Some random things that I’ve learned over time:

• Congregations are resilient. They can last a long time. Some are very good at palliative care and can really slow down the death of the congregation and make the demise almost painless. They just tend to drift away over time using whatever remaining resources that may be at their disposal to maintain the status quo which translates into holding and hoarding.Other congregations take a different approach and fight their demise and actually turn the ship around.  They live at the edge of their resources, tell stories, invite, reach out, experiment, and aren’t afraid to fail. They have fun, laugh a lot, and relax.
• Ministry personnel often take themselves too seriously.  It has taken me a while to learn to relax and not to take everything personally. (I take things personally when I take myself too seriously.) What I do take seriously is the ministry and mission of the congregation and the church. That belongs to whole company of the faithful (including the doubters). That’s another thing that I’ve learned – that doubt, to quote Frederick Buechner, is “the ants in the pants of faith.”
• Mission, for me, must be taken seriously. Here is my personal mission list or in another way, my to-do list:

1. to reach out
2. to love
3.  to forgive
4.  to welcome (the other, the stranger, the one who is different)
5.  to heal (myself, others, the world, relationships, the environment)
6. to worship
7.  to build community
8.  to offer hope

Having told you my to-do list, doesn’t mean this is all up to me for it is the work of the church and each one has a role to play, a life to touch,  a community for belonging, forgiveness to offer and receive, and love to share in wild and wonderful ways with the world.

In another very real sense, I’ve learned that this is so not about me, but it is about the Spirit that moves and dances and prods and pokes. If it were up to me, well not much would happen.

• Mission is also not about me in another way. In church-world, things really do come and go, ebb and flow. Something as powerful as healing ministry, for an example, may have at one time many champions and the ministry is strong. Life changes, things happen, people move on and a ministry loses support.  I’m not the saviour for the ministry or mission. The work will morph and change. God will call people forward. New forms will spring up.
• Patience is something that I have learned too. New forms take time. Seeds don’t grow over night. So I’ve learned to keep watch, to be attentive, and to support the growth wherever it may spring forth.
• Music is awesome.I am married to a musician and have a son who is a musician. Between the three of us we have very different tastes in what we like. Why would a church be any different? I have learned to appreciate classical music from my wife and dubstep from my son. Church provides a place where music is heard and where all can participate. We sing, we learn, we complain all because music, in any genre, is powerful.
• There are enough resources for the work of the church. I hope to learn how to best tap those resources – human, space, time, money, and talent. I know, I know, I know! There is abundance; we are blessed. 
• Be open.I never want to come again from a place of being closed minded or hard hearted. Nor do I ever want to go back to that place that I matter more than others and that I have all the right answers. For our emerging and challenging times, I don’t know of any sure-fire answers, but I have learned to love questions, listen, and be open, curious, and adventurous. 
• Always consider the children and the youth. Always. 
• Keep healthy in body, mind, and spirit, but don’t obsess. Find what works for you – nutrition, exercise, spiritual practices, and keeping an active mind.

There is more, but these have been on my mind and heart for some time.

Have a great summer!