A Crisis of Call

The recent ordination of Adam Wirrig reminded me of a conversation that a group of clergy, and other church leaders, had at this past year's General Synod meeting, held in Long Beach, California. It began as a casual gathering that followed the day's planned agenda.

The question was this: What is the greatest challenge that United Church of Christ congregations face as we seek to make transition from a traditional to a progressive church model?

Before tracing the course of the conversation, and before sharing possible outcomes, let me first write a few lines about the basic assumption. The question itself assumes that local UCC congregations will have to make transition from traditional to progressive church models. It implies that each level of the denomination, inclusive of the local church, will have to retool. If any level should fail to do so, it is likely to disappear. This includes local congregations. Historians among us can now discern in the cultural patterns around and within the Church universal the kind of seismic shift that we have learned to expect every 500 or so years. It is inevitable. It is evolutionary. Despite the best efforts of those in the right wing religious movements around the world and throughout religious traditions, it will not be stopped. The world has changed, is changing, and will change yet. In order for religious traditions to remain relevant to our culture, they will have to change as well.

Each of us involved in the conversation shared the basic assumption, to one degree or another. So, we asked, what are the major challenges that the church faces as we make such transition? Love of traditional behaviors and beliefs was mentioned. Fear of the unknown was a contender for the greatest challenge, as were lack of participants, lack of dollars and a general malaise that seems to have closed over our congregations over the course of the past several decades. We are feeling defeated, as if we are doing something wrongly. The Church is no longer popular. It is no longer at the core of cultural and societal consideration. Fewer and fewer take part. Less and less financial power underlies our messages and supports out crumbling facilities.

Where did we go wrong? What mistakes led to this crisis? Whom can we blame?

One person, who sat rather on the periphery of the conversation, had not said a word. When she finally spoke, however, she seemed to sum up the crisis of the religious world. "Maybe," she said, "There is a crisis of call in our congregations that keeps us from doing anything about the situation. Maybe we should work on helping people understand their empowerment and their call to service and ministry."

Silence ensued, each of us lost in thought as we considered the simple brilliance of what she had said. Maybe there is a crisis of calling that keeps the Church from engaging in the mission and ministry to which it is called. Maybe we need to work on the core issues of empowerment, call and vocation. Brilliant!

As we wrote Adam's ordination service, then, the main effort was to create a service that invited every person in attendance to feel a sense of his or her own calling.Ordination was about Adam that day, but calling and ministry belongs to each of us every day. So, at the end of the service, when the Discovery Team sang "Go Light Your World," the candle of call and ministry was passed to each of us, to all of us. Adam led the way into the world, but we each went forth, bearing our own light.

Undoing the crisis of call in our congregations is perhaps the most powerful means by which we might make transition to the church that will become. Maybe this is the spiritual evolution to which our culture is bringing us. If so, thanks be to God.