Personal Contact

I was surprised this morning to note how many members passed me in Church with whom I had recently had personal contact -- that is, apart from contact in Church on Sunday. Being the last day of the month, I decided on a brief experiment. How many individuals or couples on our Church address list did I have personal contact with during October? It turns out: more than one-third. OBSERVATION: And then I wonder whether I did anything!

Accountability

We are an independent Congregational Church. With this in mind, I am sometimes asked about my personal accountability. My accountability is ultimately to the members -- and of course the constitution. We have a strong form of Congregationalism in our Church, which has grown over the duration of my ministry here (see Loss Of Authority). Effectively, I am completely in submission to the members (and to our leadership, which is under the members). While I surely haven't enjoyed their favour at all times, I cannot think of any instance where I have not been in submission -- not even in the little things, e.g. "We suggest that you give so-and-so a call." At the same time, I am very grateful for the magnanimity they have shown me, in allowing me to shape my ministry. OBSERVATION: Independency is of course the norm in Congregationalism, even where there is a so-called denomination. Personally, I have great confidence in the authority of the members -- or perhaps I should say that I have great confidence in the Holy Spirit, who infuses the members. It so happens that our members are further accountable to the state in various ways. I am uncomfortable with that, but so it is.

Drawing Out Spirituality

This morning we had an infant dedication in the Church. In some Churches, the parents say little more than: "We do." As is my style, I asked the parents whether anyone could make a spiritual contribution. They decided that the father would address the congregation (pictured). He mostly expressed thanks for God's providence. You may click on the photo for VGA. OBSERVATION: The same applies to many special items or events that we have. I seek to draw out the spirituality of the congregation. It enriches the Church.

Popular Posts

My most popular ministry posts of the past month have come as something of a surprise to me. The most popular post was an observation I made last year that, before you reject people's attentions or generosity, remember that it's not all about what you want (see No Acknowledgement Please?). The second most popular post described how some normality had returned to the street outside our Church through the Soccer World Cup (see Post World Cup). The third most popular post is one that I shall not be seeking to popularise any further. It describes how I nearly, inadvertently, enabled a suicide.

Stomping Ground

A wife asked me for counsel. Things reached crisis point when she hid her husband's front door keys. So he stomped on her cell-phone -- and she stomped on his television decoder. OBSERVATION: Something needed to be done about the antagonism. In our discussion, among other things, I focused on the purpose of marriage -- which is, I said, serving and pastoring.

Ubuntu Netbook

Every now and then, I try another version of Linux on my netbook computer. Yesterday I tried Ubuntu Unity (10.10) -- primarily because I wanted to test Ubuntu's cloud computing, which I already have on my desktop. The significance of the photo of the cat is that I saved it on my desktop, and retrieved it on my netbook -- through the cloud. OBSERVATION: This did integrate my desktop computer with my netbook computer -- but Unity does not get great reviews. Unlike its desktop variant, and its predecessor (10.04) I found this operating system very sluggish, and not consistent. For example, "Files and Folders" did not display the same files and folders as ">File >Open". Some say that Unity was rushed -- wait for the next version.

Keeping Spirits Up

I have found it hard to keep my spirits up. This month, wife M.’s condition took a plunge, and inevitably the need for me to “be there” grew. The familiar Church challenges seemed bigger, and I seemed to be so much more tired. My future, too, has seemed to be completely uncertain. But this week was better than last week.

Lambert's DRC

Here's another photo of the Lambert's Bay Dutch Reformed Church (DRC, or NGK) -- at dusk. The Church hall is to the left of the Church, and the Church manse/rectory off the photo to the right. On the far left, I juxtaposed Lambert's Bay's communications tower with the spire. The Church was built in 1957. A large steel archway in front of the Church states: "LIEFDE SONDER GRENSE" ("Love Without Borders"). Click on the photo to enlarge to 260k.

Abortion

A young woman threatened suicide, in the early morning. I went to see her at 2 a.m. I asked her whether she had ever given her life to the Lord. She said yes -- which surprised me. I asked her what had come in between. She said that she had "been foolish", and fell pregnant. Her mother then pressed her to have an abortion. This had been "completely against her conscience" -- and in the hour of her abortion, she said, her spiritual life was completely destroyed. I said: "Have you ever confessed your sin to the Lord?" She said: "No. I didn't think I could."

Running A Church (Or Not)

An anarchist minister wrote to me this morning -- of the sort of whom there would seem to be no shortage in the Global South. Yesterday I made the mistake of using the words "how to run a Church" on my blog. He comments: "I'm convinced that we're not meant to 'run a church' at all. We run businesses ... not families. Families evolve. Often messily so. Long live the family." In fact, "family" is a metaphor for Church that one often comes across in the Global South. Vision, influence, strategy, goals are (not seldom) out in the South. OBSERVATION: I agree with this minister. He did cross the line, however, when he further suggested that one should not run three-wheel vehicles. That was low.

Sinner And Sinned Against

In the Church, in my experience, there is typically great compassion for the sinner, yet none at all (none expressed) for those who have been sinned against, or will be sinned against. I make this observation in our latest Church newsletter, and I say that I'm not sure how to explain it. (Typically, in counselling, I deal with both sides -- or at the very least, I know of both sides). OBSERVATION: I think this may have to do with people's inability to see the big picture. Perhaps, in a more holistic society, one would see it. Incidentally, when I speak of those sinned against, I include sins which some would think to be "victimless", which again has to do with the big picture.

