Epworth UMC Transition - Welcome, Questions, and Concerns

Sufficient process seems to be pretty important when it comes to building community and getting through big transitions. In what way does this transition need to be honored, given a space and good listening? One Epworth member suggested: "I think that when process is crappy or transitions aren't honored, that there's a temporary lull when it all seems sweet & lovely . . . and then the crappy process and absent transition starts to bite." Seems like this might be a good thing to address up front. Some folks don't agree with this as a rule, demonstrating a comfort with hierarchical decision-making and silence around transitions, sometimes going so far as to disdain participatory decision-making. This can be a style issue, can arise from bad experiences in the past, and can be a valid perspective. One must acknowledge, however, that many folks not only find it helpful to be directly involved in choosing the leadership in their communities, but stay or go based on the transparency practiced and sincerity of invitations to participate. The people at Epworth who love participatory processes have made only a tiny noise so far about wanting some organized, collective chance to grieve Odette's departure and prepare for someone new.

Entirely independent of the new leader we have yet to meet, the community has an obligation to create a welcoming environment by processing its fears and excitement. The person who will be most pointed at when difficulties and and partial coverage (absence) start to become noticeable will be, in all likelihood, the pastor. We will do him and ourselves a favor if we take responsibility for our own emotional due dilligence.

It may be that churches are in a meta-transition from being denominationally-defined to something more amorphous. Certainly, Epworth is full of folks who are not and never will be cradle-to-grave Methodists. Many members arrived at Epworth because they "church shop," rather than denomination shopping. There are plenty of Epworthians who are not Methodists in the sense of identifying with and embracing the denomination and its characteristics.

It may be that the happy-to-wait-and-see people will object to the process-lovers' needs, or vice versa. Either group might find it easier to just start church-shopping again, rather than deal with real and imagined conflict. Hopefully there is a way through this in which we may come to understand and acknowledge that there are others in the church who do/don't need/want some explicit discussions around all of this without anyone having to go through feeling shamed or attacked, and without things becoming problematic and leading to a comfortless "I told you so."

The new pastor's resume is packed with process skills so let us assume he can take care of himself, will appreciate an honest and open request, and that we should share our concerns. His letter to the congregation mentioned this being like an "arranged marriage." That certainly suggests that he recognizes the lack of process, perhaps on both sides. Let us imagine how we might experience a way through this as Conflict Done Well and extend to each other the sign of peace that is Hope in the presene of fear. There are so many reasons to be excited and hopeful!

These thoughts are compilations and do not reflect the concerns of any single person or group. This may be able to serve as a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) to help Epworth process and look forward to upcoming opportunities with both careful stewardship and joy.

A. Pastoral Presence (part-time to full-time transition) and Care

The current negotiations seem to provide for 50% time for as much as two years. How is that 50% configured? Part of each day? Part of each week? Part of each month? For instance, will the 50% time be "2 weeks here; 2 weeks in NJ"? (Arrive Saturday, stay two weeks through Sunday afternoon yields the "3 Sundays in a row" mentioned at the Sept 16 meeting.) If so, who will steer the ship during those two weeks on the East Coast every month?
Michael's competencies listed on his website include organizational management. What ideas does he have for pastoring a church and managing our organization from 3,000 miles away?
There's some confusion coming out of the Sept 16 meeting. How long does the 50% time period last? Two years (Nov. 1 2014)? One year (Nov. 1 2013)? Until the end of the academic year (June 1 2013)? If the answer is "we don't know" can we get some odds or sense of what is definite vs hoped for vs possible vs impossible?
What has to happen in order for Michael to go full time? Is it simply a matter of a national search for a replacement for him at Drew? Or is there something else? Renae mentioned something about his retirement plan and vesting. Are we waiting for Michael to retire from Drew & Shalom, and then be able to devote his gifts & talents to Epworth full-time?
If there's a 25% person to take care of pastoral care, how do we make connections with someone we'll barely get to know?
Are the days of "I'll meet you at the hospital" over?

