Back on the Balcony

After Dancing for 3.5 Months, I Am Above It All Again

Regular readers of this newsletter know that I spent January and February of this year away from my work as pastor of Fairfax Presbyterian Church. With the support of a Reflective Leadership Grant from Leadership Education at Duke Divinity, I was able to travel to a number of places, including the London School of Theology, to reflect on accomplishments, broaden perspectives and discern next steps in ministry.

I also had a great time with my daughter and her fiancé, who live and work in London — a highlight of the trip was seeing “Moulin Rouge” in the West End!

The faculty of Leadership Education gave me a challenge, “Get off the dance floor of your church, and go up to the balcony for a while.” They were convinced that there are things you can see from the balcony that you cannot see from the floor. They were absolutely right, and I returned to my church in March with the conviction that I needed to focus, along with the congregation, on Engagement and Evaluation. After working with leaders and church members for the past 3.5 months, I am back on the balcony for a final month.

Here is what I am seeing, now that I am above it all again:

First, Engagement. Since returning to church, I have been engaged with people one-on-one, as well as through the Hiking Group and Sip N Savor Group, which are part of our “Together Small Groups.” I participated in a church mission trip to Honduras, which has cultivated deep relationships among church members and Honduran partners over the past 20 years. I also re-engaged with the Glebe View Affordable Housing Project, with the goal of beginning construction of these much-needed homes by the end of the calendar year.

Personal engagement is going to be key to the success of this project, especially with business people and developers who have the financial resources to help us cover the cost of site work before construction begins. Along with a Glebe View leader, I met with a retired business owner and asked him to become a partner in the project through a significant gift, one that would create a legacy that his family could enjoy for many years.

I also had several meetings with a local developer who wants to support the project as an investment in affordable housing. These engagements have brought me closer to these community members, as well as to the church members who are deeply involved in the project.

I have also begun to have more personal contacts with members of the church. One of the books I read on sabbatical said that pastors should give extra time and attention to “the heart of the congregation,” the people who make up the church’s faithful leadership core. Warner White, an Episcopal priest, describes them as “that group of parishioners who center in Christ by faithful worship, faithful giving, and faithful support and nurture of one another. They are the heart of the local Body of Christ and he is their center.”

By meeting people for breakfast, lunch or dinner, I’ve made an effort to “listen to the heart.” These meetings have drawn us closer together, and helped me to get a better sense of the direction our church should go. I have tried to reach out to church members whether they support me or not, because I know that I can learn as much from critics as I can from fans.

In fact, I learned from Rabbi Edwin Friedman, an expert in congregational life, that “criticism is a form of pursuit.” Yes, criticism is a form of engagement. Unfortunately, I have found that these members are not always receptive to meetings. But I won’t stop trying.

Next, Evaluation. With the leaders of Fairfax Presbyterian, I have begun a process of evaluating what we are doing, identifying what Christ has in mind for our community, and discovering the role we are playing in God’s story.

One of our guides in Dr. Henry Cloud, a business coach and clinical psychologist, who recommends that we begin a process of pruning. Just as a rosebush cannot reach its full potential without pruning, an organization cannot thrive without pruning. Cloud says that step one “is naming the ‘rose’ — in other words, defining the standard or goal you’re pruning toward.”

This challenge has been accepted by the elders of our church, and the phrase “naming the rose” has become helpful vocabulary in the meetings of our session (church board). A group of elders, staffed by our associate pastor, is beginning to “name the rose” by asking themselves (1) Who are we?; (2) Who are our neighbors?; and (3) Where is God leading us next?

Based on this assessment, we will begin the process of pruning. Such work is especially needed in this post-pandemic season, in which contributions to the church are still below their pre-pandemic levels. One goal that has been identified is to prepare a 3-year budget, so that we can be more strategic about our missions, our ministries and our staffing. There will be some retirements in the next few years that will enable us to make adjustments to our staff in a natural and relatively pain-free way. The goal, says Dr. Cloud, is “defining what the bush is going to look like and pruning everything that is keeping it from realizing that vision.”

So, I have now returned to the balcony for another month of reading, reflecting and writing about engagement and evaluation. I’ll be refreshed by time at our home by the Occoquan River, and also by time in Staunton, Virginia, where my wife is now working as the Director of the Physician Assistant Program at Mary Baldwin University. The river and the mountains should be good for my soul.

I am grateful for the support of my church members during this time of reflection, and I appreciate their enthusiasm for the work that we are challenged to do together. I will share discoveries in this newsletter as I spend time on the balcony, and will continue to do so after I return to the dance floor of Fairfax Presbyterian in mid-July.