Sermon - Tarrytown United Methodist Church

Laity Sunday

Jim Morriss, Chairman
TUMC Staff/Parish Relations Committee

June 11, 2006

Today marks the beginning of the transition to new leadership of Tarrytown UMC. For those who may be visiting for the first time this morning (and for those members who may have been on another planet for the past few months), let me explain that next Sunday our new senior pastor, Dr. Robert Hall, will occupy this pulpit for the first time after being formally appointed yesterday by Bishop Joel Martinez at the Southwest Texas Annual Conference in Corpus Christi. Of course, we’ve known for some time now that was going to happen and now it’s official.

Today also marks another change in a long-standing tradition. For many years, this day – the Sunday immediately following the close of Annual Conference – has been observed as Laity Sunday and, for more years than anyone can remember, Wayne Danielson has filled the pulpit on this occasion. When I was asked to be the lay speaker this year, my first reaction was to ask (compassionately, if perhaps irreverently) if Wayne had died and I had missed the news. I was happy to learn that was not the case; it’s just that Wayne has retired and moved to Fredericksburg. (It will be interesting to hear how that Minnesota Swede makes out in German country.) Let me be quick to assure you that my filling this role today does NOT signal the beginning of a new tradition. I’m here primarily because I have been chairman of the Staff/Parish Relations Committee for the past two years and, along with a very involved, dedicated committee, have been dealing with this rather special circumstance of receiving a new senior pastor after having the same one for 18 years.

What I would like to say this morning hardly qualifies as a sermon and doesn’t even come close to Wayne’s always thoughtful messages. It is, however, something worthy of our attention and having the opportunity to discuss it in three worship services offers a good means of communication with those who will be most involved in the process of welcoming our new pastor and his wife. It’s far better communication than putting an article in The Chimes because experience shows that only half of us read half of The Chimes half of the time.

First of all, let me say that we (the committee and the whole congregation) put a considerable amount of time and energy in saying goodbye to Jim and Rita Mayfield and most of you participated. We know directly from them that our goal was accomplished: they felt loved and appreciated. It was fun, but now it’s done and they’re gone. Jim himself said it best and very appropriately when he told the celebration gathering on April 30 that, after June 11 (that’s today),” I no longer will be your pastor, so don’t call me. I’ll be your friend, but not your pastor. I won’t come back to baptize or marry your children or bury your loved ones. I’ll attend the wedding or the funeral as your friend, but I won’t be your pastor anymore.” With that candor, Jim helped us understand the way it has to be.

The pertinent point for us to consider now is this: We have said our goodbyes to Jim and Rita with a lot of poignant enthusiasm; now it is incumbent upon us to welcome Robert and Carol with equal enthusiasm. Nothing less will be adequate. It implies that, apart from a warm handshake and “we’re glad you’re here,” we must not sit back and passively wait to see how we like him and virtually challenge him to impress us with his sermons. As one young member of our congregation said, “If all there is to your life in this church is what is said from the pulpit in fifteen minutes on Sunday morning, then you need to get a life.” Of course, we know that he meant that there is so much more to being a member of this community of faith than just what we think of the preacher. Nothing matures us as Christians so effectively as fully sharing in the common life of Christian fellowship.

This is my church home no matter who the preacher is. Annette and I have been members here under the leadership of 11 of the 12 pastors who have served Tarrytown in the 60 years since its founding. (And I knew the founding pastor after he retired and came back to Tarrytown.) All of them have made a significant contribution to the development of this church. Some of them stayed here until it was time for them to move up the career ladder and there was an opening in the conference for them to do so; some asked to be moved from here because it wasn’t a good fit for them or us; some had to leave for reasons we won’t discuss; and some were asked to be moved because things weren’t working out well.

