Notes from the National Pastor’s Convention 2007

February 14, 2007 | No Comments
Notes from the National Pastor’s Convention 2007

Because of the icy-cold weather, I arrived in San Diego an hour late. I missed the first half of the opening session, but was able to catch McLaren’s keynote session. In it, he encouraged pastors to be a friend to themselves – to treat themselves with the same grace they treat others. Too often, pastors are far more critical to their own self than they would be to others. He gave a host of ways to do this. I was unable to take extensive notes, but his session (along with all other keynotes sessions) is available online and is worth listening to.

Following are summaries of the other sessions I attended. These have been compiled from my notes. They are rough summaries – I have made no attempt to smooth them out. This is a long document, so I will list the sessions below. Click on the title to go directly to the summary. I hope you find something that is helpful – I know I did!


Innovation’s Dirty Little Secret – Larry Osborne

The first workshop I attended was Larry Osborne’s “Innovation’s Dirty Little Secret.” The secret is this: most innovations – even the best and most brilliant – fail! Though we only hear about the innovations that succeed, it is a fact that most fail. Because of this, all innovations should be done on the margins of our current ministry. In other words, they should be introduced without too much press or publicity on the front end. Packaging innovations as “trial balloons” (that is, as experiments) allows innovators to try again if their idea fails. Success then catches people off guard. Also, since most innovations fail, Osborne argued that every innovation should have a clear exit strategy in mind.

There are two reasons that innovation is resisted: (1) perceived loss of preference, and (2) perceived loss of power. In the former, people resist because they are afraid that things will no longer be they way they like it. In the latter, people resist because the innovation is not done in the way that they would choose to do it.

Two things must be remembered in the midst of every innovation: we are creating a new future while protecting the past. This is the reason that most successful innovations come from start-ups. New organizations have only a future to create; they don’t have to protect the past. Those who shout the loudest to “think outside the box” probably never had a box to protect in the first place! Existing organizations and programs have a past to protect. For this reason, whenever possible, innovation should be done at the edge of an organization, or even better, outside existing structures. Because we must create a new future while protecting the past, every organization needs both champions of the future and guardians of the past.

Successful innovators share three key traits: (1) Insight – they mentally model outcomes; (2) Courage – they have great confidence in what remains to be proven, and (3) Flexibility – they roll with the changes, since innovations never quite come into being as one initially envisions. Success always takes one down a different path than one initially planned. Therefore, we should never fall in love with our initial vision, but we should fall in love with the direction. We must never forget that we plan, but God directs our steps (Proverbs 16:9). We are responsible to prepare, but God is responsible for the outcome (Proverbs 21:30-31)

There are two key igniters to innovation: (1) personal passion, and (2) organizational problems. First, in order to weather the storm that change brings, we must have a personal passion for our innovation. We cannot simply be impressed or inspired by a new idea. We must have a passion for it. Second, organizational problems force change. When an old way no longer works, and everyone agrees with this, then change is possible. When people realize that something is broken, they are ready to try something new. Osborne offered this insight: When something is dying in our church, we should not put it on life support. I put it like this: All good things must end.

Four things accelerate innovation: (1) A clear mission and values which give direction to saying no to things that do not meet our vision and values; (2) A bias for action, which separates the dreamers from the doers. Ideas are stopped by asking for further study, having a committee look at something more carefully, and taking a survey. (3) A respected champion. When confronted with change, most people do not ask if something is a good idea. Instead, they want to know who is for the idea. Who is a respected champion that can be attached to the innovation? The champion does not need to “buy in” to the idea – that is, they do not need to completely agree with the innovation, for how can they know what it really is until it exists? Instead they simply need to support the idea. In other words, they give permission by agreeing not to fight the innovator and to allow the new idea to run its course. Innovation is halted by trying to get others to “buy in” to an idea, when really, all that is needed is permission. (4) Finally, planning should be done in pencil since most innovations end up differently than they were conceived. A mid-course correction is often needed since most innovations take on a life of their own.