B. Our Financial Future

When will the complete details of the proposed negotiated budget/compensation package become universally available?

C. Process

Friends and family in other UMC churches mention that their congregations take a congregational vote when a new pastor is proposed. Someone (Odette?) had indicated this was how Epworth did things. Why do some churches get to have a congregational vote on appointments but other churches do not?
What are the specific plans for helping the congregation through this time of transition?
Is this online summation of questions, and an invitation to respond, the best way forward, or should each question be addressed to Renae and Michael by each individual?
Would it be possible for the district superintendent to put into writing all that she said at the Sept 16 meeting, so that we don't have to go on "I heard" vs "you heard"?

D. Supporting Michael

If Michael were to ask for and receive any particular kind of support, or series of supportive actions, in his first few months, what might those be? What would launch this new experiment in a loving and powerful way?
Michael seems to have a wide range of interests and projects, and a life that involves a lot of travel. Will he feel confined as pastor at Epworth?

E. Vision

At the intro meeting on September 16th, John Schweizer was clear that Michael has a vision for Epworth's growth. What does that look like? Will there be a congregational meeting with Michael where we learn about his theology, approach to pastoring, vision for Epworth, and more?

A note from our new pastor, Michael J. Christensen:

Dear Epworth Family:

I am thrilled to be your new pastor, and believe in my heart, after weeks of spiritual discernment, that "God has ordered our steps" (Proverbs 20:24)--yours, the Bishop's, and mine--in this fascinating appointment process. But let's face it; we're taking the first steps in an "arranged marriage." The Bishop and Cabinet believe we will like each other and come to love each other in time. I think they are right, but it's a preferred reality we anticipate and will grow into.

Given our similar passions and commitments, I think we are a good match. I'm all about building the Beloved Community of Shalom in over a hundred "shalom zones" around the world. I was "witnessing for peace" in Nicaragua way back in 1984 during the Contra-Sandinista conflict, and still have close friends living there. My previous charge conferences were Bethany UMC and Glide Church-both prophetic and reconciling congregations. I am involved in on-going community development work and HIV/AIDS training projects in Uganda and Malawi, and I need a faith community like Epworth to ground me in prayer and worship for the sake of mission. But only time will tell if our match was made in heaven. What is important now is that our Pastor-Parish relationship has begun.

Everything I've heard about you so far I like-your authenticity and commitment to build the Beloved Community in Berkeley, your love and care for each other in the Epworth family, your international friendships in Nicaragua and Africa, your prophetic witness to our own United Methodist Church and the larger world as a reconciling congregation. Knowing just a few of you at this point helps me love you all already. And I can't wait to meet you on October 11-14 when I come to visit.

Thank you Becky Wheat for arranging specific times for me to meet the choir on Thursday, the staff on Friday, and any who want to drop by the church when I am there. And thank you Dianne Rush Woods for being willing to speak with me on Saturday. I also hope to secure a house or apartment that weekend to move into when I arrive on November 1.

In the meantime, let's get started. Dianne suggested we have a Church Council meeting after church on Sunday, October 14, which I think would be a good idea. Advent is coming, and we want to set our theme and schedule. Proposed mission trips and annual Church Retreat dates need to get on our calendars. And there are many questions to answer or suspend long enough to live into.

When my colleagues at Drew ask about you, I tell them "the Epworth Church is an important, prophetic, reconciling congregation with significant local community and international ministries. It has a strong lay leadership team and multiple staff that makes such an assignment possible. I look forward to joining the leadership team while continuing to work with Communities of Shalom internationally. It will be wonderful to come full circle to serve a vital local church in the Cal-Nevada Annual Conference, my home conference, after nearly 20 years at Drew. I am grateful and excited for the opportunity to seek shalom in Berkeley as well as around the world."

