Last weekend close to a hundred Lutherans from the BC Synod gathered in Coquitlam for a gathering called One Body. It was an opportunity for rostered leaders, including deacons, pastors, and the bishop, as well as lay leaders, to meet at a Lutheran church and share ideas and find ways to collaborate. Rebecca and Ben represented Church of the Cross together with me. And there was also Brigitte and Andrew from Grace Lutheran downtown, who I had a chance to meet with as well.
The reality is that a lot of churches find themselves adrift, separated from a wider Lutheran family. In Victoria for example there are only two Lutheran churches of our denomination and only five total on the island. By comparison, our Anglican partners have a cathedral and bishop right here in Victoria, with greater local connections. A challenge for us as Lutherans is to build relationships when the distances to travel are much further. And we’re only a ferry ride away from the lower mainland. Imagine places like Prince Rupert which requires flying for a short trip. In a time of fragmentation, bringing Lutherans together in one church buoyed our spirits. It was a time for sharing ideas, led by a professional facilitator Charles Holmes, who some of you know. He led a structured series of workshops where we met in small groups to discuss challenges each congregation is facing. And then there was an opportunity for people to name challenges or opportunities for which they desire collaboration with others. Each idea was allocated a table in the space and then we could choose which idea we wanted to collaborate on over Saturday and Sunday workshopping one of these ideas.
Some of the ideas included building stewardship and redevelopment; Third Space – how churches are a valuable space for building community outside of home, work, and school; sharing worship resources; children’s and family ministry; and more. The idea that I workshopped was at a table called “Big Radical Ideas.” It sounded fun. The big radical idea that came to the fore was building media platforms for the BC Synod. One way we can bridge gaps between a wide geography among Lutherans in BC, is making it easier to share stories, and hold conversations online. These could include long form videos, short form videos, chat rooms, podcasts, etc. There was some overlap between the Third Space table and our media platform conversations. There is interest in building Discord servers for use for people in the synod to talk together. Anyone here familiar with Discord? It’s a resource sharing platform where you can share links, where you can chat and share ideas, and most importantly it’s easy to use and navigate. The idea is that if we want to talk about Palm Sunday worship planning in Victoria and so does someone in Prince Rupert, we can find each other on the Discord server and have a public chat. Others can join and share ideas as well. There is a member at Spirit of Life Lutheran in Vancouver, where Pr. Aneeta Saroop serves, who is doing graduate research in part on connecting communities. The plan is to have the Discord servers up and running by the end of summer and we’ll share more information when they come available, including tutorials for anyone who wants to learn how to use them.
We’ll see what comes from the synod communication platforms. These are all great ideas. And it’s a big task curating videos and resources on online platforms. Perhaps a part-time position could emerge such as an assistant to the bishop for communications. In the meantime some of us will collaborate with what is manageable in our current roles.
Thinking about the prodigal son parable from the gospel reading, each time we read this story different things come to the fore. I think about the older son and his desire for recognition. At the synod gathering I wonder how many congregation identify with the older son. At least I’m not aware of any congregations who left home and squandered their inheritance on “dissolute living,” but maybe those stories will come out later. More often the stories we here are of people who have faithfully maintained congregations, supported pastors and deacons, empowered lay leaders, and are frustrated that not everything they’ve worked toward will continue. Some congregations are discerning whether to close their doors. Others are collaborating with Anglicans, Uniteds, or other Lutherans building new coalitions. And like the older son, there is a desire for recognition whether from the bishop and synod, from other Lutherans, from the communities they serve, to be told they’re doing a good job. And they are doing a good job and deserve the emotional support the prodigal son receives as well. Sibling rivalries can be tricky when one congregation perceives another is further ahead or getting more recognition. One task we have as leaders is recognizing how church is not a competition and that we are here for mutual flourishing.
Consider Luther House next door which we are about to decommission following worship. On the one hand there is sadness to say goodbye to a house that has served faithfully as a parsonage and a student house. On the other house, it has served its purpose and is falling apart. Luther House is about to die and be resurrected into a multigenerational housing project which will welcome new elders, students, and others as a place to call home. And we know we are a part of that story as a congregation.
Right now I want to give you five minutes to reflect upon the following question: What is one way the parable of the prodigal son is resonating with you today? That could be something with the church or in life generally. We’ll break into small groups and then hear briefly from there people.
