Author, Loren Mead, lays out four different ways churches grow, or don’t grow, as the case may be.  Those ways are:

• Numerical Growth – membership, attendance, participation, financial support, and budgets
• Maturational Growth – spiritual growth in maturity of faith and living as disciples of Jesus Christ
• Organic Growth – organizational growth, the structures, discipleship and leadership processes, and even facilities meeting missional needs
• Incarnational Growth – missional growth in serving the needs of people in the community and around the world (this includes Evangelism, which is also connected to Maturational Growth).

While numbers, or the bottom line, are the things we focus on the most, as we have been taught by our culture, that is only one indicator of growth, or even health in a church.  All four aspects of church health and growth are needed for a truly growing and vibrant congregation.

The information and discussion questions in Mead’s book line up nicely with the research and the international ministry of Natural Church Development .  They take a holistic and principle based approach to church growth and health.  Churches need to look honestly at all aspects of their ministry, identifying both their strengths and weaknesses.  Then they can address steps to improve and strengthen those areas that are hindering the whole ministry of the church.

In preparing for and reviewing the accomplishments and goals of the many committees of the church, looking at the church budget and our stewardship trends, reflecting on the faithful work of those council members stepping down, and on the new council members stepping up as servant leaders of our church, I am struck by the fact that we are a work in progress at Christus Victor.  God has done, and continues to do, wonderful things through the ministries of our church and in the faith and life of members and those we serve in our community and around the world.  And yet, we are called to follow Jesus, which means being open to change and being changed for the sake of the Gospel and the Kingdom of God.  One of my goals this coming year is to take stock of where we are and where we need to grow, change, and improve for the sake of the whole ministry of the church, that we may listen to God and follow where the Spirit leads.

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit,” writes Paul, who goes on to say, “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Cor. 12: 4 & 7).

Now is the time for us to stop watching and listening to what others are doing or not doing to help, and get in the “game” of using our gifts, given to us by the Spirit, not for ourselves, but for our neighbors in need.  I know so many people who already use their many gifts of time, talents, and treasures to the glory of God in service to their neighbors near and far.  These saints and servants of Christ put me to shame for my own sloth and selfishness.  Here is another time for us to put our gifts from the Spirit to use helping other, and here are some options…

ELCA Lutheran World Relief - direct financial aid!

Feed My Starving Children - direct financial aid and opportunities to work side by side with others to fill bags and boxes of food!

As more opportunites and needs arise over the coming weeks, months, and years, I will let people know other ways they can help.  And through it all, keep the people of Haiti, and all those who are helping and serving, directly and indirectly, in your daily prayers!

In times of tragedy and massive need, I are reminded how much I am blessed, and that there are more ways I can all serve and help my neighbors in need.  The challenge is to keep on serving and helping, even when our attention is distracted by the next sensational disaster or event.

We are on the cusp of the start of a new year, at least according to the calendar.  I really think the year ends when school gets out in the spring, then we enter into an in-between time before the new year begins on the first day of school in the fall.  For me, it is because the church year of ministries and programs closely follows the school year.  In any event, it is a random and arbirtrary day to pick when one thing ends and another begins.

It seems that the issue is not so much the date on the calendar, the time on the clock, or the ball in Times Square, but to our ability to perceive the “new thing.”  Is God really doing something new in our lives and our world, or is it just the same-old thing?  Am I really a new creation, or just the same old messed up person?  Do I see signs of peace, justice, mercy, forgiveness, and love in the world, or is it all greed, hate, violence, and evil? 

It seems to depend on our spiritual perception, rather than our physical and temporal perceptions, which is just a fancy-schmancy way of saying it depends on prayer and the spiritual practice called “discernment.”  All of which is about paying attention to what God is doing, which also includes learning and remembering what God has done and promises to do in the future.  For me, I am glad that the Church continues to celebrate Christmas into this arbitrary New Year, to remind me of what God has done, is doing, and will do through Jesus Christ.  For if I can perceive Christ at work in my own life and in the lives of those around me, I can also begin to perceive Christ at work in the world, bringing into being God’s Kingdom on earth.

May God bless you and give you the gift of discernment and the ability to perceive the “new things” of Christ this New Year!