New Doctor

Earlier this month, I spoke to a new doctor in our suburb. I said: "Professionals always say that Sea Point [our suburb] is unique." She said: "There's a lot of drug abuse. A lot! And a lot of STD's."

Swamp Close-Up

Here's the Berg River wetland close-up. The Berg River is about 150km/100mi north of Cape Town. You may click on the photo to enlarge to 320k. The flowers in the foreground are happy in the tidal zone. That is, one sees them blooming both under and over the water.

Separation Of Work And Leisure

In my early ministry, I didn't separate work and leisure in ministry -- until I crashed. For twenty years now, I have made a strict separation of the two, as many ministers do. So, for instance, I don't carry Church keys on my day off. I may be inaccessible by phone (but I do get back to people). And if I have a holiday/vacation, I get away to places where I'm as good as out of reach. OBSERVATION: However, I have relaxed this somewhat in recent years, simply for the reason that I don't mind as much. I think, though, that a proper "Sabbath" -- as well as daily space -- would help many ministers.

Second Master's Degree?

It took me five years to obtain my first Master's degree. This morning, Fuller Theological Seminary (I variously call them Fuller Ideological Seminary and Fuller Methodological Seminary) informed me that they would grant me a second Master's degree with just three more courses (nine months' work). I think this is a godsend. OBSERVATION: Then I will have two Master's degrees in Church Leadership, and I still won't know how to run a Church!

Christian Transformational Leadership

A theological paper I recently drafted seeks to define Christian Transformational Leadership -- possibly the biggest Christian leadership theory in the West. I extracted a definition from more than twenty leadership books. Here it is, slightly abridged: "Christian Transformational Leadership ... holds that a leader's vision, character, persuasiveness, and ability to strategize guarantee that he or she will be influential (or transformational) to achieve shared goals." OBSERVATION: This is not a theory that I espouse. I see some deep problems with it.

Lausanne Representation

Steve Hayes raises a few questions surrounding representation at the Lausanne III Congress. Without giving it any deep thought, here's my personal experience. Bearing in mind the scarcity of "tickets": I met a delegate from FTS (Fuller Theological Seminary). Then I met another delegate from FTS. Then another delegate from FTS. And another delegate from FTS. Then I met a delegate from Cambodia -- a US citizen. And a delegate from South Africa -- a US citizen. A delegate from Canada -- a US citizen. And a delegate from the Philippines -- a US citizen. By this time, I was completely befuddled as to how the selection of delegates might work.

Lutheran Church [2]

This is Cape Town's central Evangelical Lutheran Church. It is the oldest Church building still in use in South Africa. The Church was founded in 1780, and this building consecrated in 1787. There's a photo of the interior at Lutheran Church. Click on the photo to enlarge to 230k.

Journals: Musings

This has been my year of explorations with academic journals, in the fields of theology and philosophy. I have discovered two things: the demands are extremely high (but I am pitching high), and the journals are extremely voguish (forget it if your work isn't voguish). This is not to say that I don't see signs of success. I do. However, I'm having a rethink about my focus now. OBSERVATION: In fact, I should have known. As a technical writer, I have had very many articles published in (serious) magazines. But some of these articles, I pitched at journals. I was delighted to see some success -- however, it was no fun.

Counselling 101

A basic skill of counselling is to survey the trends of the conversation, rather than being swept along with them. An untrained person may easily be swept along. Perhaps the most common example is the counselee who deflects the conversation -- and counselees can instinctively be very good at that. One needs, then, to have a clear eye for where the conversation came from, how it has shifted, and why. OBSERVATION: At the same time, I don't press (much). If people are determined to deflect, I let it be. One can make progress in other directions.

Lambert's Bay

Several little harbours run up the arid west coast of Southern Africa. Here's Lambert's Bay harbour, at night -- nearly 300km/200mi north of Cape Town. You may click on the photo for VGA. Notice the sunken boat a little to the right of centre, which would seem to be a requirement of such harbours.

Trick Questions

Jesus Christ is famous for His inspired handling of trick questions. I have proved myself rather inept at it -- although there have been some nice exceptions. Here's an example. It may not be a trick question incidentally -- call it an awkward one. I was asked in a meeting whether we would put an erring member out of membership. I said: "We might." And that was perfectly true. However, if one had asked me: "How do you feel about putting them out of membership?" I would surely have answered: "I hope we don't." A lot lies in the question -- and the competence of the answerer -- and the good grace of those who hear!

Church Ceiling

Being at a loss as to what to post tonight, here is a photo of our Church's 114-year-old ceiling. I am a little surprised at how flimsy it looks, bearing in mind the hurricane-force gusts of our local storms, and the more robust-looking roofs I see in other Churches. You may click on the photo for VGA.

Holy Spirit Territory

Two deaconesses had a meeting with a member, to seek to resolve a difficulty. I asked them how it went. One of them said to me: "I don't know what the result is. I just don't know." I said: "That's how it goes sometimes. The Holy Spirit takes it from there. And pray." OBSERVATION: In fact, this is often the "dynamic" in the Church -- particularly after counselling and preaching -- but also after meetings, visitation, and so on. What comes next is Holy Spirit territory.

Deaconess' Parody

I said in our vestry this morning: "It's funny how a whole congregation can be in a certain mood, even before they step into Church." A deaconess said to me: "What kind of mood are they in this morning then?" I said (in Afrikaans): "Restless." She stepped up to me aggressively and said: "Are you accusing me of not having peace in my heart?!" I said: "Now I've put my foot in it!" OBSERVATION: She was parodying, I think, the kind of thing that happens in some Churches. This deaconess is hardly capable of being serious!

