Monthly Archives: May 2016

In a recent piece in First Things, R. R. Reno penned some thoughts about homelessness. While homelessness has been a rather divisive issue in my community the type of homelessness Reno discusses is hugely different. He explains, “Our economic, intellectual, and political elites in America feel at home in today’s system … By contrast, ordinary people feel less and less at home” (The Public Square, First Things, June/July 2016). His insight is an attempt to explain the rise of political populists such as Donald Trump on the right and Bernie Sanders on the left.

While homelessness due to poverty, addiction, and lifestyle choices is a critical issue in rural communities as well as urban centers, the kind of homelessness Reno writes about is more and more evident in my world. Over half of the land in my county is owned and managed by the federal government (meaning there are no property taxes to assess, physical access is limited and timber harvests are rare- which has been historically Douglas County’s prime job source). Even the state government enacts policies that increase the sense of homelessness in rural regions. Portland, Salem, Eugene (which tend to be heavily Democratic) with their population clearly control the destiny of Oregon politically.

Homelessness as Reno described is taking hold in our community as people are more and more alienated by directives from the federal government on access to bathrooms; state mandates that seem intent on increasing the number of patients on the highly touted Oregon Health Plan; and decisions about the minimum wage increase that ignore the clear economic realities.

While the current political and economic circumstances create a sense of homelessness for many in my community- the sense that they no longer belong to the idea of America, that there is no longer any room for the kind of labor and family structures that built our community- there is another sense in which we who claim to follow Jesus Christ will always be homeless!

This earth, this current political system – with all it’s positives and even it’s negatives – is not our home. God’s people have truly never been ‘at home.’ From Abraham, who was called to leave his family and his past, through John residing on Patmos we who respond to the call to follow Jesus are never ‘at home.’ Rather, as the author of the New Testament letter to the Hebrews indicates we are at best merely passing through. When describing Abraham and Sarah the author noted:

“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.” (Hebrews 11:13–16, ESV)

May we always be ‘homeless’ until we are truly ‘at home’ in the eternal presence of God Himself!

I’ve been at the edge a few times lately. I drove Oregon Hwy 30 from Troutdale to Multnomah Falls. Lots of edges there. I’ve been pushed to the edge a few times emotionally and physically over the past couple of weeks. Perhaps the edge that bothers me most is the sense that I am living at the far edge of a network of churches in which I was raised and nurtured. Until the past couple of years I was fully committed to the Southern Baptist Convention and its programs and ministries. I led the churches I served to fully participate in the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions.  I encouraged the people attending our church – and other area pastors – to take advantage of resources such as the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (erlc.com), our seminaries and their websites, and our regional network of churches.

But something has happened that has pushed me to the edge. More and more of our missional strategy is being decided for us in places far away from the Northwest by people who often ask the question- ‘do I know how far it is from my place of ministry to their offices?’ – as if I’ve never traveled out of the Northwest. Of course I know how far it is. I’ve gladly travelled quite a distance to attend conferences, meetings, conventions and other functions. For the record I live about 200 miles from the Portland, Oregon airport which is the most convenient and least expensive option for air travel.

I pastor a small (normal, according to Mark Clifton) church. Because the churches I’ve served haven’t experienced massive growth requiring multiple campuses, the hiring of additional staff, the development of innovative discipleship programs my thoughts about ministry are regarded as, well, a reflection of the inability our church has to implement the flavor of the month for maximum church growth.

The rural community I serve (and have gladly served for 25 years) is and has been economically depressed for years. The lumber industry that created our community and on which rural Oregon depended has changed drastically in the past two decades. Young families are rarely attracted to our area and are leaving in significant numbers. The cities to the north of us are attractive job centers as well as cultural and entertainment magnets (yes, I have driven nearly 200 miles one way to attend a Christian music concert because that is as close as the artists have come). For reasons I understand financially but fail to grasp spiritually most of our denominational strategy is focused on mega-cities, meaning funds and training are generally focused on those areas often to the exclusion of rural communities.

One final factor seems to have moved me closer to the edge. The current celebrated model of church growth in our region seems to be built around a college age ministry. Don’t misunderstand. I am excited to see college age kids come to know Jesus, to be renewed in their faith. However, my church is 80 miles away from a state university. We don’t have a large mother church to help with the necessary funds to support an outreach to our community college campus. We  don’t have much musical talent and so our worship team is comprised of several older adults – and one pre-teen – who love to sing, but lack training. They give their all in leading worship, but it still sounds, well, ok but not great.

So, am I asking for pity? No. OK, maybe just a little?

Don’t worry. I am not about to jump or get any closer to the edge! I have stayed here in this community believing that God has called me here and that my wife and I honor God best by being obedient. What I would ask for, however, is the following:

PRAYER

Not just ‘Dear God, help Steve,’ but prayer for a clearer and more compelling love for the community to which God has called my wife and me. Also, pray that God would move one or two young couples into our area who sense a call to serve bi-vocationally in a loving and energetic church family.

LISTEN

Being a small (i.e. normal size) church doesn’t mean we have failed or that we have missed some ‘wave’ or some ‘move of God.’ It also doesn’t mean my thoughts and ideas about ministry, discipleship, worship, and the culture are irrelevant.

LOOK AROUND

Chances are there is a pastor just like me. Maybe he serves down the street, across town, or just outside of the town or city in which you live. Take some time to get to know that pastor. Listen to his heart for the community, for the people, for the advance of the gospel. You never know what God might have in store!

Thanks for reading!

Steve