I AM NOT BEING FED

I have never understood why some people leave a congregation declaring, “I’m not being fed.” What does that mean? Are things too challenging and the preaching and teaching over their heads? Are the preaching and teaching so simplistic that they do not challenge enough?

How does one understand being fed? What is the responsibility of the person for their own feeding? Is being fed a passive or active experience? One can be fed by a feeding tube. If a person is having ongoing and serious trouble swallowing and can't get enough food or liquids by mouth, a feeding tube may be put directly into the stomach through the abdominal skin. This procedure is called a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG). (http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/feeding-tube-placement) A feeding tube is totally passive. The person, except for the processes in the digestive track, is not actively involved in the process of being fed.

For John Calvin, the first mark by which we may know the true church is Whenever we see the Word of God purely preached and heard” (Institutes, 4.1.9), this is where the true visible church is found. The preacher has the responsibility of presenting the Word in the most honest and faithful way possible. It is a task not to be taken lightly. On the other hand, hearing the preached Word is an awesome responsibility. As the preacher has to spend effort in preparing to preach, the congregation has a responsibility to spend effort in preparation to hear the proclaimed word.

Have the people prepared their hearts, minds and souls to hear the proclamation of the Word? I have seen, and experienced, the mad rush of Sunday mornings of trying to get the children up, dressed, fed, and out the door in time to gather for Sunday school and worship. By the time some folks get to church their morning has been a whirlwind of activity. There has been no time to read the Scriptures for the day, if they are known ahead of arriving, or to center oneself in prayer. When I was a pastor, I was glad to see the fellowship among folks before worship began. My preference was to have the prelude after the call to worship. This was an intentional time for them to quieten and to center themselves for worship.

Preaching and hearing the proclamation of the Word is a two-way communication loop. There is the broadcast (speaking) and there is the receiving (hearing). The preacher is responsible for the quality and content of the broadcast. It has to be in a form appropriate to the congregation. The Apostle faced that struggle. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for solid food. In fact, you are still not ready, 1^st Corinthians 3:2. Sometimes it is necessary to “bottle feed,” or “spoon feed” the congregation.

In order to properly receive the broadcast, the ears, heart and soul of the hears, like a radio, need to be tuned to the proper sending station. Do they arrive in a spirit of expectation of tuning into God? Do they expect the preacher to be the instrument through which God speaks? As the Apostle asks, How then can they call on the One they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? (Romans 10:14)

If one declares, “I am not being fed,” could it be they are refusing to eat?

Cruise Ship or Flotilla?

A friend of mine was once an officer on a nuclear submarine. In an informal conversation with him, about being a submariner, he said something on the order of, “There are two kinds of vessels in the ocean, submarines and targets.”

Just yesterday I was reading an internet story about the WW II marine warfare off the east coast of the United States, and the discovery of sunken ships and U-boats. http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-worldwar/5908. In conjunction I was reading about the launch of the largest cruise ship in the world. http://www.cnbc.com/2016/09/03/worlds-biggest-cruise-ship-sets-sail-features-augmented-reality-and-cirque-du-soleil.html.

My wife and I were able to sail on one of the previously “largest cruise ships,” the Allure of the Seas. https://www.royalcaribbean.co.uk/our-ships/allure-of-the-seas/ I can assure you it is massive. My friend’s comment comes to mind, again, as I think of cruise ships getting bigger and bigger, carrying more passengers and crew members than many small cities across the country. And I remember the Costa Concordia. I wonder about the causalities if, by some act of terrorism or accident, one of these sea faring monstrosities were to go down.

Years ago, the Associate Executive of John Calvin Presbytery, Jim Marlette, asked a session if they were on a cruise ship or a flotilla of smaller ships. On the cruise ship everybody is going in the same direction, at the same speed, to the same destination. A flotilla is made up of several ships, going in the same basic direction, not necessarily at the same speed, nor necessarily arriving at a given destination at the same time. They responded they wanted the congregation to all be on a cruise ship. They feared that if they were a flotilla some might become lost.

Again, my mind goes back to my submariner friend’s comment. A large cruise ship may be able to offer many amenities, but it is also a singularly larger target. A flotilla, made up of several smaller ships, may not offer as many amenities on each ship, but they have greater agility to deal with the changing forces of the sea. A flotilla presents several smaller targets.

Over the years, I have seen several mega-churches go down under their own weight, or due to hidden attack by dark forces in the deep. When the largest of large congregations go down, the casualties are numerous. Seldom can they be righted or even salvaged. To be sure, it is a sad day when a single smaller ship of a flotilla strays off course or goes down. I’ve seen several of those, also.

One of the things about the larger cruise ships is one becomes just another face in the crowd.  One might not have contact with a person other than a chance seating beside each other on deck, and never run into them again. It engenders high individuality rather than a sense of community. In 1972-73 the United Presbyterian Church decided that presbyteries and synods were too small. The result was larger presbyteries and regional synods, rather than state boundaried synods. One of the soon raised complaints was, “I don’t know everybody anymore.” After the 1983 “reunion,” once again, presbyteries and synods were combined. Over the last several years, involving three meetings of the General Assembly and two different commissions the attempt was made to reduce the sixteen synod to eight (amended to 10-12). While various efficiencies were imagined if the super-synods had come about. The one thing which would have been lost, again, would have been a sense of knowing one another.

It seems, even though the latest General Assembly scuttled the idea of super-synods, there are still those who want to insist on reconsidering the structure of the Councils (as Presbyterians now call governing bodies or judicatories). My suggestion is we look to reducing the geographic size of presbyteries and synods to allow for more intimacy and trust which are the fruits of being able to “know everybody.” For the basics of congregational care and oversight, and ministerial care and oversight smaller presbyteries and synods could function better than large presbyteries and synods. For the holding of events and trainings, several presbyteries and/or synods could combine efforts and resources.

The further the more inclusive Councils are from the pews in which members sit, intimacy and trust in those councils are diminished. Increase the trust in the presbyteries and synods and trust in the General Assembly is likely to increase.

Are we all on one of the massive cruise ships which present an impersonal and attractive target, or are we in a flotilla of smaller, more personal, ships where there is a greater opportunity to get to know and trust our shipmates? Maybe, just maybe, the larger geography for the councils of presbyteries and synods, no longer fill the need for which they were created. The trend might be toward larger and larger cruise ships, but whose needs are they meeting? I suggest you read Sue Krummel’s, MUSINGS FROM THE ROAD.

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