After the 20th Anniversary Shalom Summit in Los Angeles next month (to which I hope Epworth will send a representative), I will begin my new appointment with you as Lead Pastor of Epworth Berkeley and Director of Communities of Shalom.

My first Sunday with you will be All Saints Sunday, November 4. Common Lectionary Readings for this day include: Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9, Psalm 24, Rev. 21:1-6 and John 11:32-44. I plan to preach from Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9 on spiritual discernment and the saints. My wife, Rebecca Laird, and daughter Rachel, plan to be with me on that day (Our younger daughter, Megan, is studying abroad this semester in The Hague and cannot be there). We are very excited about our new life and vocation in relation to Epworth.

Let's build the Beloved Community together, in the North Berkeley foothills, and around the world!

Michael J. Christensen

shalommaster@gmail.com

Cell 973-714-0023

from: http://communitiesofshalom.blogspot.com/2012/09/september-16-2012-dear-theo-community-i.html

Drew Announcement of "Yoked" Appointment

September 16, 2012

Dear Theo Community:

I would like you to know that the Rev. Dr. Michael J. Christensen of Drew University will be appointed Senior Pastor of Epworth United Methodist Church in Berkeley, California, beginning November 1, 2012. According to Bishop Warner Brown of the California-Nevada Annual Conference, where Dr. Christensen’s conference membership resides, this pastoral assignment will be a “yoked appointment” with Dr. Christensen’s current appointment as International Director of Communities of Shalom at Drew Theological School.

A “yoked appointment” in The United Methodist Church is a way to describe a Bishop's appointment of an ordained minister to more than one charge, or to two ministries integrally related. In this case, Dr. Christensen’s first charge remains as Director of Communities of Shalom at Drew, and his second charge will be as Senior Pastor of the Epworth Church on a less than full-time basis.

Over the last three months, I have had the opportunity to work creatively with Bishop Brown to facilitate this mid-year appointment for the Epworth Church. This opportunity first surfaced when I attended the Annual Conference Session of the California-Nevada Annual Conference in June and was approached by Bishop Brown to explore such a “yoked appointment” with him.

As many of you know, Dr. Christensen has been at Drew for almost 20 years, first as a doctoral student in the Graduate School, then as a senior administrator and affiliate professor. From 1995-2007 he served as the Director of the Doctor of Ministry program. In 2008 he became the International Director of the Communities of Shalom Initiative, a program of The United Methodist Church now housed at Drew. Dr. Christensen has been the face of the Shalom Initiative and provided the key leadership to grow the program both nationally and internationally since its move to Drew in 2008 (see the recent United Methodist News Service feature on Communities of Shalom: Practicing Shalom for 20 Years .

When Bishop Brown first approached me to explore this opportunity, he expressed not only his strong desire to bring Shalom to his Annual Conference but also his confidence that Dr. Christensen is the right person to lead the Epworth Church at this point in its history. Likewise, Dr. Christensen is opened to such a creative appointment because, in his own words, “the Epworth Church is an important, prophetic, reconciling congregation with significant local community and international ministries. It has a strong lay leadership team and multiple staff that makes it possible to be their lead pastor while continuing to provide leadership of Communities of Shalom internationally.”

Dr. Christensen, Bishop Brown and I have worked out the framework and timing of such a “yoked appointment” that will be mutually beneficial to the Shalom Initiative, the Epworth Church, and Dr. Christensen. Please join me in extending our blessings and best wishes to Dr. Christensen as he begins this next phase of his ministry.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey Kuan

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Kah-Jin Jeffrey Kuan, Ph.D. 關嘉仁博士
Dean and Professor of Hebrew Bible
The Theological School
Drew University
36 Madison Avenue
Madison, NJ 07940
Email: jkuan@drew.edu
Voice: 973-408-3258
Cell: 973-886-4995
Fax: 973-408-3534
Webpage: http://www.drew.edu/theological
"Only a life lived for others is worth living." ~ Albert Einstein

"The church is the church only when it exists for others." ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer