(Written as the editor’s letter for the January 2021 GOL E-News. Read the full newsletter here.) I never in a million years thought I would be writing a letter to hundreds of Episcopal clergy that featured the immortal words of Ross Gellar from Friends — “PIVOT!” What a year! I have...
(Written as the editor’s letter for the December 2020 GOL E-News. Read the full newsletter here.) I know not every non-profit leader can say they leave an annual board meeting more energized, creative, and motivated than when they arrived, and for that I count myself lucky. The Gathering of Leaders’...
![A Critical Point for a Changing Church We have all been called into ministry at this time, in this world, and to our specific roles for a reason. I am dwelling uncomfortably in this liminal space and churning over the most recent parochial report data for the Episcopal Church, the havoc the pandemic is wreaking on the world, and the turmoil in our society over racial injustice and political discord. I keep hearing the phrase “We as a church are at an inflection point,” and it is so easy for me to nod my head and agree, but what does this mean? What are people saying? In mathematics, an inflection point is the point where a curve’s concavity changes, but that doesn’t easily decode what is currently happening in the Episcopal Church. In the business world, a strategic inflection point is “a time in the life of a business when its fundamentals are about to change. That change can mean an opportunity to rise to new heights. But it may just as likely signal the beginning of the end.” (A. Grove, Only the Paranoid Survive) This definition gets me closer to understanding, but hasn’t the Episcopal church been here for a while? Our numbers have been declining for some years. Why are we now “at an inflection point?” With that in mind, we are NOT at an inflection point; we are at a critical point. By definition, a critical point is a mathematical concept that expresses the church’s reality so much better than ‘inflection point.’ In math, a critical point of a continuous function is a point at which the derivative is zero or undefined. The ‘ache’ we feel as a church is that we are undefined in this time. We are in limbo. We are in the liminal space. We are all seeking an ‘answer’ but, by definition, a critical point is yet undefined. (based on image from The Stern Opportunity.) To be clear, I am not saying that we do not know our traditions, our faith, or our call to follow Jesus. What I am saying is that we do not yet have a strategy or definition for who we need to be right now and into the future. When seeking relevance in a modern world, how do we, the Episcopal Church, be the thing that bends and yet does not break? Do we need to break in order to find our undiscovered future? I repeat: We have all been called into ministry at this time, in this world, and to our specific roles for a reason. It is here where the Gathering of Leaders (GOL) network is called to play a key role, as are so many leaders in our church, both ordained and lay. GOL and its participants have always had a hope-filled vision for the future – but we have never defined what that future looks like. Instead we are building that future as we go. WE are the boots on the ground. WE are defining the future. WE are leading that future right now. This critical point where we find ourselves does not have to be an inflection point. We do not have to die faster than our numbers show; instead, we are reimagining our ministry, re-envisioning our methods, and reclaiming the Great Commission in as yet undiscovered ways! The pandemic is forcing us to be the church in ways we never imagined. We are being forced to evolve while maintaining the core of who we are, and it was for this that we were called. Finally, and most importantly, you can share your thoughts, methods, and strategies for addressing this critical point in the history of the church with others. Through GOL’s partnership with the Episcopal Church Foundation, we have a broad audience with whom we can share the creative, life-giving, and Christ-centered ways that you are impacting people daily in the name of Christ, and through which you are discovering the future we are being called to define. From my own liminal space, Haley Bankey Executive Director, Gathering of Leaders haley@thegatheringofleaders.org Notes/Ideas: Critical Point: A critical point of a continuous function f is a point at which the derivative is zero or undefined. The ‘ache’ we feel as a church is that we are undefined. We are in limbo. We are all seeking the ‘answer’ but by definition of a critical point, that answer is undefined. Inflection point in business: [A] strategic inflection point is a time in the life of a business when its fundamentals are about to change. That change can mean an opportunity to rise to new heights. But it may just as likely signal the beginning of the end .” Andrew Grove, ex-CEO of Intel from Only the Paranoid Survive The pandemic is forcing us to be the church when we can’t come together for Eucharist the way we always want to. We are being forced to evolve. GOL is built on a hope-filled future – but we have never defined what that future looks like. Instead we’re building that future as we go. YOU are the boots on the ground. YOU are creating the future. Seeking relevance in a modern world! “How do we be the thing that bends??? “When seeking relevance in a modern world, how do we the church be the things that bends? “(from Lilly Conversation) Scripture: Attribution: https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2020/10/16/2019-parochial-reports-show-continued-decline-and-a-dire-future-for-the-episcopal-church/ Photo Credits: https://brilliant.org/wiki/critical-point/ https://brilliant.org/wiki/inflection-points/ http://sternoppy.com/2013/10/higher-education-at-a-strategic-inflection-point/ When approaching ministry in under resourced communities and seeking relevance in a modern world, how do we the church be the things that bends?](https://www.thegatheringofleaders.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Critical-Point-for-a-Changing-Church-NEW-900x500.png)
(Written as the editor’s letter for the November 2020 GOL E-News. Read the full newsletter here.) We have all been called into ministry at this time, in this world, and to our specific roles for a reason. I am dwelling uncomfortably in this liminal space and churning over the most...
(Written as the editor’s letter for the May 2020 GOL E-News. Read the whole newsletter here.) Whoever said that change is the only constant must have had a crystal ball showing them the year 2020. During a recent GOL Board Meeting we reviewed minutes from a prior meeting and we...
As the snow began to lightly fall at the Bosque Center, this Houstonian felt like a kid at Christmas. It had been a long time since I had seen snowfall. I headed outside for a walk and was soon joined by a colleague that I had just met but who...
The Bosque Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico was the venue for the first GOL gathering for the new decade. The Bosque Center was designed to be a place for “Spiritual Renewal.” On many levels this was the ideal place for the Gathering of Leaders as we gathered intentionally focused on...
Lots of the extraneous stuff about my first Gathering of Leaders in Albuquerque was excellent: the food, the beautiful snowfall over the Rio Grande, the retreat house. But the real blessing was the opportunity to meet with and learn from other clergy from around the church — and not just...
Unity and division are the often—but not always—unspoken subtext of life in the city of Pittsburgh. Even setting ecclesial division of the last decade aside, Western Pennsylvania is a study in unity finding a place in the midst of division. Layer sits upon layer. Neighborhoods rooted historically in language and...
My first experience of a Gathering of Leaders was an opportunity to go more deeply into the theme of Unity and Division through theological reflection, bible study, practical application, small group work, worship and networking. It was a rich exchange of perspectives, stories, experience and prayer. The setting at Lake...
When I signed up for my first Gathering of Leaders event some months ago, I thought: the mountains of North Carolina in the Fall, what’s not to love? Indeed, the waters of Lake Logan were pristine and surrounding mountains were covered with trees decked out in glittering fall foliage. It...