Four things kill innovation: (1) Past failures kill trust and give power to opponents. Make sure failures are “safe” – on the fringe – and not touted as the next great thing. (2) Surveys. Opinions are not meant to be counted, but to be weighed. In surveys, people answer in light of what they have already seen, not in light of the true innovation. Since they possess no analogy, they have no way to experientially assess the innovation. Also, since surveys are anonymous, the opinions are worthless. Nothing kills innovation like “they” do. “Theys” are the biggest innovation killers. For example, “They wouldn’t be comfortable if we did this. An amorphous “they” is meaningless. (3) Group-think kills innovation. Innovation does not come through groups. The reason is simple: Groups seek harmony, not wisdom. Individuals create; groups critique. Allowing groups to create puts the group at the mercy of the biggest powerbroker in a group – the most angry or stubborn person. (4) Past success: “That’s now how we do it around here!” We must never fall in love with our methodology, no matter how successful it was in the past. We must never confuse our direction with all the details along the way.

Tragically, much about the church is designed to kill innovation.


Zechariah’s Song (Luke 1:67-80) – Eugene Peterson

We pray in the context of creation and redemption. Prayer is “answering speech.” Most people pray, even though they don’t realize it. Eugene told the story of one unchurched woman who stated that she did not prayer, but instead declared, “Sometimes, I wish upwards.” This is enough for a start!

In prayer, we are all beginners. There are no “prayer warriors.” Though we don’t know how to pray, we continue to pray.

Scripture and prayer must go together. As an example, Eugene spoke of how the psalms are rooted in the Torah. He argued that we should both pray set prayers and personal prayers. Praying set prayers rescues the self from the tyranny of impulses and whims. It informs our life with God’s presence.

With this introduction, Eugene opened up Zechariah’s song. The words that had been pent up for nine months now break forth from the womb. His life was informed by the psalms which he had prayed all his life. In the song there are 19 allusions to the Hebrew Bible, 10 of which are from the Psalms.

Eugene invited us to consider the song/prayer as prayed in a position of absolute intimacy. He invited us to picture Zechariah holding the eight-day-old prophet John in his arms as he prayed. The reason: abstraction and over-functionalizing is the death of prayer. The heart of prayer is personal, intimate, relational engagement with God and others. The prayer begins and ends with the Spirit. Zechariah is filled and John grows strong in the Spirit. This is important, because the Spirit of God speaks the living word of God into our lives in a personal, intimate way. Our prayers respond in kind.

In the prayer, Zechariah savors the journey. He doesn’t have to “get to the top of the mountain” quickly.

The first part of the prayer is about God. Ten verbs have God as the subject. Only one verb is about us: we “serve” God all our days. God does ten things in our lives. We do one: we serve.

The second part is about John. Here Eugene emphasized that individuals are not here for the pleasure of parents but to live as prophets – someone who speaks God’s word into the present, preparing the way of the Lord.

The prayer ends with God’s revelation shining into the world, breaking forth in a fresh, new way.

In conclusion, Eugene invited us to insert our name into the prayer where John’s name is mentioned, for we all have something to say in order to prepare the way of the Lord. We live in a world dominated by the verbs of God. And all we have to do is serve. We are like children in Zechariah’s arms – prophets called to prepare the Lord’s way. And we do this as the dayspring of God’s revelation breaks forth into our dark world.


Bringing More Soul into Our Leadership – Ruth Haley Barton

In Survivor it is dangerous to be a leader of a tribe. Why? Because the leader is always the first to get voted off the island. The same holds true in spiritual leadership. It is a dangerous place to be, for it is possible to gain the whole world of ministry success and yet lose one’s soul in the process.

As an antidote against losing our soul, a leader must practice the discipline of solitude. The activities of leadership can be addicting – intoxicating to the ego and providing a great sense of self. Solitude allows a leader to pull away from the world of ministry that provides one’s identity. Tragically, most leaders do not seek the solution of solitude until desperate times make it absolutely necessary.

Many other “coping mechanisms” are available to a leader – adaptive strategies that harden the true self. She used Moses as an example of a leader who was shaped by solitude. Prior to his years in solitude, Moses’ leadership was violent and destructive. It was a glimpse of the destructive power of undisciplined leadership that caused Moses to flee into solitude. Solitude exposes what lurks beneath the surface, and like a shark, what lies below the surface can be devastating. So we better pay attention to it! A starving shepherd devours the sheep.

In solitude, Moses sat down by a well. In the Bible a well often symbolizes the depths of one’s soul. In solitude, he was forced to be honest with himself. He discovered that he was not as good as he thought he was, but that he was more than he thought. Ruth observed that pastors often must maintain an image to match the “idealized projections” that our congregation possesses – what our congregation needs us to be. But we know that we are not really what our congregation perceives us to be. Solitude allows us to say “yes” to who we really are. It opens space for God to meet with the real us.