God's Creation

I am continually amazed at God's creation. I wonder at it. I think it reflects His genius and humour and love. I do this on intuition and faith – it does not matter to me that there is a theory of evolution (which I am familiar with). I don't need to understand everything. The photo shows a flower in our manse/rectory garden. These flowers are unusual in that they only open when sunlight strikes them.

Iconic Scene

This one's just a pretty picture. I took it in front of one of Africa's most iconic buildings, earlier this year. On the left is a Roman Catholic priest, a good friend, and on the right our Church elder C., a strength to our Church and to my ministry. You may click on the photo for VGA.

Where It All Starts

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We made the interesting observation at our leadership meeting this week, that in nearly every case where we have had problem members, when we went back to their membership application form, we could see the signs on the form. Here is an example. This man's membership was terminated for repeated, vicious assault on his wife. This is a crucial section of our (then) membership form -- and he'd left it blank. But after a personal interview, we gave him the benefit of the doubt. Apart from blanks like this, the most common tell-tale sign is a lack of understanding of grace.

Congregational Prayers

Every two or three weeks, I ask one of the congregation to lead the Sunday prayers. It's a release for me -- a genuine lightening of my load on a Sunday morning (I prepare the service early on a Sunday) -- and it enriches our services. This week I said to our secretary: "Give W. a shot. I know it's not likely [that she'll do it]." Our secretary, too, thought it unlikely. But W. said yes, and I'm pleased to have a less likely candidate stepping up this Sunday.

Three-Wheel Cart

I am not alone in my appreciation of three wheels. There are children, too -- before adulthood snatches away the most beautiful ideals and inspiring ideas. I took this photo in Eland's Bay. You may click on it to enlarge to 340k.

Remedying Burnout

A moment ago, someone sent me a list of tips to avoid burnout (a major problem in ministry). I wrote back: "One thing I miss in this list is faith. Faith in God to bless you even while you sleep. Orthodox Jews especially are strong on Psalm 127:2, and I think that is the very most important thing with regard to burnout. All the rest is just props to help one through. And I think walking by the Spirit. One minister said to me the Holy Spirit won't give you overload, His burden is light. But we want to add our own stuff to what the Spirit says."

School Environment

This post gives a glimpse into the environment in which I was brought up. I was in a Religious Instruction (RI) class at school one day. Our RI teacher asked us to open our school atlas at Israel. I opened mine at Egypt (it looked interesting to me). The RI teacher walked past my desk. He said (in Afrikaans): “Which page did I tell you to open at?” I said: “Israel.” He said: “Which page are you on?” I said: “Egypt.” He said: “Scarborough, stand up!” I stood up. He hit me hard in the face with his fat hand. I flailed backwards, and grabbed my desk with my fingers. OBSERVATION: A friend said to me afterwards: "Nice one! In a Religious Instruction class!"

Joy And Heavyheartedness Inseparable

Three issues of Church discipline came up in our leadership meeting tonight -- just one, though, that is not resting peacefully. To put it very simply, our Constitution requires, in the case of behaviour unbecoming, the automatic revocation of membership -- unless someone should put forward a compelling plea as to why this should be reconsidered. Such issues are always "unfortunate", and cause much awkwardness and soul-searching and tension, and one would rather not have them. Yet wife M. reminds me (and I agree) that such things are just as much a part of a thriving Church as are the things that bring joy and encouragement. One cannot separate them from each other.

Three Wheels For Sale

I did a U-turn with my Bajaj three-wheel pickup in the city centre. A man jumped into the road, and spun around as I spun around him. He shouted: "I'll pay you cash for this vehicle! I've got the money! I've got it!" and he thrust his business card into my hand. The trouble is, I've lost the business card! Having said this, my vehicle is now for sale, as I want to buy a Mahindra three-wheeler. The photo is from one of my "grand tours". I am asking R16,000 for it. Click on the image to enlarge.

Introducing ...

This is M. (pictured), one of our Church's longest-standing Central African members -- one of the early swallows that heralded the summer. Even though she was in a small minority in the beginning, she committed to the Church. She has been a tremendous asset to us. Here she is leading our recent women's morning. OBSERVATION: As a younger woman, she escaped execution by rebel forces (see When You've Lost Hope). This is just one example of the profound spiritual experience that people like her have brought to our Church. Thanks to our office secretary for the photo.

Steady Blog

My blog holds remarkably steady in the South African All Blogs rankings. It hovers around 300th place, plus or minus 10%, and seldom veers outside of those parameters. However, in the South African Religion (all religions) rankings, it bobs up and down a fair bit -- usually between 10th and 5th places. This is partly due to the fact that a few of the Religion blogs are closely grouped together in the rankings, partly due to the fact that other Religion blogs race up and down the All Blogs rankings.

Seventy-Two Things

It was an administrative morning, this morning. I completed my morning having reduced and simplified my life to a list of seventy-two things that require my immediate attention. OBSERVATION: This is very typical of ministry. Incidentally several of the seventy-two things might require a whole day each to dispatch. The photo shows one of my office desks this morning (I have two offices). This would be funny if it weren't so real.
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P.S. Thanks to the person who e-mailed me thirty-six tips, presumably to help me manage the seventy-two things. Would this mean that I now have seventy-THREE things (one of them to read the thirty-six tips)?

China's Out: Thanks Be?

