The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Illinois and Wisconsin

  STATE OF THE REGION ADDRESS

  Dr. Herb Knudsen, CCIW Regional Minister and President

at the CCIW Sesquicentennial Regional Assembly B November 10-12, 2000 B Champaign, Illinois

  Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth...tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done...that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and rise up and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.@                                                B Psalm 78:1-7

  AThe good leave an inheritance to their children=s children.@
                                                                    B Proverbs 13:22

  Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with  perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith...@                                                B Hebrews 12:1-2a

 

  Throughout the accounts in scripture and life about the wondrous deeds and transformative activities of God, we see humans Awrestling with@ with these divine and mysterious forces about how best to live one=s life.  We are attracted to these lures and commandments, yet frightened by them.  We try them; and, we also resist them.  Why?  Because they call us to change, to grow, to become something new.

C                     In the Hebrew (Old) Testament, we begin with the wonderful story      [Genesis 12 ff] of  Abram being called into a covenant relationship with          God  and having to leave his homeland, to become a 100 year-old father, to       sacrifice that son., to become Athe ancestor of a multitude of nations.@                Abraham struggled, resisted, became receptive, and said, AHere I am, Lord.@  We see that same theme repeated in Isaiah=s call to ministry and throughout all the stories of the prophets.  AHere I am, Lord.@

C                      In the Christian (New) Testament, this wrestling continues and becomes more vivid and important to our faith.  Our Lord and Savior Jesus= response of ANot my will, but Thy  will be done@ is but one powerful witness.  The twelve disciples, the apostles, and the early church, all in their ministries of service -- preaching, teaching, healing B and making disciples of all nations, all witness to the Great Commandment to Alove God with our whole hearts, souls, and minds; and our neighbors as ourselves.@

C                      In the history of the Church and particularly in our own heritage of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), whether it is our founders Alexander Campbell and Barton Stone, or early church leaders like Minister James Pool in 1819 starting the first Christian Church congregation in a Wabash County, Illinois, settlement (known as Barney Prairie) or later in persons like James Gilliland or W.E. Garrison or Nathaniel Haynes or Sarah McCoy Crank and Clara Babcock or Rosa Page Welch or Burrus Dickinson or you or me, we wrestle with God=s calling and claim upon our lives.....to be able to say AHere I am, Lord..  Thy will be done.@

It is a right and good thing -- on this one hundred and fifty year anniversary of our then Christian Churches in Illinois= first official AState Convention@ held in Shelbyville, Illinois -- that we focus a part of our attention on ACelebrating Our Past.@   That historic gathering of some nineteen delegates Afrom local churches, counties, and cooperations@ was the beginning of a process for Christian Church congregations to come together for Amutual assurance and strength, sweet fellowship and great joy,@ but also B and hear this! B a time for a clearer understanding of Scriptural teaching (discerning God=s will for their personal and corporate lives) and for strengthening their active and cooperative missionary and evangelistic work. [pg 89]   Then, as now, was the awareness and conviction that Athe real basis of success of the Disciples of Christ movement is the unending faithful conduct of the life of the congregations.@ [pg. 45]   And yet, we are also aware we do not live in isolation, but in covenant with God and one another; and thus, in cooperative work, we know we are able to achieve far more than we can alone.  We have not always done our cooperative work well, because we are often prone to be more concerned about ourselves and focused on our own maintenance needs, but nevertheless, we stay the course and Arun with perseverance the race that is set before us.@ 

I am eternally grateful for the legacy of our forebears and upon which we build our ministries and mission work today.  We are blessed with this testimonial treasure written by Dorothy Sallee.  I hope these portraits will be a source of joy and inspiration to you in your own spiritual life.  Thank you, Dorothy and to your sources and your editorial committee, for this gift of love to CCIW and our communities of faith.

