Ministers & Members

 

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Proper 10 / Year A

Jesus said, “Some seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”  ^{Matthew 13:8} 

Several years ago one of my colleagues was distressed.  The church he served was in a fast-growing region of metropolitan DC and the congregation was undergoing a period of significant growth – so significant, in fact, the leadership determined the parish needed to expand its facilities.  Based on the success of a capital campaign, the church decided to take out a $1.5 million loan, believing the monthly mortgage payments would be manageable given their projected increased membership.

A beautiful new church addition was added and everyone was happy with the results.  The growth, however, did not keep up with expectations.  The financial pressure built month after month and various meetings with the bank to find ways to ease the burden failed to produce a scenario the parish could manage.  At one particular clergy gathering my friend was in shock.  It seems the church had just received a letter from the bank calling in the loan. 

We met a month later and I asked him how he was doing.  He told me the church’s leadership held a parish meeting to alert members to the situation.  My friend then reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and took out a check someone had given him just that morning.  It was made out to the church in the amount of $120,000.  The donor had assured him he could help in the future and also committed to give $60,000 to fund an outreach effort the parish was seeking to launch.  That generous person told my friend he and his wife had succeeded in life far beyond what either could ever have dreamt.  Being thankful for their blessings, it was important to them to support various projects which made their community a better place for all.

Of all the things I have said in my sermons over the past 19 years, what I am about to say now has to be the most self-evident, least controversial statement I have ever made... we clergy love having a person in the parish who is willing and able to write a check for $120,000!  Yes, as Jesus said, some seeds produce a hundredfold and by one parishioner sharing a part of his abundance, that faith-community was empowered to produce a spiritual bounty not possible without it.

But listen carefully to what I am about to say next.  We clergy also value the harvests that produce sixtyfold and thirtyfold.  I have yet to hear of a thriving faith community where every single member gives over $100,000.  A generous donation or two sure helps, but it doesn’t get the parish hall set up for the Coffee Hour or the altar reset for next Sunday’s service.  It doesn’t produce someone who will ask you how your aging mother is doing nor does it generate a welcoming smile when the Food Pantry doors open.  For these kinds of things to happen, a parish needs a lot of sixty and thirtyfold people.

One of the most common questions I am asked about St. Paul’s is “How many members does the church have?”  I am never quite sure how to respond, what metric to use, but I am tempted to say, “How many members do we have?  Too many!”  Startled?  The second most common question I am asked is, “Are you the only minister?”  Easier to answer?  Yes, but I am tempted to respond, “No, we have somewhere between 150 to 200.” 

Do you know the different between a minister and a member?  Surely you know it has nothing to do with professional training or ordination.

Members come to church expecting to get something out of it.  Ministers come expecting to give something.

Members sit back and wonder if anyone will speak to them.  Ministers look around and wonder who they can touch for God that day.

Members point out the things the church is not doing or should be doing better.  Ministers muster resources in themselves and in others to respond to the opportunities God presents.

Members are consumers.  Ministers are producers.

Members, even if they are friendly people, are not the kind of ground you want seed to fall on.  Ministers, working in partnership with God, turn seeds into miracles.

So, based on this, how many members would you say we have at St. Paul’s and how many ministers?

A third question I am often asked is “Does the parish have any outreach ministries?”  Again, this is easy enough to answer by listing all the things we do for others and the ways we make our building available to the community.  A better question, but certainly more difficult to quantify, would be, “How does St. Paul’s nurture and encourage its members (ministers?) to make a difference for God once they leave the building and drive off the parking lot.”  This would be an insightful question because there is a reason why the biblical tithe to support God’s work in and through the church is set at 10%.  That leaves 90% of what God’s seed in you produces to be shared with your family, your friends and neighbors, your community, and the world. 

The parable of the Sower and the Seeds with its four different soil conditions, does not describe four different kinds of people.  It describes each one of us, you and me.  Parts of us are easier for God to cultivate and use than others.  Like that field, some parts of us needed to be hoed and made more receptive.  Some parts need a good weeding (and, at my house at least, this is an on-going effort, not a one and done).  You and I, well, we all have our rocky parts which need to be cleared up and cleared away.  And there is something in each of us that is productive, that is willing and able to bear fruit with what God entrusts to us. 

One of the real joys of preparing to retire is receiving from the diocese a lengthy set of questions which is to serve as an exit interview.  It is only a slightly less detailed than the instructions I had for how to write a dissertation for my doctoral program.  Here is what I am thinking of writing:

St. Paul’s has only a few members and many, many ministers.  Some produce a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty, each according to their ability.