I keep contact with a number of people in the Church in China. A missionary in China e-mailed me this week about Lausanne III: "I wish I am there too. Chinese government has block hundreds of Chinese delegates from attending." I wrote back: "A pity ... but I would think God's hand is on that". OBSERVATION: Perhaps to preserve a distinctive Christianity in China that will bless the world. Perhaps to preserve the Church in China from undesirable aspects (whatever they may be) of global Christianity. Perhaps to strengthen the profile or witness of the Church in China. And so on. I don't agree with the widespread reaction of (quote) "profound disappointment".

Windfall

One dreams of discovering a large sum of money in one's bank account, that fell from heaven -- enough, say, to take a cruise ship to Mauritius. It happened to me last week. However, I don't know (yet) where on earth it came from -- so wife M. comments: "Don't go spending it till you know where it's from!" OBSERVATION: Trust a wife to muddle things with practical considerations. Somebody explained to me yesterday that it came straight from God (with all the reasons why).

Beautiful Women

I was entering a local luxury hotel. There were two young women outside, and I glanced at them briefly as I passed. One of them said to me: "Hey, stop, why don't you look at us? We're beautiful!" I stopped, and said: "Oh. Yes. You are beautiful!" They wanted to know who I was. I said I was a local minister. That left them ... speechless. I must have thrown a spanner in their routine.

Graafwater Church

Here is another photo of the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC, or NGK) Graafwater, a village a few hours by road to the north of Cape Town. This Church was awkward to photograph, as it is surrounded by trees. It has two typical DRC mirror-image "transepts" with steeple in the centre. You may click on the photo to enlarge.
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NOTE: It seems like yesterday that I began to feature local Churches on this blog. Earlier this month, I posted my 100th photo of local Churches.

Graafwater Steeple

You'll be forgiven for wondering where Graafwater is. This is the steeple of the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC, or NGK) Graafwater, nearly 300km/200mi north of Cape Town. At the bottom of the photo, one sees the emblem of the DRC (click on the image to enlarge to a far more detailed 870k). The Church's foundation stone was laid in 1954. The architects were Louw & Louw -- I suspect that one of these is Wynand Hendrik Louw, who has been described, together with Gerard Moerdyk, as "the first Afrikaans architects".

Continually Encouraged

I know that some ministers are continually dis-couraged by their members (chief among them, sometimes, the Church leadership). I am continually en-couraged. Oh, just fifteen minutes with the members makes me feel better. This is not to say that there aren't discouraging moments, or discouraging aspects of ministry. But on the whole, I am so encouraged. OBSERVATION: I think there are a few things that lie behind this. Here are three that I can think of: 1. We continually focus on what the Lord is doing among us, 2. I have a relaxed approach to ministry (though certainly not disengaged or slack), and 3. There is a living faith among our members.

The Prof's Book

Yesterday I blogged about one of my professors. His name is Chuck van Engen. Today a minister e-mailed me from Europe: "If I read between the lines correctly, you weren't too keen on his book, and I'd like to know why." I won't comment now on my keenness or otherwise, but I'll describe what I see when I read Van Engen. First, let's go back to a famous theologian named Teilhard de Chardin. De Chardin proposed an evolutionary process which he called "cosmogenesis" -- not the same as Darwinian evolution, because cosmogenesis has a purpose. Some call it emergent evolution. Cosmogenesis includes "noogenesis", which is the emergence of mind -- and all of this ultimately leads "man in his march" to a final point which is “point Omega”. At this point, all conscious beings will be intensely unified, and will have achieved a “hyper-personal” organisation which transcends individuality. Then let's look at Van Engen. According to Van Engen, the kingdom of God moves with “impelling force” (1991, pg. 26) towards the "anticipatory focal point" (pg. 111). As with De Chardin, this is not about "individual salvation" (pg. 113), but about a community which "emerges" (pg. 110). OBSERVATION: If you don't see the same as I see in Van Engen, do drop a comment.

Cartoon Book (Continued)

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Last week, I rediscovered a cartoon book that records (imaginatively) scenes from my early years -- made for me by my grandfather. There is some genius in this book. Among other things, I like the tension that he creates in the scenes -- like a Gauguin painting. This picture, on the second page, is titled: "The boat to Hoek van Holland". Here's the accompanying verse, translated from German: "Lübeck-bound is the intended journey / Come up here and come on board / Yet at the gangplank he says: Halt / Don't you go falling in the water." (Click on it to enlarge).

"Living" Blog

I have called my blog a "living" blog. I am continually revising it, so that few posts will ultimately look the same as they did when they first appeared here. Sometimes people say: Hey, what happened to that post? Well, here's what happened to the post that vanished yesterday. I considered that it was too generic, too bland. It was a "nothing" post. Good writing has focus. Good writing is vivid. Among other things.

Taught By God

We had a dozen or more Lausanne III delegates in Church this morning. A congregant seemed puzzled by these well groomed strangers with name tags and binders. I explained: "These people are high up in the Church -- high up in the universities." He didn't like my description. He was disdainful. He said: "The Bible says that we are all taught by God -- but these people are taught by men!" I said: "I do believe that a Christian can be mature and complete without learning." Someone else said: "One needs to see both sides. There is a lot to be said for learning."

Past Professor

One of my past professors turned up in Church this morning (pictured). I didn't know that he'd be there -- thank goodness. I didn't think he'd remember me -- so I said: "I had to read your books." He said (real pathos in his voice): "I'm sorry you had to read my books." OBSERVATION: Actually, it was one book -- the rest was a pile of printed lectures. I wrote two reviews of his book God's Missionary People, and so obtained a little satisfaction for the trials he put me through. They are "out there" somewhere. (He's a professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, and a Lausanne III delegate).