It is a dangerous thing when we open the Bible and begin to read, for in and through these words, written and translated by many different people throughout the ages, God in fact speaks to us and does something to and with us.  This book, this Word of God, both kills us and gives us life.  Hence the whole “danger” thing.

Which makes me so glad that there are five adult small groups, risking the “dangers” of the Bible, gathering together each month for Bible study.  They are learning about different characters and stories of the Bible, or looking deeply at one book of the Bible, or learning more about a particular theme that runs throughout the Bible.  All of which, I hope, is helping them grow in their understanding of what God is trying to tell them and do to them, both as individuals and as a group.  And not only in their understanding of what God has said and done in the past, but more importantly what God is saying and doing today to draw people into a faith relationship with Jesus Christ.

On Sunday, Dec. 6, we began the first of our series on “How Lutherans Interpret the Bible,” as part of our church’s process to study and discuss the Biblical texts at the center of the controversy over the ELCA resolutions.  And I am grateful that so many people attended the first session, and hopefully will follow through on all of the rest.   Or, if people are not able to attend on Sundays, that they sign up to attend the Thursday classes starting in mid-January (sign up at the info desk!).

It is hard work, and risky, when we gather together to discuss both how different people approach and understand the Bible.  It becomes even more challenging and risky, when we have clarified in our own mind and heart, to then begin to share how we approach and understand the Bible.  The ante goes up further when we listen and hear other Christians who have a different approach and understanding of the Bible, which leads them to interpret things differently from ourselves.  As if that doesn’t cause people to faint with trepidation, God promises to show up in our dialog and discussion, to say to us exactly what God wants to say to all of us, and, as often happens, transform all of our understandings to bring us closer to God’s will and heart.  As Mark Allen Powell reminds us, the Bible gives us Jesus Christ, the Living Word of God!

For those who wish to go a little deeper in pondering questions related to our interpretations and approaches to the Bible I strongly recommend this article by Prof. Walter Brueggemann on Biblical Authority and the Church.  It is well worth the slow, careful read.

We will be using Mark Allen Powell’s series “How Lutherans Interpret the Bible” to give us a foundation to work from as we begin to address the Biblical texts in question.  The seven sessions will cover:

• The Word of God
• What Lutherans Say About the Bible
• Where the Bible Comes From
• Interpreting the Bible in Context
• Determining Right from Wrong
• The Many Meanings of the Bible
• Devotional Bible Reading

Sunday Forum Schedule: Dec. 6, Dec. 13, Jan. 10, (Jan. 17 – Committee Fair; Jan. 24 – Annual Meeting), Jan. 31, Feb. 7, Feb. 14.

Thursday Evening Schedule: Jan. 14, Jan. 21, Jan. 28, Feb. 4, Feb. 11, Feb. 18, Mar. 4

Please contact me if you have any questions about this series. 

It is my deep hope and prayer that a large number of Christus Victor members and all interested people will take the opportunity to learn more about the Bible and our Lutheran Theology, to help guide and shape our discussions and discernment when we confront any disagreement over the intrepretation and application of the Scriptures in our individual and communal lives of faith as disciples of Jesus Christ.

To my friend in Christ,

My grandpa always quoted this Native American proverb: “Don’t judge anyone until you have walked many miles in their moccasins.” Another is like it, “Seek to understand before you seek to be understood.” In the best of times putting these proverbs into practice is difficult. When we are dealing with deeply held beliefs, it is even more difficult if not next to impossible. So, I thank you for sharing your beliefs, concerns, and thoughts with me.

I appreciate the proverb you shared with me: “Vision without action is only a dream. Action without vision is a waste of time. Vision and action can change the world.” I appreciate your call for a clear vision for the church, along with clear actions to change the world. I believe that is exactly what Jesus Christ came to accomplish through his death and resurrection, and give to us to fulfill, as difficult as it is for us to accept and to do. Jesus taught us the Greatest Commandments, “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it; You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22: 37-40). Without God’s grace in Jesus Christ, I would not be able to even try to live out these greatest commandments in my life.

Every Sunday I do my best to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. I have no illusions that everyone agrees with everything I say, nor do I make the mistake that I can make anyone believe or do anything that they don’t want to. This church is full of people who believe and do all sorts of different things, some of which I am OK with, and some I am not. But I can no more make someone a Christian than I can make it rain or the sun shine. That is up to God and the Holy Spirit to do.

