Feature Article: Winter 2008-2009

Hillcrest Mennonite set aside structures and time to move toward new life

by Jan Steckley

"Travelers, there is no path, paths are made by walking."—Antonio Machado

Anyone who has lived or worked within a congregational system for any length of time knows well that times of transition usually generate a certain amount of anxiety within the congregation.

When life is uncertain and the path ahead unclear, there is a natural tendency to want to quickly move out of the wilderness and into a place of stability—to put structures in place that limit the unknowns and control as many variables as possible. If however, congregations are able to resist the urge to "button down the hatches" and instead, step into an unknown future, transition can be a rich time of learning and growth, listening for God's call and dreaming new dreams.

When one member of the pastoral team of Hillcrest Mennonite Church announced his termination after 11 years of ministry, our congregation knew that we were about to be thrust into a journey of transition and change. As the remaining member of the pastoral team, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the congregation was not in a hurry to rush into a search process following the termination announcement. Instead, congregational leaders identified that this would be a good time for our congregation to intentionally reflect on its identity and mission as that had not happened for some time. There was a recognition that the congregation had experienced some significant changes over the past twenty years and they saw this time of pastoral transition as an opportunity to step back and ask, "Who are we as God’s people?" and "What is God calling us to be and to do as we look to the future?"

Added to that, there was a growing sense within the congregation that the organizational structure that had served us well had become more burden than blessing and that it was time to take a look at the possibility of developing a new one. It seemed clear to our leaders that working with these two pieces could then provide some helpful insight and direction for our pastoral search a little further down the road. Thus it was that we became a "pilgrim people" for a time, embarking on a congregational journey of reflection and discernment—a pilgrimage that, more than five years later, we are still on.

As we talked further about how we might make this journey, it became clear to some of us that we could not simply add the congregational discernment work on to all the things we were already doing. Thus was born the idea of taking a "sabbatical" from our current structure in order to create space for the discernment work we were wanting to do. For some, the idea of a sabbatical time was immediately appealing as it conjured up images of a year of freedom from the slavery of structures. As we talked about what this could look like, we quickly determined that our intention was not to simply close up shop. Rather we were looking for a way of "breaking rhythm"—;of breaking from our usual pattern of church life to free up time and energy for the discernment work, hopefully with a greater sense of spaciousness.

In order to do that, we developed a one-year interim structure that would enable us to focus primarily on the discernment work. We first identified the things that we felt needed to continue during our year of discernment. The "essentials" we named included worship, formation opportunities for all ages, care giving and support services such as building and finance maintenance. Once those had been identified, we convened an ad hoc planning teams for six to eight week time blocks and entrusted them with the responsibility for almost all aspects of congregational life during that period, including worship, adult faith formation, fellowship and service opportunities.

When we live as pilgrim people, how we make the journey and how we are shaped by what we learn about ourselves, God and others, is ultimately more important than where we end up.

Responsibility for children and youth programming, care giving and support services rested with designated coordinators. The planning teams included a broad range of people from the congregation and received their direction (based on our discernment work) from an expanded leadership team comprised of representatives from the old structure's Leadership Team along with several additional members.

Our discernment process included a number of congregational "potluck and conversation" events over the course of the year where we looked at congregational values, purpose, vision, obstacles and strategic directions. These conversations were facilitated by a staff person from our area conference, Mennonite Church Eastern Canada. At the same time, a group was put in place to begin working on a new, more permanent organizational structure. In the end, it took eighteen months rather than twelve to get a new structure up and running and another couple of years to really settle into it.

Recently, in a meeting of our Stewards of Vision team (the group in our new structure responsible to make sure that we are being faithful to our vision), I asked those gathered to reflect with me on our journey over these past five or so years. Their comments reflected the truth of the statement by Antonio Machado quoted at the beginning of the article. Pilgrimage is really a journey of making a path by walking forward, even when the destination is not entirely clear. When we live as pilgrim people, how we make the journey and how we are shaped by what we learn about ourselves, God and others, is ultimately more important than where we end up.

One of the things we learned through our pilgrimage is that this is arduous work and not for the fainthearted. Choosing a path where there are no easy or right answers and where even the clues are not always clear can be challenging and we discovered that some chose not to be involved in the process. There were also those who wearied of the process and lost energy or interest along the way. Although we had some specific goals in mind (such as a new organizational structure), in retrospect we recognize that what we were really stepping into on this journey was not a decision-making environment, but a learning environment. It was the conversations that happened over the course of the year that shaped us and changed us much more than any decisions we made. We have wondered whether it might have been helpful to have condensed our discernment work into a shorter time frame in order to avoid process fatigue. I am aware of congregations who have done similar work in an intensive weekend setting.

Over the course of the year, it was essential for congregational leaders to remind themselves periodically that we were leading people into a place of chaos for a season and that we would inevitably feel uncomfortable at times. There is always a temptation on the part of leaders to respond to anxiety by trying to fix the discomfort, rather than waiting for new life and transformation to emerge out of the chaos.

We also acknowledged in our reflections that in spite of some of the anxiety and angst, this pilgrimage was also a time of much ferment for our congregation. It led us to reflect more deeply on who we are as God's people—what it means to be the church—and so we sought ways to listen for the voice of God among us. We found biblical stories that connected with our own experience and we spent time in prayer together and individually. One significant moment when we experienced God's presence was during a silent prayer time at a worship planning meeting. One of the gifted musicians in our congregation suddenly said, "While we were praying, I was given a song that I think is for our congregation while we are on this journey." Those present gathered around the piano and she proceeded to play and sing what the Spirit had given to her. That song became a touchstone for us in our journey together.

. . . we were looking for a way of "breaking rhythm"—of breaking from our usual pattern of church life to free up time and energy for the discernment work, hopefully with a greater sense of spaciousness.

As with all pilgrimages, our journey has shaped us into a different people. An interim structure not only helped us to let go of the old structure, but also made us less anxious about working with a new structure that is more fluid. The conversations we had during our year of discernment have enabled us to talk more openly and comfortably with each other, even in times when we may not agree. In situations where the way does not seem clear, we are more comfortable with waiting, trusting that the Spirit is at work among us and will help us find our way.

Perhaps most importantly, there is an ongoing sense that this pilgrimage has empowered us and formed us into a more courageous people, willing to take risks and even make mistakes. The pioneering spirit that has been part of our congregation's DNA since its inception has been called forth in a new way and we now seek to actively listen for ministries that God may be calling us to and gifting us for.

To be sure, this journey is not over. In fact, for God's people, the way is always made by walking, as we trust the Spirit to guide our steps.

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Jan Steckley is pastor of Hillcrest Mennonite Church in New Hamburg, Ontario.