The Privilege Of Serious Work

My counselling ministry is a battle-ground which involves a lot of darkness and hard talking and borderline issues and explosive emotions and tears and (for me) sleeplessness. But yesterday I suddenly saw the other side: I am so privileged to be doing serious work with so many people.

Meeting With Tutors

I met tonight with two delegates to Lausanne III (pictured) -- both of them my tutors in the past. E. on the left is a director of John Stott Ministries, and S. on the right an Assistant Professor at Fuller Theological Seminary. It was a great pleasure to meet them -- not least to talk to them far away from the U.S. academic environment, which so vexed me back then. It was a conversation with interesting insights.

Crocodile Bite

I receive some unusual requests for help at the Church. Today, a young woman complained that her crocodile bite was playing up. She showed me a huge bite -- a long row of square puncture marks -- on the calf of her lower right leg. The bite had healed, but the leg was swelling. She said she had been wading in shallow water near Maputo when the crocodile attacked her. (She couldn't afford a doctor).

Cartoon Book

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Yesterday I made a serendipitous find: a cartoon book, lost for years, that my grandfather made for me at (best guess) age 4. It records (imaginatively!) some scenes from my early years. This picture, from the first page, is titled: "Continental train to Harwich". Here's the accompanying verse, translated from German: "We're travelling in the train / The driver's driving, fast as he can / It appears that the man didn't take care / His foot is off, now he's close to tears." (Click on it to enlarge).

Just Carry On

Wife M. has bone marrow cancer. After five months of perilous health, in May they succeeded in stabilising the patient -- with thalidomide. In a sense, it is an experimental drug -- yet it worked. However, last week, routine tests didn't look good. They spoke gravely about it at the hospital. They decided to run the tests again this week. This week, it looked worse. Yet their attitude had changed: Problem? What problem? Just carry on. OBSERVATION: The photo shows M. leading a women's meeting recently.

Fourfold Emphasis

I have a fourfold emphasis which runs through much of my ministry. One finds it grouped together in various places in Scripture: who God is, what He does, His creation, and His people. An example is Psalm 150, which speaks of His surpassing greatness, His acts of power, His mighty heavens, and His sanctuary. OBSERVATION: These points are not to be taken for granted. In some Churches, one or the other may not receive much emphasis at all.

Stalker Arrested

A drug addict was staking out my office (hiding) in the dark last night, then stalked me through a back street. I turned back to the Church (he still stalking me), and locked myself in. When the police arrived, they found him still staking out my office (hiding again) -- as high as a kite, with various unknown substances on him. This is a photo of the arrest (I need to work on my night-time crime photography)! Two police officers (centre and right) are bundling him (left) into a van. OBSERVATION: I can't wait till he's released. He'll be doubly fixated with me now.

Family Ruse

A young man in our congregation received a call to go home, to a country to the north. His mother was dying -- or so they said. When he got there, his mother was fine. They said to him: "We needed you to come home, son, so that we could see that you are still the same." He said to me last week: "I haven't called home for four months. I'm afraid of what they'll tell me next."

Public Internet

This is a South African Public Internet Terminal in a remote village in the Northern Cape. It wasn't working. I asked a post office clerk: "When are you going to fix it?" She said: "There is no one to fix it. Not in the whole of the Northern Cape" (which covers an area larger than Germany). OBSERVATION: On the other hand, Internet Cafés are rare in country villages, and are likely to cost many times as much as they do in the city.

Lausanne III Hegemony

I was corresponding yesterday with a Lausanne III delegate. I mentioned the local disquiet over the Congress in its early stages (I was a local liaison officer), but I said: "I think they [Lausanne III] listened". But did they? One of the early issues was US and Global North hegemony over the Congress -- raised at the highest level at the time. I checked. Today there are 27 members of the Executive Leadership of Lausanne III. Less than 20% are listed as wholly Global South. The majority are listed as US. If one excludes members-at-large (who by definition bear no responsibility) it's 13% wholly Global South. OBSERVATION: Such things do matter. A member of Lausanne III's Board of Directors said to me at the start: “67% of Christians now live in the Global South and the Orient. This thing can’t be controlled from the North. The ball has been passed to the South, and they need to realize that.” (I have not checked the other early issues).

Two Papers, 1,174 Hours

I submitted, tonight, two theological papers to an academic journal. My word processor (Writer) informs me that I spent 1,174 hours editing them. That's about 170 complete workdays, or nearly half a year. Strictly, though, Writer monitors "the amount of time that the file has been open", which may be misleading. OBSERVATION: At any rate, it was no "walk in the park". Between them, these two papers have about 700 citations (basically, quotes).

Lausanne III Venue

Here's a "Church" picture with a difference. It's the venue of Lausanne III (on the right of the photo -- the Cape Town International Convention Centre, or CTICC). When they built this, they surprisingly didn't predict that they would turn the street into a giant wind tunnel. They needed to do some big fixes. OBSERVATION: I was closely involved with Lausanne III in the early stages, as liaison officer for the local Churches. I took the photo yesterday (it's in VGA if you click on it). See Local Churches for my news, views, and photos of many local Churches.

Generic Forgiveness?

Yesterday I blogged about a congregant who was convicted of sexual assault -- and I considered that, in this particular case, forgiveness is appropriate. Yet the attitude of some in this matter is that one would owe everyone forgiveness at all times. But take the case in point. There are behaviours and there are lifestyles that are very damaging and destructive. They are not "OK", and the Church would be wrong to give them the blessing of forgiveness without expecting penitence and turning (this is apart from the notion of absolute wrong against God). I hope in a future post to focus on the damage that "forgiveness" can do.