 Indeed,  we are Asurrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses@ and now we are called to Arun the race set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.@  And what a race it is!  What a time in the history of humankind in which we find ourselves.  It is a good time!  It is not an easy time, but it is a good time B there are significant challenges and wonderful opportunities.  Truly, we stand on the brink of a new day, a new millennia, and we too must ask -- like so many before us -- what is it that God is calling us to be and to do.  What is our vision?  Our mission?  Our organizing principles and our core values?  Our plans for mission and ministry?  What shape will our cooperative work, our congregational life, our personal spiritual journeys take when we to respond AHere I am, Lord.  Thy will be done.@ 

We no longer live in the past -- we celebrate it, we build upon it -- but now, we must be about discerning the ways in which God wants to Aempower our future.@  And so, the remainder of my time will be several ways of responding to just such questions and issues.

A little over thirty months ago I had the Amantle@ of CCIW Regional Minister and President laid upon my shoulders and ministry.  It is certainly not a light one, nor is it though, a burden.  I am grateful my whole ministry has been in this Region, and so I did not have to spend inordinate time learning the names, places, and geography of Illinois-Wisconsin. Thank you very much, but learning the tasks and responsibilities of regional ministry is more than enough.  I can still remember my first Regional Assembly, right here in Champaign B an ecumenical gathering with joint and separate meetings of Disciples, UCC, and Presbyterians B and how one night walking to a worship service, my Regional Minister Jack Reeve introduced me to his wife June as one of his new pastors in Illinois.   I love this Region -- these states, our diverse Disciples congregations, you people.  It continues to be a privilege to be your Regional Pastor, even though the work is often difficult, frequently frustrating, and the administrative tasks seem to be never ending.  And yet, there is also so much for which to be thankful:

We have a tremendous staff B of talented and dedicated clergy and administrative associates.  I could not ask for better people with whom to share this ministry.  And the same true of our elected leaders, committee chairs, and all the persons who serve on them.  As a Region we have been served well by Renee Bridwell as our Moderator, and on your behalf, I express our sincere appreciation for all the good work you have done, Renee.

And, the generosity in outreach stewardship of our congregations, about which we=ll speak some more later.

And, the spiritual gifts and talents, the prayers and concerns for others among our local churches -- their leaders and members B many of which are shared in mission and ministries not just in the local church but beyond. 

Duff and I certainly benefitted greatly from such care this past year with her two major illnesses and hospitalizations.  We thank you from the depths of our hearts for that.  She is getting better B certainly not as fast as we would hope B and so, with reluctance and sadness, has quit her job to devote full-time to rest and recovery.

When I began my regional ministry among you, two things happened..  First, I thought it was important to get out and meet the clergy and key leaders, to gather data about their concerns, needs, and dreams for CCIW.  So in a series of Listening Conferences during September 1998, Chalmer Moore and I traveled around the region for 23 such occasions and met with 443 people.  As you can imagine, we heard and learned a great deal.  My task was then to begin using that data, along with prayer and several other sources of input, to organize our work and shape the directions of my ministry among you.  That was formative, and the primary focus of my Regional Address with you two years ago.

You=ll also recall I had just become a grandfather.  And I spoke of, for whatever reason,  how I became aware of how one begins to look at the world differently.   Many of you resonated with that feeling and reality -- remembering the scriptural admonitions about teaching the next generations about the mighty deeds of God and about leaving a legacy for them.  And one of those deep feelings and concerns I had was whether or not there would be a church for Robert when he was my age.  Those were and are formative dynamics for my current ministry.

Before we get into that, however, first I have some updates for you:

Slide 2 - Remember this one?  Little Robert=s inquisitive look, wondering where I had gone behind the camera.

Slide 3 - He=s much less curious about cameras now; and, in fact,  whenever he sees one, he immediately starts saying ACheese!  Cheese!@  But what also has warmed our hearts is the reality of their getting involved in a church.  A few weeks ago, my son reported coming out of church, Robert said, AI had a really nice day in Sunday School.@  My heart was warmed, and I said, AThank you God for all those wonderful men and women in our churches who teach Sunday School and who volunteer to work with our children and youth.  They are planting such awesome seeds of faith!@

Slide 4 - The curiosity looks now belongs to Robert=s new brother, Michael, born in March of this year. 

Slide 5 -- He too is such a cutey and love-bug, a happy little guy

Slide 6 -- And here's our whole family, on a recent Colorado vacation in the beautiful Rocky Mountains.  This will be our Christmas picture!  Truly, Duff and I feel blessed in life!

