meet each other – it seems as though they would rather just yell at each other.  It gives each side the ability to feel justified, self-righteous, right, angry, etc.  But it doesn’t bring us closer to truth.  It doesn’t bring us closer to unity.  It doesn’t bring us closer to understanding.  It doesn’t bring us closer to reconciliation.  It doesn’t bring us closer to advancing our nation economically, culturally, spiritually, or in any other way for that matter.

Here’s my challenge to you – make a friend with someone you know you disagree with.  Read all of their Facebook posts, and just listen.  Don’t respond, don’t argue.  You aren’t going to convince someone on Facebook anyway so don’t waste your time or their time.

The point isn’t who is right.  The point is to see that other people come to very different conclusions for what are good reasons when it comes down to it.  They don’t have to make sense to you.  People come to their conclusions and hold their beliefs because of things in their past, their culture, their education, their parents and friends, their religious faith, and things they observe and experience.  Many times people can’t even express why they believe what they believe, but they know what they believe.  Putting words to things that have happened to a person can be difficult sometimes.

Here’s another challenge – ask questions.  Not leading questions.  Not questions that are actually attacks.  But real questions meant to gain understanding.  Approach people who believe differently as an opportunity to learn.  I’m willing to bet that most people, when it comes down to it, want the same ultimate thing that you do.  I’m willing to bet that there is a difference in how to get there.  If we can agree to the ultimate goal, then can we let go of our attachment to the how?  Can we stop confusing the how with the endgame?

In the meantime, I’ll keep reading my Facebook news feed each day.  I’ll keep holding people in prayer.  I’ll keep having conversations with people who I disagree with in respectful ways and seeking understanding.  I won’t always succeed in this.  Sometimes I’ll fail miserably at this.  But there’s always tomorrow to start over.  There are more people to engage with.

There a great deal of cultural change that I feel needs to take place here and in other parts of the world – a foundation of trust to be built between people, forgiveness offered and accepted, mercy shown, peace sought as a way of life and not an end point, respect in interactions from all parties.

And you know what, if I wait for someone else to take the first step, it ain’t gonna happen.  I’ll just see the same news feeds.

I want my news feed to change!   Not through the magic of manipulating it.  No I want a more organic change – a change because the people posting have changed.  I love the diversity, and at the same time, I want to see more interaction, more respect, more trust, more forgiveness, more consideration of opposing viewpoints.

I’m only one person.  I wonder, will you join me?  I’m taking a step, will you step with me?  Or is there just too much at stake for you?  I’ll know your answer by my news feed.  And I’ll still love you and care about you and listen to you and pray for you.  For me it starts with prayer – it’s difficult to rip another person a new one when you pray for them.  Prayer changes how I interact with people.  How are you going to start?

 

What does it mean to be a Christian today?

23 Friday Dec 2016

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So what does it mean to be a Christian at the end of 2016 in America?

Have you ever really thought about this question?

For many, being a Christian is just another identity to add to other secular identities.  Apparently, many seem to think that Christian is just another moniker to add to the list of how a person defines themselves – adding to the list that includes their political party loyalty, nationality, and a host of other things I’m not going to get into here.  Because that’s not the point of why I write this.

What does it mean to be a Christian?

It’s something that transforms who we are.  Our loyalties lie with God and the Kingdom of God first.  A Christian follows the way of Christ – attempting to follow out what he told us to do and be.  Forgiving as we are forgiven.  Living peace, as are instruments of peace.  Showing mercy, as mercy has been shown to us.  Offering love, as we have been loved.  Giving grace, as we have received grace.  And when we screw up and break relationships with God, one another, ourselves, and the rest of creation – then acknowledging that, and receiving forgiveness so we can go at it again.

That’s one answer to what it means.  But not “the” answer.

It seems easier to define what being a Christian is not.  But what’s the point of talking about that – there are plenty of voices who argue about this already.

Being a Christian isn’t about fighting over what being a Christian is not.  It’s about how Christ transforms us and changes us to be something different in a world that is more interested in power, being right, control, violence, dominance, might, and more.

Being a Christian is attempting to live out an ideal – one we will never live up.  Yet, that doesn’t mean we give up on it.  If Christians kept trying to live into what we were called into, the world would change.

However, here’s the rub.  It’s not about what we do.  That should be apparent.  We’ve been trying for centuries – and the result has been a ton of death and destruction and lives ruined.  Most of the time because it’s our version of what we think Christianity is and using Christ to support our way of thinking and believing.

Yet, being a Christian isn’t about that at all.  It’s about dying to self.  It’s not using God for our advantage.  It’s being conformed to God’s will.  It’s surrendering.  It’s being in a right relationship with God.  It’s not about rules.  It’s about joyful living. It’s about accompanying people in the crap of life.  It’s about so much more than most of us even come close to knowing.

What would it mean for your life if you actually lived out what Jesus calls us to?

How would that change your life?  What are you waiting for?

How would it affect the world?

Being a Christian today is more than a political party sub-label.  If that’s all it is, it’s worthless.

But if it’s something that changes lives – then watch out.  Christ might just call us to live differently.  Christ might just call on us to interact with other differently – especially those we consider our enemies and opponents.  Christ might just call on us to give up some things so there is room for us to receive other, better, things.

What does it mean to be a Christian today?  I would guess it looks a lot different than what most people think it does.

Challenges that are good for you

09 Friday Sep 2016

Posted by in Organizational theory, Seminary

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Yesterday I wrote about finding the new normal.  Really, there isn’t such a thing.

Today I write about challenges that are good for you.  Really, it all depends on how you view these things.

My challenge is this – how do I make it all flow?  How do I get done all the things I need to get done in a week?