Confusion Of Scarboroughs

There's a confusion of Scarboroughs. Not all Scarboroughs are the same. It begins with the fact that three local Scarboroughs are involved in writing, editing, or publishing. To give an example of the problem, a Roman Catholic priest stopped me in the street recently, and said: "Your [writing] is very interesting, Thomas, but I'm afraid I can't agree with all of it." However, it wasn't my writing he was referring to. If it doesn't say Thomas, it isn't Thomas. Too many people don't take the care to check -- or they make the slipshod assumption that every Scarborough is a Scarborough. The same, incidentally, goes for denominational affiliation. A recently deceased luminary, in public, tore into me for my denominational affiliation -- which didn't exist.

On Numbers (Continued)

A few weeks ago, I blogged about Keeping Numbers Up, noting my "general unconcern about numbers". A minister in Europe left a comment (he is in leadership development), essentially stating that numbers are symptomatic, that we need a healthy spiritual response to numbers (where numbers are a given), and that his denomination has a goal of 10% conversion rate growth. Then I received an e-mail from a minister in South Africa, noting that the 10% goal frightened him -- among other things because one was falling for the desire to be "successful", and because this introduced pressure to the ministry. My own first response to the 10% goal: my heart sank. Such a goal (or any goal) would weigh me down. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. In my view, such goals and ministry don't go together. My next response was: it's a typically Western mindset, to cast things in terms of figures, quantifiable terms, method and design, and so on. I don't think those are Biblical or spiritual categories, and I don't think they are relevant to the Church -- although they must be hard for some to shake off. Thirdly, I thought, Churches have strange dynamics that are beyond predictive methods. They behave more like flocks of birds, or the morning mist, or (in Biblical terms) the wind which blows wherever it pleases.

Lutheran Church

I called in at Cape Town's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Strand Street this morning. The photo is taken from the altar, looking out towards Strand Street (click on it for VGA). Consecrated in 1787, this is the oldest Church building still in use in South Africa. Its services are held mostly in English. I preached there once.

Convicted

One of our congregation, a well known citizen, was yesterday convicted of sexual assault. He pleaded guilty, and confessed his shame. The trial received some prominence in the media. I have been involved from the pastoral and spiritual side for all of this year, and saw what I believe to be genuine repentance and spiritual renewal in his life. From the Church's point of view, there is the need for good judgement, bearing in mind the conviction, yet as much as it lies in me, I consider that the Church needs to act in keeping with his status "in Christ Jesus", which is: "restored".

Moping Wife

A married couple came to see me. The husband said to me: "She [the wife] lost her job. She sank into depression. Now I have to put up with a moping wife." I told him -- as I often tell marriage partners -- that his role is to be the pastor, and to minister to her. He was (I said) too much focused on himself and his own needs, while the Bible calls us to the very opposite -- and it starts in the home.

Runaway Success

One of the most successful things I did in the Church was to introduce free pudding at the end of Church events. The announcement of free pudding became one of the trademarks of my ministry. But the e-mail above right -- sent to me by a deaconess -- suggests what came of the idea. Our success ran away with us. A few years ago, free pudding was phased out. It does place rather a strain on operations when ever larger crowds turn up for pudding. (But I wish we could still have it)!

Flashback 1968

This is another flashback to 1968. The place is Antebuka, Tarawa atoll, just over 1° north of the equator in the Central Pacific. I am on the far right of the photo. Behind me are my mother and my sister. On the left are the daughters of the colonial police chief and their mother. We are doing school work. OBSERVATION: Notice that I prefer to sit island-style, which I was more accustomed to. You may click on the image to enlarge to 670k.

Classy Church

Our Church recently appeared in the company of some classy wedding photographs on the blog of professional photographer Yvette Gilbert. And it's not the first time that a wedding in our Church has been followed by a reception at the Mount Nelson Hotel. The photographer used a stunning lens. You may click on the photo to enlarge to 430k.

Morning Mystery

I arrived at the Church early this morning to find (pictured) a good pair of women's shoes, a quality bra, and a woman's leather belt at the office gate. Behind this, no doubt, lies a story. It is not that unusual to find such items lying around the Church in the morning.

Grown Old

Yesterday I received members in my vestry for our annual Thank-Offering. One young member sat down opposite me at my big vestry desk. He took a good look at me, and said: "You have grown old." OBSERVATION: I ask you. With some of the remarks I've had to put up with, does it seem any wonder that I've grown old.

Not By The Rules

Every year, we have a Thank-Offering weekend. Members bring a gift of thanks to God, which I receive in my vestry on Saturday and Sunday mornings. This year, however, we got it all muddled up. Our Church bulletin and Church newsletter announced different times, and I was told that my personal Sunday announcement was just plain befuddling. Last year we had it all together. However ... this year seven times more people turned up for the Saturday session. Proof again that Churches don't work by the rules!

Chromium / Chrome

So I tried out Chromium, the Linux version of Google Chrome. It's a Web browser, an alternative to Internet Explorer, Firefox, and others. It installed flawlessly, and transferred all my Firefox data with a single mouse-click. It was faster -- and obviously so. Why can't the others do that? But the big minus -- or plus -- depending -- was its austerity. No menu, no status bar, no tool bar (almost). It felt like trying to open a door with one's hands behind one's back.