Slide 7 B But those two events -- the Listening Conferences and being a grandparent -- were formative in organizing my thinking and ministry around a theme of ACherishing Christ=s Church for our Children=s Children.@

 Slide 8 -- And then, of course, we had to throw in some BHAGs.!

 Slide 9 B In that first Address, I proposed and hoped, as a people of God in CCIW, that we become widely known as:

1.                  A Passionately Spiritual People B who were

C                     Biblically literate

C                     Regular in the practice of the Spiritual Disciplines

C                     Growing in our leadership skills and motivations

C                     Actively reaching out in our evangelism and stewardship witness

2.                  The most Anti-Racist, Pro-Reconciliation Institution in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and in Illinois and Wisconsin.

C                     Accept being one of the Apilot@ regions in our denominational discernment initiative

C                     Train the staff and a team of persons to lead us in this work

3.                  Free of Funding Problems, because of the overwhelmingly generous responses to:

C                     An Aout-of-the-box@ Capital Funds Campaign to raise dollars for both local churches and mission causes beyond.  I threw out a figure of $9.2 million for starting our dreaming!

C                     A stewardship focus and concerted effort in our congregations regarding the AStewardship of Accumulated Resources@ and that members would begin to respond by tithing their estates and leave a legacy to benefit forever the Church they have cherished.  Again, I would proposing a 50/50 vision B half locally and half beyond.

Well, reality and two more years of experience have caused me to want to propose an additional two BHAGs to our focus B

That, as a people of God in CCIW, that we become widely known as:

4.                  Proactively Healthy and Vital Congregations.

C                     So much of our work is reactive to pains and crises that could be avoided with some positive, proactive, preventative efforts. 

C                     In the past biennium, I have worked with 77 congregations (47% of CCIW) as they sought new ministerial leadership.  That=s too much!!  It=s too many for me effectively to work with alone and it=s too disruptive to congregational life and mission.

C                     And then factor into this B nearly one-third were what I term Astressed terminations@ B others might call it firings or angry leave taking.  I say it simply was not healthy for pastor or church.

C                     And in the Listening Conferences, now part of this is the way the question was written, but clearly the # 1 and the # 4 priorities you all felt about the Region was Ahelping Congregations (1) and Ministers (4) when they got in trouble!@

C                     Truth be told: None of us on staff  want to be Aa doctor trying to heal the ill when they are critical or terminal@ nor Aa marriage counselor when the divorce papers are already filed.@   We would much rather be a facilitator in promoting health and vitality so that  pastors and parishes and their relationships would never be ill nor having a need to call upon reactive regional services.

C                     We need health and vitality in our churches, and we need to be proactive about getting it there!

And finally and sadly, shortly after the last Assembly,  Dwight Bailey had to resign from our staff as one of the Clergy Associates to go care for his ailing mother in North Carolina.  Plus Scott was shifting to leadership of  the Capital Campaign.  Any time a person leaves a staff it becomes a Aprime time@ to review program priorities and portfolios, particularly when the operational finances are also becoming scarcer.  We were also gearing up to begin an intensive long range planning process for the Region.  So, the Personnel Committee and the Regional Board wisely decided not to conduct any immediate search processes, but rather to use the option of hiring contract staff during this transitional period. 

In the Listening Conferences, the # 2 priority for Regional work was AYouth Ministries.@  That was not a reality in our staff assignments or work allocations.  So this was a time to test it and here came another BHAG!

We started our search for a contract staff person to do regional youth work.  Literally, out of the sky fell Rev. Christal Williams.  I won=t go into all the story B but we truly believe she is Amanna from heaven.@  God continued to bless us when we searched for other position openings and found John DongGook Roh, Glen Rosborough, and Charles McBride laying in all that gooey morning dew.  Anyway, with Christal I said, AYou=re BHAG number 5!@  At first, her mouth dropped and she didn=t quite know what to say, but then in her own inimitable way, she replied, AA B-what?@

And so, Big Hairy Audacious Goal number 5 came into being:

5.                  The Most Awesome Youth Ministries Program any regional church body or denomination has.  That=s not asking much!

C                     And just look B all the kids who are here at this Assembly, please stand!

