Presbytery of Central Nebraska

Time to order 2013-2015 Book of Order

admin — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:54:22 +0000

It is that time again to order your copy of the Book of Order. If your church would like to order one or more copies of the 2013-2015 Book of Order please complete the attached order form. The presbytery office will be taking orders until June 1st. Please note that the official printed copies of the next Book of Order will not be available until July. If you do not want a printed copy of the Book of Order you can also download an electronic version for free from the PCUSA store. Remember June 1st is the deadline to order.

2013-15 Book of Order Order Form

CHALLENGE OF THE IONA COMMUNITY

admin — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:45:22 +0000

The members of the Iona Community commit to a fivefold rule of life: 1) daily prayer and Bible-reading; those of us who consider ourselves to be faithful probably have a difficult time living up to this standard; 2) sharing and accounting for the use of money; it appears to me that we are more willing to talk about things of a sexual nature than being accountable to others about the way we use money; 3) planning and accounting for the use of time; there isn’t anyone among us that doesn’t feel too busy but we need to reflect on the fact that our business is our choice and not caused simply by others; 4) action for justice and peace in society; my excuse too often is that I can’t do it alone so then so then I am prone to wait for someone else to start acting; and 5) meeting with and accounting to each other; if we were really comfortable with being this open would we put up the facades that we do.

Outsmarted by Atheists

admin — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:43:50 +0000

Pew Research Center – June 2010
Out of 32 questions on religion these are the responses by correct answers?
- Atheists/Agnostics 20.9
- Jewish 20.5
- Mormon 20.3
- White Evangelical 17.6
- White Catholic 16.0
- White Mainline 15.8
- Nothing in particular 15.2
- Black Protestant 13.4
- Hispanic Catholic 11.6
If this doesn’t spur us to action I don’t know what will. I want to point out that this is a survey about religion and not about the Bible. Perhaps it points out that we are so narrow in our focus that we only pay attention to what we believe and not what others believe. It would seem that we should know something about other Christian faiths as well as other faiths before we make some of the statements and decisions we do about what kind of people they are. I am always amazed at how much those of other faiths know about our religion and especially our Jesus. It is a form of prideful arrogance to not have the common courtesy to know what others belief and accept them where they are. That doesn’t mean that we can’t share our message it is simply a Christian form of hospitality. Look in the Gospels to see how Jesus welcomed the outsider, especially the Samaritan woman at the well. Note how open he was to learning from her. I am also too often disappointed when I discover how little we know about our brother and sister Christians of different denominations. Sometimes I fear it is a reflection of how little we know about our own faith.

MUTUAL INVITATION

admin — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:42:31 +0000

Alternative to Debate
The form of mutual invitation I like best is a two-part event. First, the topic is introduced through communicating pertinent information that everyone present might need to know in order to speak intelligibly on the subject. After the initial presentation, another group member is then invited to speak; they then invite another member of the group to do the same until all have had a chance to speak. At this point, I recommend a period of silence, concluding with a prayer before entering into another round of reflection. Landon Whitsitt
What Landon is proposing is a simple version of what many have come to learn is a process of discernment. We however, have been so steeped in parliamentary procedure that we find such a process to be alien. We have been so geared to gathering all our best arguments – ammunition – that we feel like we have to shoot off every round in an effort to win the debate or vote. It would seem alien to us in a presbytery meeting to have a time of mutual invitation where people were invited to speak (not against one side or the other) and then conclude by moving into another period of reflection. For most of us it would feel like we hadn’t finished our business. On the other hand, for those who have the feeling they have been overwhelmed with information it might feel like a good thing which would allow them to process what they have heard.
One of the simple lessons I have learned in all of my conflict management/mediation training is that the goal is to get two opposing parties to stop facing off against each other on join together on the same side of the table to focus on the issue. Too often our debate and vote parliamentary procedure leads us to see the other side as the enemy and fail to see that the issue is what we need to be focusing on.

PUBLIC THEOLOGIZING

admin — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:41:21 +0000

As opposed to systematic theology and practical theology.

Systematic theology establishes a systematic set of beliefs about God. In the Information Age this grew to great heights. COM’s ask candidates which theologian they study or espouse. Preachers are taught to teach the laity the right theology as though one theologian or theology can truly capture all there is to know about God.

Practical theology is the acting out of those beliefs about God in the practical ministry of the church and its members. This idea with practical theology is that our beliefs about God then lead us into action or to take positions or stands on issues. However, it appears to me that many times what we actually do may actually preach a different theology than we speak or expound.

Public theologizing is learning about God through our public ministry and service. Reflecting of what we know of God from what we are doing in the world and what we see God doing in the world. Public theologizing seems to grow out of the missional church movement which espouses that we learn about God by being involved with Him in is activity in the world around us. As we engage in mission in the name of Jesus Christ we come to know more and more about God.

In truth systematic theology, practical theology and public theologizing each have their place and role in the life of the church. With the new generation of younger people who value participation in mission it appears that public theologizing might play a valuable and formative role. We involve people in mission, reflect on that involvement and as a result we know more about the God we worship and serve.