This time we have had the fairly rare experience in Methodism of having had our pastor reappointed each year at our request for 18 years. While that kind of tenure is not unheard of, it is the exception rather than the rule. After that unique experience, let me share with you the list of attributes our Staff/Parish Relations Committee compiled for the Bishop and his cabinet as they considered whom to appoint to replace our retiring pastor. (That’s called a “clear opening” in Methodist parlance and it was the first appointment made to the 350 churches in the conference.) After meeting with the district superintendent, we sought input from the congregation in various ways: Sunday School classes who asked us to come and discuss it, two open forums and a good many small, informal groups. Even so, the document did not receive as broad an exposure as it deserves. I think you ought to hear what it said since it purports to speak for you as a congregation. That responsibility is assigned to the Staff/Parish Relations Committee by the Discipline of the church.

The key question on the official questionnaire asks: “Should there be a pastoral change, what pastoral leadership qualities do you feel are most needed for your church at this time?”
Our answer included the following points based on what we had heard from members:

Someone who is spiritually mature and able to serve/lead a diverse congregation which basically is emotionally and spiritually mature.
Someone who can guide a strong, thriving, involved congregation with a highly competent, appreciated and, in most cases, long-tenured staff; a person of broad vision, actively involved, but not a micromanager.
A pastor grounded in reality who tells us what we need to hear, even though we may not readily admit we need to hear it.
Non-judgmental demeanor; approachable and accessible.
One who recognizes that traditional worship has attracted most of TUMC’s members.
A preacher who insightfully interprets scriptural guidance into messages that nurture, inspire and help us grow by pushing us to deepen our faith and to make sustainable changes in our lives.
An understanding of and sensitivity toward children and youth and an interest in engaging them through staff/lay directed programs.
One who appreciates music as an integral part of worship.
One who is committed to outreach and mission.
One who considers education and spiritual formation as essential ingredients of a thriving congregation.
One who is comfortable working through active committees who are open and responsive to creative leadership. (That’s a diplomatic was of observing what one former pastor said when he asked to be moved from Tarrytown. He said, “Has every member of TUMC taken assertiveness training and made A-plus in the course?”)

And we added this: “In general, the SPRC is of strong consensus that there is no need for a ‘transitional’ appointment to span between a long-tenured pastor and the future. We prefer one who can have multiple years at TUMC, although we are reluctant to suggest a specific, minimum desired tenure.”

That’s what we asked for and those of us who know him well believe that’s what we got.

Then the last question on the questionnaire is this: “What particular needs do you feel your church should address in the coming year?” And our answer was this (and this has been the point of what I’ve tried to say this morning):

We, as a congregation, need to:

Proactively assist the new pastor in establishing leadership.
Plan broad, effective ways to introduce the pastor to the congregation.
Be attentive and responsive to dealing with the transition to new leadership, recognizing that a significant percentage of the congregation has known only one pastor.

The superintendent of the Corpus Christi district, Barbara Ruth, put it well in a recent article. She said, “I do not take lightly the dynamics of the special kind of leave-taking that happens for United Methodists. It simply is not the same as the leave-taking that happens in normal work situations….How we do this work as pastors and congregations will have spiritual consequences for all of us. If we are willing to go through the difficult crucifixion experience of saying goodbye in appropriate ways, we will have new life on the other side. If we do not choose to do so, new pastors and new congregations will suffer as we hold on to our grief and all the emotions it contains.”

Our committee recently met with Robert, at his request, and he said, “Let me tell you what I believe to be my strengths and weaknesses. My strengths are preaching and teaching and sometimes you may not be able to tell the difference.” And he went on to very openly share with us who he is personally and theologically. We will come to know more about all that as time goes on.

The thought I want to leave you with this morning is this: Robert is, I believe, from the same mold as Jim in many ways. But he is NOT Jim. Let’s give Robert lots of room to be Robert. Let’s welcome him and Carol with open minds, open hearts and open arms. (We don’t have to open the doors because he has the keys.)

In the final verse of scripture we read this morning, we have our admonition:

“From him (Christ) the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”

Let’s pray. Our Father, thank you for sending Robert and Carol to lead us. Help us to let them know how very glad we are that they are here.