Bruce Reyes-Chow

Top three ways you know technology is killing your church

[image: kmevans]

Okay, the title of this post is slightly over the top.  Sorry, just trying to be provocative ;-)  Technology, while it may do some harm in the wrong hands, it will not KILL the church.  We also know that survival is not the main aim of the church or the foundation of our Christian faith.  We can argue about what that foundation is and how it is expressed*, but I think that most will agree that survival for the sake of survival is not it.  Still, it seems that so many of us want to find ways to "save" the church these days.  Not only are we worried about the pure decline in membership numbers  but then we hear of cultural changes such as reported this new study:

So many Americans claim no religion at all (15%, up from 8% in 1990), that this category now outranks every other major U.S. religious group except Catholics and Baptists. In a nation that has long been mostly Christian, "the challenge to Christianity … does not come from other religions but from a rejection of all forms of organized religion," the report concludes.

Ack, we are dying!  We are loosing people not just to other churches with "right doctrine," but they are leaving to join the church of "no religion."  It is no wonder we are struggling to find ways to stop the bleeding, increase membership and NOT die.  I understand, I really do, no one WANTS to die.  At this same time, when it comes to Christian communities, anything we do that is grounded primarily by a need to survive will ultimately lead to our death, physically and spiritually. 

So, naturally, we try to find ways to grow and be healthy.

One of the things that I have noticed in many conversations about the future of the church with folks is the focus and preoccupation with technology.  Perspectives range from mildly ambivalent to wildly receptive and comes from all demographics.  Some people simply will not be open to or acknowledge the importance of technology; and others, quite frankly do not wish to acknowledge the negatives that can come from an over emphasis on technology.  Now obviously I am one that has embraced the transformational impact that technology can have on communities of faith and their lives in the world, but I am also committed to the integration and use of technology that takes seriously the contexts in which we serve and provide leadership.

So while I would enthusiastically support and encourage any and all church folks to seek out and dive into those places where technology and faith converge, there are some dangers to jumping in without some filters.  With this in mind I have come up with three Tech Death Beliefs that we need to be aware of.  Now some of these are pretty basic and some of you may be offended that I would even think that YOU would think such a thing, but all of these come from experiences, conversations and pretty strong examples of technology gone bad.

Try these three on for size. 

TECH DEATH BELIEF #1 - "If we just increase the use of technology, young people will come to church and we will live again!"
This is insidious thought number one when it comes to technology and the church.  For some reason we are caught in this worldview that it we simple discover the right method, we can structure and build our way into new life and growth.  What this does not account for is the contextual realities and integrity that any community must have in order to be a compelling presence.  In short, the use of technology must at least resemble the technical realities of the communities we serve otherwise, we are putting up a false face to the world, sharing not "who we are", but "who we think you want us to be."  Not only does this contaminate the technology that used, but it boils folks down to one simplistic demographic, "likes technology" when in fact if a community is genuine in its use of technology, "likes authenticity" will be the drawing element.

TECH DEATH BELIEF #2  - "I would rather be plugged into Twitter and Facebook, than doing some of the pastoral care duties that the church expects me to do."
Whenever we pastor-types are unsettled in our call, avoiding conflict or otherwise trying trying to NOT engage in activities that we do not want to do, we find and justify ways to do something else.  For some that might be paying attention only to folks who like us, for others it is thinking up new projects to take time and yet for others, we plug in.  Don't get me wrong, I understand the excitement of engaging in new and creative ministries, but for folks in more traditionally populated churches, the only way our "new fangled myface , twitter world" will gain any traction with those who don't quite get it, is if they still know that, no matter what, their pastor's still put them first.

