Advent III

Fri Dec 5 12:39:48 EST 2008

Dear Gulf Coast Leaders,

December 14 – Advent III

Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 – The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…
Psalm 126 or Luke 1:47-55 (The Magnificat)
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 

John 1:6-8, 19-28 – John: The voice in the wilderness

Please note below the calendar has been extended to Easter. 

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, 

to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners... (Isaiah 61:1)

My apologies for wandering from the Advent themes of John the Baptist, repentance and the like, but I've been moved to reflect more on the health and well-being of our rostered leaders lately, given both what I'm seeing and what I hope to see in the next couple of years. And perhaps the topic isn't so far off anyway. We need to repent, to change our minds and our ways, if we are going to effect change in the ecclesiastical landscape. The change I propose is in our daily habits: our workweek, our devotional lives. Leaders: Changing our churches begins with changing ourselves.

We want healthy pastors

Healthy leaders tend to grow healthy churches. Personally, I believe in long pastorates. I believe that in most cases, both the gospel and the congregation are better served by the stability of long-term, consistent, healthy leadership. Certainly there is a time that a pastor needs to move on, but more often than not, the pastor needs renewal to serve with joy and energy and creativity. The pastor could remain and the congregation benefit, if the pastor was healthy, joyfully serving, and renewed. Alban Institute studies have shown that a pastor's most effective years tend to be years 8-15. Yet the average pastorate is seven years. We bail out before we hit our stride. It's not helpful to ask whose fault this is. There are things pastor, congregation and synod could do to improve this situation. In order for longer, healthier pastorates, several things are necessary:

    1. A balanced workload

    2. Fair compensation

    3. Time for rest and renewal

Balanced workload

Pastors that don't work enough don't get the job done and the congregation suffers. However, these past 15 months my observation would be that most pastors work too much, not too little. In fact they work so much that they push themselves into unhealthy lifestyles. "I really don't have time to exercise." "I don't have time for prayer and a personal devotional life."  Most of our congregations are struggling in terms of mission and finance, so pastors stress out, taking a shotgun approach to ministry, trying to do anything and everything. The irony is, a stressed-out, overweight, edgy pastor on the edge of a heart-attack is less likely to grow a healthy congregation. The church is spiritual organization. If people come seeking something deeper and the pastor's wound so tightly s/he's snapping at people, they will be reluctant to commit deeply to the mission. Creative, gifted pastors burn out and leave their parish in a cloud of frustration, or even worse, leave the ministry altogether. We want healthy, perceptive, funny, delightful, thoughtful, hopeful pastors. Especially at this time of year when so many people experience some form of low-grade depression, what we want from our leaders is hope and joy. It comes as no suprise to me that these themes have become so much a part of our Christmas celebrations when the days are short and cold.

Fair compensation

A pastor said to me this week, "I never got more than a cost-of-living increase in my whole ministry, and many years I got no raise whatsoever... The only time I got a significant bump in salary is when I left and took a new call." If the cost of living goes up and the pastor gets no raise, then s/he's actually getting a pay cut vis-à-vis the climbing cost of groceries, gasoline, housing, electricity and so on. The Social Security Administration has determined that the cost of living increased 5.8% between the third quarter in 2007 and the third quarter in 2008, the most in years (http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/COLA/colaseries.html). Many of our young pastors are coming out of the seminary with $20-$30K of debt. They're worried that they won't be able to pay if off, cover expenses, afford a home, put kids through college. On the other side of the problem, congregations have found the cost of insurance has skyrocketed and made salaries a larger-than-ever percentage of the budget (50% personnel is a good target, though some growing churches will invest more in order to staff for growth). People, including pastors, are living longer, and working longer into the high-earning years. Half of our congregations have an attendance of 100 or less. Once a pastor gets to a 25 or 30 years of experience, it becomes difficult for a small parish to afford it. One of our challenges in the coming years will be to figure out how to help smaller congregations share pastors, so that people can be compensated fairly. Congregations that can't afford their pastor will begin to fidget. Pastors who are underpaid will agonize over leaving. No one wants to acknowledge the material realities of a spiritual organization, but the bottom line is congregations have to live within their means and pastors have to put food on the table. All of this impacts the tenure of pastors. The same principles apply to other rostered leaders and lay staff. 

