As a former member of an ABC church the following article has personal interest to me. There surely is more to say than the essay expresses but it makes one thing clear, when a local church is inspired to achieve success, it will succeed regardless of obstacles. The ABC denomination, in other words, has value, it has a mission in the world, and to fail to see it for what it is, would be a major mistake. One thing Bill Gates had right -even if as practical advice it no longer is as effective as it once was while he was still the moving force behind Microsoft- is that any organization needs to reinvent itself to survive. These days Gates is focused on his charity work. As noble as that is, which is considerable, it also squanders his real talent, one-of-a-kind abilities as a businessman and tech innovator. And so, without him, Microsoft is floundering. Maybe you could say something similar about the ABC, less than optimal leadership at denominational HQ. That does seem to be the case, as well-intentioned as these people may be. In any eventuality that leadership seems to have abdicated their responsibilities to see American Baptist churches succeed; in effect this is no longer their mission, whatever the charter of the organization officially says. But Pastor Mark Caruana of Tabernacle Baptist Church of Utica does not see things that way. And so, as the article observes, he has found a way to make his local church succeed whatever HQ may do or not do.. If there is a lesson here it is that failure of imagination at the top can be worked around, even when, as in this case, that failure is disappointing for all concerned. Why did ABC leadership lose interest? I don't have an answer but can tell you that local American Baptists, to judge from the many Baptists I have known over the years, are not about to let something like leadership that no longer leads get in the way of their own church and the people they minister to. Who can say? The national leadership may now be overboard trying to be more mainline than the mainline itself. You see something similar in politics. Candidates are elected on the promise that they will reform DC -but when they get to Congress all it takes is a few years and, presto, their reform sentiments are submerged beneath professional politics and its many imperatives. And the dysfunctional values of elites shapes former reformers, especially when they become no longer reform-minded. They cease to see the potential in their original reform ideas. They become creatures of the Establishment. All I can say is that such a course of action is a blunder of the first magnitude. Pastor Caruana may not wish to say anything critical about the ABC HQ, but clearly there is a problem, especially when local talent is left to strive in inevitable frustration on its own, as if the religious equivalent of "teamwork" no longer means much of anything. The good news is that there are talented people like Pastor Caruana who do see the value in the ABC mission and are not about to let it die regardless of non-leadership at the top. Can't say for sure, but it looks like Tabernacle may some day bloom into a megachurch. If that happens ABC leadership will look really bad, entirely needlessly. Maybe there needs to be a new "reform" ABC denomination. Thoughts for today. Billy ====================================== Associated Baptist Press News Monday, August 19, 2013 See where it takes you
News of the death of mainline churches may be exaggerated, as a number of established congregations are being revitalized by focusing on one ministry at a time. By Jerrod Hugenot Over the years, I have heard the persistent worry of the sinking of the American Baptist Churches USA and its other mainline Protestant counterparts. Since the mid-1960s, "decline" has been shaping the narrative we tell ourselves and one another. The heady days of mid-1950s euphoria have faded away. Worse, some Christians try our best to imitate what worked then. In these early years of the 21st century, scholar Diana Butler Bass has championed the idea that mainliners aren't down for the count or gone into the night. Bass' research points to a number of smaller to medium-size congregations who are embracing spiritual practices that go way back in Christianity's history: hospitality, welcome, compassion, prayer, service to others, discernment, listening intently to the Word, you name it. The ways Christians live out their faith may vary, yet, in such intentional efforts to connect belief with action and gospel with mission, churches in local neighborhoods are finding new life and vitality. Some of us call it "missional." Others may say, "We're getting closer to the core teachings and values of Jesus." We learn to reach out into our neighborhoods with more care and less chance of misinformed paternalism. We learn to journey alongside one another in Christian fellowship and how to be neighbors to the Other. Bass was once asked how to wade into such a way of living and acting out the faith. She suggests that we "pick one — one activity that tugs at your heart.” “Start there,” she says in _Christianity After Religion_ (http://www.amazon.com/Christianity-After-Religion-Spiritual-Awakening/dp/0062003747) . “ Just one thing. Not all of them. Do one thing well, with passion, with depth, with openness and understanding. Engage it intentionally, pay attention to the practice. See where it takes you." With these building blocks in hand, congregations find new life and deeper meaning in why we believe and "live and move and have our being" in Christ (Acts 17:28). I was reminded Sunday before last of my readings of Diana Butler Bass and others when I spent the morning as the guest preacher at the Tabernacle Baptist Church of Utica, N.Y. Over the years, Tabernacle has been the second-longest ABC/USA congregation to have ministry and partnerships with the Karen, people originally from Burma/Myanmar who left the country due to the political climate there and immigrated to places all around the United States. Like many other congregations, Tabernacle found Karen families arriving on their church steps in search of support and friendship. Thirteen years ago, the first family arrived at Tabernacle, looking for help. They knew where to look because of the long mission history ties between Burma and the American Baptist Churches USA. In fact, this year is the 200th anniversary of the arrival of missionaries Adoniram and Ann Judson in Burma to begin their mission. After much hardship (and I would wonder if we could be as faithful), they began seeing the mission field slowly develop as they became accepted. Deep faith practices are much evident in the making of these hardy servants of the Lord! The Judson legacy gave these Burmese refugees their hope. Arriving as "children" of the Judsons many generations later, they knew that American Baptists would be a welcoming body of believers. Tabernacle itself is revitalized, with a present-day Sunday morning schedule of an English service (with a high percentage of Karen attending) followed by a service in Karen. The church provides a variety of services through their facility, serving the many Karen living in the greater Mohawk Valley area. Through such intentional practices of compassion, hospitality and solidarity, the congregation's identity has changed and blossomed. A Sunday morning service at Tabernacle shows how these basic ways of living the faith lead to the faith becoming incarnate in the care, friendships and shared mission. In 2008, Senior Pastor Mark Caruana was interviewed by PBS' Religion and Ethics Newsweekly. “This is a congregation that's been willing to embrace a new group of people — have been willing to go with changes that set people's heads spinning,” he reflected. “There have been times when I've wondered if the whole thing would just kind of blow apart. It hasn't yet, and actually, I think we're at the best place we've been as a congregation in years." Another great element of Tabernacle is multiplying its mission through theological education partnerships. The American Baptist Churches USA provides teachers and educational offerings thanks to Duane and Marcia Binkley — two dedicated missionaries affiliated with American Baptist International Ministries, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Central Baptist Theological Seminary and support from the American Baptist Churches of New York State and other ABC/USA mission partners. Tabernacle hosts sessions for Karen church leaders and pastors to build skill sets and enhance the various ministries. The day before my visit to Utica, 53 attended a workshop at Tabernacle. In Diana Butler Bass' words, see where it takes you! -- -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. 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