VOLUME 19, Issue 2

MARCH 2007

By Michael Rehak
Associate with the Bishop for Congregational Health
michaelr@scsw-elca.org

True confessions ... Sometimes I eat far too many potato chips (the extra thick, greasy, kettle variety) and a Pepsi and call it lunch, or a big bowl of really real buttered popcorn for my dinner. The doctor is right; I would be healthier with a more balanced diet.

I wonder, “Would your congregation be healthier with a more balanced spiritual diet?” Do you overindulge in worship? Is a focus on worship actually encouraging congregations to become more spiritually unhealthy?

Much of our corporate identity and self-worth is related to average worship attendance. Our evangelism and outreach efforts are geared toward getting more people in the pews. But is our focus on worship truly a desire to have more people glorify God, or do we simply want new people to put something in the plate (as long as they are NOT sitting in my pew)? We’re convinced our focus is worship, but in too many congregations little attention is given to preparing worship. Might the God of Creation be numbed, even offended, by uninspiring, ill-prepared routine and rigidity?

While focusing on worship, we have neglected to acknowledge that other aspects of congregational life contribute to spiritual health. We think of the spirituality of worship, but don’t consider education or fellowship, serving others or the stewardship of our time and talents as spiritual. In reality, it can be a spiritual high for some on Saturday to prepare Sunday’s communion, or to be in a book study group, or to go on a mission trip, or to cook for the community-wide Thanksgiving dinner, or to mow the lawn at God’s house. A balanced spiritual diet is oh-so-much-more than one hour on Sunday.

The New Testament Church knew that worship (leitourgia) was important, but equally adult education (didache), service to others (diakonia), witness (kerygma), stewardship (charisma) and fellowship (koinonia).

A congregation whose primary diet is worship, without a dietary balance of:
                   Adult Education
                   Service to others
                   Stewardship
                   Fellowship—caring for each other
                   Evangelism—sharing the Good news

will result in attitudes of:
                   Self-delusion and rigidity
                   Self-centeredness
                   Self-inflation and selfishness
                   Self-absorption and isolation
                   Self-serving and becomes self-defeating

The number of congregations that have maximized their line of credit at the bank has reached epidemic proportions. The church is not healthy because there is insufficient spiritual balance in the diet of most of our congregations. Does the congregation council spend more time counting all the money that is not there, or in trying to discern how to increase the spiritual health of the congregation?

The bad news, which Lutherans with paradoxical vision understand can be at the same time good news, is that simply giving more money does not help achieve greater health. At some point we need to commit ourselves to the hard work and practice of having a healthier, more balanced, spiritual diet. The Good News is that it is God’s Church, the Body of Christ. As members of that body God’s grace empowers us to move toward greater spiritual health.

To which of the aspects of a balanced spiritual life do you need to give attention? Which of the above unhealthy attitudes is most present in your life? Who might you invite into a mutual quest for spiritual health?

“Go your way, your faith has made you well.”

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Volume 19, Issue 2	MARCH 2007
	The South-Central
	Click here to Printer Friendly Version

