Life Cycles

Since I am one who believes strongly that the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, I have spent a great deal of time researching the history of Bellevue First Congregational Church.  I have learned many things and shared much of that with members, staff, and various committees such as the Shaping Our Future team.

Two things stand out: First, clergy over the years have done some pretty stupid stuff.  The reasons for this are complicated and impossible to diagnose fully.  Part of the issue is a chicken and egg question: Is clergy behavior the result of personal failure alone or does it reflect some tension in the entire congregation which makes itself manifest in the clergy?  Related to that is a second important question: Does it matter? 

The impetus for the behavior does not matter so much to me, but the warning from the past does: We are human beings and there is no reason to think that whatever pressure contributed to past clergy error will not be present during our ministry here.  Hence the daily reminder: DON’T DO ANYTHING STUPID!

The second thing that stands out is that the congregation ALWAYS bounces back.  Through one hundred and ten years, regardless of whether the problems were financial, political, theological, or managerial, the congregation didn’t just survive, but eventually thrived.

I share this because I have been reflecting on the recent history of our church.  During the 2006 Christmas season there was great hope; a new pastor had been called to join with the pastor on staff and it was expected that the future would be bright.  But by the Christmas season of 2007 the future had turned bleak, as both pastors had tendered their resignations, long term staff had been released, and uncertainty reigned.  Soon thereafter significant financial irregularities were discovered resulting in criminal prosecution.  It was a dark time.

Now we fast-forward to the Christmas season of 2011 just passed.  Hope again reigns as the church has a full complement of staff, our financial situation is excellent, our church school is growing again, and we are facing wonderful problems like not enough usable space for Christian education and running out of some of the elements for communion!  Once again the light shines through the darkness …

The life cycle of a church is very much like that of any family or community.  There will be good times and there will be bad times; there will be moments of celebration and moments of sorrow.  There will be occasions of incredible courage and brilliant decision making and those of cowardice and failure.

So now we rejoice, for the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.  A new day has dawned with the new year; so let us make the very best of all that has been given to us in this moment.

See you in church,

Kevin