Prayer That Makes a Difference

In chapter eight of You Only Have to Die: Leading Your Congregation to New Life, Jim Harnish focuses on "Prayer That Makes a Difference." It is, from his perspective, "the means by which we feel the pulse of the Spirit of God at work within and through our life together"(p. 91).

It is easy, at least for me, to say that we believe in prayer. It is hard, at least for me, to truly engage in prayer that goes beyond the superficial and routine to "disciplined listening, obedient prayer"(p. 91), and yet that is precisely what is needed.

Harnish reminds us of the truth of Psalm 127:1 that, "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain." That is true not only in the building of the house [of God], but also of the re-building of the house [of God] or the re-visioning the life and work of a congregation. Unless and until we engage in prayer that goes to the heart of the things, we will only engage in an exchange of opinions and be tempted to revert to "the way things have always been."

Harnish lifts up two models of prayer, each coming from the eighteenth chapter of the Gospel of Luke. One is the kind of prayer modeled in "the parable of the importunate widow" (Luke 18:1-8). This kind of prayer is "annoyingly persistent." This kind of prayer does not ever give up!

The other kind of prayer is found in the story of the Pharisee and Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14). In an unexpected reversal of conventional expectations, Jesus praises the tax collector, "who went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted"(Luke 18:14). This kind of prayer"lives with a humble awareness of our need of God's mercy"(p. 103).

Utilizing these perspectives on prayer, Harnish outlines these principles about "living and leading in prayer." They are:

1. Prayer that makes a difference is prayer that is aligned with the redemptive purpose of God. Harnish uses the insights of the New Testament theologian, Walter Wink, who reminds us that people pray, not because of their intellectual understanding of prayer, "but because the struggle in which they are engaged demands it"(p. 98). In other words, "the stress, conflict, and pain of change force [transformational leaders] to move into a deeper place of prayer than they had known before" (p. 98). And then, the very act of praying "draws them into a larger vision of God's redemptive purpose"(p. 98).
   
2. Prayer that makes a difference is prayer that is persistent in seeking. The widow in Jesus' parable had neither time nor the inclination to be politely pious or piously polite. "She was absolutely determined to get what she so desperately needed"(p. 100). I am not sure how persistently we engaged in prayer to see God's guidance in our re-visioning process. We may not have reached a level of such desperation for us truly to engage in this kind of prayer.
   
3. Prayer that makes a difference is prayer that is centered in the love and mercy of God. Drawing on the story of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, Harnish highlights the need for prayer that is based on "a humble awareness of our need of God's mercy"(p. 103). One of the things that has come to characterize the atmosphere at Hyde Park Church is "a gracious acceptance of people the way they are, a nonjudgmental spirit, a sense that people are loved and accepted as they are, that they don't need to put on some sort of artificial religious facade"(p. 103). One of the facets of life at First United Methodist Church appreciated by newcomers is our Litany of Hospitality, which affirms that: "Wherever you are on the journey of faith, wherever you are on your spiritual journey, you are welcome here! In this church, in the presence of God: you can be who you are; you can be any way you are; and you can be loved."

These principles about "living and leading in prayer" have found expression in various ways at Hyde Park Church, including:

• Reducing elected committees "to the bare minimum," and making most decisions "by concensus [sic.] through prayer" rather than taking formal votes.
  
• Learning to depend more fully on God, even though it sometimes feels "like sloshing through a miry bog, with every step slipping and sliding on wet clay"(p. 104).
• Learning to "sing a new song," as they provide worship that truly invites others to Christ, including those who are "spiritually hungry, biblically illiterate, [and] unchurched"(p. 105).
  

In notes for this chapter, Harnish asks several pointed questions:

• How has God been giving you new songs to sing? How is your life of prayer making you more sensitive to the language and rhythm of the people you are called to reach?
• Are you willing for God to send you the people no one else wants? Do you genuinely want God to draw new people into discipleship through your church?
• Is your congregation discovering the joy that comes in obedience? What's the laughter quotient in your church?
• How would you count the ways in which God has multiplied the growth, life, and ministry of your congregation? How has that exponential growth been connected to your congregation's life of prayer?