Time for rest and renewal

Being a pastor is demanding. The range of skills needed to do the wide variety of responsibilities expected of pastors is overwhelming. There are not many jobs where you are on call 24/7 and likely to phoned at 2 a.m. by a member whose husband just died. Few know the pressure of public speaking on a weekly basis. Managing budgets, offices, volunteers and a mission that's sky-high calls forth every gift we have. While some hourly employees may not have this same level of responsibility and stress, other lay staff come close. For example an impossible tass are asked of paid youthworkers in our congregations: FIx what's wrong with the family. Raise our kids in the faith, even when families don't. Attract youth to an organization that is fundamentally unwilling to change in a rapidly changing context. For all staff, taking Sabbath weekly and plenty of vacation is life or death. Friendly, supportive and understanding lay leaders can make a huge difference. Congregations that want to keep their rostered leaders should offer a 3-month sabbatical at the seven-year mark, and every five years thereafter. Because sabbaticals are more common in academic communities, and less common in the business world they're not on the radar. But consider the turnover the average retail operation has. Do we want this? Pastors may need to be proactive in requesting sabbaticals for themselves, and going to bat for their professional staff. The Lilly Foundation offers grants to pastors and congregations for sabbaticals. Next year they will offer 120 $50,000 grants. Up to $15,000 of that grant can be used for pastoral coverage during the sabbatical. The application deadline is May 14, 2009, with notification in October. In other words, if you want to consider a sabbatical for 2010, now is the time to start preparing. Everything you need can be found at http://www.clergyrenewal.org/, including an application form, a brochure, and tips for getting the grant. You'll be asked to write a narrative of what you want to do and why. You can read what others have done. You will need to get your council's approval as a part of the application process. I can help you with this. Most council's major objection is the cost. Once they see the grant possibilities there is less resistance. We can get you in touch with other pastors who have had sabbaticals for advice. If you're going to be in place for seven years by 2010, why not do this? It could be good for you and for your family. 

As I think about my vision for the Church, and in particular this church in this synod, everything I hope for rests or falls on having healthy pastors. Last week I visited a congregation in Tallahassee, Florida. In 2006, Grace Tallahassee gave Grace New Orleans $50,000 and a truckload of pew chairs. I went to say thank you to this generous congregation. Pastor Rick Eckard started the congregation in 1983, a 25-year pastorate (so far). What struck me while there was the tone of the congregation. It was... joyful. People laughed freely in person and in worship, during the announcements and during the sermon. There was buzz, as Pastor Mike Aus likes to call it. This is not a huge congregation. And they're not without their problems, but they have a healthy spirit, and a healthy pastor. As I pray for our synod each day, I pray for healthy pastors. I believe they are the key to healthy congregations. May the Spirit of the Lord be upon you, anointing you to preach the Good News. May the Lord renew in you a right spirit.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 

Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore unto me the joy of your salvation, and sustain me with a bountiful spirit.

Psalm 51:10-12

שלומ سلام  Peace,

Mike Rinehart 

Michael Rinehart, bishop

The Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

12707 I-45 North Frwy, Suite 580

Houston, TX 77060-1239

281-873-5665

www.GulfCoastSynod.org

ADVENT 2008

Sucedió como está escrito en el profeta Isaías:

Yo estoy por enviar a mi mensajero delante de ti,

el cual preparará tu camino.
Voz de uno que grita en el desierto:

"Preparen el camino del Señor,
 háganle sendas derechas.”