Confidentiality (Not)

Several years ago, I sought counselling from another minister -- an experienced counsellor, well trained. Half way through our session, he took a call. It was an academic from the University of South Africa. My counsellor said on the phone: "You wouldn't believe who I've got with me right now for counselling! ... Thomas Scarborough! ... Yes!" OBSERVATION: I thought that was cheap!

Youth Photo

Our Church Youth are great subjects for photographs, and they love to pose for the camera. Towards the end of our Friday night Youth, the Youth sit in a large circle, and we serve up cheap snacks and drinks. I took this photo then. It's in VGA if you click on it.

Confidentiality

How confidential is a minister's confidentiality? It varies a lot from minister to minister, but in my case, I often take "confidential" to include wife M. By this I mean that wife M. is included in those who do not get to hear the details -- and she is quite happy about that, inquisitiveness aside! OBSERVATION: I haven't thought deeply about this, but supposing we ask the question why I do it like this: my first, spontaneous reaction is that I want to preserve people's dignity -- give them a better chance to bounce back.

Congregational Membership

We are a Congregational Church -- yet members so often do not seem to grasp the power, the privileges, the hopes placed in them. The assumptions of members frequently seem to be those which one finds in so many other Churches: a member gets put on the mailing list, and onto Church rosters, and ... what else? But in a Congregational Church, members have the power to overrule even the minister, even the elders, even the deacons -- and that's not touching on the responsibilities of their unique calling within the Body. OBSERVATION: I do not hold the view one sometimes finds, that Congregationalism is a balance of power. It is a direct democracy, or better, a dynamic Body, under Christ.

Lamborghini vs. Bajaj

Well, the latest Lamborghini does 0-100km/h in 2.5 seconds. My Bajaj (pictured) does 0-50km/h in 15 seconds -- yes, I proved it in a daring test-run on our Beach Front boulevard. But of course, such comparisons are very deceptive. The Lamborghini isn't half as much fun. And it isn't half as functional.

Complete Body

One of the tenets of Congregationalism is that the local Body is a complete Body. This has practical consequences for me, as follows. Since the Body is complete, every gifting is there, and every calling is there. In other words, one begins with the assumption that, no worry, every need in these areas is already met. Others seem to start with opposite assumptions: we need office-bearers, but how will we ever find them? or, we envision a certain Church demographic, but how will we ever realise it?

Ignoring Ministers

There is the need, in ministry, to be strategic. A well known example is that it usually does not make strategic sense to do much follow-up with people who have dropped off. Yet there is a strange kind of phenomenon, related to being strategic, namely: it is not thought to be in a Church's strategic interests to pay any attention to other ministers. After all, is he/she going to join the Church? Will he/she pay contributions? So why should he/she deserve the time of day? Fortunately it is not a widespread phenomenon, and many Churches treat other ministers with special honour. OBSERVATION: This post is "just a notion". However, I feel confident it is true. One might seek to prove it thus: introduce oneself in some Churches as a seeker, and in others as a minister, and write up the findings.

Leipoldtville DRC

Here's another photo of the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC, or NGK) in Leipoldtville, just over 200km/120mi north of Cape Town. It was built in 1958. The village itself was established in 1905 -- named after the father of the more famous C. Louis Leipoldt.

Motives For Elders

In both of my Churches (two long ministries) we introduced elders -- and changed our constitutions accordingly. But in each case, my motives were different. In my first Church, one of the deacons said to me: "I know now why you wanted elders. It was to sideline the deacons." This was not the whole story, but there was a lot of truth in that. In my present Church, a core motive was the desire for a more balanced ministry -- and I think our elders have helped provide that. OBSERVATION: In both cases, elders meant that more time was devoted to spiritual matters.

Fever

I've been battling a fever for the past week. But I hate to be unproductive. Wife M. comments: "You should be in bed, not sitting up! You're sick. In case you haven't noticed." OBSERVATION: Wives can be so astute. Apparently the balance and good sense they bring to a husband's life adds years to his life-span. (For a brief discussion of that, see the Center for the Study of Aging).

Not Villages

In South Africa, there are many places on the map that are too small to be called villages, too large to be called farms. One typically finds a central building like this, which contains a petrol/gas station, a post office, a general store, a bottle/liquor store, a telephone, and an ATM, all in one – perhaps with a railway siding nearby. Some examples of this in our Western Cape province are Langebaanweg, Sandberg, and Paleisheuwel (this photo).

Historical Summary Summarised

I wrote up a summary of my ministry for this month's Church newsletter. Here's a summary of the summary (1994-2010): 1. There was financial revival. 2. There was a proliferation of groups and events. 3. There was a tightening of discipline in various areas. 4. The Church became independent. 5. Ministry by members was greatly expanded. And 6. there were huge changes of various kinds in the "make-up" of the Church.

Those Who Don't Count

A minister friend wrote to me this morning about what he called "a racial issue" in the Church: the problem of people who "don't count" because they belong to another racial group. This is a phenomenon that I am continually aware of. Usually, in my experience, it is unconscious rather than overt. For instance, people get overlooked -- quite unintentionally -- when one draws up rosters, or puts together orders of service, and so on. Here's another example of the phenomenon: a woman in our Church said to me one Sunday morning: "There's no one else here in my age group." I said: "Look, there are lots," and I pointed out and named several people. She hadn't seen them. OBSERVATION: In our own Church, I see this at work in various directions. That is, it's not just one cultural group that does it. I think one simply needs to be aware of this, continually seek to avoid favouritism (be no respecter of persons), and continually seek to reveal all those lamps hidden under bowls/candles hidden under bushels. The Holy Spirit does a marvellous work in all.