These are not yet questions that I believe we are ready to answer. They are questions that we need to learn to ask, and to ask God's guidance in answering them in ways that are faithful with our calling and commitment to be the church.

Finding Your Future in Your Past

In chapter seven of You Only Have to Die: Leading Your Congregation to New Life, Jim Harnish invites us to "find our future in our past." He cites the Biblical story of the wise and foolish builder in Matthew 7:24-29 and reminds us of the secular version of the parable of the three little pigs.

The foundation on which we choose to build, simply and obviously, makes a different in the future life of the congregation. Harnish highlights the importance of the lesson he learned in beginning a new church. "The early values, beliefs, convictions, and attitudes become so deeply ingrained in the heart of a congregation that they never really go away"(p. 78).

When Jim Harnish was appointed to Hyde Park United Methodist Church, it was a much different setting. The congregation had been on the same corner for ninety three years, and the church building had been around since 1907. Harnish immediately understood the "stability of the sanctuary" as "as an outward and visible sign of the inward and spiritual strength of the congregation." Any transformation for the church's future needed "to be rooted in our past"(p. 78).

Harnish's comments seem perfectly obvious, but, as he writes, "the terrain of church life in America today is littered with the remains of of well-intended, Spirit-energized visions that crashed and burned because they failed to seriously consider the history and traditions of the congregation"(p. 79).

So what does that mean for us at First United Methodist Church in downtown Hutchinson, KS? How do we take into account the "inward and spiritual strength" of this congregation? For me, it means remembering several of the stories about our founding and history through the years.

There is the story of Rev. Frederick J. Griffith, a Civil War veteran known for his "obstinate faithfulness." He preached the first sermon in Hutchinson on March 10, 1872, and he was responsible for organizing the congregation on July 11, 1872. He was a self-appointed emissary for Rice County, of all places, who valued a commitment to Christ and a call to preach higher than any personal comfort or convenience.

There is the story of the Rev. John Fox, who was the pastor appointed to the church in 18784. He came with the understanding that he was to guide the congregation in building the first structure. The groundbreaking took place on August 17, 1874, but that was during the great grasshopper plague, and Rev. Fox was soon instructed by his Presiding Elder to give up the work. "Undaunted and resolute," he returned to the task the next day, turning his back on both the grasshoppers and his Presiding Elder. Determined to see the work through, Rev. Fox later recounted that thousands of grasshoppers were mixed in with the concrete and became part of the foundation of the new church building.

There is the story of Ralph Murray, who attended worship in the second decade of the twentieth century with his mother and other members of his family. This was after the 1907 building was constructed and in use. Ralph remembers sitting toward the front, with his mother on one side, and his siblings in the row behind. His favorite song was "Brighten the Corner Where You Are." He always wondered who "bright" was and what corner he was in. He sent the church a gift in the amount of $50,000 "in honor and memory" of his mother.

"Finding Our Future in Our Past," however, is something that moves beyond our particular history as a congregation. It means, as Jim Harnish reminds us, "digging farther back into the deep wells of our spiritual and theological traditions"(p. 84). At Hyde Park Church, it meant identifying themselves with "the central core of the Wesleyan tradition while also communicating that we are clear that the family tree of the Christian church is a lot larger than our particular branch of it"(pp. 84-85).

Harnish points out one of the "divine ironies" of the Hyde Park story, i.e., "that the members who have been around the longest are the ones who are the most excited about the future"(p. 86). That happened, Harnish notes, because people were able to give positive answers to four critical questions:

1. Are people's hearts right?
2. Do they believe in the mission?
3. Do they feel secure?
4. Do they still have their place?

Right now, I am not sure how many of these questions we can answer with a positive response. That is part of our challenge and opportunity in "finding our future in our past."

Vision Matters

"Vision Matters" is chapter six in Jim Harnish's book, You Only Have to Die: Leading Your Congregation to New Life. The theme verse is "Where there is no vision, the people perish"(Proverbs 29:18 KJV).

I have long known the verse, and I have long felt the need. But the "vision thing" is really hard for me! I never see things as clearly as I believe that I should. But perhaps, I need to act on what I do see rather than wait for a fully realized vision.

