Well, my dear Rothesay Vineyard, here we are again at a major crossroads. You’ve done it before and you can do it again. I didn’t want to preach a sermon today. Instead I’ve decided to give a farewell speech. And I’ve written it out to make sure I say what I wanted to say, and not say what I didn’t want to say. So… here goes: It always amazes me how things work in the Spirit. Weaknesses are really made... Read more
Vision is okay in some contexts. And that only sometimes. But not in the church. I’m becoming more and more convinced that it is a corrosive power the church needs protection against. Even Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson in the great book ReWork say, “Unless you’re a fortune-teller, long-term business planning is a fantasy.” More later. Read more
(Sorry: for some reason I originally posted this as a cartoon. Mistake. Not funny.) Some people are under the impression that this transition I’m going through is a pleasant one. Some assume that I’ve shaken the dust of the church off of my feet and am leaving in a huff. Not so. There are definitely positive aspects to this. It is good for Lisa and me, good for the church, and good for the new pastors. But Lisa and I... Read more
The verse most often used to support vision in a church is Proverbs 29:18… “Without a vision, the people perish.” But even an elementary study of that verse will reveal that the word translated “vision” is best translated “prophecy” or “revelation“. It isn’t talking about the modern preoccupation with creating and articulating a vision over a group of people to maintain health or secure life or success. It’s more related to the biblical theme, “We do not live by bread... Read more
This is installment 19 of the z-theory. If you want to read more, just type “z theory” in the search box at the top of this nakedpastor site and it will give you all the previous entries. Again, I am only thinking out loud, exploring and trying my poor best to articulate my tentative discoveries. If you disagree or take offense, then simply ignore what I write. I do not claim this to be truth. However, I do claim that... Read more
To impose a vision upon a church is not only unhealthy, but deadly to the genuine life of the church. I’ve seen it happen over and over again. Even a vision that is inspired by the community is a self-destructive force. What would it be like just to gather, worship, pray and teach the scripture, and love one another? To the modern mind, this isn’t enough. The powerful prefer to see us not as human beings, but as commodities. They... Read more
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