TECH DEATH BELIEF #3  - "I have never seen a widget I didn't like."
A few weeks ago I did a redesign of this blog because it was beginning to look like the widget trolls had vomited all over my design.  We have all seen them, heck, we have all probably helped to deign them.  You know what I mean, websites, blogs and profiles that are just a mess.   We add graphics galore, use twelve fonts, have no color scheme and some of us *gasp* have music that plays every time one visits.**  To take a quote from Spiderman, "With great power, comes great responsibility" or put another way, just because you have the power, it does not mean you have to use it.   Just as you would not welcome folks into your home in a disaster state, we should take the care and time to present a nice look and feel for those interacting with our online presence.  Now of course, while I am clearly being a tad bit judgmental , if the look of your community is joyfully chaotic, eclectic and otherwise wild, then your website/blog should certainly reflect that.  Do not lie about who you are as a community, but do not do anything that will scare folks off at the outset.  In this day in age, the care and thought you put into your only identity will tel folks a great deal about how you might care for them.

Now obviously none of these things exists in pure form or is embraced with malice, but what is so often missing is one crucial understanding of the use of technology: like any other tool for ministry and communication it is only as powerful as the level in which folks use and embrace it.  Context matters as they say.  If the technology is not part of who you or your community is, it will not be effective in helping to create an atmosphere of health and growth.  But . . . if you find that convergence where the technological air that you and those around you breath meet, there you have moments of grace and growth.

Now if you'll excuse me, I must go and twitter this ;-0

*If you want my statement of faith in 140 characters or less, see my Twitter of Faith.

** Unless you are a musical artists or your website is something like musicwillstartnow.com, please, please, please take off any automatic music playing.

Musings on race in a post-race America

[image: chrisjfry]

While I have posted more specifically about race and church in Does Race Matters When Pastoring?, lately more general thoughts on race have been swirling around my head. It there have been many alerts as of late that have passed across "my desk" addressing issues of race in the church, politics and culture. Now with the election of Barack Obama this week, the shifts in the demographics of the electorate and the historic nature of an African American person being elected, race has once again taken center stage in American politics . . . at least for a night.

First a personal note . . .

When the announcement, "Barack Obama has been elected President of the United States of America" rang out, I wept, I cheered, I prayed.  Our world has changed.  OUR children's view of what is "American" will never be the same.  And not just here, but around the world.  While he is clearly not just a person of racial designation, we must not, for one moment, underestimate the symbolic nature and corresponding power of having a person of color as president.  The memories of what my grandparents went through as they struggled through injustice in this country came flooding back and a wave of gratitude swept over my spirit. From the days when my Filipino grandmother in Alabama struggled with where to sit on the bus because no one knew if she was white or black to anti-miscegenation laws repealed just decades ago that would have prohibited my White wife from marrying this Filipino man, at least a few layers of historical injustice were pealed back to reveal a reality of pure joy.  As the results were was announced I felt, if not just for a moment, a promise was fulfilled.

At some level I still cannot allow myself to REALLY believe it.

But in honor of those White, Black and Brown folks who have fought the good fight and have lived up to God's intentions for humanity, thank you.  Your sacrifices, struggles and perseverance were not and will not be in vain.

But . . . and isn't there always a "but" especially when it comes to change that seems too good to be true?  Unfortunately in this case, yes.

As we revel in the magnitude of the election, let us not be so naive as to think that we have somehow become "post-race" as a culture and world.  We still have a long way to go as a world and society before we can, at any level, claim we have "solved" racism.  Now please don't get me wrong, I am trying mightily not to give into the confining cynicism of the world.  I am only trying to be wise as I try to hold onto the compelling nature of my faith, the hope and new life that Christ offers.

I think the biggest issue/concern I have right now is the idea that this generation is somehow so past race that we no longer need institutional safeguards against systematic and institutional injustice.  I strongly believe that we would be foolish to begin to toss out the proverbial baby with proverbial bath water and now claim that we have succeeded in the defeat of racism simply because we have elected an African American president and/or all the generational assessments about race that has punctuated the political discourse.

But let me start on a positive note.  I will not only acknowledge but I wholeheartedly embrace the intent of my statement above because this idea is not totally off.   The glimpses of truth for me lie in a few observations about our this burgeoning culture that would say, yes, lets dramatically change the way we deal with issues of race.

Technology and the Flattening World - With the growing ways that we simply engage today, there is no doubt that interactions between different ethnic groups creates a greater understanding of and exposure to different cultures thus breaking down fears and misconceptions.  This can only be good.