LOSING YOUR LIFE

admin — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 14:26:51 +0000

G-3.0400 of the former Book of Order says: The church is called to undertake this mission (outlined earlier in the chapter) even at the risk of losing its life…
F-1.03 of the present Book of Order says: The Church is to be a community of witness, pointing beyond itself through word and work to the good news of God’s transforming grace in Christ Jesus its Lord.
Matthew 10:39 says, those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.

All of this leads me to believe that many of our sessions have the wrong priorities or agenda. I can’t tell you how many session meetings and how many elders who have expressed that they feel their task is to save the church. Salvation, first of all, has already been accomplished in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The fate of the church it seems to me should rest in the hands of the God who created it.

What is our task then as elders and sessions but to fulfill the mission that God has given the church to be a witness to the world of God’s transforming grace in Christ Jesus its Lord. How do we make that witness? I believe we make that witness more by what we do and say than by what we believe. Often what we do and say might even betray what it is that we say we believe. When we say God is a God of grace and love how do we show that in our behavior. When we say God want’s all people to come to know the love, mercy and salvation of Jesus how do we show that in our actions.

It is truly as the church is willing to lose or sacrifice itself to the mission of Jesus Christ that it will find its future, its purpose and its salvation.

FOUR BERMUDA TRIANGLES

admin — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 17:06:42 +0000

Stephen Covey
There are four “Bermuda Triangles” which lead to decay, disaster and death. The first occurs at the idea stage, where a good idea is simply squelched by negative energy, self-doubt and fear. How many times have we heard either “we’ve tried that and it didn’t work” or “that’s not the way we do things around here.” Sometimes I believe we are against something simply because “I” wasn’t the one who thought of it. The second occurs at the production stage, where the great idea is not properly executed. This is where most new organizations fail. I have become more and more convince that one of our real shortcomings in the church is that we don’t give people the training or resources to bring their ideas to the fruit bearing stage. Too often we don’t properly execute because we don’t really know how. The third occurs at the management stage. Production with scalability has been institutionalized, but the producer either tries to do it all or he or she tries to clone himself or herself. We haven’t truly accepted the notion that the role of leaders is to produce (birth) more leaders. Sometimes it is because of power or control issues but just as often it’s because we take the easy way out by doing it our self. The fourth occurs at the change stage, where the organization needs to reinvent itself to adapt to changing market conditions or new opportunities but gets so bogged down in its own bureaucratic life, rules and regulations that it can no longer meet and anticipate the needs of targeted customers. This has been the struggle the church has been facing for decades now. We talk about the worship wars which are really efforts of the church to try and adapt to the new culture in which it lives. More and more I am learning that we need to accept our new younger people where they are and get them involved quickly in mission and nurture their gifts while our tendency is to wait until they have become more like us and served their apprentice time.
You need an entrepreneur (the idea person), a producer, a manager, and a team builder-leader. These gifts are almost never found in one person so that means we can no longer buy into the idea that we have called – hired – the pastor to do all of that church work for us. This means that our nominating processes can no longer simply be rearranging people and positions or asking the people we know will say yes. We need to be really serious about taking the gifts people have and the fruit they are bearing seriously as we nurture them in their calling to be God’s faithful disciples.

Presbytery meeting March 23

Carol Skinner — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 16:47:39 +0000

With prayerful consideration, the decision at this time is that PRESBYTERY WILL MEET as scheduled, despite the reports of snow forecast for tonight and tomorrow. Please use discretion and drive safely as you venture forth.

Time to Order Calendars

admin — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 21:14:43 +0000

The Presbytery will be taking orders for the 2013-2014 year. If your church would like to order calendars please complete and send in the order form by April 22nd.

2013-2014 CALENDAR ORDER FORM

Four Expressions

admin — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 21:29:32 +0000

Four expressions can get you what you want in most cases:
One word – “please.”
Two words – “thank you.”
Three words – “I love you.”
Four words –“How may I help?”
Stephen Covey
I am not sure it is ever right for us to manipulate others so that we get what we want. On the other hand it doesn’t seem wise to not get what we think would be good for us and others by failing to use any of the four expressions. It is also important for us to note that the four expressions work in most cases. We must be prepared to accept those times when they don’t get us what we want. Perhaps that is in itself a message to us that “what we want” may not be what is good for us.
It is hard to use the word “please” if we think we deserve something. In this world we have probably grown to the place where we think we deserve doesn’t really match very well with reality. Besides, what is wrong with saying “please” even if we do think we deserve something? It might lead to a more civil community, country and world.
We can’t say “thank you” too much. Too often in the church we tend to dismiss the “thank you” by saying they were just doing what they were supposed to do. Even if they were simply doing their duty it shouldn’t hurt us to let them know it was appreciated by us. We also need to recognize that, while the words themselves are very powerful, there are other ways of saying thank you than simply using words.
In the case of saying “I love you” I believe that we are often tempted to try and show this without actually using the words. Perhaps I feel this way because of the family I grew up in. My family was not expressive with this kind of language or with touch. I have always regretted that I didn’t tell my dad more directly that I loved him. I hear the same thing all too often with spouses. Let us never regret having failed to say “I love you.”
It seems that in our world we have gotten too caught up in measuring whether people are deserving of our help. It’s almost as if we feel there is only so much help we can give. What would have happened with our salvation if God had acted the same? While we were yet sinners God forgave us. What a difference it would make in the world if were offered our help before it was asked for.