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Perspectives on Hope: ... and Harvest
It is that time of year again; you know—harvest time! The pumpkins of Halloween now become the pumpkins of harvest displays on our front lawns and the altars in our churches. We sing romanticized songs about the harvest and how grateful we are for all that God has done. We thank God for the fruit of the field, the harvest of the crops that so bountifully grace our dinner tables. We prepare succulent feasts, giving thanks for the food and praying for those who are in need—all the while still eating the excessive calories. We hold harvest dinners to supplement the church budget, and harvest bazaars for the same purpose.
The question I would invite you to consider is how invested have we actually been in the work it took to make a harvest possible? Much of what I described above is a passive receiving of the work of others, not necessarily costing us anything. While we are appropriately grateful for that which others provide, on the whole it is likely a very small percentage of members in our churches that have actually “worked the fields” all year which makes it possible to bring in the harvest in due season.
After having lived in small cities for the first nine years of my life my family moved to rural South Dakota so that my father could return to his first vocational love of farming. He became the manager of a family-sized farm; we lived in the large old farmhouse and my father received a 10% share of the crop for doing the work throughout the year. Out of necessity it became a family job. I can recall beginning in the fields by the age of 10, picking rocks so that they would not damage the harvesting equipment. The 10% share crop was not sufficient for a family of nine, so the farm owner set aside four acres for us to plant our own crop on the side. I progressed from picking rocks to picking cucumbers that we sold to the Gedney Pickle Company in order to have funds enough to purchase clothing for school. That is when my appreciation of the harvest began. Over the years I would love riding on the combine with my father just so that I could see the grain pour into the holding bin. Eventually I was the one running the equipment. It brought me joy and hope because I had helped invest huge energy into preparing the fields, helping sow the seeds, clearing out the rocks and weeds, repairing the equipment, all in order to bring the harvest home.
Preparing for the harvest took risk and a capacity to see potential, along with a willingness to focus all the resources necessary to make fruitfulness possible. There was nothing passive about it. Does it require “faithfulness”? Absolutely. However, it also requires a culture of expectation, anticipation and participation! It requires a practice of preparation, adaptation, innovation and determination!
Jesus was quite clear that he expected fruit from those who would be his disciples. Such would also be the expectation of the communities of discipleship—the body of Christ. While grace was freely given there was clear commandment to be actively engaged in order to be fruitful. Remember, “I am the true vine, and my father is the gardener. He cuts away every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit. But he trims clean every branch that does produce fruit, so that it will produce even more fruit.” [John 15:1-1, Contemporary English Version].
Dr. Lovett H. Weems, Jr., Executive Director of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership at Wesley Theological Seminary ( www.churchleadership.com ), writes,
Generations of clergy have grown up with the saying, “We are not called to be successful; we are called to be faithful.” Obviously, there is deep truth in that statement. I believe it. I have said it. But I do not say it anymore, because I fear it is used as a way for clergy to avoid an essential accountability beyond faithfulness.
An ecumenical gathering of church and seminary leaders reflected on this question. “What is your ideal picture of the excellent pastoral leader of the future?” The first person to respond described the ideal pastoral leader as deeply grounded in the faith tradition, strongly connected to God, steeped in ongoing prayer, and faithful in taking weekly Sabbath time. This picture of pastoral excellence resonated with many in the group.
Something, however, is glaringly missing from this picture. Hundreds of congregations in my denomination are in serious trouble. Children are not being taught the faith. Disciples are not being made. Lives are not being transformed. The poor are not being visited. Communities are not being redeemed. These congregations know something is terribly wrong. And in most cases, the problems have little to do with the pastor’s prayer life or whether the pastor takes weekly Sabbath time. In fact, in many of these churches members deeply respect their pastors as sincerely spiritual people of the utmost personal faith and integrity. But they also know more is needed from their pastoral leaders.
I would strongly suggest to you that it is not simply and not only clergy that have grown up with the culture of “faithfulness”. It is the endemic culture of most mainstream U.S. Christian churches/denominations today. I am convinced it is also one of the pervasive underlying causes of congregational decline. I do not point out the obvious to make us regret the past or feel guilty about it. There were many forces and factors that shaped this reality. We did not reach a season of presumed comfort and slow decline overnight. Nor will we reach a season of immense harvest overnight. We are, however, at a season of discomfort and awakening in most of our local churches and across the connectional body of Christ known as United Methodism. Coupled with this is a renewed hunger among many for a faith journey that brings transformation to a world in need. There is a clear stirring to move from membership to discipleship.
Fruitful ministry needs to be our expectation, not a surprise at the end of the year. Fruitful ministry requires a willingness to prune out programs and behaviors that no longer bring a greater yield. Fruitful ministry requires full engagement of all resources toward the goal of harvest. Fruitful ministry requires innovation and a desire for excellence. This is expected of laity as well as clergy, for all are called to discipleship.
Isn’t it wonderful that God is creating a new awareness of our vulnerability at this time in history! To be awakened means we have an opportunity to do those things necessary for a new harvest. It is time to get off the pew and into the fields again! Thanks be to God.
Jerome (Jerry) DeVine
Director of Connectional Ministries