In solitude, God directed Moses to his true calling. Through solitude, he learned to wait on God. In solitude, he interceded for his people. The purifying moment of Moses’ ministry occurred when he was willing to trade the Promised Land for God’s presence. When God told him to go ahead without the divine presence, Moses said, “If you won’t come, then don’t lead me.”

Moses was not a perfect leader, but it was obvious that he had been with God. His authority came from knowing God in and through solitude. People follow this kind of leader.


21st Century Church – Phyllis Tickle

Phyllis argued that we are midway in the process of the next reformation, which she labeled the Great Emergence. The history of the church demonstrates that great change occurs every 500 years. Five hundred years after Jesus the fall of Rome occurred, concurrent with the beginning of monasticism. In 1054, the Great Schism divided the Western from the Eastern Church. In 1517, the Protestant Reformation began with Luther’s 95 Theses. (By the way, this can be traced backward from Jesus with the Babylonian Captivity and the end of the Judges and the beginning of the Davidic dynasty). If this pattern holds true, we are currently in the midst of another great change.

In times of transition, previous forms lose “pride of place.” They do not cease to exist; they simply lose a majority influence. They are no longer the “consensual illusion.” Also, with each transition, Christianity expands.

The great cry of the Protestant Reformation was sola scriptura (Scripture alone). This was the working premise of Protestantism for the last 500 years. It birthed universities that were originally designed to educate laity so that each person, being one’s own priest, could read the Scriptures for his or her self. It was the basis for rationalism and the Enlightenment. A word-based religion took us into our heads. The spiritual was understood as that which could be articulated. But this is to reduce religion, because it is so much more than words can articulate.

During times of transition, the question always arises: Where is the authority? As an example of the precarious authority of sola scriptura, Phyllis recounted changes in the past few centuries. The Civil War was fought on the basis of sola scriptura and divergent readings on slavery. Both sides believed that the Bible supported their view. Churches split over this. Eventually this struggle was forgotten. Common sense says it is wrong to own human beings. The feminist movement, a strict view of marriage of divorce, and the ordination of women also caused a reevaluation of the teaching of Scripture. The last pressing social issue is homosexuality. The battle over gay is not really the battle over gay, but the battle over authority. Both sides on this issue experience great pain in holding their position, but the stakes are so much higher than lifestyle.

Phyllis concluded with a quadrant chart based on Wolfhart Pannenberg’s prediction of the four divisions of Christianity in the year 2000. The quadrants were divided: (1) Upper Left: Liturgicals whose authority is tradition; (2) Lower Left: Renewalists – charismatics and Pentecostals whose authority is experience; (3) Upper Right: Social Justice, known formerly as the Mainline, and (4) Lower Right: Conservative Evangelicals. She suggested that the fourth quadrant is perhaps the most important, providing a necessary ballast. Each square merges in the center. She drew a circle in the center overlapping all four quadrants to represent this. And each square overlaps a bit with the others. She drew curved lines over the hard edges to represent this. The circle in the middle and curved lines made the shape of a rose. This represents the convergence that is the basis for the Great Emergence. At the four outside corners of the quadrant, she sliced off an edge representing the 7-13% of each quadrant that would drop back and entrench out of fear of the convergence. This represents the foliage that supports the rose. This response has its own value for it keeps things from going too far, too fast. She made one more point using the chart. The upper half emphasizes orthopraxy (right living). The lower half emphasizes orthodoxy (right thinking).

The problem at the center is this: Who or what provides accountability?

She ended by stating that we cannot be afraid of this shift. We must be aware of what is merging. We must recognize the dangerous, yet necessary, questions that this raises. The one thing that distinguishes our present cycle with the previous 500-year cycles is that this is the first shift to occur in the mass media age, so we know exactly what is going on. Therefore, we cannot be fearful or ignorant.


The Dangerous Act of Worship – Mark Labberton

Mark began his session by telling the story of someone who admitted, “I’m looking for something, but I’m not sure it exists.” Overhearing this, another person said, “Aren’t we all!” The world is looking for something, or better, someone, namely God, but they aren’t sure God exists. The church is God’s plan to reveal God to the world.