Hyde Park United Methodist Church, according to Jim Harnish, "needed to catch a fresh vision of its mission for the future"(p. 62). At First United Methodist Church, we are no different. Like the Hyde Park congregation, we need to wrestle with questions that go to the heart of our life together:

• Who are we?
• Why are we here?
• What do we believe?
• Who are the people in our community who are not currently committed to Jesus Christ, and what would it take for us to reach them?
• What is God calling us to be and do in this community in the second century of ministry? (p. 62)

Each of these is a challenging question. The one that I suspect will be hardest for us to answer is the one about "people in our community who are not currently committed to Jesus Christ, and what [it] would... take to reach them."

We do not often use language about commitment to Jesus Christ. We might talk about people's commitment to one congregation or another, but we are much less likely to talk about basic matters of faith commitment. Sometimes it is hard enough for us just to move ten feet from our usual place on Sunday mornings and greet someone whose name we either don't know--or at least don't remember!

After acknowledging the danger of anyone trying to do an "end run" around a congregation, Harnish recounts the process by which the Hyde Park United Methodist Church engaged in "a process of study, dialogue, and prayer by which we could define God's mission and vision for our second century of ministry"(p. 63). Their process is different from what we have begun, but there are several similarities.

The process at Hyde Park, as Harnish lines it out, involved several "Vision Steps."

1. Study. This began with a study of the book of Acts and Paul's letter to the Ephesians, and it continued through statements on doctrine and mission in the United Methodist Book of Discipline as well as current studies of church life and ministry.
2. Research. This focused on the demographics of their neighborhood or ministry area where they were called to be in ministry. We are currently involved in a similar process with our Re-Vision Team.
   
3. Observation. This was a series of "best practice" visits to growing congregations that had something in common with Hyde Park Church. There are several such churches within a reasonable driving distance of Hutchinson, and I hope that at least some members of our Re-Vision Team can visit one or two of them.
   
4. Listening. One of the goals of the task force at Hyde Park church was "to listen for the authentic voice of the congregation and to enable our people to listen to each other" (p. 67). This is something that we need to do more effectively. We do not always listen well to one another, and we need to figure out how to do so.
   
5. Dialogue. The task force at Hyde Park Church was deliberately slow-paced in their deliberations, not rushing to judgment. We have a much briefer timeline here, having set ourselves a goal of six months. In an ideal setting, that timeline is too short, but we need to capture and build on the momentum that we have.
   
6. Prayer. This was a growth area for the task force at Hyde Park Church, and it is a growth area for us as well. The good news is that, the longer the task force there worked together, "the deeper the sense of spiritual community became"(p. 69). I trust it will be so for our Re-Vision Team as well.
   
7. Shared Information. This is a critical area of concern for us at First United Methodist Church, just as it was for the people of Hyde Park United Methodist Church. We need to do a better job of assuring the free flow of information in the congregation and giving everybody a chance to be part of the conversation about what we believe to be God's purpose and direction for this church.

As they made their way through this process, unsettling and challenging as it sometimes was, the task force at Hyde Park Church eventually began to be able "to put into words the mission and vision that the Spirit was shaping with us"(p. 70). The mission statement that finally emerged was:

Hyde Park United Methodist Church is a community of people committed to Jesus Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, united in the love of God, and called to make that love real to others..."(p. 71)

There was considerably more to be elaborated, and there was a vision statement to go along with it. The key phrase that emerged, from an unlikely member of the team, was that the church was "called to make [Jesus'] love real to others"(p. 74)

And so a simple phrase--"Making God's Love Real"--became the heart of their life together and has guided the church since. It was a glorious moment, one that I hope to experience in my ministry here at First United Methodist Church!

Harnish concludes this chapter with both modesty and audacity, affirming on the one hand that he has "no idea how the fresh vision of the Spirit might be born in your congregation," but insisting on the other hand that "the same Spirit who brooded over chaos and brought forth creation in Genesis, will bring new creation in ways that are uniquely designed for each congregation. The critical factor is not how it happens, but that it happens and that it happens for your congregation!"(pp. 4-75)

Cardiology Is Not for the Fainthearted

Jim Harnish gets down to the hard work of renewal in "Cardiology Is Not for the Fainthearted," which is chapter five of You Only Have to Die: Leading Your Congregation to New Life. The theme verse for this chapter is essentially "The road is hard that leads to life"(Matthew 7:14).