Here’s the challenge:  I have six classes.  They all have selected readings, papers, projects, etc. that are due over the course of the semester.

I am a vicar at a small congregation.  I have to have a sermon prepared for every weekend, prepare a bulletin, and do other pastoral things.

I have other responsibilities at the seminary as well – preaching and prep for that preaching from time to time, serving on a committee, etc.

And then there are family obligations – wife, children, activities, sports, music, concerts, homework help, spending time together, etc.

I also have a pretty steady commitment to social media postings on this blog as well as a daily prayer, and two Twitter accounts.

And there is free-time.  Yes, I get some free time from time to time.  I usually exercise in that time (when I’m not nursing an injury).

So how does it all happen?  Great question.  I’m figuring it out as we speak.  The point is this – there is no magic formula for getting things done.  Your context matters.  What you determine is important matters.  How you use your time matters.  It’s no different for me than what I learned when I was managing political campaigns.  Every campaign is a bit unique – you’ll have varying levels of resources of money and people.  Yet every campaign is the same in one regard – how much time everyone has.  How you use that time may very well determine the difference between a campaign getting ready to transition into office and a campaign transitioning to the bar for a round of drinks to wallow away in misery.

For me, that imagery keeps me going.  You’ve got to find our own.

The best part about all of this is that this challenge of figuring it all out is good for me.  It keeps me thinking and improving, testing and tinkering.  It will never be a completed project though because just when I think I’ve got it figured out, the whole thing will change.   But that’s what life is all about – change.  It’s constant and dependable.

Can peaceful individuals change violent systems?

02 Tuesday Aug 2016

Posted by in Organizational theory, Theology

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I have never seen an example and can’t think of an example of a person who pursues to live peacefully or be an instrument of peace that has been the cause of anyone else dying or causing destruction.  Can you?

I have never seen anyone who was concerned and committed with living out what Christ truly calls us to be end up being the cause of violence, death, or destruction.  Have you?

What I have seen is that the common cause of death and destruction has been people who make an idol out of being right.  This can come under the label of religion, nation, philosophy, power, politics, etc., but it is never from people who set aside the concern of being right in order to live out a call from Christ and follow what Christ actually said.  But of course being right isn’t the only cause though either.

A friend reminded me though that living peacefully is much easier for individuals than it is when we deal with systems.  Especially systems that bombard people with messages that tell them lies about themselves.  Individuals have a responsibility to live out peacefully.  And our systems should reflect this as well.

I wonder, can systems be altered and changed by individuals choosing to live differently?  I wonder what the critical mass would be to cause such a change.  How does a system change?  Aren’t systems made up of people?  Yet, I know they are more than that too.

Can a peaceful person change a violent system?  Can a group?  Maybe it starts by asking the question if its possible.  Then we go from there.

 

 

What if…

04 Friday Mar 2016

Posted by in Church, Humanity, Organizational theory, Theology

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I recently read an article that gave me great hope.  It’s about a doctor who broke the rules in order to improve peoples’ lives in nursing homes.

Here’s the synopsis:

Dr. Bill Thomas, a Harvard-trained physician and a 2015 Next Avenue Influencer in Aging, has a message he’d like to share with the world: Growing older is a good thing.

A recent Washington Post story highlighted Thomas’s crusade to change attitudes about aging and encourage people to think of “post-adulthood” as a time of enrichment. “Thomas believes that Americans have bought so willingly into the idea of aging as something to be feared that it has become a self-fulfilling prophecy leading to isolation, loneliness and lack of autonomy,” the article stated.

And here’s what he did to carry this out:

“[Dr. Thomas] decided to transform the nursing home. Based on a hunch, he persuaded his staff to stock the facility with two dogs, four cats, several hens and rabbits, and 100 parakeets, along with hundreds of plants, a vegetable and flower garden, and a day-care site for staffers’ kids.

And the result:

Caring for the plants and animals restored residents’ spirits and autonomy; many started dressing themselves, leaving their rooms and eating again. The number of prescriptions fell to half of that of a control nursing home, particularly for drugs that treat agitation. Medication costs plummeted, and so did the death rate.

“He named the approach the Eden Alternative — based on the idea that a nursing home should be less like a hospital and more like a garden — and it was replicated in hundreds of institutions in Canada, Europe, Japan and Australia as well as in all 50 U.S. states (the animal restriction in New York was voted down).”

Wow.  That’s awesome and that’s the type of place I would want to go to when I get older.

What if though…

What if we applied the creativity of Dr. Thomas to other things.  What if we became creative in our thinking about church?  I wonder what that would look like?  I wonder what would happen that would change people’s attitude to want to come to church – not because of some marketing ploy, but because of a real change of attitude and focus on promoting life worth living.

And it’s not about propping up the church either.  It’s about living out the mission the church is called to.  When the church focuses on the numbers – how many members, decline rate, revenue, etc. – it’s the wrong focus and leads to further decline.  Because the church isn’t about the numbers.  It’s about God and people.

The magic behind Dr. Thomas’ approach, as far as I’m concerned, is the change in focus of what is important to those in charge of a nursing home – away from the numbers and a focus on the people living there. Dr. Thomas, in a way, made disciples who carried the new attitude to other and because of this belief and message, peoples’ lives changed.  And it wasn’t about the nursing home – it was just a tool to help carry out the message and belief.  Kind of like what church should be too.

When you focus on the people, the numbers change.  When you focus on the numbers, people either leave or people change and usually not in a good way.

So, how about it church?  What if we turned away from the numbers?  What if let go of the fear of decline and irrelevance and started to focus on the mission we were called to – to share a message of God’s grace and love with people.  I wonder what would happen.