Mark used the story of Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego to illustrate what’s at stake in our worship. When they are threatened with death if they fail to worship the foreign king, they realize that the true danger is not death in the fiery furnace, but rather, idolatry. The three men are forced to distinguish between the real danger and great danger. They are able to do this because they have shaped their identity through true worship. Because they have lived their identity, they realize that though the danger appears to be the fire, the real danger is idolatry. Because of this, they remain untouched by the king’s rage, aggression, and the fire.

This challenges us to examine ourselves? Can we distinguish the real danger from great danger? Are we clear about what matters the most? Our biggest problem is that we are all candidates for “Idolator’s Anonymous.” Idolatry is the great temptation. Most of us do not amass big idols, but we have a small collection of “Pottery Barn” idols. Idols that are easily-managed and readily-available. We could get rid of them, but they bring us comfort.

Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego understood that they weren’t the center of the story (nor was Nebuchadnezzar or the fire). Unlike many contemporary worshipers, they had not learned to worship themselves tastefully. They were not distracted from what matters most.

The central purpose of worship is to reorder reality in light of what is actually true with the result that we then live in light of it. As such, we must learn to fear what matters most: the dishonor of God. This is different than the way most people live in our world. And, sadly, sometimes secular distortions undermine authentic worship.

Our actions of worship can be shaped by patterns of culture as much as by the heart of God. In our worship, we can be just as narcissistic as the rest of culture. We need to change our perception as a result of a change of heart. Worship brings the ability to see the world differently. Though it is hard to bring God and neighbor, worship and justice together, we must do this in our worship, for they are essential to one another.

Our worship matters to God. God evaluates our worship. Isaiah 1:12-17 proves that worship should transform our character and be demonstrated in justice. Worship is for the sake of the good of our neighbor. We demonstrate that we are worshipping God when our worship produces character like God’s character. When our worship leads to a concern for the poor, needy, oppressed, and forgotten, we possess the heart of God.

Because of this, we must not evaluate worship on whether our feelings were satisfied or our tastes met. Instead we must evaluate worship by the justice it motivates. Read Isaiah 58 for more.

adly, the “worship wars” are not about justice, but rather, they usually focus on issues of aesthetics, taste, style, and form. What matters most – justice – is tragically absent from the discussion. God calls us to a deep worship where we are able to distinguish the greater from the lesser danger. The greatest danger is false worship, for worship is intended to make us a mirror-image of the reality of God’s living presence in the world. Our personal encounter with God pours us out into the world to be evidence of God.

What’s at stake in worship? Everything that matters most!


Leadership Seismic Shifts – Kevin G. Harney

This was my least favorite session, primarily because I expected it to be about making small changes that cumulatively result in a big impact. Kevin began with this emphasis: Our congregations are busy and people’s lives are full. The big challenges preachers give to a congregation are not nearly as effective as calling people to make small changes. Thus, a good leader will identify small doable changes that will make a big impact.

This is all true, but Kevin failed to do this. Every change he suggested was not small, but big. His session could better be identified as reforming all aspects of ministry.

In spite of the misleading quality of his session, there were some highlights. Using Psalm 139:13-16, he encouraged leaders to see themselves as loved by God. Rather than basing our self-esteem on last week’s achievements, sermons, or offerings, we should rest in God’s embrace. We are fearfully and lovingly made. We have been chosen by God and we are celebrated by God. Kevin asked us: “Do you understand that you are loved and valued by God completely aside from how you perform in your ministry?”

He also encouraged leaders to read the Bible for more than ministry to others. We should not simply open the Bible to prepare sermons. We should regularly ask ourselves: “Have I got into the leadership rut of approaching the Bible for others? Or do I approach it as a banquet feast for my life?”

He invited leaders to rediscover the gift of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a gift made for humans. We must receive it. He encouraged leaders to completely step away from ministry for at least one day a week (no cell phone, emails, etc.). God loves the church more than we do. We are not as important as we think.

Since leaders are good talkers, we are often quick-witted and sharp-tongued. We must guard from cynical, sharp, hurtful words and commit to blessing others. Kevin reminded us that it is hard to over-praise people. Most of our parishioners hear “You got to do better.” We can tell them, “I’m so thankful for you.”