Open Source Technology - Open Source, the idea behind Wikipedia says that over time, we will collectively determine the truth and that the community will correct and police itself along the way. I very much agree with this and see it happening all around within certain groups as we move towards some collective truth.  This is goes beyond methodology, but an understood way of being in a healthy and thriving community.

Numbers - The sheer population percentages are a changing.  Combine this reality with the ease of interactions that technology brings and all of a sudden we are all living in multi-cultural America at some point every day.  Whether or not we as individuals can actually deal with the increased pressure of cross-race interactions, they will only continue to increase.

And here is the, "yes, but" section of this post.  In a vacuum and a confined demographic we may indeed be pretty darn close to not just getting beyond race, but downright embracing the joyful complexity of race.  But we do not live in a vacuum . . . so here are my rebuttal statements . . . to myself?

There is no such thing as a cultural blank slate - Not everyone is playing the same game and has the same historical worldview as those who are redefining our cultural experience of race.  In fact, I fear that the idea that "the next generation is over race" will be used as a tool to justify ongoing or prolonged situations of institutional racism.  Sure, if the system is made of up people with this worldview about race, maybe there is some merit, but that is just NOT the case.  For the most part our cultural, religious and political institutions are still made up of and lead by those for whom institutional safeguards were originally intended to monitor and protect.

Corporate sin is real - As much as I believe in Open Source culture, I am not willing to give up my belief in the ability for a body of well-intentioned people to unintentionally oppress those with less power or who live on the margins of society.  While I believe that God has great intentions for us and that we will most often choose a path of grace, I think evil and human brokenness are just too strong to simply think we can or will be able to ever fully be corporately self-regulating.

We are solely defined by race - Not that we were ever REALLY able to be defined by one thing, I think it is safe to say that issues of class, economics, gender, sexual orientation, geography, age, etc. now muddy up the pursuit of racial reconciliation.  Now that there is simply a greater number of ethnic groups located in a growing complexity of lifestyles and situations one's race is no longer the sole determining factor of one's reality in the world.  While we may indeed be getting closer on issues of race, to lay upon that one descriptor, the determination of the presence or absence of institutional injustice is far too simplistic.

Okay so now what?  Oh that's simple ;-)

1. Admit that issue of race today is far more complex than, "this generation is post-race so let's get rid of all civil rights inspired mechanisms of protection."
2. Admit that while we are experiencing race differently today, institutional racism still exists, albeit in different and more nuanced ways.
3. Admit that some of the structures that have been built up over the years in order to protect may have outlived their time of effectiveness.
4. Embrace the opportunity and challenge to talk about and deal with issues of race in new ways, with new vernacular and new institutional approaches.
5. Listen to the next generation telling us that there is indeed a new day.
6. Live in hope.

See wasn't that easy ;-)

Lastly, I end with one a clip that I have commented on before, but is easily one of the greatest speeches I have ever heard and one that makes me believe that our nation is ready to approach issues of race differently.  This was then candidate Barack Obama's speech on race given in the midst of the controversy about his relationship with Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright.

Why church sucks!

I can see it now.  Moderatorial aspirations die with post about why Church sucks.  What kind of language is that to use for a Moderator?!?!?  Sheesh.   I'll just have to take that risk as no other title seems appropriate.

Church sucks!  Yes, I said it.  The cover of the latest Wired Magazine has the lead headline, Why Things Suck: The 33 Things that Make us Crazy. A second tag line is "Nothing works the way it should . . . our 18 page report on the most annoying problems of everyday life."

Church is not on the list.  But it really should be.

I often wonder why people come to church.  Why engage in any faith community be it Sunday AM''s, house church or otherwise?  One can point to some outward things about many church: music, style, preaching, community, food, location, parking, coffee, demographics, etc. as reason why one would visit, stay or run away.  The reality is that when it comes to measuring the effectiveness and/or usefulness of church, we fail miserably . . . at least by human standards.

The reasons why are too numerous to get into, but here are some that strike me at this moment.