December 21 – Advent IV

2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 
Luke 1:47-55 (The Magnificat) or Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26
Romans 16:25-27

Luke 1:26-38 – The Annunciation

CHRISTMAS 2008

Auf einmal waren sie von unzähligen Engeln umgeben, die Gott lobten:

»Ehre sei Gott im Himmel! Denn er bringt der Welt Frieden und wendet sich den Menschen in Liebe zu.«

December 24/25 – Christmas Eve/Day

Isaiah 9:2-7 / Isaiah 62:6-12 / Isaiah 52:7-10
Psalm 96 / Psalm 97 / Psalm 98
Titus 2:11-14 / Titus 3:4-7 / Hebrews 1:1-4, (5-12)
Luke 2:1-14, (15-20) / Luke 2:(1-7), 8-20 / John 1:1-14

December 28 - Christmas 1B

Isaiah 61:10 - 62:3
Psalm 148
Galatians 4:4-7
Luke 2:22-40

January 4 – Christmas 2B (or use Epiphany readings below)

Jeremiah 31:7-14 / Sirach 24:1-12
Psalm 147:12-20 / Wisdom of Solomon 10:15-21
Ephesians 1:3-14 
John 1:(1-9), 10-18 

January 6 –Epiphany

Isaiah 60:1-6
Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14
Ephesians 3:1-12
Matthew 2:1-12

Time after Epiphany 2009

January 11 – The Baptism of Our Lord

Genesis 1:1-5

Psalm 29
Acts 19:1-7
Mark 1:4-11

January 18-25 is the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

January 18 - Epiphany 2B (or the Confession of St. Peter, below)

1 Samuel 3:1-10, (11-20)
Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18
1 Corinthians 6:12-20
John 1:43-51

January 18 – The Confession of St. Peter

Acts 4:8-13

Psalm 18:1-6, 16-19
1 Corinthians 10:1-5

Matthew 16:13-19

January 25 – Epiphany 3B (or the Conversion of St. Paul, below)

Jonah 3:1-5, 10 

Psalm 62:5-12
1 Corinthians 7:29-31 

Mark 1:14-20

January 25 – The Conversion of St. Paul

Acts 9:1-22

Psalm 67

Galatians 1:11-24

Luke 21:10-19

February 1 – Epiphany 4B

Deuteronomy 18:15-20

Psalm 111
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Mark 1:21-28

February 8 – Epiphany 5B

Isaiah 40:21-31
Psalm 147:1-11, 20c
1 Corinthians 9:16-23
Mark 1:29-39

February 15 – Epiphany 6B

2 Kings 5:1-14
Psalm 30
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Mark 1:40-45

February 22 – Transfiguration B

2 Kings 2:1-12
Psalm 50:1-6
2 Corinthians 4:3-6
Mark 9:2-9

Lent 2009

February 25 – Ash Wednesday

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 or Isaiah 58:1-12
Psalm 51:1-17
2 Corinthians 5:20b - 6:10
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

March 1 - Lent 1B

Genesis 9:8-17
Psalm 25:1-10
1 Peter 3:18-22 

Mark 1:9-15

March 8 – Lent 2B

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16
Psalm 22:23-31
Romans 4:13-25
Mark 8:31-38 or Mark 9:2-9

March 15 – Lent 3B

Exodus 20:1-17
Psalm 19
1 Corinthians 1:18-25
John 2:13-22

March 22 – Lent 4B

Numbers 21:4-9
Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22
Ephesians 2:1-10
John 3:14-21

March 29 – Lent 5B

Procession with Palms: Mark 11:1-11 (or John 12:12-16)

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Psalm 51:1-12 or Psalm 119:9-16
Hebrews 5:5-10
John 12:20-33

April 5 – Liturgy of the Passion

Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 31:9-16
Philippians 2:5-11
Mark 14:1 - 15:47 or Mark 15:1-39, (40-47)

The Three Days 2009

April 9 – Maundy Thursday

Exodus 12:1-4, (5-10), 11-14
Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 

John 13:1-17, 31b-35

April 10 – Good Friday

Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12  

Psalm 22
Hebrews 10:16-25 or Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
John 18:1 - 19:42

April 12 – The Resurrection of our Lord

Acts 10:34-43 or Isaiah 25:6-9
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
I Corinthians 15:1-11 or Acts 10:34-43
John 20:1-18 or Mark 16:1-8

Looking ahead: 

Ascension – Thursday, May 21 (or move to Sunday, May 24)

Pentecost – May 31

Holy Trinity – June 7

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