Other tips he gave: (1) Be a cheerful giver of all that God has given your church. If God has given your church resources, give away what you have to other ministries. Never hesitate to support other churches. (2) Make a decision to invest in upcoming leaders. Share your life with others. Paul speaks in his Epistle to the Thessalonians of how he has given his very life to others. (3) Don’t get so busy doing church stuff that you have no time to be with those outside the church.


What are Pastors Good For? – Eugene Peterson

Eugene began by reminiscing on how the romantic vision of the church has been replaced with a business model to market religion to consumers. He lamented that the pastoral role has been hurt by running the church as an ecclesiastical business. We must reclaim the view of people as living souls, and not ecclesiastical market-share.

Each pastor is a “soul in the making” in a congregation of “souls in the making.” Thus, each pastor and every congregation is unique. There is no “model” pastor, no “model” congregation. Fellow pastors and congregations are called to be generous companions to one another, not competitors.

The question to ask in regard to guiding a leader’s activities is this: “What is here to be done that if I don’t do it, it won’t be done?” Answering this question involves paying close attention to one’s particular congregation. Much can be missed or misunderstood if we don’t know what to look for?

We must embrace the congregation as a gift to be received, not a problem to be fixed. Pastors have the gift of paying attention to the present congregation and seeking to understand it as an insider. It is a holy congregation – the creation of the Holy Spirit who formed it and continues to form and reform it. The birth of the church (Acts 1-2) parallels the birth of Jesus (Luke 1-2). It is a helpless infant born in poverty. It is brought in by a miracle. It consists of people who were powerless and unimportant. No celebrity endorsed it; the government was oblivious to it. It is a miracle that does not look like a miracle – just like our congregations!

As the cross is a scandal, so the church is a scandal. The comprehension of God’s activities in the church comes slowly. In the words of Emily Dickinson: “Truth must dazzle gradually, or every man grow blind.” The pastor is a witness to the Spirit’s formation of a broken, hobbling community. The pastor is good for taking a long and loving look at the church. He or she sees the body of Christ – sagging breasts and buttocks, skinned knees, toes and all.

We give witness to what we gradually realize. We lead a congregation of embarrassingly ordinary people in and through whom God is present. We give witness to what we ourselves gradually realize: these are the only terms upon which the Holy Spirit forms the church. Romantic, dreamy consumer versions of church interfere with participation in the real thing. Often, the church we want becomes the enemy of the church we have. There is not a single illustration in the New Testament of the church in romantic or consumer terms. There is not a single “successful” congregation in its pages.

A pastor is good for translating the word of God into people’s lives. We are called to make sure the words are lived. We translate by our tone and with our voice the livability of every word of God. If we don’t, who will? Our charge is to get the words of scripture into the language of daily lives. If we are not vigilant, language is separated into the secular and the sacred. The main thing pastors do is insist that the Bible is livable.

A pastor is good for guarding mystery. We are called to cultivate reverent receptivity to mystery – to nurture quiet attentiveness to what we don’t understand. If we drop the ball on this, no one else will pick it up!

This is perhaps our hardest task. We are not comfortable with ignorance. We are not at ease with doing nothing. We like to be in control, to have all the answers, to solve all problems. In our society, it is assumed that if you don’t know something, you are ignorant. Incompetence is the unforgivable sin. But, pastors get paid for not knowing the answers, for not reducing people to problems that cannot be fixed. The two biggest problems that can’t be fixed – death and mourning – remind us regularly that most of the time we can do nothing but be there for our people. We guard the mystery of life we cannot explain and that we cannot fix.


Pastor’s Luncheon – Ruth Haley Barton

The language of spirituality is trendy. The good news is that it is easy to speak of spirituality. The longings are out there. The bad news is that leaders often try to lead people into places they aren’t experiencing themselves.

Protestantism is oriented to the intellect. This makes it difficult to attend to the deeper issues of the soul. Our pace of life also makes this difficult. We are more prone to activism than to contemplation.

What is the most important thing a Christian leader brings to an organization? Is it enough to articulate vision, develop strategies, organize systems, and motivate individuals and teams? The most important thing a leader brings to the church is his or her own transforming self. People are looking for an encounter with Christ and the possibility of deep spiritual change. We cannot take them there unless we are experiencing this ourselves.