• We take too long to make decisions.
• We are not nice.
• We judge.
• We act out of expectation.
• We really only want church to be done our way.
• We fight.
• We gossip.
• We walk-out.
• We don't commit.
• We want things for free.
• We want to be served.
• We fight change to our own detriment.
• We change for the sake of change.
• We try to look like what we think we should look like rather than just look the way we are.
• We place faith last on our priorities.

Yeah, why do we come to church?

And then God somehow wiggles into the mix and we discover that despite our suckiness, we experience the holy in church and community.  And, if not only for glimpses of those times, we do not suck.  In fact we are pretty awesome.

Thanks be to God.

Sometimes I just want to live in a box

Updated reference post: Problems with a 2.0 moderator.

Not surprisingly I am getting a little push-back regarding my candidacy for moderator.  By tomorrow, I'll have a post on the mod blog to address some of the particular issues but one thing is for sure, context really is everything.

While I expected that some folks would not be comfortable with the levels of Web 2.0 and technological interaction, I have been surprised by the tone and the implications.  Too fast, too public, too intentional.  These have been comments lobbed my way.  How funny that the very critiques are exactly the point of the 2.0 world.

The funny thing is that in some conversations especially at MBCC and in some other circles I am the technological plebeian of the bunch.   I can't count the numbers of times I have not understood a word of  what is being said in a particular conversation regarding some kind of computer-techo-babel.

While I do love it most of the time, sometimes the gray can be frustrating.  Oh well, such is life.

Can I BE any more rambling, I don't know, well maybe I can but, oh I don't know

After dodging flying garbage cans this AM from one of the worst storms we have had in SF in a long time, I got to my coffee destination, thought about blogging and realized that I got nothin' - not because I don't have anything say, but because nothing seems worth the energy.  I could finish a few posts that I half done or I could follow my own advice for blogging when stuck" or I could just wander aimlessly like this.

• I think Studio 60 is brilliant, all six DVD's ;-(
• My mom got a Mac!  Welcome to the cult!
• JibJab made me laugh today. Thanks A!
• Abby said this morning, "Look Dad, the trees are dancing."  Yeah, and about to fall on our car.
• Sometimes I feel like an impostor.
• I do believe in the salvific nature of the life, death and bodily resurrection of Jesus, AND I am a postmodern. *gasp*
• I love that actually claiming that one is postmodern seems so not postmodern.
• Where are your memories held?
• I was on this wagon a long time ago, thank you very much.
• It's hard to be four.
• I think I guilted my younger bro into friending his dorky older bother.
• Sometimes we are not as subversive or as radical as we would like to think we are.
• I really do want to be good at everything.
• There is a karaoke machine in our basement.
• This whole moderator thing is slightly surreal.
• I hate the feeling of having just a LITTLE too much on one's plate.
• One of our daughters did something REALLY sweet this weekend.  Experiencing God through one's chillin's can be a wonderful feeling.
• Deadline is a Facebook app even you cultured, NPR snobs can get into ;-)
• And as always, send me a Shrute Buck, I need a break!
• My diet has started again. *sigh*
• Expansive languag for God is important.
• Sometimes I like starting pandora radio stations just to mess with my friends, "Does he REALLY listen to this?"  You'll just never know.
• I neeeeeeed a new motorcycle. Yes, I said NEED!
• Not sure if this is a good parenting move.
• Stop for pedestrians people!
• I love goat cheese!  I am just saying.

Peace out!

Give me my 2.5 hours back

This past weekend due to some family obligations I was left with about 24 hours sans family.  So I got caught up on some reading, did some church work and then decided to veg out for a while in front of the tube. Okay, so I know that my media tastes have been mocked at times, so for me to feel that two experiences were bad enough to blog about is saying something.

60 Minutes, GONE - Women's Murder Club must be the absolute worst show EVER that is pretending to be set in San Francisco.  Full House seemed more San Francisco than this show.  Folks, apparently we have a subway in San Francisco and people ride "The Bart" all the time.  Wow.  The best was some intersection of two, yes two four lane roads.  Where in the blazes is THAT?  Thank God for Tevo that it was not an actual 60 minutes.

