Politics and the pulpit

In two separate incidents, the pastors of East Waynesville Baptist

Church in North Carolina and Hollywood First Presbyterian either

resigned or were placed on administrative leave. In the case of East

Waynesville Baptist, Chan Chandler stepped down after allegedly

ousting nine church members because of their political beliefs. In an

interview, Chandler suggested that the dispute might have had its

roots in the baptism of 30 new church members -- all believed to be

younger Republicans -- into the congregation largely made up of older

Democrats. With Hollywood First Presbyterian, Alan Meenan’s

administrative leave was due, in part, to his inauguration of an

alternative, contemporary worship service at a nearby nightclub that

had boosted membership but alienated longtime members of the church.

How should a religious congregation balance its existing membership

with the desire to bring in new members?

“We want our church to grow!” is a plea I hear frequently, and I

am confident that other religious leaders often hear similar

statements.

I used to think that this always meant solely, “We need more

members ... to take on ministries of which parishioners of long

standing have tired ... to add budget resources to program

possibilities ... to fulfill responsibilities, and so on.”

When “we want to grow” does mean something like this, I remind

petitioners that growth means change. For example, growth including

families with young children necessitates extra safety precautions

and expectations of childishness.

So my response to “we want our church to grow” is: “How do you

want our church to change?”

I have learned that “we want our church to grow” often means: “We

don’t want this community we love so much to die! We find meaning and

beauty here, and we want others like ourselves to find this same

beauty and meaning.”

Again, growth means change. A group of white Anglo-Saxons might

well be asked if they want to grow, including people from other

racial or ethnic groups; English speakers, if they are willing to

worship in other languages; singers of Wesley hymns to Bach’s music,

if they are willing to sing something more contemporary; those from

“this side of the tracks,” if they’re ready to stand beside those

from “the other side.”

Growth means change!

Whatever a faith community does to attract new members should:

* Involve current members in planning processes over as much time

as is possible.

* Be decided according to established policies and procedures.

* Be clearly communicated with foundational members who have made

their community what it is.

Familiar excuses must be dropped, such as the five deadly words:

“We have never done that!” All must be aware that change is

inevitable in this life and that we have power and ability to choose

some changes to make possible particular growth.

(THE VERY REV’D CANON)

PETER D. HAYNES

Saint Michael & All Angels

Episcopal Church

Corona del Mar

The mix of politics, pulpit and pew is inevitably polarizing.

Spiritual leaders are charged with the moral imperative to battle

injustice, discrimination and corruption.

But is there a religious position on Social Security

privatization, the mechanism of the filibuster in the U.S. Senate,

the budget deficit? Is God a liberal, conservative, moderate or

independent? Does God espouse Keynesian, monetarist or Neo-Classical

economics?

Religious leaders must be circumspect on issues of partisan

politics. I do not need or want my spiritual guide to advise me on

how to cast my vote. In fact, I would resent it.

I do not hold this position because I think the Sanctuary is too

sacred to descend into the political arena. I do not espouse it

because of the doctrine of separation of church and state.

I believe religion must speak truth to power, must be a voice for

the voiceless and must engage in the great issues of the day. It

cannot content itself with abstract pronouncements that do not

confront the society of which we are a part. It must not be concerned

with eternal verities to the exclusion of the here and now.

Still, no political litmus test should be administered to

congregants, and a congregational leader’s preachments should not be

identified with a political party or philosophy. A house of worship

should not be a political machine, and its clergy should avoid

political entanglements.

To offer political pronouncements before a captive audience is to

abuse the position of preacher. Whether it is identifying with the

ACLU or the NRA, a preacher trespasses a boundary when posing as an

arbiter of political values. Partisanship on the altar is not good

for either religion or politics. It is sufficient for religious

leaders to set forth Biblical ideals and encourage each individual to

pursue them according to his or her own lights, to translate

religious principles into political positions.

Thomas Jefferson wrote against the practice of pastors to

politically declaim in their sermons. He labeled it a breach of

contract, a violation of the preacher’s role. The pastor was not,

after all, called to the congregation to promote or decry Federalism.

While defending the right of religious leaders to address

political affairs in their personal writings, Jefferson thought it

unjustifiable to do so from the pulpit. Having himself been the

target of attacks by numerous New England pastors, who branded him an

atheist, an infidel and worse during church services, Jefferson

experienced bullies in the pulpit first hand.

Edmund Burke wrote: “Politics and the pulpit are terms that have

little agreement.”

The pulpit is a powerful place. When I address my congregation, I

do so with the full authority of the Torah, not with the imprimatur

of the Democratic or Republican national platforms.

There is only one convergence of religion and politics: From what

I have observed about government, I believe that politicians need our

prayers more than our votes.

RABBI MARK S. MILLER

Temple Bat Yahm

Newport Beach

A true Christ-following church is not a social club. God’s

intention is for them to be spiritual outposts, lighthouses giving

light in a dark world.

Imagine if a hospital were to begin to refuse sick people because

they were of the “wrong” religious party, or played the “wrong” kind

of music, or wore the “wrong” style of clothes.