Spiritual transformation is the process by which Christ is formed in us – for the glory of God, the abundance of our own lives, and the good of others. Two metaphors illustrate spiritual transformation: a baby in the womb and a caterpillar in a cocoon. Both are wrought with mystery. Leaders have to embrace mystery in their own lives and in the lives of their congregation. We may not be as “in control” as we would like – there is no eight-week course to transformation!

Since there is no silver bullet, what can we do to encourage spiritual transformation? We can create conditions in which transformation can take place. The spiritual disciples (e.g. solitude, silence, prayer, reflection on scripture, self-examination, Sabbath, etc.) are concrete ways that we can create conditions in which spiritual transformation can take place. God brings the transformation itself, but the disciplines provide avenues for this to occur.


Learning from the Sages – Eugene Peterson, Phyllis Tickle, Stuart Briscoe

This bonus seminar was a treat to experience. I sat on the front row and drank in the collective wisdom. The participants answered questions from the audience.

What has sustained you over the years? Peterson: The worshipping community – knowing I’m not alone. The womb in which I’ve lived is a worshiping congregation. Tickle: The drama, symphony, and panorama of the ancient Old Testament narratives. I’m in love with God’s story, and aware that God has a master plan for all things. Briscoe: My international travels that have allowed me to see the whole church, including the suffering church. My friends, some whom I’ve never met and only encountered through their books.

How do you help people make the Bible livable? Peterson: I became fed up with Bible studies as a pastor. People had lots of ideas, but little change. Tickle: I look at the whole thing. I’m disgusted by the sin of unexamined righteousness. But once the story of God has you, it is impossible not to live it. Briscoe: I attempt to provide entry-level opportunities to obedience – obeying God’s big commands in bite-sized chunks.

What is your most important decision as it relates to your life ministry? All participants responded that there was no one decision, but the effectiveness of their ministries arose from cumulative decisions and experiences.

What trends cause you most concern? Peterson: There is a need to give dignity back to pastoral work. The pastoral office is not held to be the most influential place by our society, but it arguably is the most influential place in society. I have devoted my life to giving clarity, passion, and focus to pastoral ministry – and also to eliminating its seductions. Tickle: I’m concerned about the rearing of young, broken families, who need theology to help them live in a climate of religious diversity. I’m concerned that we are entertaining ourselves to death. Our focus on entertainment causes faith to lose substance. Do we know how not to be entertained? Briscoe: I am concerned about the oxymoron of short-term missions. We seem to be doing this more for ourselves than others. I am concerned by two complaints I hear from seniors: inside the church we are marginalized and outside the church we are traumatized.

What about genocide in the Old Testament? Peterson: The story of the Bible is an enormous story. We cannot understand it properly if we isolate one part without taking into account the whole of the Bible’s story. We cannot overemphasize these passages nor can we exclude them without cheapening religion. Tickle: Every religion from the time of its formation goes through a period where religious enthusiasm and certainty leads to aggression toward others. Briscoe: God will make even the wrath of man to praise him.

What is the greatest obstacle to the spread of the Gospel today? Unanimously: a lack of love.

What are some obscure books that we should read? Peterson: Read all of N. T. Wright’s works. Tickle: Praying in Color by McBeth (to be released by Paraclete Press in March) and Paradise Mislaid by Russell. Briscoe: Not the Way it’s Supposed to Be by Platinga and The Cross of Christ by John Stott.

What is your greatest hope for the church? Peterson: The letters of encouragement I received. Tickle: The Emergent Church. Briscoe: That all will be brought under Christ.


Servants and Stewards – Bishop Kenneth Ulmer

Ulmer’s life and perspective in ministry changed in 1994-1995 while studying “servant ecclesiology” under Marie Henry Keen. Her thesis: The primary paradigm for the church and its ministry is the portrait and picture of Jesus as servant. We are saved to be conformed to the image of Christ. What is the essence of that image? “For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.” Paul writes in Galatians: “Serve one another in love.”

This servanthood is revealed in the Upper Room. With no servant present, Jesus washes his disciples’ feet. The suffering aspect of servanthood is revealed in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus chooses to obey in spite of the cost.

What is the irreducible minimum of the Christian life? That we act as servants. Ulmer lamented that the contemporary church has gone far from this portrait. He encouraged us: Whatever else you do – you are called to serve!