90 Minutes, GONE - So I decided to watch a movie on On Demand that Robin would not want to watch.  What shall I watch?  Ahh . . . Jessica Alba in The Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.  Now normally Jessica can do no wrong.  I mean Honey was totally ignored for the cinematic masterpiece it was, but no amount of pretty was going to save this one.  Thought the first F4 couldn't get any worse.  Wrong, it could and it did.

Moral of the story: Pretty people does not always a great TV watching experience make.

 

It really could be worse . . .

Now most of the time, I think I am a pretty nice person.  My first inclination is to be hopeful, trusting and give the benefit of the doubt to everyone.   But every once in a while I just get tired of people, institutions, work, life, the world . . . and if anyone says that they don't feel the same way sometimes, they are big phat liar heads! 
Yeah, yeah, yeah there are worse things going on in the world, so suck it up!  I hear that voice in my head all the time, but I say no to that.  And since my blog is "my house" I feel like I can complain to the world.

Some of my "inside voice" responses as of late . . .

• "What?!?!?  Did you really believe that all Asians were quiet?"
• "And THAT is why your church is dying out!"
• "Really?!?!?  You are wearing that?!?!?!"
• "You don't REALLY believe that, do you?"
• "Pretending it is not there will not make it go away!"
• "They are friggin' first-graders, chill!"
• "Are you five?"
• "Please stop talking, my ears are bleeding."
• "Just because you keep saying it, does not make it true."
• "You do know that I am a person too, right?"
• "I am NOT your mother."
• "Did you just say that?"
• "I really do want to stop being nice to you right now!"
• "I can't believe we elected you!"
• "You are making me look like an IDIOT! You idiot!"
• "Okay, now that is just ugly."

Okay I feel much better. As I think back to each of these responses, every single dingle one of these situations is not that big of a deal and probably says more about my own personal state of mind than the other person.  At the same time, maybe sometimes people are just meanie heads and God's gift is the filter that gives us the power to control our responses.

And of course as I whine complain and generally act ungrateful for the very breath I breathe, we get these pics and all is well again!

pastoring a church in my world

Sometimes I feel like churches or pastors that are "plugged in" have to apologize for being as such.  There is this assumption that because we are technologically proficient, we lack understanding or connection to other ways of being church and community.  Boo.

Now I have posted on this phenomenon before and some reactions to the whole technology and church thing, but this first few days of the week has provided me with some good examples of how folks are and get connected to our particular church community.  This is just Monday-Thursday @ Noon and covers everything from MBCC Administrative issues to global mission to personal crisis.  Tech friend or not, this is pastoring in my world.  I LOVE and THRIVE in it!

• IM'ing Conversations: 5
• Facebook Events: 2
• Blog posts written: 4
• Blog posts of MBCC'ers read: 7
• Facebook App interactions: 35
• Organizational eMails sent/received: 33
• Pastoral eMails sent/received: 21
• Coffee Talks: 5
• Hours in a Cafe: 12'ish
• Link suggestions from members: 4
• Conversation about faith in secular setting: 3
• Traditional Meetings: 2
• Cups of coffee: 3 hot, 6 iced
• The New Visitor Plan: Someone meets me via a blog, we have coffee, he blogs about us, visits us, yelps us, friend knows him, contacts us, we IM, he comes to church . . .

Now I know some folks will see this list of my pastoral duties and think, WTHeck?!?!?  This is NOT church!  This is NOT pastoring!  This yahoo has sold his soul to the technology Gods!  Release the hounds!*

If this is your reaction, it's okay. I'll survive.

The purpose of this post is not to defend pastoral leadership in my context, but to give voice to a growing way mainline church has and can be done.   While some can find the same energy and nourishment in more historical/traditional church contexts, I know I would not be a good pastor in that setting because it would be a bad fit or "call" if you will.   We would be fools to think that in today's world there is ONLY one legitimate or even ULTIMATE way to experience Christian community and thus only one true way of being a pastor.  That is just crazy talk.

An openness to a variety of church contexts that foster appreciation and solidarity should be an easy step to take for connectional mainline churches.  One way to get there is to be able to fully understand that, even if this would not be your way of being church, you can appreciate that folks will hear and be connected to God in different ways. 

If we can do that imagine the possibilities.

