Archive for April, 2011
The Word is Out
Pastoral obligations prevent me from commenting on it at the present time, but the newest post at OCAnews.org concerning the founders of OCATruth.com is required reading, regardless of what you make of the contents.
In the event OCATruth.com goes offline, I’ll do my best to get my own archive of the site’s contents up and running here.
Don’t forget to pray.
The Entrepreneurial Mind
In his essay from a couple of weeks ago in the Wall Street Journal, Dilbert creator Scott Adams argues that business students (“B students” in his words) would benefit far more from classes in entrepreneurship than in the sciences, mathematics, and classics. While I disagree with the first paragraph (in the implication that some students don’t benefit from entrepreneurial thinking), the rest of the article has much to say about the value of developing entrepreneurial skills. I think an entrepreneurial mindset is absolutely critical for anyone in church leadership, clergy and lay, whether in an established parish or a mission.
With that in mind, it seems to me that there’s a one-sidedness in our Orthodox pastoral preparation, similar to what Adams suggests is happening with “B students.” It’s an imbalance that favors the spiritual and intellectual development of pastors at the expense of learning the value of financial sophistication, prudent risk-taking, leadership cultivation, conflict management, and the basket of talents commonly known as “people skills.” Read the rest of this entry »
I Will Not Speak of Thy Mysteries
“For I will not speak of thy Mysteries to thine enemies…”
–From the Communion hymn for the liturgy for Holy Thursday,
and one of the prayers before communion
Christ is risen! Indeed he is risen!
This past Holy Week has given me many points to consider in a topic I’ve been ruminating on for some time: the issue of photos and videos of Orthodox sacramental rites being placed on the internet in an unrestricted fashion. I am encouraged by the growing use of media technology by Orthodox parishes for the sake of proclaiming the Gospel of Christ. Technological advances in the past decade have made this possible, with good-quality digital still and video cameras available at bargain prices. For those eager to share the Orthodox Faith (which should be all of us), this has been turned into a real opportunity to make Orthodox worship more visible to all.
However, I admit to some unease with the way this is being done in practice. I have benefited greatly from the ready availability of photos and videos (particularly on YouTube, to help a young choir learn new settings by hearing others sing them), but I am not sure this justifies the unrestricted disclosure of “family affairs” to the world. Consider some photos easily found online (all open in a new window/tab), available for anyone to view:
Still More Accuracy in Reporting?
“But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” -James 2:20
I see the most recent post on another site ostensibly devoted to truth reads as follows (formatting as in the original):
Sadly, there is a “need to print,” and that’s why we’re printing this. The Synod has got to wake up and understand what it is doing to the Church. It sat around for years and did nothing about Met. Theodosius’s abuse of office. It did nothing but wring its hands over Met. Herman following in that tradition. When we finally got a primate who was uncorrupt and visionary, though one who needs help mastering the finer points of administration, oh, that’s when they suddenly got vigilant — and now are willing to risk tearing the Church apart to have their way.
The following table shows ordination dates of the current members of the OCA’s Holy Synod, along with the dates of their enthronement as ruling (i.e., diocesan, not auxiliary) bishops and, as a result, full members of the Holy Synod. (Dates taken from biographies at oca.org and diocesan web sites; this really should be in one place.)
Bishop | Ordination as Bishop | Enthronement as Ruling Hierarch | Ruling Hierarch during Met. Theodosius? | Ruling Hierarch during Met. Herman? |
Metropolitan Jonah | 8/2008 | 12/2008 |
No |
No |
Archbishop Nathaniel | 11/1980 | 11/1984 |
Yes |
Yes |
Bishop Nikon | 5/2002 | 9/2003 (Albanian) 9/2005 (DNE) |
No |
Yes |
Bishop Tikhon | 2/2004 | 9/2005 |
No |
Yes |
Bishop Benjamin | 5/2004 | 10/2007 |
No |
Yes |
Bishop Alejo | 5/2005 | 1/2009 |
No |
Yes |
Bishop Melchisedek | 6/2009 | 6/2009 |
No |
No |
Bishop Michael | 5/2010 | 5/2010 |
No |
No |
Leadership and Institutional Decline
“And I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, and into the hand of them whose face thou fearest, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans.” -Jeremiah 22:25
The rector at my parish gave the clerical staff an assignment earlier this week. We were to watch the following video (about 3 minutes long) and report on an aspect of our individual areas of responsibility or the Church in general in light of its conclusions. You can also read the full article if you like.
Watch the video or read the article, then come back to read the rest of this post.
The author, Jim Collins, posits five stages of institutional decline (again, read the article or watch the video for more):
- Hubris born of success
- Undisciplined pursuit of more
- Denial of risk and peril
- Grasping for salvation
- Capitulation to irrelevance or death
After watching the video or reading the article, I invite each of you reading this to report on an aspect of your church life (at whatever level, but not on other jurisdictions, or political units) in view of these stages. Is your chosen aspect already on this path, or is this something you don’t have to worry about right now? If your chosen aspect is at stage 3 or 4, what is the evidence of being there? If stage 5, what’s the evidence of that?
Again, this is a leadership blog, so professionalism and courtesy are appreciated. Please mention the aspect you’re addressing (“my parish,” “my diocese,” “our evangelistic work,” etc.) for everyone’s benefit.