Ryan, thank you. That was so damned profound that I may just "have a moment here too."
There's a theme that is actually all over scripture like a rash. It is the theme of leave-taking and homecoming. Start anywhere you like. With Abram and Sara, maybe. Or with the prodigal son, who had to go through his own hell to find home. In my own Episcopal diocese out here in the SF Bay Area, we're losing parishes just like yours. Many are struggling as numbers decline and endowments wither. A couple of years ago a friend came to preach one Sunday in December and talked about some of your work. That and some other items from Dwight Zscheile. Mainline denominations are in a protracted decline. I told my fellow priest the truth that it'll be up to us to give Christianity a soft place to land and from which it can grow anew, probably nourished by new ideas and insights to allay the fears of those who like what Christianity "stands for" but can't take the Bible and all the trouble it has caused. I'm "sort of retired" now and that is the work I am taking on...like there's no tomorrow. By default, you are now one of an "us" that I hope will grow.
Keep up the good work you do. It provides a lot of nourishing soil in which to grow my ideas. If you don't mind, though, I'd like to offer a couple of ideas or your research, if you're open to that, my brother.
Thank you for sharing this Ryan. It feels like you have given your church a beautiful gift: a meaningful death.
I haven’t been a Christian for a long time but your sermon made me think of James II. Its prominent refrain is “faith without works is dead” - and your sermon paid beautiful tribute to the works you’ve witnessed.
Do not doubt that you rose to the occasion, and take comfort in the good work you have done.
Thanks for sharing this, Ryan. Sorry to hear about your church closing. As a fellow political science professor and pastor, I've appreciated following your bi-vocational work.
Trust the Lord makes the path forward clear, even though right now you "do not know where you are going" (that Merton prayer is so apt for this moment).
I’ve been through this too, Ryan. Many prayers. It’s a tough season, and it’s honestly still tough. Just remember that God is with you when you pastor a church, and God is with you when you don’t pastor a church.
Ryan, thank you. That was so damned profound that I may just "have a moment here too."
There's a theme that is actually all over scripture like a rash. It is the theme of leave-taking and homecoming. Start anywhere you like. With Abram and Sara, maybe. Or with the prodigal son, who had to go through his own hell to find home. In my own Episcopal diocese out here in the SF Bay Area, we're losing parishes just like yours. Many are struggling as numbers decline and endowments wither. A couple of years ago a friend came to preach one Sunday in December and talked about some of your work. That and some other items from Dwight Zscheile. Mainline denominations are in a protracted decline. I told my fellow priest the truth that it'll be up to us to give Christianity a soft place to land and from which it can grow anew, probably nourished by new ideas and insights to allay the fears of those who like what Christianity "stands for" but can't take the Bible and all the trouble it has caused. I'm "sort of retired" now and that is the work I am taking on...like there's no tomorrow. By default, you are now one of an "us" that I hope will grow.
Keep up the good work you do. It provides a lot of nourishing soil in which to grow my ideas. If you don't mind, though, I'd like to offer a couple of ideas or your research, if you're open to that, my brother.
Sheldon+
Thank you for sharing this Ryan. It feels like you have given your church a beautiful gift: a meaningful death.
I haven’t been a Christian for a long time but your sermon made me think of James II. Its prominent refrain is “faith without works is dead” - and your sermon paid beautiful tribute to the works you’ve witnessed.
Do not doubt that you rose to the occasion, and take comfort in the good work you have done.
Thanks for sharing this, Ryan. Sorry to hear about your church closing. As a fellow political science professor and pastor, I've appreciated following your bi-vocational work.
Trust the Lord makes the path forward clear, even though right now you "do not know where you are going" (that Merton prayer is so apt for this moment).
I’ve been through this too, Ryan. Many prayers. It’s a tough season, and it’s honestly still tough. Just remember that God is with you when you pastor a church, and God is with you when you don’t pastor a church.