C                     And we planning on over 1000 at the Summit event next March!

C                     And the largest Regional group at General Assembly,

C                     and on and on and on

We=re going to shift gears now, and in a more multi-media way, inform you about what has happened and is happening with the BHAGs.

Slide 10 - First, BHAG # 1 -- Passionate Spirituality.  Unfortunately ARM Norma Roberts, who is heading up our new initiative in Discipleship Ministries, was hospitalized this week with some kind of virus that resulted in an inflamed pancreas.  Medications have helped and she is home resting.  But, since she and her Team were so well-prepared, they=re still able to do their presentation now and their workshop this afternoon.

Slide 11 (Dark)            Insert Norma=s Power Point and the Drama Skit here

Slide 12 B BHAG # 2 B Anti-Racism, Pro-Reconciliation   All of the Clergy Staff, except one, and a Steering Committee team of seven persons have completed the national training program, and they have begun their work diligently.  Obviously, the training and work is always on-going.  Unfortunately, 3 of those people have or are relocating to other Regions.  This will always be true B but we=ll need to add more persons to the team and to be trained, particularly some more persons of color.  Listen, if you will, to this video clip and get a sense from two, what they work has meant to them..  Maybe this will be your AHere am I, Lord.  Thy will be done.@

Slide 13 (Dark)

Slide 14 B BHAG # 3 B Free of Funding Problems

Funding is a key issue facing the church B some call it Aa crisis@ (Wuthnow), others Aa meltdown@ (Mead).  The reality is the Church=s work beyond local settings will not be able to sustain itself -- much less larger mission efforts like new church starts -- on the offering plate outreach donations alone.  Why?  Generally because those offerings are not Afirst fruits@ but rather, for lack of a better term, Aleft overs.@  Often church budgets mirror the passions and stewardship of the members B not the tithe or percentages, but rather the Aif I can@ or Awhat I think I can afford after taking care of all my other wants and desires first@attitudes.

 Now, hear me please, I=m not trying to be judgmental here, nor do I despair!  That=s simply part of reality -- but  I also know there=s plenty of financial resources out there to do what God calls us to do!!  And,  I believe with all my heart, that it=s true:  Amoney follows mission@ and Apeople contribute to what they feel a connection, a value, and with which they have a passion.@

That=s our job!  The preeminent religious sociologist Robert Wuthnow [in his book The Crisis in the Churches: Spiritual Malaise, Fiscal Woe.  Oxford University Press, 1997] writes in response to the question AWhy are America=s churches in financial distress?@:

Slide 15 B Distribution of BMF dollar

I don=t have time to speak in depth about all the Basic Mission Funding issues and frustrations.  What we do want to say is thank you to every CCIW congregation for what you share with the whole church. 

For those of you unaware, the BMF outreach dollar is what you donate to the four Special Outreach Offerings at Easter, Pentecost, Thanksgiving, and Christmas plus whatever designated dollars come from congregational outreach budgets and CWFs (who do a remarkable 12% of our total here in CCIW!  Last year, our women were the fourth highest region for BMF donations in the Church!!  Thank you!). 

As you can see by this slide, the largest Regions are asked to provide a higher percentage of their BMF donations to fund the general units, colleges, and seminaries than do the smaller regions.  The problem is not just a Ashrinking pie,@ but that five of the eight large regions remit and retain their monies differently than the other three, and yet we all get back the same percentages.  Some use Areas as an additional means of funding.  What needs to happen is a Aleveling out of the playing field,@ so that all of us are sharing sacrificially and faithfully with more equity.  We=re working on it!  Jack did...Larry did...Pete did...Herb is.  I am currently on a national task force giving serious attention to these issues and dilemmas.  The Regional Board has also directed the Long Range Planning Committee -- as it discerns the next organizational structures related to our Mission and Vision statements -- also to give serious consideration, for a variety of reasons, to the concept of congregationally-funded Area Ministries within this Region.  In your pass out at the door is a listing for the last biennium.  Please give it serious reflection both as to what your congregation has done in supporting the mission work of the church beyond your doorsteps and then pray about ways in which it might grow as you discern your levels of commitment and per capita giving in relation to other congregations across CCIW.  And for all this, we truly do say Athank you!@

