Re-formation and Re-newal

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Dear Beloved in Christ in the Rocky Mountain Synod,

It’s Reformation Day, and I’ve just returned from a three-day retreat at the St. Benedict’s Monastery in Snowmass. It’s my personal commitment to take such a retreat once a quarter. This is one way I nurture my soul; at the same time, it is a tangible way for me to honor our 2013 Synod Assembly resolution on healthy leadership that encourages all congregations and ministry sites to intentionally provide one day each month for their pastor or rostered leader to dedicate themselves to prayer and meditation. I choose to take mine in a three-day dose every three months as that’s what works best for me.

It might seem self evident that those of us called to public leadership in the church would spend time in prayer and meditation. What I realized anew during my recent retreat was that in our 24/7 plugged-in world that never sleeps—where a smart phone is always in your pocket and the next crisis or urgent matter is only a click away—the space needed to breathe and to slow down enough to actually connect to God is hard to find. Sometimes the only way to create that needed space is to remove yourself physically and to leave the computer and phone behind. For me, the natural outer beauty that surrounds Snowmass and the internal tranquility that emanates from St. Benedicts is healing balm for my weary spirit.

I believe that our nonstop 21st century North American society needs pastors and other church leaders who feel called to serve as spiritual leaders and mentors. That means modeling for others who are burdened by the same kinds of relentless demands, the same incessant input and hyper-connectivity, the need to step away from time to time. This “stopping” is what allows me to recognize the grace-filled presence of God in the stillness and in the silence. This time away is what re-connects me to who I really am, exposing the subtle temptation to believe that my identity is somehow rooted in what I do or in the carefully constructed façade (however noble) that I present to the world each day. Only in the divine stillness and the silence do I discover the profound and eternal truth that who I “am” in Christ is the most important gift I have to offer to others and to the world. 

In addition to my quarterly retreats, another way I’ve been seeking to equip myself as a spiritual leader is through the ELCA Bishops’ Journey of Renewal. This program will be offered to rostered leaders and professional church workers here in the Rocky Mountain Synod starting September 2014. The Journey of Renewal is an intensive, year-long wellness experience designed by Portico Benefit Services (provider of ELCA Health and Retirement plans) to help those serving publicly in the church to grow their ability to live well in Christ. It combines retreats and small group coaching to help participants explore their strengths and core values in light of their relationship to God. Each person is introduced to a rich variety of spiritual practices and is invited into intentional conversation about the opportunities and obstacles they face in living out their call to be a whole person of God. 

More information about the RMS Journey of Renewal will be coming soon, but the commitment to offering this program grows from my personal conviction that healthy congregations and ministries are shaped by healthy leaders—and that healthy leaders are those committed to tending their spiritual life with an intentionality that is absolutely necessary in the demanding, non-stop, information-overloaded world in which we live.

So, beloved of God—rostered leader or daily disciple of Jesus—where is your Snowmass? What nurtures your spirit? I invite your reflections and comments even as I pray that it might be well with your soul!

Yours in Faith,

Bishop Jim 

Comments

Anonymous said…
Nice pictures!!! Great comments. Keep on commenting!!
1:31 PM
Anonymous said…
Great reading your blog...your words were what I needed to read/hear. :)
2:49 PM
Ruth Ann Loughry said…
I appreciate your willingness and commitment to model the health you are asking others to seek. God's continued peace as you come down the mountain.
4:31 PM
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