A few months after I completed my first role as an Interim Senior Pastor in a United Church of Christ congregation (see The Church of New Beginnings), I took a step of faith and started another.
My story of renewal at Fort Myers Congregational United Church of Christ began when I spoke more bluntly in an interview than I ever had in my life. I explained to the search team what I had learned of the congregation’s significant numeric decline and the many challenges before them, and assured them that simply doing what had always been done would result in accelerated decline. I also shared with them what I had learned of the congregation’s strengths, and explored some of the ways these could be leveraged to create a different future.
When I began this role, I did so knowing it would be a ministry focused on renewal. It would only be some time later that I came to see the renewal in both the life of the congregation and in my own life of faith.
Congregational Clarity
I was greeted by an amazing staff team who were committed to serving, and were receptive to new ideas and new possibilities.
The congregational work of slowing down and learning from and with one another took many forms. It included the traditional times of worship, study and prayer. And, it was shaped by an extended, intentional, and collaborative appreciative inquiry driven process.
As a result of these efforts, a new direction was discerned, a provocative purpose statement was adopted, and the search for a new settled pastor was undertaken.
As we lived into this desired future and allowed the vision to illuminate our efforts, we welcomed new people, enjoyed serving alongside one another, asked hard questions, focused on relative strengths, embraced a culture of innovation, deepened commitment to radical hospitality, and prepared for a bright future.
Personal Renewal
My personal renewal came first in the form of a renewed passion for congregational ministry. In the years immediately following seminary, I served one congregation after another in full-time roles. When I transitioned to the United Church of Christ in 2010, I started with a part-time position in a congregation that was supplemented by a full-time role at a nearby university. I then moved on to a three-quarter time role in a second congregation while maintaining both other sources of employment. When I said “yes” to serving Fort Myers Congregational, I concluded my service at the university. For the first time, in five years I was 100% focused on parish ministry — full-time at FMCUCC and part-time at Naples UCC. As I embarked on this single-minded vocational focus I became reenergized.
As I lived into my renewed passion for congregational ministry I found my call to ministry both renewed and refined. Prior to this point in my ministry, I had hesitated to become deeply connected to a single denomination. As an example, rather than seeking ordination, I sought more temporary ways to engage in the ministry to which I was called, including licensure. While serving FMCUCC, I shifted from considering to actively pursuing permanent affiliation with the UCC.
So What?
Renewal is essential. As people age and congregations move through the organizational life cycle renewal is necessary.
Today, I give thanks for the time I spent at Fort Myers Congregational United Church of Christ – a congregation with a renewed commitment to live in to God’s vision for their future and a congregation that nurtured and renewed me.
Note: This post is part of a series: God is Doing a New Thing – My Experiences in UCC Congregations.