“Day of Grace” to focus on environment
Dr. David Rhoads, professor of New Testament at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, will speak on “Restoring the Earth: The Great Work of Our Time” during the Day of Grace on Sunday, March 4, at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in Wauwatosa. An enthusiastic environmentalist, Rhoads is uniquely qualified to discuss this subject. He is advisor to the seminary’s Green Zone Committee and helped initiate “The Web of Creation,” an online environmental service for congregations. Widely published, Rhoads is the author of several books including, “Mark as Story: An Introduction to the Narrative of a Gospel.” On March 4, Rhoads will speak at the 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. worship services at St. Matthew’s. Between services, at 9:45 a.m., he will host an informal discussion on environmental ministry. From 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., Rhoads will host an in-depth discussion on the enormous ecological stresses facing the planet and how people of faith should respond to them. Registration for the afternoon event is $10. Child care is available at a nominal charge. “Day of Grace: Commentary and Conversations About Faith” is an annual event at St. Matthew’s. Each year, the church invites a nationally recognized speaker to address current topics of religious interest. For more information or to register for the afternoon session, contact Pastor Gary Erickson at (414) 774-0441. Learn more at www.stmattslutheran.org.
The South-Central is published electronically 10-12 times per year by the South-Central Synod of Wisconsin, ELCA, 2909 Landmark Place, Suite 202, Madison, WI 53713. Submit all articles and inserts by the 15th of the month preceding publication to address above, or send via e-mail to the editor at debra_greene@sbcglobal.net. For more information about inserts, call the Synod Office at (608) 270-0201. Visit the synod’s Web site at http://www.scsw-elca.org.
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PAGE 10	MARCH 2007
Healthy churches, naturally
To maintain our physical and emotional health as individuals, we have regular physical check-ups with follow-up adjustments in lifestyle and treatments. But we often neglect to have an assessment of the health of our congregation with specific, targeted plans for improving the health of the Body of Christ. Natural Church Development (NCD) is a process for assessing the health of the congregation in eight key areas: empowering leadership, gift-oriented ministry, passionate spirituality, functional structures, inspiring worship, holistic small groups, need-oriented evangelism and loving relationships. After an initial assessment, a “health team” focuses on one of the key areas to explore ways to strengthen the muscles, tendons and bones in that part of the body of Christ. Guidance and encouragement for the health team is provided by a trained NCD coach who is a member of a different congregation. Natural Church Development is a world-wide approach based on extensive research into growing churches; it has been used by thousands of churches to organically develop healthy congregational life. The ELCA has embraced NCD as a long-term renewal and development process for ELCA churches (a “process” rather than another short-term “program”). Synod congregations currently involved in NCD include: Shepherd of the Hills, New Glarus; Grace, Dodgeville; Our Savior’s, Beloit; and Trinity, Pell Lake. The SCSW Outreach Committee endorses and supports NCD as a proven process for developing stronger, more vital congregations equipped to make new disciples for Christ. We are seeking additional churches to join this journey! For more information contact Rolfe Nervig, Assistant for Outreach and Stewardship, at rolfen@scsw-elca.org or 608-270-0201, ext. 106.
HEIN-FRY LECTURES IN CHICAGO
On March 16 at 9:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., Donald Hagner, George Eldon Ladd Professor of New Testament at Fuller Seminary, Pasadena, Calif., will deliver the 2007 Hein-Fry Lectures at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. This year’s theme is “The State of the Bible in North America.” Ralph Klein, Christ Seminary-Seminex Professor of Old Testament at LSTC, will respond to the lectures at 2:30 p.m. A 3:30 p.m. reception follows. The day’s events are free and open to the public. Hagner, an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A., teaches courses in New Testament and New Testament theology. His published works include commentaries on the Epistle to the Hebrews and Matthew, The Jewish Reclamation of Jesus, and New Testament Exegesis and Research: A Guide for Seminarians. He is the co-editor of the New International Greek Testament Commentary. He received the Golden Award from the Christian Booksellers for the Best Commentary in 1995. Klein joined the LSTC faculty as part of the deployment of Christ Seminary-Seminex in 1983 and served as dean of the seminary from 1988-1999. In 2006 he published 1 Chronicles in the prestigious Hermeneia Commentary Series of Fortress Press. Since 1974 Klein has edited Currents in Theology and Mission, a journal published six times a year by LSTC. His web site, The Old Testament and the Ancient Near East (http://prophetess.lstc.edu/~rklein/) has more than 20,000 hyperlinks to other sites and provides access to electronic copies of many of Klein’s own essays. The annual Hein-Fry Lecture Series offers free lectures to the public at each of the ELCA seminaries on pressing theological issues facing the church. The goals of the lectures are to foster original scholarship; encourage broad dialogue throughout the church on a theological topic; and to give seminary faculty, students, clergy, church leaders and other interested persons access to leading theologians. Learn more about the series at www.lstc.edu or www.elca.org/heinfry/2007/
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PAGE 11	MARCH 2007
Film on forgiveness coming soon to Verona