A Sell-Out's Manifesto or A young turk grows into a old fart

I used to be a Young Turk.

I reveled in bitching about the church, about the world, the evils of the system and anything/one else that I felt was in my way.  I looked for the highest rock where I could beat my chest with the self-confidence that only comes with the idealism and passion of youthful rebellion.  I had great ideas to fix the church and bring back all that made God's wondrous creation true, pure and holy.   I looked down upon those who I felt had sold out to the various forms of the "The Man" and justified their actions by falling in line with the system and sacrificing their passions for the "greater good"  . . . whatever that is.  Politics, church, society, . . . nothing could escape my bold and prophetic ideas. 

Yes, I was a Young Turk.

Maybe not so sadly, but inevitability, at some point I felt like I had no contextual justification to be the Young Turk.  Sure, you can be an old Turk, prophetic and rebellious, but not young. I have changed, not necessarily grown up or matured, but changed.

I think back to my more rebellious days and even with good intentions, many of us at that time where rebelling for the sake of rebellion.  We struggled with discovering who were were in response to knowing what we do NOT want to become.  Worldviews were shifting, technology was exploding and globalization was becoming more evident.  Yes . . . I am THAT old.   

With that said, I still have this urge and compulsion to engage in the process and struggle of systematic transformation.  From where I sit now in this particular stage of life, ministry, etc.  my perspectives on how I engage in the work of systematic transformation has shifted.  I fully understand that this may just be justifying my own particular choices to make me feel better about becoming a big sell-out, but I think there is something to embracing one's role within the process of systematic transformation. 

I have posted on this before and I understand that different people discern differently.  I also realize that some folks are just wired to be rebellious and we NEED people who are constantly reminding us of our edges and tendency to circle the wagons in times of anxiety, but I think many of us need to embrace our calls to transform ourselves and move from rebellion for the sake of rebellion and into a posture of transformation for the sake of body.  Sure, we may gave helped push some edges, but at some point the rebellious posture has stopped feeling genuine to my own journey.

Damn I sound old.*  

Why this posture of systematic change works for me.

Forces us to define ourselves by who we ARE rather than who we ARE NOT // to be defined in the negative does not work.  In age of postmodernity and globalization the false dichotomies that are set up by "us" / "them" postures are bankrupt ways to fool ourselves into thinking we can control the chaos.  There is no depth to being defined as "We are not . . ." because the stability that is offered by this way of thinking is wholly determined by a set understanding of that to what we are trying NOT to be.  On the flip side, to move to a place of being defined by what we are, there is a richer more appropriate and contextual understand of self and community. 

Embracing the past unleashes the future // To ignore our history and tradition simply because they are old is a grave mistake in so many ways.  American individualism begs us to forget our past and think that the newest way, or ways WE think of are the best and only  ways that God speaks to us/me.   To forget and ignore God's movement through those that have come before us and the struggles of discerning God's will and call on their lives . . . well that is just crazy talk.  Remembering the past is not just about blindly following what has always been done, but more about letting the past inform how we are TO be or NOT to be in the future.

Every system needs a structure // I personally don't believe in anarchy.  Anarchy is not Biblical, but more the height of arrogant individuality and an "every person for themselves" mentality that allows us to forget and turn away from the "other" in our midst.  Yes, some institutions can be oppressive and unwieldy, but that does not mean that institutions/structures need to stay that way.  The challenge for the church today is to help transform and create systems that offer just enough structure to make sure ministry can happen effectively without moving to a place where the system becomes more important than the ministry it is claiming to support.  We can certainly turn into the institution that we have been fighting, the kind that makes Jesus very sad.  But to discard the wisdom of some structures of life that actually help move the forward kingdom work is just plain irresponsible.

So there you have it, my MANIFESTO OF A SELLOUT!   Let me also say that depending on the context I feel like more of a sellout than in others.  In one arena I am the uptight denomination middle class jerk and in another I am the whining, never happy youngster.  Trip.  That is why I love the complexity of God's people.

* I have been called on using the "D" word in my posts.  Not to trivialize one's concerns, but God will only damn those things which are truly deserving of damnation, and I am pretty darn sure I am on the selection team.

