Not enough horses to pull all the wagons
The other day I was in a conversation with an elder in one of the Synod’s presbyteries. His concern was, “Are we realistically aligned, in mid-councils, for the future?” He noted the decreasing number of people willing, available, and able to carry on the operation, programs, and mission of the synod and the presbyteries. He asked if the synod needs to realign its presbyteries for a more effective, efficient, and economical functioning. The corollary is, do presbyteries need to realign their congregations for more effective, efficient, and economical functioning?
It was noted that many in the synod, the presbyteries and congregations cannot afford the kind of pastoral and staff services they knew in the past. I responded, “There aren’t enough horses to pull all the wagons.”
I do not know why, but the conversation triggered, in my mind, the image of the great Westward expansion in our nation’s history, the wagons and wagon trains. For some people, they think the image of the great Conestoga wagons winding their way from some place in the Midwest across the great plains to a destination in the far West. In reality, “The Conestoga wagon was far too heavy for westward expansion. Typical farm wagons were merely covered for westward expansion and heavily relied upon along such travel routes as the Great Wagon Road, the Mormon Trail, the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails, covered wagons carried settlers seeking land, gold, and new futures ever further west.” (Wikipedia)
One account told of wagon masters ordering that the wagon, supplies, goods and people should weigh total of no more than one to one and one-half tons. The Conestoga wagons, used primarily in the East, weighed that much before loading. (https://www.britannica.com/technology/prairie-schooner) Have we been trying to move forward in following Jesus using Conestoga wagons which have become more and more of a hinderance? I am thinking of all the structures and programs which seem to have served us well where we were, but are weighing us down in our time and on our current journey.
There are stories about the treasure troves of antiques from the Eastern and Mid-Western states which could be found in second-hand and antique stores, which sprang up in later years, along the trails of the wagon trains. Why were these treasures found there? As one travels Westward from the Mississippi River one is climbing an incline all the way to the Continental Divide. The incline is nearly imperceptible, but will wear down humans, and the animals which were pulling the wagons. It became necessary to lighten the load. Obviously, the first things to be discarded were anything heavy which was not a necessity.
It is a steep climb from where we were a few decades ago as the church journeys forward. Covid-19 and its variants of Delta and Omicron have taken their toll on our morale and energy as surely as various diseases zapped energy, eroded morale, and claimed lives among those on the wagon trains. What do we need to leave along the trail to lighten the load? I suggest the first thing is the insistence on “having it my way.” How many times have we heard complaints about everything from different styles of worship music to the unmet expectations by leadership? That insistence weighs us down as surely has the metal stoves and oak furniture loaded on wagons at the beginning of the journey.
A person said, the other day, “It seems the wheels have come off the church.” That would happen to wagons. Typically, the wagon wheels were made of a wooden hub, wooden spokes, wooden felloes (the round outside circle), and the steal band around the felloes. In a moderately humid climate, moisture would swell the wood, the steel band would stay in place, and there would be some flex in the wooden parts. (Things which are rigid break more easily.) In the more arid climates of the plains and deserts the wood dried, become more brittle, and shrank. This allowed the metal band to come off. It was not uncommon for the wood to break upon hitting a rock, or for the spokes to become dislodged between the hub and the felloes. The wheel literally would come off the wagon. With a broken or dislodged wheel, the wagon was dead in its tracks. The whole train might be stopped until the wheel could be repaired, or the wagon could be pulled out of the way. https://www.joliet86.org/assets/1/6/The_Prairie_Schooner_AKA_the_Covered_Wagon.pdf
Where have the wheels come off the church? I recently heard an executive presbyter urging the presbytery to become more flexible, not to be so stayed in its old traditions and ways of doing things. The executive presbyter encouraged the presbytery to not be afraid of establishing precedents by doing one thing in one situation, and having to do the something different in another similar situation. There are times, many times, when our processes and procedures, our traditions and our doctrines have become dry, rigid, and brittle. There is little flexibility in “we have always done it this way.” Why is 11:00 a.m. on Sunday morning the normal worship time? Most of the members of the church they no longer have to make sure the livestock is fed and watered, or that the cows are milked before gathering for worship. Some members work varying shifts and have to work on Sundays. Why is it necessary to keep a congregation of 10 people barely functioning when there is another congregation of 50 people three miles away (maybe of another denomination), as is often the case in Pennsylvania? Very few people walk to church anymore. Almost all drive, and some drive past the 50-member church to get to their 10-member congregation.