River Moonrise

At first I noticed only the moonlight shimmering on the Berg River (at the bottom of the photo). Then I looked up and saw the fast-moving clouds before the moon. I took this snap. Actually it's hardly a “snap”, as it required a 15-second exposure. You may click on it to enlarge to VGA.

Leadership: The US Model

For many years, I have been "running our Church" on a leadership model that is far from what one might (too simply) term “the US model” (Engstrom, Sanders, Ford, Maxwell, and so on). I went on to research this model (a Master’s degree). Then it sank in more deeply. Now I am writing two papers on my findings. I now feel a great sense of alienation from “the US model” at nearly every turn, and feel sorry for those ministers who labour under it. The statistics, too, are disastrous, for which I think there is good reason.

Prayerful Attorney

I called on my attorney last week. A travel agent had failed to refund an (expensive) airline ticket. The first thing my attorney asked me was: where's the proof that the money was paid over to the airline? I asked the airline, and they didn't have it. OBSERVATION: I am continually amazed by my attorney's keen sense of justice in a world where deviousness seems the norm, and her "suspicious mind" which is not seldom sharper than mine. (In urban ministry, one knows some tricks). Every day before work, though, she spends a lot of time in prayer.

Eland's Bay

If you thought there was nothing to do in Eland's Bay (pictured), think again. You could go surfing. Failing that, you could wax your surfboard. Then again, you could always watch people surfing. OBSERVATION: I stayed there recently. The photo is in VGA if you click on it.

Meeting How-To

Here's how I led our Youth leaders' meeting last week. First, prayer. Then I said: "Let's begin with the history of this group" -- and I wove into that the story of what God had done. One of the Youth leaders became so enthusiastic she kept taking over the story. After a while, I asked her to tone it down. I gave a glimpse of what God may, in future, do with these youngsters, and outlined the basic purpose of the group. Then I opened it up to feedback -- also asking whether everyone felt they were fully employed in the group. Out of that came the offer by two Youth helpers to help lead devotions, and the suggestion from a Youth leader that she start a Bible study for the girls.

Power Of Attorney

It is troubling how easy it is for people to obtain power of attorney. Recently I have come across several cases where people were unaware that others had obtained power of attorney over their affairs, and were shocked and angered when they found out. In the most recent case, a member found that her daughter had her bank statements. She asked the bank how this was possible. They told her that her daughter had power of attorney. OBSERVATION: It generally happens when a person is in a weakened position -- rent in arrears, an episode of depression, and so on. Seldom have I thought that it was justified.

Velddrif Organ

I took a turn at the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC, or NGK) Velddrif – and noticed that it was standing open. The “organ works”, too, were standing open. The cleaner had knocked off to go and buy some cigarettes. It seems a lot better organised than our own organ. However, few organs have the quality of sound that ours does. See Fishers of Men? for a photo of this Church. The organ photo is in VGA if you click on it.

In Church By 45 Past

I e-mailed a deaconess, asking her to say the Prayer of Ambrose before Holy Communion tomorrow (a powerful, beautiful prayer). Holy Communion takes place about 45 minutes into our service. She replied: "Thank you for your email. Of course I will read the prayer before Communion tomorrow. We [our family] should be in church by then!!" OBSERVATION: This was, I believe, intended as a joke. However, it is not too far removed from reality in our Church! (see Sunday Traffic).

Freedom Of Religion – In Theory

The South African Bill of Rights guarantees that "everyone has the right to freedom of religion". However in reality, the exercising of this right, in its most basic aspects, is frequently denied – for example, the right to attend Church on Sunday or the right (as a Church leader) to fulfil one's most important leadership functions. The reason is economic priorities – I mean the priorities of the employer. Not seldom, churchgoers report to me that they will lose their jobs if they attend Church. In the urban Church in particular, this may have a disruptive effect on a weekly basis – sometimes widely felt.

A Safe Place

I held a rare meeting with our Youth leadership last night (however, I often look in). Our Youth leader P. (pictured) said: "They often come from oppressive situations. But when they walk into Youth, you see them relax, they feel free, it is a safe place for them. Sometimes when they walk out again, you see the fear come over their faces."

Lambert's Bay

I asked these fishermen for a photo at Lambert's Bay harbour. The man on the left said: “They are ungenerous about people taking photos here, Sir, and I am ungenerous with my face. But go on, get on with it, take a snap!” They were selling fish at R80 ($10) per bundle. The photo is in VGA if you click on it.

Post World Cup

The street outside our Church office, after the Soccer World Cup, never returned to what it once was. Our local "toughs" – who were arrested in droves before the Cup – never returned for any length of time. It is interesting how, when one form of life is removed, others begin to flourish. Now employees of a nearby hotel come to lean against the Church wall for a smoke in the sun during their lunch break. People feed pigeons on the pavement/sidewalk. Parents stroll by with little children.

Young Adults Gap

Churches often complain of a “young adults gap” in their numbers. It’s easy to work out if there is one. Say you take ages 15-24 as the test group (a=10, a 10-year spread). Then say a realistic spread of all ages would be 0-80 (b=80, it could be different say at a school). And the number of people in Church on Sunday is 100 (c=100). That's a/b*c = you should have 12-13 people in this age group. Admittedly, that's a crude calculation. We ourselves, between the ages of 0 and 35, have (best guess) two-thirds representation, with our weakest area being say 18 years plus or minus some. OBSERVATION: Representation of the 0-35 age group is about five times stronger now than when I first started here. So what changed? It might sound too simple, but I think it was the priesthood of believers (ministry by members). Young people are never too young to minister.