A special film on forgiveness is coming to St. James Lutheran Church, Verona, on Thursday, March 22, at 7:00 p.m. “The Power of Forgiveness” is a 60-minute documentary from Journey Films that takes an honest look at the intensity of anger and grief that human nature is heir to. It is a character-driven study, delivered in high-definition format, combining stories of the most dramatic transgressions imaginable with ordinary complaints more familiar to most viewers. Combining intimate, emotional, up-close-and-personal storytelling with torn-from-the-headlines footage of 9/11, Beirut and Belfast, it looks at the role forgiveness can play in alleviating anger and grief, and at the physical and mental benefits that come with forgiveness. Just as revealing are the stories of people who cannot forgive, who cannot find relief. Interviewees include such nationally-recognized voices as Nobel Peace Laureate Elie Wiesel, Buddhist Teacher and author Thich Nhat Hanh, author Marianne Williamson (“The Gift of Change”), Fred Luskin (“Forgive for Good”), Thomas Moore (“Care of the Soul”) and Bob Enright (“Forgiveness is a Choice”). Mark your calendars now for this special event. For more information, call St. James Lutheran at 608-845-6922.
Synod calendar
March 1-6 Bishop Carlson at Conference of Bishops March 6 Stewardship & Resource Ministry Team, Synod Office, 9 a.m. March 8 Shaping Future Leaders Day, McFarland Lutheran, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. March 9-10 Certification School March 10 Ventures Workshop March 13 Interims, Synod Office, 1:15 p.m. March 15 Youth Workers, Synod Office, 10 a.m. to noon March 20 First call pastors, Luther Memorial, Madison, 1 p.m. March 23 Candidacy Committee, Synod Office March 24 Skills for Building Faithful Inclusive Community, Bethel Lutheran, Madison, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. March 25 Bishop’s Election Forum & Pre-Assembly meeting, Grace Lutheran, Dodgeville, 2 p.m. April 6 Good Friday/Office Closed April 9 Easter Monday/Office Closed April 15 Bishop’s Election Forum & Pre-Assembly meeting, St. Stephan’s Lutheran, Monona, 2 p.m. April 16 Ventures Workshop April 19 Youth Workers, Synod Office, 10 a.m. to noon April 20 CCL Steering Committee, Synod Office April 20-21 Certification School Reunion Weekend April 21 Tex Sample Workshop, Bethel Horizons, Dodgeville April 26 Cluster Conveners, Synod Office, 1 p.m.; Synod Council, Synod Office, 5:30 p.m. May 3-5 Synod Assembly, Madison Marriot West
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PAGE 12	MARCH 2007
Energy collaborative makes a difference
Participating in an Energy Collaborative planted the seed for other care of creation options at McFarland Lutheran Church, a congregation of about 2,000 in McFarland, just south of Madison. Now MLC has sprouted an eight-member Care of Creation Ministry Team that is planning to start a congregational garden, hold an Earth Day emphasis and host a rain barrel potluck this spring. The group’s long-range plans include prairie restoration and a rain garden on church grounds. It all started in the spring of 2004 when MLC joined an Energy Collaborative with nine other congregations in southern Wisconsin. During the next year, they met to share information and support each other’s efforts in learning new ways to conserve energy within their congregations. They completed an energy audit with Focus on Energy and, acting on the recommendations, retrofitted some of the lighting in the sanctuary, replacing 100-watt and 150-watt lamps with 42-watt compact fluorescent lamps. That change alone uses 55 to 85 percent less energy. They also replaced some other sanctuary lighting and repaired rotted window sills that were leaking air. The council also approved several other lighting changes such as installing LED (light emitting diode) bulbs in all Exit lamps throughout the building. (LEDs last approximately 30 years and use only a fraction of the energy that conventional exit signs do. A typical LED exit light retrofit pays for itself within four years.) The biggest change was that people who are interested in energy conservation began “coming out of the woodwork.” Feeling an urgency in raising awareness of environmental and care of creation issues, a group of interested individuals began meeting last spring. One of the Care of Creation team’s goals was to reduce the amount of grass that gets mowed during the summer months. Some of the members visited Advent Lutheran/Madison Christian Community on Old Sauk Rd. in Madison and were impressed with their community garden. Back in McFarland the Care of Creation team met with Wes Licht, a former Madison teacher and naturalist. They began formulating long-range plans to start a prairie restoration area. When the Boy Scout troop that meets in the church found out about plans to put in a rain garden, one of the Scouts included it in his plans for an Eagle Scout project. Six families have indicated an interest in renting a 12 x 12-foot garden plot behind the church this spring and the team is talking with Child Life Ministries, the preschool and after school care facility that shares space in the building, about learning opportunities in the garden and prairie restoration. On Earth Day the team will provide tree seedlings for the congregation to plant and hold a sign-up for a Care of Creation event the following weekend. The event will include the rain barrel potluck and other intergenerational activities such as making a bat house, a butterfly house or a bird feeder. For more information about Energy Collaboratives or Care of Creation resources, call Meg Nielsen, AIM, at 608-838-3184, ext. 109.
Martin Marty to speak in Madison
The newly-founded Lubar Institute for the Study of the Abrahamic Religions at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will hold its annual conference April 12-14 and all are invited. The theme of the conference is “Religious Pluralism in Modern America.” Among other presenters at the conference, Martin Marty, Fairfax M. Cone Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus, University of Chicago, will speak on “Why We Can’t All Just Get Along: And Why Getting Along Alone Is Not Enough.” His lecture—free and open to the public—takes place at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 12. To learn more, call 608-263-1821, e-mail LISAR@mailplus.wisc.edu or visit http://lisar.lss.wisc.edu/events/pluralism.html
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*The information and articles in this newsletter may be reproduced in congregational newsletters unless otherwise indicated.*

Bishop’s election process update