Roots...

I'm working on some thoughts for an upcoming church meeting where we will begin the process of implementing our new Vision Statement for St. Paul's UMC. We began this "re-visioning" experience almost two years ago, so now that we have the will and the verbiage, it is time to put it all to work for the future of the congregation, and to accomplish the mission for which we believe God has called us.

As part of the theological underpinnings of this next step, I revisited the scripture passages from John 15, which we used as our "theme" for the task, most especially the "I am the vine, you are the branches" verse. Now that we are moving forward into an uncertain and possibly even daunting future (for "the church" is now in "foreign missions" to our contemporary culture), an idea struck.

Jesus' illustration of the vine would most certainly have been about grape vines, given the vineyards which could have dotted the fertile areas of Galilee. In viticulture, new shoots are grafted onto old--and sometimes near ancient--root stock. Good root stock guarantees a bigger, high-quality yield. As an aside, when Dara and I were on a Holy Land trip a few years back, and we were touring the Garden of Gethsemane, I asked a docent to confirm something I had heard, namely that the olive trees in the garden might have been the same ones standing when Jesus was wrestling with his fate in that garden. The docent said this was not true--at least not the trees. The roots, however, probably were original. Again, new shoots were grafted onto old--even ancient--root stock.

So, as our church begins to implement a new vision for ministry, the very text that launched us on this endeavor now reminds us that our vision will only be fruitful if we graft it onto the substantial root stock St. Paul's has developed over its near 50 years of ministry--and, of course, onto the historic "root stock" of a Christ-centered faith.

The shoots will be--must be--new, growing now in a very different environment than shoots of old. Their grounding and nourishment will be supplied by the great stock that still inhabits, unseen, the rich soil of Christian scripture, tradition, experience, and reason. But the elements of contemporary culture, and the great, great needs, challenges, and unique anxiety it creates, will cause the new branches to adapt, acquire the necessary hardiness, and bear fruit among millennial generations and those that will come after.

There is always a temptation to just grow a new plant from scratch. Some have done this. But the resulting "fruit" might be uncertain, long in coming, and the branches may not survive the shock of producing, apart from history (tradition and experience). No, we need to graft onto the heritage of our root stock.

There is also the temptation to just take some of the old branches--ones that are ready for the fire--and just grafting them back on, because they worked before. Big mistake, too. That's not to say that all "old" ministries are outmoded, for certainly, some continue to be relevant and even timeless. However, do you get my drift here? And is this one possible reason some of our churches are gasping for breath--good root stock but fear in grafting new branches because the old ones always worked before?

Our new St. Paul's Vision is: We will be an inclusive, diverse church, loving others according to the teachings of Jesus and working for justice and peace in our world. Now do you see why it is essential that we graft onto proven, historic root stock? And yet, St. Paul's has always been a church that "branches out." That's in our DNA. So, we're pretty jazzed up about the possibilities for the new branches and the fruit they may produce.

And, you know that works for individuals as well. What is your "root stock" like? And have you grafted on any new branches recently? If you struggle with bad or "diseased" root stock, maybe it is time to plant anew. In faith parlance, we call this a "new birth." But if you have good roots, why not be open to "reinventing" yourself by grafting in fresh branches--take on a new mission, write your own new, personal Vision Statement, reconnect with your faith in Christ! May you be jazzed up about your journey, too. Shalom, Yinz.