A congregation of the United Church of Canada
My colleagues and I had a special celebration at our weekly coffee chat this week. We decided to celebrate our ‘ordiversaries’. An ‘ordiversary’ is the anniversary of one’s ordination. Until very recently all ordinations and commissionings took place at regional annual meetings that almost always happened in May. My own ‘ordiversary’ was on May 25th and I marked 18 years. For fun, we added up all our years, and we came to a grand total of 183 years among 7 of us. 183 years’ worth of combined minister experience sat around that table. That’s a lot of (hard-earned) wisdom! Anniversaries tend to make one reflective. Here’s what we noticed.
We’re well aware that the youngest of our group is north of 50. Like it or not, we kind of represent the ‘old guard’, even though this group is among the most forward thinking and creative group of ministers I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. If someone were to give this group unfettered authority and resources I have no doubt it could right the ship and usher in a new season of Church brimming with vital and viable communities of faith. So what’s stopping us? Authority and resources! (just kidding)
Actually, I believe the true stumbling block is that the current Church has a culture that was perfectly designed to serve a once-upon-a-time society that no longer exists. The world changed, and the Church didn’t. That’s not a particularly new insight. Post-Covid we’re seeing the disconnect in even more vivid colour. It’s not that there are not wonderful and thriving congregations. There are. But as a whole we have an overabundance of pews and an under-abundance of pewsters! We can’t not notice.
The way forward is theological, and it all starts with ‘E’. We need to practice Easter, and Evangelism. Practicing Easter means a dying to ‘how we’ve always done it’, in order to be reborn into God’s way for today (which we need to prayerfully discern). Dying and rising, ending and beginning, is basic resurrection theology. It’s supposed to be our defining thing. But letting go of things that have been so helpful and dear to us for so long is very hard. So we avoid it.
Needless to say, the folks around that table are wearing their 183 years heavily, because we feel like it’s all slipping away on our watch, and people are looking to us to save the day, and we know that that’s beyond our ability no matter how many years we share. That’s not to say that there isn’t hope. Everyone at that ‘ordiversary’ table passionately believes the Church could thrive, if those two big things happen – Easter and Evangelism. Do we have the courage to embrace the paradigm of being Christ’s church in motion – connecting with individuals, sharing our transformational personal experience, living God’s love in the world? I hope so. I trust so. In other words, I guess it comes down to this – we renew the Church by being more Jesus-y. Of course we do!