Using 1 Corinthians 4:1-2, Ulmer called us to be servants and stewards. As servants, we are under authority. Like one who rows under the deck of the ship – and with the ship representing the church – we are servants whose job is simply to row. From below, we do not determine the direction or destination of the ship. We have a particular position relative to the direction of the ship. Rowers do not face in the direction of the ship. They must trust someone else to guide and direct. They can’t even see where they are going.

Pastors are also stewards. As household managers, we control what we do not own. We possess a delegated authority. The one requirement is that we are faithful. Unlike a servant, a steward is given a high level of trust. Ulmer encouraged us that we are not where we are by accident, but by assignment. We are called to be faithful right where we are, in the set of circumstances in which we find ourselves. It is right here where God expects us to be faithful, in spite of criticism and disappointment.


The Sacramental End of Sex – Lauren Winner

Lauren began by sharing her story. As a single Christian, she believed that God did not care about premarital sex (that sounded so old fashioned), but that God did care about “meaningless” sex. For awhile, her times of confession revolved around sex and prayer. This led to a change.

She began by exposing three evangelical tropes about sex. First she addressed the emotional scare tactic: “If you have premarital sex, you will necessarily feel bad about it.” Sometimes this is true – premarital sex leads to feeling horrible and guilty. But sometimes one wakes up from premarital sex feeling euphoric or neutral. It is not true that we feel terrible every time we disobey God nor is it the case that we feel great every time we obey. Our feelings are often distorted – they are not completely perfect arbiters of what is virtuous and what is vice. This trope understates the reality of sin. We need to recover the wisdom of the Proverbs that help us realize that what often feels great can be destructive.

The second trope: “Men are obsessed with sex and women are disinterested.” In other words, men don’t have emotions and women don’t have sex drives. This doesn’t represent men well. It paints a picture of men so overwhelmed by horniness that they can’t be expected to discipline themselves. It also doesn’t help women. Women aren’t given tools for discipline because it is assumed that they won’t need to. The problem is increased when they marry, for they are then expected to jump from no interest in sex to assuming the role of a hot, sexy wife in marriage. Not only is this trope unhelpful, but it also does not accord with contemporary social science literature. Girls can be sexually aggressive.

The third trope: “Premarital sex is the unforgivable sin.” The two most frequent metaphors used in evangelical literature to describe those who’ve experienced premarital sex are “scars” and “ghosts.” Though our behavior does form us and shape us, these metaphors are too extreme. Yes, if we indulge in premarital sex we will have to unlearn old notions of what sex really is once we are married. Premarital sex has no sense of normalcy. It is different than married sex. Too often, we associate the excitement of sex with the instability of the dating relationship. Yes, premarital sex negatively shapes us, but to say that reforming oneself may be a long process is different than saying that premarital sex will scar an individual forever. Besides, a permanent scar is totally contradictory to the Gospel. Tragically, many evangelicals fear that if they preach restoration and forgiveness that they are giving permission. But God can handle this!

There are better ways to talk about sex. First, we must connect sexual ethics to the basic Christian story – including grace, restoration, and redemption. Second, we must learn how to speak about sex in marriage. Our culture trains us to think that good sex is detached from domesticity, instead of found within it. Articles about spicing up our sex life are always about making it as much like our dating life as possible. On the contrary, good marital sex is sex that is allowed to be ordinary – sex that takes place in the clutter of the domestic realm. Finally, we should view the procreative end of sex as a radical act of hospitality – of welcoming the stranger (that never leaves).

Lauren ended by fielding a few questions: What about marrying late? We must be open to earlier marriages. It is ok to marry young. We must recover a theology of singleness while also giving permission to marry young – because marrying later doesn’t mean you are going to get it “more” right. In regard to waiting, we must pay increased attention in our discipleship to teaching that we do not have to always act on our desires. Embodied spiritual disciplines help us to learn that we don’t always have to act on bodily desires. The single highest predictor for chastity is participation in team sports. This may be because of the high degree of bodily discipline and the presence of a community.

What about living together? Too often we isolate sex. The primary issue is not that a couple is having sex together. The issue is a larger house-keeping question.

What about those who are single again? When one is older, chastity doesn’t necessarily get easier, but the fruits of chastity become more evident. People are often looking for magical answers that will make discipleship less difficult. But sexual purity is a costly piece of discipleship. There is no way for sexual discipleship to be easy or fun!

What about incest? Lauren recommended Velma Still Cooks in the Leeway by Wright as a discussion-starter.

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