Slide 16 B Stewardship of Accumulated Resources

As we seek to resource our clergy and congregations for being good stewards of designated and estate gifts, the plans are exciting.  It is a real privilege to work on these dreams with the Christian Church Foundation (Gary Kidwell and Deborah Knerr).  The Foundation=s President has a Aone question test@ he often poses: AIf your Church receives a bequest of one million dollars, do you need to have a meeting?@   If the answer is Ayes@ then he would say you do not have a good policy and practice in place.  Our dream is to help churches have good promotions and practices  - so much so, that our members, when they give thought to the two of three options they have with their estate planning B family, charity, US government B that they will want to choose their church and make a positive difference with those gifts forever.  2001 will be a landmark year.  Already planned is a major Clergy Institute in November with Fred Craddock as the keynoter and seeking to address for the clergy the spiritual and preaching issues of stewardship as well as workshops on leadership skills for the 21^st century.  Other complementary events will be included for Church trustees and leaders, as well as congregational members in the allied professions.

Slide 17 B Capital Campaign

And, if you think I am excited about everything else, you ain=t heard nothing yet!  Our current Capital Campaign is Aout-of-the starting blocks.@   Another Amanna from heaven@ are ARM Scott Woolridge and Campaign Chair, Past Regional Moderator Chalmer Moore.  Scott has received the best training America has to offer, and he has a passion and a contagious spirit for this work and this campaign.  Chalmer as always is a dedicated worker and chief encourager. 

Slide 18 (dark)             Insert Scott=s campaign highlights and the Video

Slide 19 B BHAG # 4 B Proactively Healthy, Vital Congregations

Group exercise in the room B stand, stretch, now do two things B but listen carefully:

1.                  First, turn and greet your neighbor, but do it in such a way that you are really not interested in them, but in the person beyond them who coming toward you and who is much more important, influential, and with whom you want to connect.

2.                  Okay, now I want you to greet that same person, and do so in a way this time, as if they are a long-lost, best friend or a person for whom you have great affection and that you have not seen in ages.

Wow!  What just happened?  Could you tell the difference?  What was it that I did as the leader up here?  That=s right, I re-directed the energy of the room.  I think that is a key role of a leader!  To discern where an organization or a community of faith are and discern where they need to be and then seek to re-direct the energies/the spirit toward what one ought or needs to be.  That=s what BHAG # 4 is all about B shifting our regional and congregation focus and energy from maintenance to mission; from being stuck, plateaued, floundering, or declining to health and vitality; from being conflicted to being aligned and harmonious around a positive, spiritual, and growth-oriented vision.

Our Long Range Planning Committee has been hard at work this past year in prayer, study, and discernment, and has drafted a Vision, Mission, and Core Values statement we want you to hear and evaluate.  There is a feedback sheet at the end of your pass out packet.  A copy of the draft statements is also there.  Our next steps will be creating the KEY STRATEGIC INITIATIVES and we seek you input there as well.  So what=s the plan?  Let=s check it out.....

Play the Intro score for 2001: A Space Odyssey

Slide 20

Slides 21-30   I=ll talk through the slides.

Slide 31 B Awesome Youth Ministries

We are spending considerable time this weekend celebrating what our forebears have done and the sacrifices and commitments they made which make possible the church we enjoy today.  They are, indeed, a wonderful cloud of witnesses.  And we are going to be there someday as well.  I am a firm believer that all people matter to God -- no matter what size, shape, age, gender, or color you may be B everyone matters to God and is welcome in the Kingdom..

In Psalm 78 the writer to instructing his listeners to Atell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done...that the next generation might know them@ and in Proverbs 13:22 is that wonderful line, AThe good leave an inheritance to their children=s children.@

So what kind of inheritance are we going to leave?  What stories and examples do we tell the coming generations?

I=m a grandparent, so I can tell this story about grandparents.....money, clothes, education, life, church music.

As we think and pray about empowering the future, I think it is important for us who are today=s Aplanters of trees the shade of which we=ll not live to enjoy@ to take a look at and listen to those seeds and young trees.

Slide 32 B Dreams for the Church in 2020