Just for fun: Young Turks Radio Show on Air America

Ordination: Right, Privilege or Delusion?

All people have access to God, but does that mean everyone should be allowed to or is equipped for any role in the church?  And why then ordination?

Seems to me that these are some of the fundamental questions that many today struggle with in today's church.  And while some would accuse some of us mainliners of taking the whole idea of "ordained" clergy way too seriously, I would suggest that this is a modern dilemma that has created a situation where we just have a warped understanding of ordination.

DISCLAIMER: I fully understand that ordination has been used as a way to unjustly keep people out of certain areas of the church: women, GLBT, people of color, etc. And Yes, there are many ordained people - pastors, elders and deacons - who may or may not, in my opinion, exhibit all of the virtues that I or others would like to see in those who hold those offices.  Still . . . I am not ready to say that the concept and practice of ordination should be done away with.

And here are a few thoughts why . . .

Ordination does not mean "holier than anyone else."  Even those who say ordination does not matter have in some way bought into the thinking that there is an inherent higher value and worth in a person because they are ordained.  Yes, clergy must get over ourselves and stop thinking that we know Jesus any better than anyone else, but at the same time laity must stop thinking that we do in fact think we think we know Jesus any better than anyone else.

Ordination in my tradition - Presbyterian - means that a community of people have discerned that particular people have been called to particular roles.  Just because a person is not in that role does not mean that they never will or are not able . . . but it MIGHT!   Despite our human and somewhat American individualist nature, I trust the body to discern better than I who is called to what and when.  Honestly, it scares the CRAP out of me to think about a community where just because one feels called to a particular role in the church, they should just be able to do it.  I think traditions that practice this method of ordination have just messed it all up.   This is one of the major reasons I choose to be Presbyterian and not an independent congregationalist.   I want to know that there has been a process of more than a conversation in your head that has brought you to this place of leadership and activity in the church.   I think one of the roles of community, congregationally and beyond, is to help people discern their gifts for ministry.  This means to help people discover what those gifts are, to nurture those gifts to equip people to use those gifts and when appropriate challenge folks to publicly use those gifts for the work of the Gospel.

Ordination is also not just about Ministers of "Word and Sacrament" but also about Elders and Deacons, all church roles that require different gifts.  Generally Ministers of Word and Sacrament care for the spiritual well-being of a community, Elders to provide sustained congregational leadership and Deacons are to be a healing and reconciling presence.  As you look around the church and get to know folks, is everyone equipped to pastor a church?  Is everyone equipped to be a teacher or to be a nurturer.  Certainly not . . . even if we think we are.  Our personalities, experiences and/or skills all inform our roles in the church community.   That does not mean that we will not grow into that role at some point and time, but it does reinforce the idea that church leadership is NOT a right, but a privilege bestowed upon folks by a community of faith that has said, "we too sense God's calling upon you."

And finally, I don't believe that ordination devalues the Biblical idea of the Priesthood of all believers.  The priestly nature of our faith says that we all have access to God and that one need not have a human mediator in order to know God and experience God.  Of course people may THINK this is the case, but in my role of Ordained Minister of Word and Sacrament . . . I have no delusions that I have any better access to God than anyone else and I think most clergy feel the same way.  Has a community of people said that I may have the gifts and temperament to lead and pastor, sure, but privy to God, nope.

At the end of the day, I actually don't take ordination all that seriously.  Take for instance, the serving of the Lord's Supper.  Does God really care who says the magic words and blows the fairy dust that, in our tradition, publicly acknowledges the presence of Christ in the sharing of the bread and cup?  I think not.  At the same time, should any yahoo be allowed to preside over this holy practice without some permission and confirmation from the community that is being served?  I think so.  Just where those boundaries lie is the dreaded gray area.  Such is life.

So . . . ordination.  It is what it is.  Some will appreciate and value it while others will dismiss it as an institutionally self-inflicted delusion.  Some will shun it while some some will pursue it.  Some will abuse it, while others will bring honor to the office.  Such is the fun of navigating the church as lived out by us ordinary human beings.