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Believe!  That’s the message Jim Antal (top, 3rd from left), Old South pastor Nancy Taylor (top, 2nd from left), and other clergy were promoting to passersby last October in front of Old South Church in Boston during the Red Sox World Series victory parade. Old South happens to be in Copley Square, right on the parade route.

Excellence:  What and how

by Minister and President Jim Antal

December 2007 / January 2008

The use of the word “excellence” in the context of ministry frequently stirs controversy.  Some years ago, a church I knew well was accustomed to using “excellence” both to describe their aspirations and to describe their programs until a new pastor came.  Such talk made the new pastor more than uncomfortable.  It seemed so self-congratulatory and un-self-critical.  Of the two other ministers on staff, one was neutral about the use of the word “excellence” and the other saw no problem.  By studying diverse approaches, and exchanging views (sometimes from the pulpit) the pastors and the congregation learned a great deal.

When the leaders of the 63 Sustaining Pastoral Excellence programs from across the nation met recently, the coordinator of this Lilly Endowment initiative said that “this word – excellence – has unquestionably been the most contested element of this entire program.”  (A link to this speech and other resources can be found on www.macucc.org/president/index.htm.)

I suspect that clergy and lay leaders throughout the Conference represent a wide range of views when it comes to discussing excellence in ministry.  And this provides us all with a wonderful learning opportunity. 

Wanting to move forward on the Board of Directors’ proposal, “A Still More Excellent Way” (which was passed at the September 29, 2007 Conference Annual Meeting) your Conference staff went on retreat last month.  Among other things we had a good discussion about “excellence” that grew out of our experience as well as drawing upon two written resources. 

In his article “Key Lessons from Sustaining Pastoral Excellence” John Wimmer identifies five lessons that have emerged from the Lilly Endowment studies. Not surprisingly, the Conference is emphasizing, encouraging and resourcing each of these five qualities.

1. Excellent ministry takes place in the context of a flourishing Christian way of life which is nurtured through spiritual practices.
2. Excellent ministry is collegial: it can only be done in the company of others – in community.
3. Excellent ministry is embodied / incarnational.
4. Excellence in ministry has its best chance of gaining sustenance when pastors have the appropriate balance of agency and accountability.
5. Excellent ministry must be properly resourced.  (Did you know that “resource” and “resurrection” have the same root?)

I share these lessons here as a way of encouraging you to read the entire article [see http://www.divinity.duke.edu/programs/spe/articles/200709/lessons.html], and take advantage of opportunities which the Conference is offering.

The other brief reading I would recommend is a sermon by Kenneth Carder based on II Corinthians 4:1-12 and entitled “Frail Vessels and Excellent Treasure.” [see www.divinity.duke.edu/programs/spe/articles/200709/frail.html]  Carder takes quite a different approach.  He suggests that “excellence” is about the treasure of which the congregation is a vessel.  By seeking to carry excellent treasure, the otherwise frail congregation is given life and vitality.  And how do we carry excellent treasure?  By nurturing spiritual practices and disciplines.  Many of us found Carder’s final point to be his most important. He emphasized that an essential practice is maintaining an ongoing friendship with and connection with people who are poor, impoverished, suffering, oppressed, sick, imprisoned, abused and dying.  Following “a still more excellent way” means never distancing ourselves from the least of these among us.

Strategic work

Along with our examination of excellence, your Conference Staff will be focusing each of our monthly meetings on one of several topics.  We anticipate that these discussions will allow us to develop strategies to implement the values articulated in “A Still More Excellent Way.”  In advance of each meeting, we will all read an article or two to help focus our preparation.  (This is something you might consider doing with your church council.) 

Here are the topics we’ve identified: Outcome-based evaluation; Adaptive change; Maximizing the Conference’s traditional revenue sources (Basic Support, Dues); Adult Faith Formation; Leadership Development; Prophetic Witness; Potential new revenue sources; Conference volunteer structure. 

In the coming months and years, I am confident that this strategic work will increase our effectiveness as we seek to nurture local church vitality and the covenant among our churches.

Interfaith relations

Interfaith relations has been on the minds of many of us in the Conference over the past few months.  I have sent out emails to keep our ministers and churches up to date, and the Boston Globe has provided significant coverage in three articles, three Op ed pieces and numerous letters to the editor.  Please note the photo in the national section of this paper of Desmond Tutu and take time to read the companion article in this issue which lifts up many examples of the extensive interfaith work being done by our congregations.