It is the responsibility and burden of the Christian disciples/members of Christus Victor to interpret and apply what the Bible says to our ministry, mission, and shared life together. This was given to the Church by Christ Jesus himself, referred to as “the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 16: 18-19 and Matthew 18: 18-20). What is black and white to you is not black and white to other Christians who take the Bible as seriously as you do. What is not open to interpretation for you is open to interpretation for others. The most important thing in the midst of our disagreements is not who will win and who will lose in our disagreements, but where is God leading us through the Holy Spirit by faith in Jesus Christ?

No one can make the members of this church do or believe anything. Not the government, not the ELCA, and most certainly not me. In fact the ELCA resolutions give it back to each individual church to make their own decisions on the blessing of same-sex relationships and the calling of homosexual pastors. It would not be by a simple majority either, but a 2/3rds majority to make any changes to our constitution, or even in the calling of a pastor. So, I personally see no reason to hold a church vote to make any changes to our constitution at this time, and we are not going to be calling a pastor any time soon either.

However, it is clear to me that a significant number of our church members do want to have a vote on these issues, both those that agree and those that disagree with the ELCA resolutions.  A growing number of our members want to “take a stand,” and I can tell you with great certainty that there is not a 2/3rds majority on either side of this issue! Therefore, at some point in the near future it will come back to you and all of the disciples/members of Christus Victor to state and vote on what you believe. And after the vote everyone will have to decide whether they will stay at Christus Victor to work and serve together as disciples of Jesus Christ, or seek another church to join. Either way, it seems pretty certain that we will lose members and their gifts of service, leadership, and offerings, which will damage all of the ministries and mission of the church that we have worked so hard to build and grow.

So I am trying to listen to the Holy Spirit, trust in God to lead and guide us, hold onto the love and grace of Jesus Christ, and leave this in the hands of the disciples/members of CV to decide.

This is probably more than you were expecting, but your letter brought forth a lot of the things I have been dwelling on and struggling with these past few months.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Kent Claussen Gubrud

I am also struck by the parallels in our difficulties listening to those that are right in front of us, speaking in a language we can understand, about ideas and information that are not totally beyond our comprehension, with our difficulties listening to God.  Listening to God is complicated by the fact that God, though with us, is not literally in front of us, nor speaking a language we can understand (and no I am not referring to the original languages of the Bible, nor necessarily the Bible itself – but prayer and listening to the “still small voice” of God), added to the fact that God is beyond our comprehension and understanding (seriously, who fully comprehends and understands the divine mystery that is the Trinity, the Incarnation, let alone the Resurrection, without faith?).  Yet that is one of the central statements of the Bible and of the Christian faith:  God is constantly communicating with us and we can “listen” and respond.

In the midst of our congregations conflict over the ELCA resolutions (not the first conflict nor the last), a significant number of people from both informational meetings want to gather together to study and discuss the Biblical and Theological issues underlying our differences.  This desire to learn, discuss, and struggle with these serious issues of faith and our common life, gives me great hope for our church.  And while I am working on a number of opportunities for people to study and learn, it is also clear to me that we need to learn together to listen to God.  If Christ is at the center of our church (and I know He is), and the Holy Spirit continues to lead and guide us (because Jesus promised), then we had best learn how to listen to God to find our way through these challenges into the future God is calling us into.  Therefore I am looking for a group of people that will commit to meeting with me for six months, starting in January, as part of an international, ecumenical journey of discovery in listening to God.  If you’d like some more information of what this might entail, please check out the materials on John Ackerman’s website.  He is my spiritual director and will be leading and facilitating this discovery process.  This group will be separate from the study groups that I will be offering.  If you are interested, please contact me at church so we can talk more about this opportunity to grow in faith through listening to God.

• Opening Prayer and Scripture Reading
• Reading of the resolutions
• Time for questions and answers regarding the resolutions
• Next steps suggested by the Thursday group – input and suggestions for next steps from the Sunday group
• Closing scripture reading and prayer

The 3rd and Final Informational Meeting will be held between service on Sunday, November 29.  If you, or people you know, have not participated in one of these meetings, please encourage them to attend.