When Jesus was caught at a party where there were some prostitutes

and people with “wrong” reputations, the religious people were

shocked. Jesus told them it was the sick who needed a doctor, and

these outcasts admitted their need for spiritual healing.

The religious people were too prideful to admit their need for a

doctor. They were satisfied with their social club and the status it

gave them. They forgot about God’s original purpose for them.

Any congregation that would rather be a social club than a rescue

unit has not read the whole Bible and does not know the heart of God.

God’s heart is for the poor, the sick, the lost, the immigrant, the

prisoner, the widow and orphan.

The priority of the church is the lost. A congregation will fade

away if it loses sight of that.

SENIOR ASSOCIATE

PASTOR RIC OLSEN

Harbor Trinity

Costa Mesa

Growth, change and politics are always divisive and must be

approached with wisdom. Over the last 21 years in the ministry, I

have seen many of my colleagues rush into change and alienate the

very supporters they sought to serve.

The incidents in the churches described in the question are not

that unusual. Congregants and their pastors must find ways to

communicate, or they will go their separate ways.

For pastors, communication is an important skill set necessary to

lead and serve. As your church grows, you must constantly upgrade

your skill set. The expertise to lead changes with every 30 to 50 new

members. The skill set required for a congregation of 100 is vastly

different for a congregation of 500.

The pastor who had 30 new members obviously didn’t pay attention

to how he must increase his competence to handle the growth, a common

problem in many churches. The pastor who took a different direction

in his approach to ministry by holding worship services in a

nightclub also didn’t pay attention.

It would appear that in both cases changes were made without first

gathering a consensus. Each year, we reinvent our Center and seek the

wisdom and vision of all our congregants to create an environment

where each can deepen his or her relationship with God. In this way,

we have consistently hit the mark by making sure that our strategies

helped us build our community, not divide it.

As younger pastors replace older pastors, there is bound to be a

clash between the traditional, modern and post-modern points of view.

For younger pastors, ambition must be balanced with the kind of

wisdom that can only come from mentors. I’ve made lots of mistakes in

my 21 years as a pastor. I’ve rushed change, had congregants quit and

even thought about quitting myself.

But in the end, God guided me to the right mentors -- and through

my prayers -- helped me acquire the wisdom essential to serve. You

see, I gave up my belief in failure and success, in favor of research

and development.

This approach has allowed me to practice forgiveness and learn

everyday what it means to serve in love, live in peace and listen.

SENIOR PASTOR

JAMES TURRELL

Center for Spiritual Discovery

Costa Mesa

In any congregation, there is a delicate balance that needs to be

maintained between the numbers and requirements of new practitioners

versus those of long-timers.

If there is not fresh interest in a tradition, it grows stale and

irrelevant. If, on the other hand, there is too much emphasis on

attracting the public or changing directions in favor of newer

members, the teachings are watered down to such extent that they lose

their efficacy and power.

In both cases, pastors Chandler and Meenan seem to have lost that

balance.

When Chandler said that those who intended to vote for Kerry for

President must leave the congregation, he may have impressed the

young Republicans that had recently joined, but he alienated the

older Democrats and many of the moderates who felt he had overstepped

his role.

Likewise, by taking a worship service to a nightclub, even though

it may have boosted membership, Pastor Meenan lost the allegiance of

his longtime congregants.

The fact that both Chandler and Meenan are no longer in their

positions attests to their inability to successfully lead their faith

community.

Unlike many religious traditions, Zen is light on attracting new

practitioners. In the spirit of “ask three times,” it is considered

unskillful and somewhat disrespectful to overly encourage others to

come to Zen.

The tradition of “ask three times” acknowledges that a person must

already have within themselves a strong aspiration -- strong enough

to ask three times -- before entering a Zen training center.

Therefore aggressive advertising and manipulations are considered a

waste of time because this strength of purpose cannot be created or

implanted from the outside.

This does not mean sensible measures aren’t taken to invite and

serve the needs of those who are either interested in learning more,

or those who are ready to actively pursue Zen.

Zen recognizes the important role beginners have in the community.

It is that “beginner’s mind,” so explicitly manifested by those first

entering, that keeps the sangha on course.

A Zen center cannot be vibrant without new practitioners

expressing the freshness of beginner’s mind, thereby helping to renew

the original aspirations of the more established practitioners.

However, it is the maturity and strong practice of the senior members

that is the most valuable asset of any Zen center.

The question is: How is this delicate balance maintained between

the need to attract new practitioners and the importance of serving

the established community? Not straying too far from the mission of

the faith organization is crucial. Were Chandler’s own political

leanings central to the mission of the East Waynesville Baptist

Church?

Another important consideration is that the leadership must know

its congregants, listen to them and respect their feelings. This

doesn’t mean the majority always rules. But decisions should be made

alongside the community with wisdom and discretion. I’m not sure

Pastor Meenan demonstrated either.

I believe pastors Chandler and Meenan made a mistake in alienating

their senior congregants and obviously, their resulting resignations

show that so do their respective churches.

REV. CAROL AGUILAR

Zen Center of

Orange County

Costa Mesa