The Village ILWIDIot

 Walt Wiltschek 

“You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.” —Matthew 5:9, The Message

Recently, at a church potluck meal, I was reminded of a well-worn and well-loved story. Talking about how the meal always seems to fill out the table and the breadth of the menu, one of the congregation members said, “It’s like stone soup. Everyone brings something, and it all works.” 

For any of you unfamiliar with the “Stone Soup” story, it tells of a village where the people were hungry, and they were hesitant to share what they had. Until … a stranger arrives in town and pulls out a large pot and a “magic stone” that would produce enough soup for all. The stranger gradually teases out other items that would be helpful—cabbage, potatoes, carrots, beef—and curious villagers bring them. Eventually, of course, there IS enough for everyone. 

The story came to mind again on Feb. 22, when a sizeable contingent from our district were among about 80 people who took part in an online workshop on “Changing Mindsets for Ministry” (read more below). Jeff MacDonald, our leader for this morning, is a pastor and journalist who has been researching the trend toward fewer and fewer full-time pastors in congregations, and how the church is adapting. 

For many congregations—including quite a few here in Illinois/Wisconsin—that shift has involved greater involvement of lay members in the ministry of the church. In some settings, that means shared ministry teams with a person who has some theological training as an “anchor” for the team (and several of those will be sharing at our “Potluck Experience” event later this month); for others, it has meant calling out ministers from within to take on some of those pastoral-type roles; for others, it’s been a hybrid of pulpit supply and members picking up various pieces to keep things going. 

As Jeff reminded us, that’s not a bad thing. Despite a tendency in the modern church to see the lack of a full-time pastor as diminishing the congregation, it actually can be quite the opposite. It’s a New Testament model that can create empowerment, free up resources, and open up new connection points. The Church of the Brethren, in particular, spent its first two centuries with a tradition of free ministry and a belief in the “priesthood of all believers,” where everyone contributes to the work of the church from the gifts they bring (although admittedly, it took quite a while till the gifts of women were fully embraced!). 

Here in the 21st century, we once again have the opportunity to be invested, all of us, in the ministry of our congregations. Theological training is still valuable, and not everyone will feel called to preach or teach or do visitation or outreach, but together our gifts can create a rather rich tapestry of being the body of Christ. Together, with God’s help, we are enough.