He has a hunch that "many long-established churches fail to experience the vitality that the New Testament envisions for them simply because they are not willing to face the struggle, feel the pain, or pay the price for new life"(p. 45). He goes on to cite Leighton Ford's observation that "any long-established congregation that gets serious about finding God's mission and vision for its future is headed for . . . 'a collision course with conflict'"(p. 46).

That is not news that any of us are prepared to receive gladly. Nor are we likely to be thrilled with how Jim Harnish describes Hyde Park United Methodist Church in Tampa, Florida, upon his arrival there. It was, he writes, "a warmhearted congregation that had deep appreciation for its past, was foggy about its mission in the present, and lacked a guiding vision for its future"(p. 47).

I am not sure that you could describe First United Methodist Church in Hutchinson with much greater precision. To be sure, we have a sense that we are to be involved with our community, we are thoroughly United Methodist, and we have taken to heart our litany of hospitality that

"Wherever you are on the journey of faith, wherever you are on your spiritual journey, you are welcome here. In this church, in the presence of God, you can be who you are; you can be any way you are; and you can be loved."

Beyond that, our primary goal seems not to do anything that might upset anybody or rock somebody's boat. We place a high value on at least superficial harmony. We may well exemplify Harnish's contention that "as long as a congregation's mission is vague or undefined, people can get along pretty well by pretending that the church is what they believe it to be"(p. 47).

The issue at Hyde Park Church was around two issues--theology and denominational identity. Harnish relates in some detail how he dealt, for better or for worse, with these issues. He includes a summary of the ways in which he really blew it. He tended to take things too personally. He let the critics get to him. He didn't always go to the source of conflict. He shared too much of himself with the staff before he could fully trust them.

On the other hand, there were some places where, by God's grace, he "got it right"(p. 54) He felt the pain when people chose to leave the congregation. He gave up trying to play the critics' game. He turned to his friends. He asked forgiveness. He listened to the "mature saints" with which the church was blessed. He paid attention to the church's history. He tried to keep a sense of humor. He increased the consistency and depth of his personal spiritual disciplines. And, perhaps most importantly, he held on.

Our issues are more nebulous at First United Methodist Church. The primary one seems to be a pattern of longterm decline that seems to resist any and all efforts thus far to turn around the situation. For years, I thought that working harder or speeding things up would inevitably lead us to turn the corner. But that has not been the case.

Along the way, I have made my share of mistakes. They include:

1. Assuming when I first arrived that people knew what they were doing.
2. Trusting people who said they had the best interests of the church at heart.
3. Believing that things would get better, if I just waited long enough or worked hard enough.
4. Not identifying my own expectations or assumptions clearly--either to myself or to others (especially to staff).
5. Hoping for the best without doing anything differently.
6. Wanting to avoid--or at least to postpone--conflict.

On the other hand, there are some things that, by God's grace, I think that I am getting things right.

1. Learning to say what I think and believe.
2. Feeling the pain of others' actions and attitudes, including painful departures.
3. Using a sense of humor in helpful and healthy ways.
4. Being active in colleague groups--both for learning and support.
5. Letting people experience failure and disappointment without accepting it for them.
   
6. Discovering that I have value in who I am--regardless of others' expectations of me.
7. Asking forgiveness.
   
8. Hanging in and hanging on.

With God's grace, there may yet be other ways in which I am getting it right!

Congregational cardiology, Harnish concludes at the close of this chapter "is not for fainthearted pastors or lay leaders who are only interested in maintenance ministry"(p. 59). If God is truly calling a congregation to transformation, Harnish contends, you can count on four things:

1. There will be conflict.
2. You will make mistakes.
3. God's grace will be sufficient for you, and God's strength can be at work through your weakness.
4. When the transformation happens, it will be more than worth the price you paid! (p. 59)
   

As we re-vision the purpose and direction of First United Methodist Church, we need to be clear about what the process will involve.