May 21, 2006
Easter 6 - B
The Rev. Dorian McGlannan

The Book of Acts is as close to history as we find in the New Testament. It is not political history because proclamation and the building up of the faith are the driving forces behind this book. Nonetheless it is the only New Testament document that gives us a picture of events that took place in the early church. It is an action packed account of salvation history.

 

Today’s reading is about building up the church in the Greek city of Antioch, opening the gospel message to the gentiles and the subsequent staffing problems that arose. Prior to this segment, the gospel had only been preached to Jews. Now there is a dramatic shift. The martyrdom of Stephen which took place earlier in the book of Acts had resulted in a general persecution of Christians which then caused the scattering of believers to many different areas beyond Jerusalem. While they were in remote areas, and no one was watching too closely, Christians from Cyprus and Cyrene were inspired to break out of the circle of Jewish Christians and do something radically different. They went to Antioch, a Greek city, and started proclaiming the Lord Jesus to Hellenists or Greeks. Now this may not seem out of the norm to us because we are so accustomed to the gospel being preached to everyone. But for people of this time, this was a major shift in focus. The growth in numbers of the people accepting the Christian message was dramatic and then there was a staffing problem.  

 

When the Church leaders in Jerusalem heard of the founding of this new mission, they dispatched one of their own – Barnabas – to collaborate with them, to help this new Christian community stay afloat. Choosing the right person for such a delicate mission was critical. Barnabas was the perfect person to preach to the gentiles because he was a Diaspora Jew, in other words a Jew who had not been raised in Jerusalem. Jerusalem Jewish Christians were so attached to the traditions of Jerusalem that they could not imagine preaching the Christian message to anyone who was not first a Jew. Barnabas was able to see things differently and so was able to approach a different audience – in this case the gentiles. In contemporary language, Barnabas was able to think “out of the box”. Barnabas was also known as a great encourager. This quality was important as the gentiles might have trouble accepting a faith that was so grounded in Jewish ways. These new Christians needed to be encouraged so that they knew that not knowing everything in the world about Judaism would not block their ability to know Christ. 

 

The assembling of a church staff is a delicate process. There are so many qualities to consider far beyond the technical abilities of an individual. God willing, St. John’s is very close to having the core staff of four full-time people in place. We need to finish the music piece but we think we are close. All along, my vision has been to have a team ministry of talented people who can work together imaginatively and spiritually. Of course, each of us will have our designated areas of responsibility but in the kind of team we are putting together, the flow of energy and ideas will go back and forth in all areas. A good team has a certain kind of energy and focus. Prayerful listening to the movement of the Holy Spirit will be a key aspect of this team. 

 

Just as the Christians in Antioch needed a certain kind of team, a team with different personalities and gifts so our team is being put together with such intention. Putting strong minds and spirits in the same room together will elicit a creative force greater than the energy of each of us individually. This concept of teamwork is essential to the kind of ministry to which I am called. This is why you are hearing so much about it at so many levels. The formation of the vestry as a team, the gathering together of the Sunday School teachers so they can become a team, the eventual formation of a group of all the leaders of Bible Study groups – all of this is further advancement of the ministry teams that are already in place at St. John’s.

 

People are sometimes so protective of their time that they are unwilling to make a commitment to yet one additional meeting. What they may not understand is that working as team will in the end save them time because of the sharing of ideas and resources. Sometimes we don’t think we have time to be part of a small group Bible Study or some other sort of small group when in reality, the support and wisdom of such groups saves us time and energy in virtually every other aspect of our lives. Being spiritually focused increases our energy in manifold ways. 

 

I have learned this the hard way. When I was working at a church in Seattle, I was part of a wonderful clergy support group. They were fantastic. The collective experience and wisdom of that group allowed all of us to be more effective and grounded in our work. However, when I became rector of Good Shepherd in Federal Way, I was so far away from other clergy that forming a support group seemed unrealistic. I foolishly decided that the driving would be too much. I figured by this time, I knew how to take care of myself. It was the biggest professional mistake I have ever made. For a variety of reasons my sense of called gradually started to erode. And then salvation! I was invited to take part in a program called Sustaining Pastoral Excellence at Seattle University. The timing of this program could not have been more providential. Because of the support of other clergy, this program restored my sense of call in a profound way. Once I make mistakes such as this, I tend not to make them again and so when I arrived at St. John’s I knew I had to find a support group and fortunately I was invited to join one shortly after I got here. I didn’t even have to look! They have been terrific! I still make plenty of mistakes but the difference is that I have a good place to process them. So is it worth the three hours plus travel time every month? No question about it.   

 

I have prayed a great deal about the formation of our staff over the past few months. My prayer has been that we will have a group of four full-time talented, spiritually grounded, hard working staff that can help fulfill God’s vision for our church. I firmly believe that God wants all churches to flourish. That is the purpose. All we have to do is stop putting up the blockades. As soon as we start thinking in terms of God’s purpose for our church, the desire for what each of us may personally want dissolves and the collective desire begins to take primary place. It is quite amazing when this collective spiritual energy takes over a church. It is quite amazing. 

 

So Barnabas was called in to help this new community in Antioch and then Barnabas went to round up Saul and together this team worked with the new Christians in Antioch for an entire year. Each of the leaders in the new Christian community in Antioch brought unique gifts to the leadership of that community. Saul and Barnabas were responsible for instruction and encouragement of the new believers. Agabus and other elders were responsible for the distribution of food to the poor. They were the core staff.

 

When the right staff is in place in a church, the flow of energy extends to parishioners. Parishioners are moved and touched by staff to live into their callings to ministry. When a church is functioning at its best, everyone is involved in some aspect of ministry. The ministry of the entire church is shared. Some may be called to teach, some to pastoral care, others to the quilting ministry or the library ministry, altar guild, care of the buildings and grounds or any of the many other ministries that take place in this church. The role of staff is not simply to provide ideas and have you do the work. The role of staff is to work alongside you and provide the expertise needed to enable you to fulfill your call to ministry. 

 

There is so much talent in this church. Almost weekly I discover more magnificent gifts among you the people of this church. It is overwhelming. Just as Barnabas and Saul worked to release the gifts of their community so our staff will do the same.

 

This following of the Biblical tradition of leadership will allow us to live fully into all that St. John’s is capable of being. Come fall, we will be ready to take off guided by the spirit and grounded in our faith.