Another adversity faced by those in a wagon train was the death of their draft animals. It was not an uncommon situation for there to be more wagons to be pulled than horses, mules, or oxen available to pull them. Generally, the draft animals were hitched in pairs, sometimes with two or more pair per wagon. Today, there are more leadership, organizational, and programmatic wagons in the church than there are “horses/mules/oxen to pull them.” Yet, consolidation of congregations and presbyteries is resisted even as the number of overall members and continues to decrease. While ministers of Word and sacrament are necessarily “dying under the stress,” according to many reports there are a great number leaving ministry. Congregations often cannot afford to replace those who have sought “greener pastures,” or who have left the vocation. https://churchleaders.com/news/396413-reports-of-an-unsettling-trend-of-pastors-leaving-the-ministry.html
At the presbytery and congregational levels to provide more “horses, mules, and oxen,” a new draft creature has been created in an attempt to fill the void. “Ruling elders commissioned to particular pastoral service (CRE)” now serve with the full responsibility and authority as ministers in congregations and presbyteries. CREs serve with only a fraction of the theological and pragmatic training of ministers. On the whole, CREs are a lot cheaper than installed ministers. There is no obligatory participation in a pension and major medical plan. In many cases, it is like bringing in miniature Belgian draft horses to pull a load intended for a yoke of full-sized Percheron or Babe the Blue Ox. The result is like giving palliative care to a congregation week after week, barely keeping the congregation alive, until the last member dies. Our mission is not to keep congregations alive, but to actively participate in being an exhibition of the kingdom of God.
The Westward travelers used various animals to pull their
wagons: horses, mules and oxen. The horses and mules could travel faster then
the oxen. Oxen, while more plodding, were more reliable. Horses and mules were
more susceptible to wearing down, breaking a leg, starving, and contracting disease.
All the animals required water and feed. “Oxen were slower than mules or horses but were cheaper, survived
on prairie grass better, and had better stamina. Their normal speed of two miles
per hour was a comfortable speed for the thousands who walked along with the
wagons.” Price, speed and reliability were considerations for the travelers. (http://heritage.uen.org/resources/Wcdb79b3effa80.shtml)
The church can no more afford to function as it did in the 1950s or 1960s than we would attempt to make the Westward trek in a covered wagon pulled by horses, mules or oxen. What is the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and over, and expecting different results. The world has changed. The church must change to be able to fulfill its mission, to carry forward its message.
There was an old ditty sung to the tune of Onward Christian Soldiers, “Like a herd of turtles, moves the church of God…” Today one can drive coast to coast in mere days instead of months. One can fly coast to coast in less than a day. One can communicate face-to-face with people all over the world without leaving one’s home. But it took a total Covid shutdown for many congregations to begin offering worship, bible studies, care for the shut-ins through the medium of the internet. Only in the last eighteen months has the church stopped wasting countless hours and dollars with people driving, flying, and overnighting to attend meetings. Thank you Covid. Mission and ministry opportunities can cooperate and respond to critical needs/opportunities in minutes. Yet, there are those voicing a longing to “get back to normal.” Bulletin, bulletin, bulletin, 2019 normal does not exist anymore. The church only has two choices. It can dwell in the past and die, or it can joyfully, boldly, and courageously move into the future (unknown as it may be) to find new life.
What was most loved in the past is precisely what must be let go of to enter the future. The church buildings at the country crossroads or in suburban developments must be repurposed or eliminated. The cozy little clique must expand to welcome the stranger. The funding of mission must be transformed into doing mission. Solemn worship must be revived with exuberant joy. Entering the church and immediately, silently, sitting in the pews must be replaced with the celebration of siblings gathering as if long separated. Funereal worship, as if God has died, must be replaced experiencing the truth that the Word became flesh and dwells among us. Living so as to get into Heaven when we die, must be replaced with living to be co-creators of heaven on earth: caring for the poor, ill, excluded, and suffers from injustice. Governance by insiders must become more participatory and transparent.
There most be a better means of making decisions than months of meetings. While it is important to carefully weigh the costs of a new ministry or mission, leaders need to have the freedom to lead. Three and five year plans are a thing of the past. Clear, simply stated purpose statements with the flexibility to quickly respond to emerging needs become the measure of governance. Purposes seldom change, but the means of fulfilling the purpose change with changing circumstances.
Wagon trails which waited too long to begin their journey would find their way blocked by snow as they tried to make their way through treacherous mountain passes. In such conditions supplies for humans and grass for the animals soon ran out. Being ill-equipped, trapped, and out of supplies was a formula for disaster. Getting started too late made even attempting a detour doubtful of success, witness the Donner party. https://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-should-know-about-the-donner-party.
For whatever reason, getting started in a new direction of mission, ministry or governance can present more path blockages for the church than starting early. Starting too late increases an urgency to hurry to make up for lost time. Undue haste leads to non-calculated risk-taking. Hurrying to catch up, to make up for lost time, leads to inadequate communication, confusion, sloppy preparation, bad decisions, and overtaxing of those pulling the wagons. Starting too late does not provide time to deal with the unexpected along the way.
These are a few lessons to be learned by the church from the Westward expansion by the wagon trains of the past. They are lessons to be well learned by the church in the uncertain journey upon which it is currently embarked. The inertia of the known, comfortable, and fear of the unknown inhibit the realignments needed by congregations, mid-councils and denominations. Today, not tomorrow or next year, is the time to begin the realignments necessary for effective, efficient, and economical future of the church. Anything or anyone which is too much of a burden or resistance must be left behind, as difficult and painful as that maybe.
